South Yorkshire Times, November 2, 1946

Saturday Closing.
Experiment to be Tried by Denaby Co-Operative Society.

An innovation in this area where Saturday afternoon is a traditional shopping afternoon, is to be commenced by the Denaby Main Industrial Cooperative Society, who are to introduce Saturday afternoon closing at their Denaby and Conisbrough shops. The experiment, which will be commenced next week, will be given a six-month trial.

Shorter Working Week.

The National Union of Distributive and Allied workers have recently gained for their members an award from co-operative societies of a 45 hour week, and to achieve the consequent reduction in hours some rearrangement of shop hours has been necessary. An approach has therefore, be made at Denaby by the staff, though the general manager, Mr J. R. M. Williamson, to the management committee, who decided that commencing next Monday, all shops would be open each weekday at 8 am, and close at 5 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, at 4 pm on Wednesdays (the previous half day,) at 6 pm on Fridays and at noon on Saturdays.

Enquiries by a “South Yorkshire Times” reporter this week revealed that Saturday has been a quiet day at the stores.

It is understood that approaches may be made for similar hours by the employees at the Conisbrough branches of the Doncaster cooperative society and the Conisbrough Working Man’s Cooperative Society.

An employee of the Denaby Society stated on Wednesday: “a considerable number of Societies in Yorkshire are trying Saturday afternoon closing, but not in the immediate South Yorkshire district. No objections to the new hours have been raised with us by members.”