Never on Sunday

[3fingers]

If we could go back to it, would you bring back most all of the stores being closed on Sunday? I really don't think I'd miss it. I recall being able to get a paper at the smokehouse or pool hall and a jug of milk and a loaf of bread at the grocery after church for a couple of hours, with a handful of penny candy for the kids, with all the other stores being closed for the day. We were used to having to plan a day ahead to make sure we had what was necessary for Sunday activities and we did just fine with that. I live in an area where there is still very limited liquor sales on Sunday, so if you want a little beer for a Sunday gathering, you just pick it up on Saturday afternoon. I've grown tired of the gotta have it now or else attitude that we seem to have acquired in the past generation or so. There is no end to it. I don't intend for this to be about religion, and it really doesn't matter to me if you have any affiliation or not. Greed and impatience has taken over any sense of decency or caring about employees having time to rest and be with their families. I'm new here and have tried to find something on this by searching the archives with no luck. My apologies if this has been beaten to death.

 

[fashion frank]

Hello Three Fingers ,and welcome to the Forum .

I am sure you will enjoy it there are a great bunch of awesome people on this Forum and it's very friendly.

I am honored to be the first to answer your thread.
I live in the most Catholic state in the Union and until recently ( in terms of a time period) say in the last ten years at
best , Sunday was the Lord's day in this state and there were "Blue Laws" and things like stores were not open and I
agree with everything you said especially about just buying it on Saturday when you did your Saturday Chores ( I confess I still run my Saturday errands like clockwork) .

There were a lot of reasons for doing that .

Life took a Holy Day once a week,like you said a day with family ( very important ) nobody worked ,everyone got a day to
themselves , a day to recharge their batteries ( on the seventh day he rested ) people would go take a nice walk ,take the kids in the car for a ride or picnic or to the beach ,etc. etc. etc.

It also allowed for a better flow of life I.M.H.O. Monday thru Friday ,pretty much work ( unless like me ,maybe one nite a
week a social commitment ) Saturday,the go do all your shopping and errands and then back to Sunday and kicking back.

Also as an aside to this when life was more like that when I was growing up the pattern of life ,kept things less crazy ,less hectic not all this rushing around all the time ,this nation works more hours and has less rest time than a ton of other
nations.

On Sunday morning we went to Holy Mass and then to my Grandmothers house for a huge feast .
Then later in the day I was home and playing till bed time , it was simpler but in some ways it was better.

Again welcome to the Forum .

All the Best ,Fashion Frank

 

[LizzieMaine]

I remember Blue Laws well -- we had them here until the late '70s. No stores larger than a corner grocery were allowed to be open on Sunday, no alcohol could be sold on Sunday, and no alcohol could be sold anywhere but in a State Liquor Store. Seems like the binge-drinking beer-swilling chug-a-lug culture wasn't so common then either. Cause and effect? I dunno. But I liked it better that way.

 

[Foxer55]

The only reason blue laws fell is because of...MONEY! The idea that they reflected relgious discrimination or control is pretty much a red herring in my view. If you look at how our culture has changed its all about the...MONEY! Getting those stores opened on Sunday raises the firm's bottom line so its all about the...MONEY! And it contributes to the whole economies-of-scale practice of moving more product which in turn reduces cost which induces more spending for more...MONEY! Money drives absolutely everything in our culture now.

 

[olive bleu]

I was still working in retail when Sunday shopping began around here. It was difficult because I was the store manager, so I felt I couldn't really expect my staff to come in on Sundays if I wasn't willing to work the odd shift as well. But I went kicking and screaming. I knew I would hate it and I was right.

Now, no one forces me to shop on Sunday of course, but it has changed some things I love about Sunday. I can't find someone to meet up for coffee on a Sunday because half my friends are out grocery shopping, buying flat screen TVs, or shopping for a Birthday present for Great Aunt Matilda. I used to love it that the city would be quiet and the streets void of traffic and it would be lovely to go for a nice long walk on a Sunday, now It is the same crazy traffic and dirt that races up and down the street every weekday. bleh.

 

[tonyb]

Youngsters (people under, say, 40) suspect me of lying when I tell them that when I was a kid most every business was buttoned up on Sundays, and certainly on the "real" holidays -- Christmas, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, etc., as contrasted with Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day (no, I've never lived in Boston), etc. Better buy your gas the day before the holiday if your plans for observing it included a long drive.

