Europe

[sixpacktr]

I have had the opportunity to travel around the world with the various companies I have had the opportunity to work for, mainly to the Far East (Japan, Korea, Hong Kong) and Australia. With my present company I have had the opportunity to travel to Europe twice now (I am presently in Amsterdam for the week), and I noticed something:

Here it is, Sunday afternoon, and there aren't any stores open. None (excepting restaurants). I noticed the same while in Italy last year, that on Sunday I couldn't just pop in to the grocery store and pick up a couple of things to eat, or some other little shop to get some batteries. Everything was closed. I must say, I am very impressed. Granted, my experiences are very limited (2 Sundays total), but it seems, SEEMS, that the Europeans keep the Sabbath Day, at least as far as retail and the like goes.

I wish that we in the States, who like to think we are so Christian and God fearing, would follow their example in this. How much more would the Lord be allowed to bless us just because we adhered to this basic commandment (D&C 82:10)? I fear our worship of the false idol 'the almighty buck' is skewing our vision and putting us in terrible peril. Major sporting events are held on the Sabbath, major exhibits, major sales, etc., etc., etc. A basic return to Sabbath day observance would right so many of the wrongs that we as a nation are currently facing, I believe.

Anywayt, my attitude towards Europe has taken a 180 degree turn. There is something here that really tugs at my roots. My ancestors fled Europe for better opportunities in the US, for which I am eternally grateful. I truly love being an American. But my roots come from here, and there is something very comfortable being here that I never experienced elsewhere in my travels, even in the 6+ years I lived in Japan (I know, I was much taller and had rounder eyes, but there is a part of me, I'm convinced, that is Japanese. I was just never really 'accepted').

[pam]

Thank you for that six. In the business I'm in our store is open on Sunday. We do extremely little business being in of course a predominantly LDS community. The thought process of the lead manager is...if we close down, those customers will just go to another store and will continue going to another store. He is non LDS btw. The owner is LDS and I've had this strong urge lately to talk to him about closing down on Sundays. He is LDS. The business is struggling at the moment...but what I see is the opportunity to gain blessings in keeping the sabbath day holy and closing the store. I've seen other stores do this and their business has increased so much by receiving the blessings of this.

[Guest Username-Removed]

Australia -

When I was on my mission there, there was nothing open on Sunday. The only exception was very limited gasoline (petrol) service at only a few selected and scheduled locations. They actually post the schedule up on the window of closed stores.

Also, the only time shops are open in the evening is Thursday Night. They call it Thursday Night Shopping. The only evening you can go and buy, and everything is open.

But try and get any technology in that country from outside you can expect very heavy tarriffs. My Canon A-1 camera cost me $250 before I left. It was over $700 in converted dollars there!

Not many complained about poor business practices. Most just accepted them.

In my opinion, it would be nice to get out of the rat race and sacrifice some quality of products for quality of life. We live in a society now where major CAREER changes happen 7 times in a lifetime. Job CHANGES are now 18 months on the average!

[WillowTheWhisp]

At one time all our stores here in England would be closed on a Sunday too, but now it's like any other day. In fact it seems to be busier if anything in some stores on Sundays, the DIY ones in particular. I think things began to change when we had a large immigrant population for whom Sunday was not their Sabbath. They were permitted by law to close their shops on their Sabbath and open them on Sunday - then it evolved into everybody being allowed to open 7 days a week if they so wished.

[Aphrodite]

Everything here in Luton is open almost 24/7. The garage is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It NEVER closes, the only times ive seen 'no access' is when the police are taking statements after a robberry........even then its usually open within the hour. Our local supermarket is also open 24/7 apart from saturday and sunday nights. I personally am grateful for this in case I need anything-Its a safety thing for some reason. Willow is right, sundays are more busy. If I go to Asda on a Sunday it is rammed to the rafters-worth gettin in everything on a saturday for that reason alone. Otherwise you feel like you never leave the rat race. I like having chilled out Sundays.

[sixpacktr]

And then there is the other side of Europe, or at least Amsterdam. What a magnificent city! So much architecture and history. But the group I'm with decides to do a picture scavenger hunt down in the famous 'red light district'. I haven't felt that uncomfortable (and completely filthy and 'spirit numbed') ever. Pictures out in the open that would make Larry Flint blush, the girls banging on the windows to get you to come in with them, the utter feeling of blackness that engulfs the area. I found myself looking down almost the entire time, except every once in a while I would look up to see where everyone was, and I'd get rasted with something. Ughh. I wish I could give my brain a shower. But most of all I felt an incredible sadness. Sadness that this is actually a TOURIST area, one that they recommend you go see. Sadness at how empty people's eyes were that were in that area. Sadness for the girls that do this to themselves.

I don't know why the Lord just doesn't slap us upside the head more. We really need it. 9/11 was a good slap to the US, but it lasted all of about 2-3 months. Then we were back with our shrill crap about gay rights, abortions, lying, cheating, stealing.

It really is a wonder to me that the God of Heaven just doesn't wipe us off and start over. He must really weep that his children are so dumb and obstinate in sin.

