Culture Shock Big Stores Open 12th July

It's official many of the big stores in Northern Ireland are to open their doors on the 12th July. Normally the whole of Ulster closes up shop for the 12th with only convenience stores being the exception to the rule.

Whether you are Protestant or Catholic the bank holidays on the 12th and 13th of July are eagerly awaited as a two day break in the middle of summer, bank holidays that no-where and no-one else in Britain or Ireland get. Maybe that the point, maybe the objective is to make us like every other part of the Britain and Ireland, miserable!

Ulster has a unique history, we're special both protestant and catholic, we have developed our habits our culture and our plans around these dates since many of us were born. The question on many a lip and at the backs of these retailers minds is, are we about to let these big stores destroy our culture in salami tactics (slice by slice).

Of course the big stores that are opening would tell you that you don't have to shop, we're only opening for those who want to (slice 1), but slice 2 comes when one by one companies force employees to work on these two bank holidays.

Some of the stores opening are the biggest in the country and yet appear to have made the decision to open in consultation with other firms, thus avoiding boycotts. Should they open to make more money when their profits are already so high, some of the firms opening include:

Tesco: recent profits £2.85 billion
Asda/Wal-Mart profits £6.6.billion
Argos claim record profits £376 million

Is this an attack on our culture, if so, combined with other retailers opening on the 12th there are now at lest 9.826 billion reasons to withhold your custom.