Scottish islanders have defied calls to boycott a branch of Tesco after the supermarket chain provoked fury from Christian fundamentalists by announcing it would start opening on Sundays.
The shop on Stornoway, described as being at the heart of “Britain’s Bible belt”, opened for the first time on the Sabbath in a move that has divided the deeply religious community.
There had been claims that the chain would face a major backlash from locals, some of whom began shopping at the island’s more expensive Co-op in protest.
However, hundreds of shoppers arrived at the Tesco branch within a few hours of its opening at noon on Sunday – and its car park was full by 12.10pm.
William Macdonald, a retired plumber, was the first to be served and said he would keep his receipt for a bag of potatoes, proclaiming it “a bit of history”.
“It’s long overdue,” he said. “I am more than pleased, especially for the tourists. It’s good for the islands and its progress. Times have changed.
“I never intended to be the first customer. But I needed a bag of potatoes.”
There has been a long-standing tradition on the Isle of Lewis of observing the Sabbath, which made Tesco’s decision deeply controversial.
Nearly 200 people attended a public meeting earlier this month in protest at the move and more than 2,000 people signed an online petition.
The Stornoway shop was thought to be the only branch in the retail giant’s UK empire not to previously open on Sundays.
Religion ‘controlling people’s lives’
Council-run swimming pools, soft plays and bowling alleys in the region are all closed on Sundays. In past decades, play park swings were chained up on Sundays and hanging out washing was frowned upon.
However, some shoppers said it was time for the Church’s influence over people’s lives on the Hebridean island to be scaled back.
“This is my first shop of the week so I’m glad it’s open,” Bus driver John Macleod, who had a full trolley of shopping, said.
“It is well overdue. The Church should keep its nose out of people’s business. I hope it’s here to stay.”
One woman, who declined to be named, travelled over 40 miles from the neighbouring Isle of Harris to visit the Tesco.
She said: “We are in the 21st century and some people here are culturally suppressed. Religion is being used to control people’s lives but times have changed.”