[varispeed]

It always amazes me that, for example, shops are open when everyone is at work.

In my town, the shopping high street closes at 5pm. So when I finished work, I'd be back in my town at 6pm, where everything is dead. The only way to do any shopping is to drive to a supermarket that’s open until 10pm or shop online.

It's like everything is catered to people who don't work.

[truckerbill]

It never changed from the single-income household era. And people wonder why the high street is dying.

[matwood]

One of the complaints I hear about Italy is the shops aren't open all day in smaller towns. But, they are open in the morning and in the evening. Exactly the time you want them to be open. Until you internalize this clock it can sometimes be annoying, but makes a lot of sense.

[barnabee]

It's almost like rigidly enforced hours and a requirement to be in a specific building the whole (or most of) the time don't make sense…

[Yeul]

As they say in the Netherlands: Sunday is my fun day.

Something astonishing happened in 1994: the first time a government coalition was installed that excluded any Christian party. Capitalism prevailed.