shops closed today?

Arif Shah · Post by **Arif Shah** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 3:59 pm

Hi All,

All shops seem to be closed today. Just want to know if today is some special day?

Arif

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cors187 · Post by **cors187** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 4:07 pm

http://almanakka.helsinki.fi/2013/helmikuu.html

save this site in your favorites
http://almanakka.helsinki.fi/english.html

or if your finnish and have a better website i can use like the OP, please link it.

jahasjahas · Post by **jahasjahas** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 4:49 pm

What shops specifically?

According to cors187's calendar link, it's the second Sunday of Lent, but that's not a public holiday and shouldn't affect shop opening hours at all.

Arif Shah · Post by **Arif Shah** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 5:05 pm

I have K market and Stockmann in my area(Tapiola) and both of them as well as other stores like H&M etc are closed

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 5:21 pm

Maybe it's due to the school holidays that have been this week?

jahasjahas · Post by **jahasjahas** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 5:41 pm

I'm walking home from Sello, and everything was open.

Did you go before noon? The usual opening hours on Sundays are 12-18. Smaller shops can be open longer.

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 7:29 pm

Am not Finnish but I'll post the link anyway (it is on this forum already in many other threads):

Opening times for stores in Finland:

http://www.pty.fi/1229.html

vapaa aukiolo = no restrictions (free opening)
enintään 400m2 = stores not more than 400m2 area (ie smaller shops)

riku2 · Post by **riku2** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 9:31 pm

Rosamunda wrote: Opening times for stores in Finland:
http://www.pty.fi/1229.html

That is not a list of the opening times of shops in finland, but a general overview of when the law will ALLOW shops to be open. It doesn't mean the owner has to open on those days and hours. Some chains don't open at all on sunday, regardless of the size. Halpahalli for example where the owner has religious convictions and none of his stores are open even though the store could be open 12-18 sundays most of the year.

There are also exceptions to the law and union agreements. Money talks and if there is a lot of revenue at stake then the law and agreements with shop workers will find a way.

For example "loppiainen" (12th night, 6 Jan) is in that table as all shops (big and small) closed. However the large numbers of Russians on holiday in Finland at that time meant that many shops were open due to flexibility in the law and the shop owners willing to pay some reasonable overtime (due to larger that normal number of sunday shoppers). Notionally the law is there partly for religious observance and also some perceived sympathy for shop workers who (supposedly without any laws) would be working 24x7 in the shops and sleeping on the floor behind the counter. But enough overtime payments paid on less important religious holidays means the law and unions are flexible.
Stockmann was open on 6th jan, and not just for 12-18 like most sundays of the year but 12-21.

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 10:03 pm

Yes, thanks for the comments. I guess I thought most people would realise that the times were optional opening hours rather than obligatory opening hours!

Indeed there are laws and union agreements protecting shop workers - no one can force them to work 24/7 and certainly in Helsinki there are more than enough people (eg students) happy to earn double or even triple pay on Sundays. I was in Prisma today and there were more checkouts open than on most weekdays.

Anyway, even if the pty.fi link does not give the exact opening times for every branch of every store in every town in Finland, it is quite useful. And it is quite reliable in telling you when they won't be open (except maybe for Stockmann in January).

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