Friday 15 December 2006

Working 9 to 5...

I work (more or less) a standard 9 to 5 day. So do most people (hence 'standard'). Adn this includes, of course, people who work in stores that sell things.

Something that always seemed amazing to me that actually works is that stores selling things manage to make money when people who buy those things are working during the same hours that the stores are open during! (Yes, stores are also opened in the weekends, I know, but the majority are open during the week.)

I live in the capital city of New Zealand (for international readers) so I wonder, why I do take the occasional day off and go into town, where all the people come from that I see in town. People also taking days off? University students? (Although that wouldn't explain how stores make money as students don't have any.) Tourists?

But the main thing that really annoys me about everyone working 9-to-5 is when I need to get something delivered. "We only deliver during working hours." Somehow, the fact that other people work, and, moreover, work during working hours seems to escape them and it seems like they've never considered an alternative solution. (Depending on what it is, either I get it delivered elsewhere or make sure my "more or less" standard working day is "less" so I can be home.)

I'm not sure where in our social history the 'working week' became so formalised, but there are a few niggling problems still to be worked out...

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