Adjusting to the "Time" Differences

Today after class, a group of us went to the mall and exploring around Plymouth. At around 5:45, we were in Primark, a department store and about to try on clothes when we were told that the store was about to close. We gathered our clothes and set out in search of a dressing room. When we finally found them, we were turned away. The workers told us that the dressing rooms were closed and that we would have to leave. The store was closing at 6, but they were making everyone leave before closing time. It was extremely strange because I am used to going into stores and not having to leave until 15 minutes after closing time. They even turned out the store lights as we were paying!

After our store experience, we were starving and decided to look for a restaurant. The first restaurant we came to had stopped serving food at 6:30. We asked the waitress for any suggestions on where to eat, and she pointed us to another restaurant. When we arrived at that restaurant we were told that the kitchen closed at 7:30. Again, we asked the waitress for any suggestions and she told us of another restaurant. When we got there, the kitchen had closed. Once again I was shocked at how early things close here in England, especially the restaurants. In the United States, it would be extremely bizarre for a restaurant to even close before 10. This is just something that I have noticed and will take me awhile to get used to.