24/7 vs. Bankers hours
Another aspect of life here that really struck me is the lack of convenient store hours. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that except for possibly in the center city, open 24 hours is rare. In fact it is the exact opposite. Most stores are only open after 6pm on Thursday and Friday nights until 9pm. Not Saturday and Sunday. Grocery stores that I know of do stay open until 9pm almost all week. But that is still earlier than I am used to. In Chicago, grocery stores stay open until midnight, phamacies are 24 hours frequently, and there is even the Home Depot open 24hours (in case you want a screw at 3am). Banks are the biggest extreme and I really was surprised that something resembling traditional 'bankers hours' still existed. My local bank is not open on the weekend and they are open after 4pm only on Thursday nights until 7pm. They have just announced they will be open later on Wednesday also, but they are still closed on weekend. The one thing that does counter the limited hours is that the few times you are able to make it to the bank, you can register your bills and pay future bills at the ATM.
This again goes back to my little feeling of being time warped back a few decades. A nice thing is your hands are tied so you the times that stores are not open, you don't have to spend it running around doing chores.
4 comments:
I thought you can get a screw any time in montreal:) Sorry to sound so uncouth!
On a more serious note, i would gather that america'a focus upon consumerism--and the corollary, upon consumers--entails longer business hours. Moreover, on average, americans work more hours than most other countries (though I am not suggesting that americans work harder), and perhaps demand more convenient hours of shopping for their harried lives....
I agree it's the consumerism bug along with the production bug. It seems crazy that people are working for minimum wage at 3am. But I've been one of the lucky ones. I can't stop getting upset that the rich are paying their employees below the poverty level in order to make more money.
The 'screw' reference was also hinting that the area of the Home Depot on North Ave. used to be where the hookers hung out.
By the way, the lack of convenient hours was annoying at first and still is at times. But you adjust and plan things out. It does help that I have been working 37.5 to 44 hours a week instead of 42 to 50 in Chicago
You have to give retail workers time to be with their families and/or enjoy life. As for banks, try TD/Canada Trust for longer opening hours.
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