Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!csri.toronto.edu!mart
Newsgroups: ont.general
From: mart@csri.toronto.edu (Mart Molle)
Subject: Re: Sunday Shopping (Con)
Message-ID: <1989Dec21.133607.7967@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>
Organization: University of Toronto, CSRI
References: <1989Dec20.222459.21666@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca> <65018@looking.on.ca> <2775@dciem.dciem.dnd.ca>
Distribution: ont
Date: 21 Dec 89 18:36:08 GMT
Lines: 51

In article <65018@looking.on.ca> brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) writes
about stores and the general urban infrastructure being overbuilt because the
Sunday shopping ban eliminates one of the [potentially] busiest shopping days.
He argues that many things are overbuilt by at least 7/6 and probably more like
2/1.  Then, in article <2775@dciem.dciem.dnd.ca> schuck@dretor.dciem.dnd.ca
(Mary Margaret Schuck) replies that Brad's argument is vacuous because:

>  Sunday shopping will
>not do the retailers any good at all.  The best estimates indicate that for
>most retailers, opening on Sundays will not increase their gross revenues
>by more than 4-5%.  Add to that the increased overhead of paying staff for
>the extra day etc and retailers will end up having to increase prices.  
>Once other retailers open on Sundays the rest will be forced to to remain
>competetive, but this isn't some new and extra market they'll be tapping,
>it will just be people who used to shop on Saturdays but don't anymore.

Ms. Schuck's rebuttal is flawed for two reasons.  First, it does not address
a long-term view of the problem, only an intantaneous "snapshot" of what may
transpire the day after Sunday shopping is legalized (if ever).  Sure, the
infrastructure capacity is (for the most part) there already, so by paying
some people higher wages to work on Sunday's (and running the lights, heat,
etc. for another day per week) it'll cost you more to do the same amount of
business as you did before.  But what about that new store you'll have to
build 3-5 years from now, because the general population of greater Metro is
is continuing to increase?  Doesn't *that* cost matter?  And what about all
the new roads and transit we are projected to need over the next decade or
two?  (Not to mention the 3 new nuclear plants Hydro says we'll need to meet
*peak* demands...) Don't you think some of that long-term cost can be delayed
or avoied by staggered shopping days?

The second flaw in her reasoning is that she assumes people will (grudgingly)
queue up to spend the same amount in 6 days as they would have in 7.  I don't
know about her lifestyle, but there are certainly some goods and services that
my family has simply ignored for lack of ["shopping"] time.  I also know many
people who "vote with their feet" by shopping *on Sunday* in Buffalo.

Over the years, I've lived in the U.S. serveral times, and I assure you that
one can go to church in the morning, spend time with one's family, and *still*
zip off to the hardware store for the widget you need and the supermarket to
buy something nice to have at a spur-of-the-moment dinner when friends drop by.
Most smaller stores (except in malls) are still closed on Sundays, but homeowner
and family oriented businesses are generally open.  For example, even in LA I
don't remember seeing car dealers open on Sunday.

Life in Toronto is hectic enough without needless stresses such as this one.

Mart L. Molle
Computer Systems Research Institute
University of Toronto
Toronto, Canada M5S 1A4
(416)978-4928