Nashwan,
You're right. There are a whole bunch of American-Style super humongous chain stores opening up that completely break the mold. Tesco, ASDA, and some of the bigger home improvement hardware stores seem to be a pretty big change around here.
Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with having work hours from 0900-1600. It makes for more relaxing mornings, and anyone who wants to get more done in the morning by leaving early also gets the added benefit of being able to completely avoid rush hour by leaving before 0730.
I'm not sure the move towards the TESCO and other big stores is a good thing around here though. The whole attitude of the region has to change to accomodate those kinds of stores. One simple example is a tesco near me that is located on another major road into Cambridge. It's a nice store, but unfortunately that road is 3.5 lanes wide (2 lanes one way, 1 lane the other, plus a half-lane painted line that gives busses the right of way) and it's not big enough to handle the traffic load in and out of the Tesco. It's on the opposite side of the road from another new large store shopping area, and the congestion is interfering with orderly flow of traffic in and out of Cambridge. I heard on the radio that they were considering closing the store, not because of it's commercial viability, but because it is a disruptive influence on the area.
I do wish that the Grafton Center mall was open longer, but that's because on Friday evenings I used to like to head out to the mall for some pre-weekend shopping and a movie, because US malls usually stay open until 2000 or 2100 on Friday nights. But the Grafton closes within an hour of me getting home, so getting down there in time to do anything turns it into a big hassle and it makes it tough to find anything to do before late movies.
But back to the hours thing, and back to the original reason I brought it up, normal work hours seem to be 0900-1600 for most people around here, and that makes a 1am visit from a van outside my house a very unusual event. I see taxis outside at all hours and noticed an increase in very late taxis after the new alcohol service hours law came into effect this week, but they don't stop in front of my house and inspect the place with lights.
But noticing such things and being concerned with the welfare of my family and property apparently makes me a bloated self-important something or other in the minds of certain Brits. I'm disappointed by that since I've met a number of really nice Brits here, but not really suprised either.