There were "real" parades then, too, on every patriotic holiday, with many more spectators lining the road than participants marching down that road. It's been so long since I've witnessed such a parade in person that I honestly can't recall when it was. Perhaps it was the VFW's national convention parade in Philadelphia in 1969 (or, come to think of it, Dallas in '71), when I would have seen it from somewhere near a stripe down the center of the road, where I was marching along while cracking notes on my horn as a member of a drum and bugle corps. (Ain't may of those left anymore, either.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

It was the Monday Holiday law that really drove the nail into the proper celebration of holidays. Remember when Memorial Day came on May 30th every year and was a sombre occasion for commemorating war dead, with public speeches, wreath-laying ceremonies and visits to the cemetery -- and not just another excuse to SELL SELL SELL?

At least they had the sense to put Veteran's Day back to the proper Armistice Day date -- but they ought to go the next step and repeal the whole Monday Holiday foolishness.

 

[Canadian]

I remember going to a Christian private school. We were told not only was Sunday the Lords Day, it was a sin to do homework, play ball, do anything but go to Church on Sunday.

We were even told that if we didn't finish our homework on Saturday, we were to get up at 1AM on Monday and finish.

Imagine telling a kid that he's going to hell if he does his homework on a Sunday.

Tom

 

[olive bleu]

...and I know this is a wee bit of a bunny trail.... But speaking of shopping & holidays... I wish we could go back to groceries stores selling groceries. I am so fed up with these superstores that have to have their finger in every pie. Last night I went out after dinner to my neighbourhood "grocery store" it was a madhouse. The aisles were crammed, and the lineups at the checkouts were miles long .At the end of the shortest line I could find, I was standing between racks of SWEATERS! When I finally got to the cashier, I asked why the heck it was so busy on a Wednesday night , she looked at me like I was from another planet and said' "well, tomorrow is valentines day"!
why can't we go back to buying groceries from the grocer, Flowers from the florist and chocolates from the candy store? I was in the store 2 hours last night to buy $80 worth of groceries.

 

[olive bleu]

I remember going to a Christian private school. We were told not only was Sunday the Lords Day, it was a sin to do homework, play ball, do anything but go to Church on Sunday.

We were even told that if we didn't finish our homework on Saturday, we were to get up at 1AM on Monday and finish.

Imagine telling a kid that he's going to hell if he does his homework on a Sunday.



Tom

hee hee. we weren't allowed to use scissors on Sunday either.

 

[tonyb]

Well, I accept that I'm no longer typical in that I go food shopping almost daily.

Among this household's responsibilities that fall to me is food procurement and preparation. I prefer not to have lots of perishables in this house at any given time, as I hate to see it go to waste, or to waist. So, meat, fish and poultry is usually bought on the day it will be consumed, unless I find a bargain, in which case much of it will go into the freezer. I never run out of milk (nonfat) or coffee, but I never buy so much of it at any one time that there's any danger of it going bad (or stale).

One modern development I do like, though, is the late night (or even all-night) supermarket. And in-store bakeries and butchers. If I lived in a district with numerous little specialty food shops, as was common before the automobile became central to our way of life and cities sprawled into unending suburbia, I'd patronize half a dozen food merchants daily.

But that's not where I live. Still, there's a solid handful of specialty food shops -- mostly Latino and Asian -- within a mile of here. (By the way, if anyone is likely to be closed on Sunday, it's those folks. The parishioners at the local Roman Catholic church are mostly people native to other lands, and their American-born offspring, of course, who will grow up to favor hip-hop -- or whatever genre supplants it -- and clothing styles that leave their parents scratching their heads. I just hope they like hats.)

 

[Canadian]

I know what you mean about big box shops. My girlfriend bought some clothing at a local grocery store. You walk in, past the pharmacy, past the photo shop, past the in-store McDonalds and you are assaulted by velvet trousers, leather jackets. Basically cut rate merchandise, but I can see why they're trying to target every niche. You have to drive at least ten minutes to get there, so you'd better be able to get your milk, car batteries and shirts at the same spot.

Tom

 

[olive bleu]

One modern development I do like, though, is the late night (or even all-night) supermarket. And in-store bakeries and butchers. If I lived in a district with numerous little specialty food shops, as was common before the automobile became central to our way of life and cities sprawled into unending suburbia, I'd patronize half a dozen food merchants daily.
QUOTE]

I am actually ok with the in-store bakeries and butchers..at least it is still food. Its the craziness of having a lady in front of me waiting for a price-check on a pair of shoes, while my ice cream is melting in my cart.....

 

[Wally_Hood]

Youngsters (people under, say, 40) suspect me of lying when I tell them that when I was a kid most every business was buttoned up on Sundays, and certainly on the "real" holidays -- Christmas, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, etc., as contrasted with Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day (no, I've never lived in Boston), etc. Better buy your gas the day before the holiday if your plans for observing it included a long drive.

