RIP Pope Francis

[1995hoo]

Well, if stores are closed for a religious holiday, if anything it gives people who don't celebrate a day to take off work and rest. I don't think I (as a Christian) would complain if I were working in India and had to take off work for Holi, even if I didn't care at all about the holiday. Rest is good for everyone.

A firm where my wife used to work had Jewish management and gave employees the day off (with pay) for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. She isn't Jewish. At least once, we used one of those days to play golf.

I, in turn, had a Jewish colleague who liked to go into the office on Christmas because he said it was the quietest day of the year there and he could get a lot done without interruption.

[Max Rockatansky]

Christmas any major holidays which people stay home are the best days for a run or a hike.  Nobody is ever around and the silence is golden.

[roadman65]

I remember as a child when Columbus Day, Election Day, and even Veterans Day were holidays given off from school and work.

Even Lincoln's Birthday was a day off February 12.

[1995hoo]

I remember as a child when Columbus Day, Election Day, and even Veterans Day were holidays given off from school and work.

Even Lincoln's Birthday was a day off February 12.

Columbus Day is a school holiday here. Much of the private sector doesn't observe it, but the biggest employer in the DC area is the US government, so you definitely notice the reduced traffic. The same is true of Veterans Day, although I don't know whether the schools observe it (they did not when I was a kid, and the reason given was that the day after Thanksgiving replaced it).

When I was a kid we had school on Election Day exactly one time, I think in first or second grade. It was a logistical disaster because so many school cafeterias are used as polling places. So they told us all we had to be absolutely silent while eating lunch that day. That didn't work out very well, and the voting machines interfered with the way the line formed for kids lining up to buy lunch (which in turn resulted in noise when the cafeteria lady had to keep yelling instructions to line up in a different way from normal). It must have been a problem at other schools as well because from then on, Election Day was always a "teacher workday" on which kids had the day off.

We never had Lincoln's Birthday as a holiday. But then, you wouldn't have expected to when you grew up in Virginia.

[NWI_Irish96]

I remember as a child when Columbus Day, Election Day, and even Veterans Day were holidays given off from school and work.

Even Lincoln's Birthday was a day off February 12.

I'm not aware of anyplace other than Illinois having Lincoln's birthday as a holiday.

Our school district folds Columbus Day into their fall break.

Election Day has always been a day off for students because the schools are used as polling places. The last few years, they've switched from being off to having an e-learning day.

[roadman65]

Lincoln's Birthday was given to MLK Day in January.  I believe it was Jimmy Carter who decided to combine Lincoln and Washington together and create a special day to honor the slain civil rights leader.

[Big John]

Lincoln's Birthday was given to MLK Day in January.  I believe it was Jimmy Carter who decided to combine Lincoln and Washington together and create a special day to honor the slain civil rights leader.

Reagan signed the bill into law in 1983.

[kphoger]

Right. This is cool and all, but this isn't evidence for "strong" growth.

I didn't intend it to be evidence.

But the study itself is evidence.

[elsmere241]

With this job, I used to have the first Monday in February off for "Lincoln's birthday", along with Columbus Day.  These were recently replaced with "floating holidays".  Considering how my holidays we do have (New Year's Day, MLK Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4th, Labor Day, Election Day in even years, Veterans' Day, half of Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day) it's not that a big deal.  Most of the time we'll get off for the rest of Christmas Eve.  Sometimes something will pop up, like getting Friday, July 5th off last year (and last minute).

My city trash/recycling collection gets bumped around if there's a holiday, and they don't always observe the same holidays that we at the county do.  So I have to check the calendar from time to time on that.  (Sometimes we wind up with a Saturday pickup to make up for Friday being a holiday).

[GaryV]

When I worked at Chrysler we had Veteran's Day off (amongst our 15-17 days). But it was celebrated on the Friday closest to Deer Season Opening Day.

[kphoger]

Regardless I don't think Easter "paralyzed" anything.

Tell that to all the stores that are closed.

You mean the stores that voluntarily closed?  If their closure was paralyzing, then they'd have stayed open.

It wasn't that long ago that a lot of major retail stores were closed on Easter.  I'm kind of surprised there has been a retreat by some back towards being closed again.

Heck, I'm only 43 years old and, when I was a kid, the grocery store was closed early on Saturday and was closed entirely on Sunday—every week.

