Companies shutting down for Xmas period, I don't get it ???

[clarkey31]

i have shut down for 2 weeks work hard all year so nice to have some time off with the family..

 

[TechnicAl]

It also allows us the time to queue up all night so we can be the first to buy some clothes we dont really need from Next or some other shop. However, we have worked hard to achieve this. In other countries they queue for food. We queue for luxuries we dont really need. Then we create more wealth by selling them on car boot sales where people arrive at ungodly times on Sunday mornings to enable purchases of goods that we dont really need.
This Im afraid is the consumer society that we belong to and which annoys us when we cant buy what we want on Christmas Day (or whatever day it was) and leads to some believing that Britain is 3rd World...

 

[oilyneil]

Buying stuff i dont need with money i haven't got to impress people i dont like!
Should be glad to have a day off from that,,,

 

[CRB]

our local shop "Nisa " was open christmas day ! i went up and got batteries for a drinking game

I did a little time in a corner shop. 'Bobby' stayed open over Easter after I had gone home on the Thursday, and when I saw him on the Tuesday morning he told me he had taken over £1200 on the Monday. It does pay to be a convenience store.

All my employers, for thirty-five years, have shut over Christmas, but in 2000ish, we merged with another plastic fabrication company that used to 'shut down' over Easter and Blackberry Week too. They told the clients that they were closed, but in fact were open, just charging overtime and call-out for their time.

I am on the Christmas closedown now, but even the last fifteen years or so, while working on a Friday afternoon, I could only email orders....there was never anyone there.

 

[CRB]

Yes, we're replacing the marriage station

I do love the terminology used for processes.

 

[Robotstar5]

I do love the terminology used for processes.

I suppose it's a bit better than the "stuff up" station, where they lift the engine up into the bodyshell

 

[Spark plug]

If you think business closing over Christmas is inconvenient, you should try liveing in my village the shops still close half day on a Wednesday

 

[CRB]

I suppose it's a bit better than the "stuff up" station, where they lift the engine up into the bodyshell

Could be considerably worse.

I did do bits at Nissan, but nothing in the main body building welding type stuff. We designed and built some paint-gun shrouds.

 

[CRB]

If you think business closing over Christmas is inconvenient, you should try liveing in my village the shops still close half day on a Wednesday

Proper Olde Schoole

 

[Wedg1e]

I stopped Xmas eve and will re-start Monday 5th.

Ditto, and it's forced on us by the company even though some/ most of us could be productive for a few days during the break. We also have to take those days from annual allowance, when most of us would rather be off when it's warmer and the days are longer.

Still, after yet another year without so much as a pay review, let alone a rise, and nothing but more months working away (for no extra pay) on the horizon I reckon my days are numbered. I can earn just as much money and sleep in my own bed every night and it looks like the only way they'll realise that is when I shut up and go and do it.

 

[Spark plug]

I pleased in not working nights next week. Only get Wednesday night off, start again at 00:00am Friday 2nd

 

[Robotstar5]

Still, after yet another year without so much as a pay review, let alone a rise, and nothing but more months working away (for no extra pay) on the horizon I reckon my days are numbered. I can earn just as much money and sleep in my own bed every night and it looks like the only way they'll realise that is when I shut up and go and do it.

New Year's resolution?

 

[premmington]

I pleased in not working nights next week. Only get Wednesday night off, start again at 00:00am Friday 2nd

I am just pleased I never have to work nights. I had a go for the AA years ago! I hated working nights...

 

[Robotstar5]

I am just pleased I never have to work nights. I had a go for the AA years ago! I hated working nights...

I've worked various shift patterns since 1980 and don't mind nights, my shift partner has trouble staying awake after 0400 , my least favourite shift is earlies, I hate getting up at 0430 particularly in winter.

 

[Justme]

Modern UK we are now a third world country
customer service in the UK is a joke better service from US OF A and China
OK a few places are still left in the UK but as most seem to shut down they are stuck too so have to shut down like the rest of them

Try getting customer service or goods out of China over their new year shut down...

 

[rtbcomp]

I didn't mind nights - it was telephone standby that I didn't like. This involved being available for callout after a normal day. I could never get to sleep properly.

 

[Robotstar5]

I didn't mind nights - it was telephone standby that I didn't like. This involved being available for callout after a normal day. I could never get to sleep properly.

In my last job we were on standby all the time as there was no nightshift maintenance cover, whoever was on afternoons covered to 0200 then the early shift was on cover, wasn't too bad as we got paid for it and most of the callouts were Sunday evening about 2230 if the had a problem starting the plant.

 

[brightspark]

Buying stuff i dont need with money i haven't got to impress people i dont like!
Should be glad to have a day off from that,,,

i dont give monkeys buying to impress

I didn't mind nights - it was telephone standby that I didn't like. This involved being available for callout after a normal day. I could never get to sleep properly.

ive done it 7 days a week for over 15 years sometimes 3 a nite . not as many now though the only time it knacks u up for getting back to sleep is if there after 2 in the morning and get back at 4 am

 

[AdrianH]

I do 1 week in 5 on standby, we have the old pager system so that customers do not have our private mobile numbers and can be called from all over England for some of the prisons, transport companies and a large bank. Done it for around 25 years, gets hectic over the summer hols trying to re-arrange to cover things. I must admit, I have had enough of it.. Would always mean I could not do a series of motoring events, or rallies etc.

Adrian

 

[zzr1200]

I work in the MEWP industry, being as the building sites started closing from the 19th Dec and the Poles, Romanian's and other Eastern European workers started heading home for Christmas work has been dead.

There are a couple of the big Access Firms working but generally they specialize in supplying firms like The National Grid, Network Rail, for outages/planned work and also I suspect Cross Rail will be working somewhere.

All of my firms hire contracts for machines will have be suspended by the hirer's until 5th Jan or later.

So we have a yard full of machines, no room to move them about, no chance of getting any spares for them, be they made in England, Europe, Canada or the USA.

The European Manufacturers have all shut for the holiday and the the Canada/USA manufacturers operate European spares distribution hubs and will not import directly to end users.

The firms phone is switched on but won't ring until 5th Jan, it's BLISS....