Half day closing.

[Cal]

if memory serves me it was on a wednesday throughout most of the country??

not to sure about the purpose of it other than everywhere becoming a ghost town.

did it just fade away or was it here one day and gone the next.

[m-tina]

Re: Half day closing.

Yep, ours was always half day closing wherever we lived. I was told it was because most businesses opened Saturday morning, so would close half day in the week, to make up for it. Never knew if that was true, but made sense.

[pedro]

Re: Half day closing.

Yep it was always a Wednesday in most places near where I live. Almost died out now with the exception of long established shops in small villages, the odd rural bank and some solicitors for some reason? Wish we closed at lunchtime... if I have a sanny and cuppa at my desk I'm lucky.

[sixtyten]

Re: Half day closing.

Sundays and Wednesdays..the worst days of the week back then,as nothing was open and if it was..not for long.personally I welcomed Sunday trading

[Buzz]

Re: Half day closing.

Where I live in a district of North Manchester, a lot of the shops still close on Weds afternoons.
Many dont open at all.!!

Then, most of the shopkeepers are in the local paper moaning that everyone goes to local supermarkets and they are losing trade etc.,
Well come into the 21st century and open when the customer needs you to, not when you feel like it.

Buzz

[m-tina]

Re: Half day closing.

Did you ever have the 'insert town name' holidays Buzz? I was so confused when I moved up to Bolton, as everywhere would close for 2 weeks of 'Bolton Holidays'... I felt as if I'd moved to the back of beyond.

[Buzz]

Re: Half day closing.

I am not sure whether they still have Oldham wakes.

Think this is where everything stops for a week or so.

Buzz

[fat wallet]

Re: Half day closing.

where i grew up we had wots called vickers fortnight the ship yard shut for two weeks and most of the town did too i think they all went to spain

[m-tina]

Re: Half day closing.

That's similiar to bolton/horwich holidays FW, the factories closed down for cleaning and maintainance(crikey that's far too long to be spelt correctly) and all the workers went to Blackpool for their holidays.

[Heather74]

Re: Half day closing.

we had the potters holiday here in stoke,aka potters fortnight.

[Teejay]

Re: Half day closing.

Where I live we have a day when the majority of the population don't go to work and still get paid by the government. Oh hang on - that's EVERY day.........

Oooh controversial....

[Marine Boy]

Re: Half day closing.

Naughty TJ

I remember half day closing on a Wednesday afternoon throughout my childhood and teenage years. It always seemed to be that Wednesday afternoon when you really needed a certain item from the shops and there was no way you'd be able to get it. I'd thought the custom had died out but here in Penzance, there are still one or two of the older established shops that do it.

In the early eighties, I worked on a large trading estate and it was common for the smaller businesses - including ours - to close completely for two weeks over Christmas and New Year.

[Richard1978]

Re: Half day closing.

I remember half day closing in & around Marple was on a wednesday until the early 1990s. In some places tuesday was the day for HDC.

Wakes Weeks were often when factories were replacing machinery so there wasn't any work for anyone apart from the maintenace workers.

At one time towns & possibly companies would have their own week for wakes to spread out the load for the resorts.

Some companies used to have saving schemes for workers to save up over the year.

It's not just a British thing, all the offices in Paris used to close for a few weeks in the summer which was a good time to visit.

When I went to Washington a few years ago in the summer I was surprised how quiet it was, but then again after visiting New York before than anywhere seems quiet. My Dad reckoned it would be a lot busier when congress as in session.

[Derekflint]

Re: Half day closing.

Definitely ate into the mid eighties. Even the supermarket closed, which was a pain in the rear!

It was horrible - if you were still there as it all closed up, it all felt a bit Omega Man.

But back then, a lot of the shops that were worth visiting were open - to this day I mourn the closing of the Gift Shop...

[kazboot]

Re: Half day closing.

It does still happen in Cornwall to a degree.