Well, if stores are closed for a religious holiday, if anything it gives people who don't celebrate a day to take off work and rest. I don't think I (as a Christian) would complain if I were working in India and had to take off work for Holi, even if I didn't care at all about the holiday. Rest is good for everyone.

Day off of work for resting...good.
Day that you don't get paid when you otherwise would...bad.

Only if it's unexpected.  If you hire on for a job that has Easter off unpaid every year, then how is it bad when Easter comes along and you have it off unpaid?  It's part of the work scheduled you hired on for.

At my company, the field techs are contractors that make piecework.  If they don't have a route, then they don't earn anything, and how much they earn depends on exactly what work they do at each job.  And yet, in my experience, if the MSO demands that we run routes on a holiday, most guys don't want to do it:  they'd rather take the holiday off unpaid.  Only a couple would prefer to work it.

I, in turn, had a Jewish colleague who liked to go into the office on Christmas because he said it was the quietest day of the year there and he could get a lot done without interruption.

The office staff at my company don't come in on the day after Thanksgiving.  But, if I don't do a certain set of my daily tasks by midday every Friday, then payment to our company is delayed by a week.  If I were to take both Thursday and Friday off with no one to cover me, then two whole days' worth of our routes would go unpaid to us till a week late.  So they allow me to come in, get done what I need to get done, and then go home.  I can play whatever music I like, at whatever volume I like, wear shorts and flip flops if I want to, yeah, it's great.

My city trash/recycling collection gets bumped around if there's a holiday, and they don't always observe the same holidays that we at the county do.  So I have to check the calendar from time to time on that.  (Sometimes we wind up with a Saturday pickup to make up for Friday being a holiday).

Same here.  And I don't even bother checking the calendar.  If they don't pick up on the trash on a certain day because of some holiday, then I just leave it out at the curb till the following day.  No big deal.

[JayhawkCO]

Same here.  And I don't even bother checking the calendar.  If they don't pick up on the trash on a certain day because of some holiday, then I just leave it out at the curb till the following day.  No big deal.

I do the same. Similarly, my recycling pickup is every other week, but I often forget which week it is. So, instead of being a grownup and looking at their website, I just put out the trash and recycling every week and just bring back the recycling if it's an off week.

[elsmere241]

My city trash/recycling collection gets bumped around if there's a holiday, and they don't always observe the same holidays that we at the county do.  So I have to check the calendar from time to time on that.  (Sometimes we wind up with a Saturday pickup to make up for Friday being a holiday).

Same here.  And I don't even bother checking the calendar.  If they don't pick up on the trash on a certain day because of some holiday, then I just leave it out at the curb till the following day.  No big deal.

Except with us, sometimes it's a day early.

[kphoger]

For most of the time I was in Poland in June 1999, Pope JP2 was visiting the country.  During his time in Poland, major cities banned the sale of alcohol (presumably to maintain public order during his visit).  Talk about paralyzing a nation! 

[Scott5114]

Only if it's unexpected.  If you hire on for a job that has Easter off unpaid every year, then how is it bad when Easter comes along and you have it off unpaid?  It's part of the work scheduled you hired on for.

Being short hours that you can't make up is always bad.

Unless you have enough money that the amount of your paycheck is immaterial, I guess.

[Rothman]

Only if it's unexpected.  If you hire on for a job that has Easter off unpaid every year, then how is it bad when Easter comes along and you have it off unpaid?  It's part of the work scheduled you hired on for.

Being short hours that you can't make up is always bad. 

How are you short hours for hours you never have anyway under terms of employment from the get-go?

[ClassicHasClass]

Try Australia, where from Friday to Monday good luck finding anything open. However, I think long Easter weekend serves the same purpose in Australia today that the long Thanksgiving weekend does in the States.

To add to the closure datapoint, I was in the Bay Area over the weekend and stopped in Fairfield to get basic groceries from Target on Sunday, and it was closed.

[wxfree]

Heck, I'm only 43 years old and, when I was a kid, the grocery store was closed early on Saturday and was closed entirely on Sunday—every week.

I was thinking about this.  In the 80s in Texas, sales other than food and fuel weren't allowed on Sundays.  I remember that only food stores, gas stations, and restaurants were open.  Grocery stores that had things like clothing, tools, or hardware couldn't sell them on Sunday.  I don't remember when that changed, but I remembering being.

