Oxford Street - Sunday opening times?

SideWinder · 10 Dec 2011 at 23:19

I need to do a bit of panic Xmas shopping and i'm after a bookshop that is open quite early...by early i mean 10am or so but after doing a quick google, it seems that WHSmith and
Waterstones don't open until 12.

Is this really the case? Are there not different Xmas opening times?

Vonhelmet · 10 Dec 2011 at 23:22

They'll be allowed 6 hours, at their discretion, Christmas or no Christmas.

SideWinder · 10 Dec 2011 at 23:23

Vonhelmet said:
They'll be allowed 6 hours, at their discretion, Christmas or no Christmas.

Ahh good point - something to do with the square footage of the store isn't it? And that's why smaller shops can stay open all day on sundays?

Vonhelmet · 10 Dec 2011 at 23:25

SideWinder said:
Ahh good point - something to do with the square footage of the store isn't it? And that's why smaller shops can stay open all day on sundays?

Aye, there are exceptions but it's for smaller shops. That's why newsagents can be open all day, or a Tesco Metro or whatever.

But yeah, I doubt Oxford Street Smiths will fall into that

SideWinder · 10 Dec 2011 at 23:25

It's going to be tricky..having an early dinner with everyone so i'll need to get to Oxford Street, buy said present, come back and help out before 2pm or so.

daz · 10 Dec 2011 at 23:28

Oxford street is a bit unusual in that a lot of the shops don't open until midday, but stay open until 6 on Sunday. I suppose it's because it's more of a "destination" shopping area, so it's just taking advantage of when they think they'll get the most footfall and make the most money for the 6 hours they're allowed to trade on a Sunday.

I would say if you can go to your local high street or a smaller shopping area in London and it will be ~11am opening.

SideWinder · 10 Dec 2011 at 23:45

Cheers mate - found one that opens at 11am tomorrow.

ikillbears · 10 Dec 2011 at 23:57

surely there will be a closer book shop to where you live. dont really need to go all the way to oxford street to get a book

+

its an absolute menace that place. too many people walking too stupidly all over the place

King Damager · 11 Dec 2011 at 00:01

Stay away from Oxford street.... It's awful at a normal time of the year, god knows what it is like at Xmas....

kd

franco_22 · 11 Dec 2011 at 00:04

I don't really understand why we have this silly Sunday trading law.

SideWinder · 11 Dec 2011 at 00:05

It's just because i want to get a particular kind of book...so i wanted to go to the biggest bookshop around.

Mm yeah, why is the sunday law in place?

King Damager · 11 Dec 2011 at 00:08

SideWinder said:
It's just because i want to get a particular kind of book...so i wanted to go to the biggest bookshop around.

Mm yeah, why is the sunday law in place?

I would imagine it would have something to do with the foundations of society based on religion, and church being Sunday morning.

No idea if this is true, but would make sense if it is...

kd

Nexus · 11 Dec 2011 at 00:09

WHSmiths and Waterstones Oxford Street are also inside the Oxford Street Plaza which doesn't open till 10am weekdays. I'd imagine it's at least 11 on a Sunday.

Cosimo · 11 Dec 2011 at 09:50

SideWinder said:
Cheers mate - found one that opens at 11am tomorrow.

If you can't find it try Foyles and Blackwells on Charing Cross Road.