[prisonchaplain]

European stores closed on Sunday? My guess is that this is primarily due to tradition. After all, most of the states support churches that very few attend. Another reason may be that Europeans value their time off, and do not wear being overworked as a badge of honor, the way we New Worlders do.

[Traveler]

European stores closed on Sunday? My guess is that this is primarily due to tradition. After all, most of the states support churches that very few attend. Another reason may be that Europeans value their time off, and do not wear being overworked as a badge of honor, the way we New Worlders do.

I think you are on to something. Americans are addicted shopping nut cases. One of my great disappointments is to travel with another couple only to have to put up with many hours shopping – especially when most of the stuff they buy they could have purchased from a local mall back home?

Even among Christians of the USA culture; it appears to me that few realize the spiritual benefits of living by a Sabbath covenant. I consider an encounter with anyone dedicated to covenants to be extremely rare and a very great honor - especially in the USA.

The Traveler

[MorningStar]

I have had the opportunity to travel around the world with the various companies I have had the opportunity to work for, mainly to the Far East (Japan, Korea, Hong Kong) and Australia. With my present company I have had the opportunity to travel to Europe twice now (I am presently in Amsterdam for the week), and I noticed something:

Here it is, Sunday afternoon, and there aren't any stores open. None (excepting restaurants). I noticed the same while in Italy last year, that on Sunday I couldn't just pop in to the grocery store and pick up a couple of things to eat, or some other little shop to get some batteries. Everything was closed. I must say, I am very impressed. Granted, my experiences are very limited (2 Sundays total), but it seems, SEEMS, that the Europeans keep the Sabbath Day, at least as far as retail and the like goes.

I wish that we in the States, who like to think we are so Christian and God fearing, would follow their example in this. How much more would the Lord be allowed to bless us just because we adhered to this basic commandment (D&C 82:10)? I fear our worship of the false idol 'the almighty buck' is skewing our vision and putting us in terrible peril. Major sporting events are held on the Sabbath, major exhibits, major sales, etc., etc., etc. A basic return to Sabbath day observance would right so many of the wrongs that we as a nation are currently facing, I believe.

Anywayt, my attitude towards Europe has taken a 180 degree turn. There is something here that really tugs at my roots. My ancestors fled Europe for better opportunities in the US, for which I am eternally grateful. I truly love being an American. But my roots come from here, and there is something very comfortable being here that I never experienced elsewhere in my travels, even in the 6+ years I lived in Japan (I know, I was much taller and had rounder eyes, but there is a part of me, I'm convinced, that is Japanese. I was just never really 'accepted').

I got to spend five weeks in Austria and I loved it (for the most part). I enjoyed the slower pace, the fact that the family came home for lunch to eat together, the way the church bells would ring on Sunday signaling for the shops to close, and it just seems so low stress there. The kids at school wore the same clothes for a week and there was none of this, "Oh no! What if someone notices I'm wearing the same outfit as last week?" nonsense. I have friends who own many clothes just because they are embarrassed that someone will think there is something wrong with them for wearing the same outfit often (even if it's clean). At the school, they stayed in the same classroom and the teachers would travel to them, eliminating the need for lockers. They were also in the same class together their whole lives and were very comfortable giving speeches in front of each other and they seemed to have pretty high self-esteem too.

I also loved how we could walk into town to buy groceries and not feel like we were going to get hit by a car. I couldn't do that here unless I lived really close to the store. It's just not all that pedestrian friendly here. Also, I noticed people would move into the other lane for bikers in Austria. The bus system was great too! Where I live, if you miss the bus, you have to wait another 45 minutes and choose between being 5 minutes late for work or over half an hour early. It's so frustrating.

I would love to go to Austria again. This time I would like to not tear the ligaments in my ankle or get dragged to a topless beach.

[WANDERER]

I live in Australia:

'Late night shopping' is Monday to Friday 8:30 am until 9pm.

Saturday and Sunday shopping is 9 am until 5pm

(different States vary on this).

I do remember the days of Thursday night shopping..it was very packed as everyone who worked until 5pm on a weekday had to go shopping on Thursday night (open until 9:30pm) or on Saturday morning (closed at 12:30pm). That meant that the entire working population of the nation had a shopping window of about 12 hours a week. Can you imagine?

People got really excited about 7/11's...small corner shops that were open from 7 in the morning till 11 at night (they were few and far between and still are). They were expensive but people could get groceries. Corner shops began to have later hours at night and petrol stations and take away shops started to stock groceries.

This kind of lifestyle went out the window along with milk and bread deliveries. There must have been a lot of stay at home Mums with one car families because nearly every supermarket store home delivered at one stage. That doesn't happen anymore.

While I still think no one should have to work on a Sunday, latenight shopping helps. I tend to think working on Saturdays isn't so great for the community either...it makes it hard to get a sporting team together.

[fiona84]

Wanderer....Scotland has 'late night 'Thursday shopping,too. Funny how being open until 9 pm seems so late over there when here in the USA malls are open until 9 every night! I loved doing Thursday night shopping, it was such a treat.

In response to the original topic, I think alot of it is tradition, but it is still nice that they don't have the 24/7 go,go,go lifestyle we have over here. In Scotland where I lived shops were only open 12-5 on Sundays (except grocery stores--and er PUBS, come to think of it).

