Hungary to ban shopping on most Sundays
AP
March 9, 2015, 8:27 pm
Hungarians have taken advantage of the last opportunity to shop on Sundays before new regulations kick in greatly limiting opening hours for most stores.
Starting March 15, stores can only open between 6am and 10pm and are banned from opening on Sundays.
Exceptions include pharmacies, small shops operated by their owners or family members, and stores located in hospitals, prisons, petrol stations, airports and bus and train stations.
Spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said the government was trying to adapt local regulations to standards in some other European countries and that "Hungarians are going to get used to it very quickly".
Shops will be allowed to open four Sundays before Christmas and one Sunday a year of their own choosing.
Unions and trade groups said the shorter hours will lead to layoffs.
