Boxing Day (etc) opening times

[Spinko]

I have commented within the Pub of the Month thread:

"It has been utterly ridiculous walking around Manchester to work out which pubs fancied giving a f***ing s&^t opening today on Boxing Day. Some pubs have websites and didn't bother to tell people when they would be open (Port St Beer House, etc). Some pubs don't have websites and couldn't be bothered putting up a sign telling people when they would be open (70% of them)."

Just how difficult is it?

I gave my Pub of the Month to Millstone Inn Hotel purely because within the Northern Quarter in Manchester it was actually open

[Mobyduck]

Kicked out of mine at 2.30, Bah Humbug.

[NickDavies]

Who knows what goes through publicans' minds. They quietly rightly have to try to achieve a work-life balance like the rest of us but turning away trade on busy bank holiday afternoon is hardly best business practice. Boxing Day is not a day of rest. The sales start, there's football and racing, lots of people are out and about walking, cycling, and I dare say hunting. It always was a traditional boozing lunchtime, and popular for lunch out with the in-laws too.

We had to make a distress purchase from a B&Q and came back along the rural roads looking for a pint stop around 2:30. The first open pub we came to was mobbed out but rang the bell at 3PM. After that most pubs for a good 15 miles were shut tight, lights out, clearly had not been open at all but for one Young's tied house which judging by the car park was rammed. We're talking popular walking country and lots of affluent diners out. There's plenty of trade to be had.

I can only imagine many licencees either can't be bothered and put their feet up or won't pay the overtime and taxis to get staff to work. Next Wednesday all those pubs will be open till at least three with three or four customers present at the most. Their guvnors will naturally be muttering darkly how it's impossible to make money in the Trade nowadays.

[Al 10000]

This pub Nags Head & Plough opened all day on Christmas Day and most pubs in this area open all day on Boxing day with an extension to normal opening hours.

[Spinko]

Who knows what goes through publicans' minds. They quietly rightly have to try to achieve a work-life balance like the rest of us but turning away trade on busy bank holiday afternoon is hardly best business practice. Boxing Day is not a day of rest. The sales start, there's football and racing, lots of people are out and about walking, cycling, and I dare say hunting. It always was a traditional boozing lunchtime, and popular for lunch out with the in-laws too.

We had to make a distress purchase from a B&Q and came back along the rural roads looking for a pint stop around 2:30. The first open pub we came to was mobbed out but rang the bell at 3PM. After that most pubs for a good 15 miles were shut tight, lights out, clearly had not been open at all but for one Young's tied house which judging by the car park was rammed. We're talking popular walking country and lots of affluent diners out. There's plenty of trade to be had.

I can only imagine many licencees either can't be bothered and put their feet up or won't pay the overtime and taxis to get staff to work. Next Wednesday all those pubs will be open till at least three with three or four customers present at the most. Their guvnors will naturally be muttering darkly how it's impossible to make money in the Trade nowadays.

This said what I was trying to say, but more soberly

I did half expect on opening this thread again to have some landlord-defenders talking about work-life balance, which is an acceptable retort. However I can't see that those in the trade would be particularly religious and therefore a wet Wednesday 26th December is comparable to a wet Wednesday 9th January for them.

Like you said, those pubs that were open were doing a fantastic trade.