Coronavirus

I only ever remember a 11pm weekday closing time, couldn't say if it was ever any earlier than that. Might have been Sunday hours on a bank holiday. I used to look older than most my mates, who were actually older than me, so surprisingly getting in a pub at 15, was not that difficult all them years ago. You just disappeared or kept your head down if the old bill turned up.

 

please log in to view this image

 

I don't know what age you are mate, but I turn 47 next month and when I started drinking in pubs at around 16 years old, most of the landlords simply didn't give a **** Back then I think the excuse 'well he told me he was 18' was enough to get landlords off the hook.

Not like today where it's licence revoke, end of pub and probs have your name splashed all over the local rag.

 

The landlord knew how old I really was, but as long has I behaved myself, I got served. Only once did he threaten to ban me after I started a mass brawl

It wasn't my fault honest, some newbies turned up to the boozer, and didn't realise I knew every fooker in there, when they got a bit lippy.

We had regular raids by the old bill, but I think as long as they didn't catch you with your drink, they couldn't touch you.....maybe i'm wrong, but was the rule around service, rather than being on the premises.

 

Yeah I think that was the law, wasn't it legal for under 18's to have a drink if they were sat at a table with their family and an over 18 bought the drink at the bar ? I dunno now, it's such a long time ago ?

Looking back, I remember we used to drink in a pub when we were 16 that a couple of our teachers from school also used to go to for a pint after school had finished. They weren't buying drinks for us, we were doing that ourselves. But we'd sit with them and have a pint and chat about the school football team and a game a pool.

Can you imagine the outcry now if the press caught wind of something like that ?

 

To be honest mate, all them years later, I brought my kids up the same. I'd rather them drinking in some boozer where I know the landlord, rather than hanging around on a street corner, being a pain in the arse. Thing was the landlord was strict with them, so they knew they had to behave or get kicked out, the discipline worked a treat.

 

Always used to be 11.00 til 3.00 then 5 till 10.30 Mon-Sat. On Sunday it was 11.00 till 2.00 then 7.00 till 10.30

 

I thought so. I was pretty sure that 11pm came in, in my lifetime but wasn't sure.

 

The old rules were a play-off between Sunday trading laws, Religion and the need to get people to work on Monday

Limited hours on Sunday to allow people to relax and still obey the "day of rest" for publicans, closed during Mass times for Catholics and open again right after but only for 3 and a half hours so you didn't get too wrecked to go to work on Monday

 

Sounds similar to Sunday opening for shops in the 90's. Except not so much the getting wrecked bit.

 

So why are people panic buying bog roll again, i don't get it?

How did bog roll ever jump to being the most essential thing to buy.

I think the only thing I might miss in a food shortage, would be sugar but I could live without it, if it meant the difference between queuing for it it or going without, I'd just go without.

 

What on earth makes people think there will be a shortage of bogg roll to start with?

 

I didn't agree with Sunday opening for shops when it first came about. I always felt Sundays should be for the family. However, a modern world and needs must. The only thing that I still disagree with, it used to be deemed as voluntary to work Sundays, but I feel now it's more enforced, not sure if that's the case. Also what happened to all the double and treble time for weekend working, workers used to get.

 

No idea mate, just seen it in the review of tomorrows papers.

 

There's something very weird about the whole bog roll hoarding thing. I just don't get it.

Sugar? I reckon I could do without sugar quite easily. Got me thinking though... fck knows as I don't have anything regularly to miss it... bread probably.

 

Bread always used to be the thing that would send people into a frenzy years ago. I could quite happily live without it. I'd imagine our needs as a nation have changed considerably from when I was young.

 

Yep, time and a half up to mid day on Saturday and double time after that until Monday morning.

I felt a bit weird about Sunday shopping but it became normal pretty quickly. Probably a bad thing because people really used to have a full day of leisure on Sunday yet now many waste it on the weekly shop.

 

My sister was working in retail when it came in. You're spot on, it was voluntary and she got paid double time. I've not idea if that still applies but I doubt it. With the 24 hour opening (even though supermarkets still close 5pm on Sundays) I think the whole thing is the same payrate now.

The only upside to Sunday openings was that I remember prior to that it used to be like a ghost town round our way. But something was lost with Sunday openings. That erosion of home and family life that little bit more and an emphasis towards business and capitalism.

 

The old lady used to always buy an extra loaf for bank holidays, half of it usually went stale

 

I have every sympathy for people that work in retail, shhite hours and arsehole customers.