THERE are a few red herrings in the debate about extending Boxing Day trading to all retailers in NSW and they are distracting politicians and the public from the real question which is does the public really want it?
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Premier Mike Baird has said he will end the discriminatory practice of allowing shops to open in tourist precincts but not in other areas because the current arrangement gives some retailers an unfair competitive advantage.
However that can only apply in areas where shoppers can travel readily from a neighbourhood where retailers are not allowed to open to one, like central Sydney, where they can.
But the original justification for this patchwork approach to public holiday trading is a furphy too. Of the thousands of shoppers who surge through the doors of department stores in Sydney how many are tourists?
The answer is probably only a handful. The growth in the Boxing Day sale phenomenon has meant that the vast majority are residents in search of a bargain. In the suburbs of Sydney they pile onto trains and commute to the heart of Sydney where they gorge themselves on a gigantic shopping spree.
There is no genuine catering for tourists and travellers who would otherwise not visit Australia or who are in danger of starving or dying of boredom for lack of shops open on one day. The idea is a nonsense.
The real question is whether modern working patterns and recreation have moved so far towards the seven-day cycle that ordinary residents want and need to shop on days like Boxing Day.
That is a question which should be answered by pure demand. If one shop can open, all shops everywhere should have the right to open.
They will stay open on Boxing Day only if customer demand can justify the extra cost of penalty rates for those who choose to work on such an important public holiday.