ZPP Newsletter
3rd December 2018
Poles divided on the trade ban, but for two free Sundays a month for all employees
As much as 71% Poles assume that the state should not determine how citizens spend theirs Sundays, and the ban on trade is perceived as violation of their consumer freedom, according to a survey by Maison & Partners commissioned by the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers.
What is important, the demand put forward by the Union and the trade sector that instead of sectoral regulations, a statutory guarantee of two free Sunday per month be introduced for each employee in Poland enjoys very large support, of as many as 65% of all respondents. This way, thanks to efficient timetables, buyers would have the opportunity to shop on Sundays, and employees – a day off.
From the presented research, one can also conclude that regardless of their public perception, the provisions regarding trade restrictions on Sundays seem to be completely ineffective. It turns out that before the introduction of the new regulations, 88%of Poles did their shopping on Sunday, whereas now it is 80%, and they complain about high prices and limited range. A loss of merely 10% means that the restrictions cover only a small part of the trade sector.
“Interestingly, among the opponents of trade restrictions on Sundays, a significant group are those who are currently working in this sector,” emphasizes professor Dominika Maison. “44% of them negatively appraise any restrictions whatsoever. However, within the group that has never worked in this industry, the percentage of opponents of restrictions amounts to 37%. Similarly, the restrictions of trade on Sundays is perceived as a hindrance by 51% of employees in this industry and only 36% of those who have never worked in this trade.”
As one can read in the report based on the results of the study, the regulations in force since 2018 limiting trade on Sundays are supported by 43% of respondents, and 42% of respondents oppose them. At the same time, the solution to come into force in 2020, resulting in an almost total ban on Sunday trade, is negatively perceived by as many as 65% of Poles. Interestingly, two groups dominate among these opponents, according to their place of residence. It should not be a surprise that one of them are the inhabitants of large cities, over 500,000 people, out of which exactly one out of two opposes the restrictions of trade on Sundays in any form. However, it turns out that the biggest group of opponents of these restrictions are residents of small towns, up to 20,000 inhabitants.
“In this group, over half of the respondents negatively appraise any restrictions on trade on Sundays,” – notes Cezary Kaźmierczak, President of the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers. “It means that the further this restriction goes, the worse the reception will be in smaller towns. The result may be surprising, but we must remember that in small towns a visit to a shopping centre is quite often the only form of entertainment available at the weekend for the average citizen. If people are forbidden to spend their free time in this way, it is no wonder they refer to these changes negatively.”