There were "real" parades then, too, on every patriotic holiday, with many more spectators lining the road than participants marching down that road. It's been so long since I've witnessed such a parade in person that I honestly can't recall when it was. Perhaps it was the VFW's national convention parade in Philadelphia in 1969 (or, come to think of it, Dallas in '71), when I would have seen it from somewhere near a stripe down the center of the road, where I was marching along while cracking notes on my horn as a member of a drum and bugle corps. (Ain't may of those left anymore, either.)

Which corps, tonyb? In the sixties, up until DCI in the seventies, VFW and American Legion were driving forces in drum corps.

 

[Wally_Hood]

It was the Monday Holiday law that really drove the nail into the proper celebration of holidays. Remember when Memorial Day came on May 30th every year and was a sombre occasion for commemorating war dead, with public speeches, wreath-laying ceremonies and visits to the cemetery -- and not just another excuse to SELL SELL SELL?

At least they had the sense to put Veteran's Day back to the proper Armistice Day date -- but they ought to go the next step and repeal the whole Monday Holiday foolishness.

Hear, hear!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Well, I accept that I'm no longer typical in that I go food shopping almost daily.

Among this household's responsibilities that fall to me is food procurement and preparation. I prefer not to have lots of perishables in this house at any given time, as I hate to see it go to waste, or to waist. So, meat, fish and poultry is usually bought on the day it will be consumed, unless I find a bargain, in which case much of it will go into the freezer. I never run out of milk (nonfat) or coffee, but I never buy so much of it at any one time that there's any danger of it going bad (or stale).

One great benefit of owning a 1940's refrigerator is that you never buy groceries on impulse. There's only room in the freezer compartment for a couple of ice trays and a quart of ice cream or a couple of Hoodsies, and the main compartment will just hold your milk, eggs, and butter, a water jug, a six-pack of Coke, some sausages or fresh meat, some carrots, and a few dishes of leftovers, so you aren't tempted to stock up on a lot of stuff you won't ever use "just because it's on sale." You buy only enough for a day or two, and you use it all. No waste, because you never have enough stuff in the house at any one time to waste, and you never end up with unidentifed packages of mummified something in the freezer that you forgot you had.

 

[Canadian]

I remember as a bachelor, in my pad, I would buy a liter of milk whenever I felt like a glass. From the drugstore across the street.

Of course, being a bachelor, I would promise myself that I would drink the whole thing, but I never did. There was cheese in my fridge which moved faster.

 

[tonyb]

Which corps, tonyb? In the sixties, up until DCI in the seventies, VFW and American Legion were driving forces in drum corps.

I was in the Madison (Wisconsin) Boy Scout Drum & Bugle Corps, the "junior" unit to the lauded Madison Explorer Scouts, of which my older brother was a member, and of which I would have been a member had my family not moved to Seattle, where I was a member of the Shamrocks and then the Seattle Imperials.

I was a big believer in DCI in its salad days, as the veteran's organizations had proven themselves arbitrary and unwilling to negotiate anything of substance with the drum corps themselves. But the dramatic decline of drum and bugle corps has shown DCI to be a lousy steward of the activity. It's kinda heartbreaking, really. I have relatives back in Madison who remain quite active in the governance of the Scouts organization. Can't say that I approve of the decisions they've made of late. It's best that I don't bring it up.

 

[tonyb]

One great benefit of owning a 1940's refrigerator is that you never buy groceries on impulse. There's only room in the freezer compartment for a couple of ice trays and a quart of ice cream or a couple of Hoodsies, and the main compartment will just hold your milk, eggs, and butter, a water jug, a six-pack of Coke, some sausages or fresh meat, some carrots, and a few dishes of leftovers, so you aren't tempted to stock up on a lot of stuff you won't ever use "just because it's on sale." You buy only enough for a day or two, and you use it all. No waste, because you never have enough stuff in the house at any one time to waste, and you never end up with unidentifed packages of mummified something in the freezer that you forgot you had.

I never put so much in the freezer that it goes bad before we get the chance to eat it. I very rarely eat red meat (like maybe once or twice a year, if that), but that doesn't mean the dewy-eyed bride should be so deprived. If we're extravagant around here in any regard, it's in what we put in our mouths. (Life is short, and we can afford it, usually.) So if the lovely missus wants a steak for dinner, it's a rib eye or a New York or some other variety that normally costs 10 bucks or more per pound when I buy them by the each from the butcher's case, or significantly less than that in the "Family Pak" of three or four or five of 'em in the self-serve case. In that circumstance, she gets one for dinner that night and the rest over the next couple-three weeks.

 

[TomS]

I've been a cop for a long time, and I remember issuing infractions to businesses when they dared to open on a Sunday. Although the fine was 70.00 if I recall, and a steep fine at the time, it was nothing compared to the profit the store could make. So, obviously being closed was a matter of conscience, and NOT money.