I went to look up the laws, since I recently found that the Texas Legislative Reference Library has vast amounts of old statutes available, and I was surprised.  Some time back it was discussed on here that Texas car dealers can operate on Saturday or Sunday, but not both.  (I don't know if this is still the case).  I remember commercials for a dealer advertising that they were closed Saturday and open Sunday.  On that day of the week they have a monopoly.  I was surprised to learn that in the olden days, this, not strictly a Sunday restriction, was the rule for non-food items.

In the 1984 Texas Civil Statutes, Article 9001, it is declared:

Art. 9001. Sale of Goods on Both the Two Consecutive Days of Saturday and Sunday

Prohibition of Sales; Items; Misdemeanor

Sec. 1. Any person, on both the two (2) consecutive days of Saturday and Sunday, who sells or offers for sale or shall compel, force or oblige his employees to sell any clothing; clothing accessories; wearing apparel; footwear; headwear; home, business, office or outdoor furniture; kitchenware; kitchen utensils; china; home appliances; stoves; refrigerators; air conditioners; electric fans; radios; television sets; washing machines; driers; cameras; hardware; tools, excluding non-power driver hand tools; jewelry; precious or semi-precious stones; silverware; watches; clocks; luggage; motor vehicles; musical instruments; recordings; toys, excluding items customarily sold as novelties and souvenirs; mattresses; bed coverings; household linens; floor coverings; lamps; draperies; blinds; curtains; mirrors; lawn mowers or cloth piece goods shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Each separate sale shall constitute a separate offense.

I don't know how common this knowledge was.  My childhood understanding was that sales were restricted on Sunday, and most adults don't know a lot about the nuances of the law.  I'm just now finding out about it four decades later.

Edit - In the earlier full statute publication in 1948, there was a section on Sunday Laws, labelled that way in the section title.  By 1974, the Saturday or Sunday restriction was in place.  I have more information about the evolution of that law.  A 1961 bill says (I can't copy the text, so I have to type it and hopefully won't mess up): Nothing in this Act shall apply to any person who conscientiously believes in and uniformly observes another day of the week as the Sabbath and who does not personally or through others, conduct or engage in his business on that day.

This makes room for Jewish and seventh-day Christian groups to follow their beliefs without losing business on Sundays, too.

A 1967 bill analysis states that it was due to objections by religious groups that "the Saturday or Sunday approach was conceived."  It was in these years that the rules on weekends changed.  The analysis also mentions a Supreme Court case finding that Sunday laws were secular, not religious, and therefore not unconstitutional.  The court held that "it is within a state's power to regulate the sale of specific merchandise and thereby provide a day of rest."  (Quote from the analysis, not the court ruling)

[Big John]

^^ Blue laws. Based on saying you should be in church instead of shopping.

[LilianaUwU]

Regardless I don't think Easter "paralyzed" anything.

Tell that to all the stores that are closed.

You mean the stores that voluntarily closed?  If their closure was paralyzing, then they'd have stayed open.

In which universe are laws that prevent certain places from being open on those days "voluntary closures"?

[Big John]

Regardless I don't think Easter "paralyzed" anything.

Tell that to all the stores that are closed.

You mean the stores that voluntarily closed?  If their closure was paralyzing, then they'd have stayed open.

In which universe are laws that prevent certain places from being open on those days "voluntary closures"?

Bible Belt

[kphoger]

In which universe are laws that prevent certain places from being open on those days "voluntary closures"?

In which universe are stores prohibited by law from being open on Easter specifically?

[LilianaUwU]

In which universe are laws that prevent certain places from being open on those days "voluntary closures"?

In which universe are stores prohibited by law from being open on Easter specifically?

This weird universe known as Canada. It may have changed, though I do remember it being a thing.

[kphoger]

This weird universe known as Canada. It may have changed, though I do remember it being a thing.

Nope, you're right.  I'm looking at it now.

Here, for example, is Québec:  https://www.legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/document/lc/h-2.1

I also looked at Ontario's law, and it's very similar.

[SEWIGuy]

Back in the day, Indiana wouldn't let you buy alcohol on Sunday. Except for the Sunday of the Indy 500.