In any case, they still had milk deliveries where I worked and also they aren't as 'polically correct' obsessed as we are here....i worked at a preschool (not affiliated with any religion) and we could do a Christmas nativity play, celebrate Christian holidays, etc.

Oh, and they also offer religiously affliliated state schools if you choose. (My husband went to a Catholic school, and on a sectarian side note, they shared a cafeteria with the protestants but ate on different sides if you can believe it....pretty silly....)

[sixpacktr]

My point was that whatever reason they do it for, I believe that the Lord blesses them because they do keep the Sabbath holy, at least in retail. Or maybe it is just Northern Italy and the Netherlands where I have been on a Sunday that do this, I don't know. Thanks to others that let me know their experiences.

I really hope to one day get the privilege of living in Europe for a while. As fiona84 said, the lack of the 'go go' lifestyle, and the ability to sit back, spend time with family and friends, drink a beer or wine and just enjoy it instead of pounding them down as fast as possible (granted, not talking of church members, but only those with whom I've associated during my visits here) and just enjoying life seems very nice to me.

We really do work too hard in the US.

[Maya]

I am sad to tell you Finland is NOT in this group of closed stores on Sundays... the food stores are open every day. So even teh workers there are forced to work some Sundays... Norway has managed to keep the stores mostly closed, but they ahve found out a big Kiosk system that sells grouseries on Sundaus too like 7-eleven, gass stations...

Sometimes they do have Sunday open days in big malls... especially around Christmas... of course... the BIGGEST shopping party of the year... reminds me of Jesus emptying the Temple area from sellers...

[Toady]

this is an interesting discussion.

when I was a child, in London, I remember one Sunday my mother had forgotten the frozen peas for Sunday lunch, so she sent me out to a local shop in the two hour Sunday morning opening timeslot. It took me two hours to find a shop that was open and would sell me peas.

Today, I'd just have to walk across the road and buy them.

I think the change in our Sabbath from quiet, family time when everyone stayed home because there was nothing else to do, is a sad and damaging one.

I miss the quiet Sundays.

[beckysoup61]

If you don't like that part of town, don't visit it.

Couldn't agree more.

[VisionOfLehi]

Is being closed on Sundays in these countries an observance of the Sabbath, or did it merely just start that way and grow into a tradition that most people don't give a second thought to?

This I'm asking sincerely. What was the feel behind these experiences? Habit, or faith?

[Toady]

I can't speak for other countries, but most certainly here it used to be Sabbath observance. Although in the islands of Scotland, where the 'Wee free' Kirk still hold sway, things haven't changed. They were in the papers recently as they pulled their children out of a football (yes, I mean football, not soccer:) ) tournament because due to a fixture list pile up, the children would have to play ona Sunday.

[ampat777]

I am from Europe and let me tell you this: The shops and even the largest malls close early daily and very early on Saturday. It´s just about politics and the mentality of the people. Not about the Sabbath or anything. People in Europe are not as far as religous as in the US and the youth would not admit to believe in God. It´s sad but it´s the truth generally.

Europe having millions of immigrants from islamic countries doesn´t help any as well but that´s another discussion.

Eric

[manxman]

Western Australia has JUST had the state govt pass trading hours legislation (that the people have twice rejected) allowing general Sunday trading. We were accused of being behind the times, and an impediment to business. I fear it will lead to more casualization in the workforce, less family together time and lower overall earnings for many. It was heavily restricted before, mainly to family 'corner' stores, less than 6(?) people, and the tourist areas of Freemanltle and Northbridge. Petrol rosters died years ago, numbers of outlets have dropped accordingly, and service there is non-existent. Alcohol is even more readily available, and of course, the Casino gets exemptions to operate all manner of evil 24/7. I'm grateful for successive state govts that have so far refused to let poker machines into the public arena, apart from the Casino. That's a curse we're all better off without. However, the state promotes the use of scratchies tickets-cheap gambling which soaks up the small change in the community, and impoverishes every fool who gets into it. There was a robbery of tickets some years ago, but they weren't really worried, and publicly stated that they weren't likely to win a major prize in the many 1,000s of tickets they'd gotten. Not much hope for the punters then either, I'd say. We also have legal prostitution premises in housing areas, with the attendant problems. This state is filled with Godless people, many of whom have too much, and some have too little, and most want something for nothing. Their hearts are set upon their wealth, or lack of it, but not on the God who enriches all whom will believe. I fear for this people, that they will be destroyed for their wickedness. I really do. My own life will be forfeit with them, I expect, but this people worry me.

[LDSNanny]

I live in Switzerland (I am American), and except for restaurants, everything is closed. Whomever said it was for tradition and time off was correct. Religion is not popular here, but Swiss people like their time off!! lol. Very few people work on Sundays, but even less go to church!

[ampat777]

I live in Switzerland (I am American), and except for restaurants, everything is closed. Whomever said it was for tradition and time off was correct. Religion is not popular here, but Swiss people like their time off!! lol. Very few people work on Sundays, but even less go to church!

I´m in Austria and that´s exactly what I mean.