Monday seems to be the new Sunday, with ‘closed’ signs in the windows of numerous of small shops and restaurants. I empathize with the business owner who feels the need for a day off, and decides to close on Monday since it’s the slowest weekday.  But as a friend recently said to me, “If I make a special trip to a shop, and they’re closed, it may be a long time before I try again.”

In addition to the inconvenience of stores not being open on Monday, she was upset about stores that closed earlier than their posted closing time.  She gave an example of a jeweler who was on his way out of the door when she arrived, half an hour before the shop was supposed to close — but he wouldn’t stay to let her pick up her special order.

We all know that there are personal emergencies and weather crises such as blizzards and tornadoes that are legitimate excuses for not staying open as promised, and that being closed on Mondays does provide a day of rest for a sole proprietor.

But as independent retailers, we face stiff competition from chain stores that open early and stay open late, and from the Internet, which is open 24/7.  I am not suggesting that you consider trying to match the hours of a  local all-night discount store, but you should try your best to make your hours  comply with the shopping patterns of your customers.

A new restaurant and a new hotel will soon be opening near our shop, and we know that this will mean more shoppers in the evening. We are already talking with our staff about whether or not we can accommodate this change by being open later on Fridays.

We are already open Monday through Thursday until 8:00, and frankly there are months in the winter when this seems unnecessary. But I feel that consistency in hours is very important,  and I can’t expect my customers to remember that we’re only open until 5:30 on Tuesday if it’s February.

There is of course an added cost in being open longer hours, and in being open on Mondays.  Try doing a survey of your customers to see:

what hours the other independent shops they visit are open

when they would ideally like you to be open

Then calculate how much you would need to sell to pay an employee or two so that you could be open the extra hours, or extra day.  You may be pleasantly surprised to find that you can still have your time off — and be open for business.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder