Polish MPs have approved a bill that will phase out Sunday shopping by 2020.Initially proposed by trade unions, the idea received the support of the ruling conservative Law and Justice Party, who want to allow workers to spend more time with their families.The Sejm, the lower house of Poland’s parliament, passed the bill by 254 to 156 to restrict Sunday shopping to the first and last Sunday of the month until the end of 2018, only on the last Sunday in the month in 2019, and to ban it totally starting in 2020. It will still be permitted, however, on the Sundays before major holidays such as Christmas. Some bakeries and online shops will also be exempt.
It is startling to Americans vacationing in Europe to see that many countries have store closing laws that make things inconvenient for shoppers. But “inconvenient for shoppers” is only one way to look at it. These laws make it convenient for shopkeepers and workers who would like to have a normal family life, or at least not to have their lives controlled entirely by the demands of consumer commerce. The barbaric orgy of consumerism that takes place every Black Friday makes one aware of how important it is to draw and defend these lines.
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