TW
0
By Jason Moore THE other day I had an interesting conversation with a Bulletin reader about my views on shop opening times in Majorca. I have often said in this space that shops should be allowed to open when they want and not be “strangled” by stupid legislation from the local authorities. However, he maintained that one of the reasons why he liked Majorca was that it hadn't copied the British custom of allowing 24/7 shop openings. In some ways he is probably right; in Britain shops have gone completely overboard with hard-sell advertisements on television and with store propaganda landing through your post box almost daily. Yes, one of the reasons why we all live here is for the slightly more relaxed way of life. But, surely a compromise can be reached between Britain's 24 hour shopping culture and Majorca's regimented system which involves shop openings for about 45 hours a week. It is vital that shops open at the weekends not only for us, but for the thousands of holidaymakers who would come to the island on weekend breaks. My spare time, along with thousands of others, is limited and really the only time I can go on a serious shop is on a Sunday. A small step in this direction would be most welcome by allowing a small section of shops to open. 24 hour shopping is far too much but 45 hours a week is far too little.