Is 24/7/365 a good thing or a bad thing?

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

Let me explain what 24/7/365 is.

It refers the number of businesses that are open all day every day or at least the vast majority of the time. My current company has operational hours of 13 hours a day, 9 on Sundays and we are only closed two days a year: Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know other stores don't even get that.

I mentioned in a thread on CS.com about the "Must have NOW!" culture which I believe has lead to the 24/7/365 phenomenon. The place I lived in Canada we had no 24 hour businesses save for Convenience stores and pharmacies. That was it. Major urban centers had some fast food places that were 24 hours, but even they were not as prevalent as you might think.

It makes sense to go on the assumption that 24/7/365 is the end result of corporations and businesses' endless drive for more and more and more profits. The math seems simple, the more you stay open, the more sales you can make.

This isn't always true.

I remember a couple of years ago I was somewhat miffed that my store was not closing early on Halloween. Do you know how many customers I had between 5:30 and 9 on Halloween? THREE. How much did I sell? Two games. It cost the company more to have us there than was made back in sales.

Now I've also heard accounts, for example at stores that are open on Thanksgiving, that sometimes they end up pretty busy. So I can see the profit motivation for the holiday opening.

But here's my problem: Closing a company for one day is not going to bring the world to a screeching halt. Someone suggested to me on CS that customers would simply go elsewhere if you were closed and someone else was open, but I think most customers would fully understand if you closed for Thanksgiving or Memorial Day.

I remember I used to like riding along the main road of my city in Canada on say, Victoria Day because there was almost NO ONE around. All the parking lots were mostly empty, the traffic was light. No one went crazy because they couldn't shop for a day.

Let us also factor in how longer opening hours affect employees. The more a store stays open, employees have to work longer schedules and have less flexibility to spend holidays relaxing. A bunch of my friends had an awesome outdoor BBQ on the 4th, but I couldn't go because I had to work. Sometimes staying open for all hours of the day can cause a negative impact on employee morale.

We have become accustomed to being able to run to Wal-Mart and get whatever we want, whenever we need it, but I don't think this is necessary. There are few things that can't wait until morning and those needs can typically be addressed by a convenience store or a pharmacy.

Has 24/7/365 ultimately been a good thing or have we been spoiled by the easy accessibility of just about everything?

[BroomJockey]

I don't think most places need to be open 24 hours. Pharmacies and gas stations/convenience stores are about all I can justify. I'm assuming that when they are open, stores have reasonably long hours, though. At least 10 hours, preferably 12. That allows anyone working any shift to actually get over to those stores, whether they work 9–5 or midnight–8am.

365, however, is much easier. Not everyone celebrates the same things, or at all. I don't give a flying fig about New Year's Eve, or Christmas Day, or Easter, really. Others don't care about other days. It's just another day of the week. But the government's designated them Federal Holidays. For people not in retail, it's the opportunity to take a day to get the things they never really have time for. Maybe a trip to Home Depot to get stuff to repair, etc. Or fuck, just a day out where I don't have to hurry.

But, in deference to the customer support staff at these places, I think that it should be handled the way my first theatre job handled it, or the way my job at the Residence handled it. Theatre did it at Christmas you signed up for 2 of 4 from Christmas Eve/Day, New Year's Eve/Day, and 1 of 2 from Boxing Day and Jan. 2. You weren't guaranteed to be scheduled, but you were saying you were available. And you could do part-days, as long as it added up to 2 full days.

Alternatively, the Residence simply had people volunteer, first come-first choice on shift, and if they didn't have enough, that's when they'd start asking people.

Both places, if you needed a specific holiday off, it was first come-first request granted, though I'd prefer a switch to volunteer-basis for those. I was one of the people volunteering for every holiday, since every holiday was double-time.

To wrap it all up, if a place can't get the requisite number of volunteers to run the place properly, either close that day, or just run it at that staffing level, make it plain to customers AND staff that things will be different that day. It'd require corp to remove that stick from their butt, but it could work.

I worked those days all the time when I was in retail, and they didn't suddenly gain meaning for me now that I'm out, so why shouldn't I be able to get my groceries at a leisurely pace on a day when I don't have to rush after work?

[DesignFox]

See, now I've witnessed people throwing royal shit fits when our store isn't open on a federal holiday (small company, none of us WANT to work, either).

My thought? If you are so self important that you can't do without for ONE lousy day...*censored*. I work my ass off same as everyone else. If all the bankers, government employees, school employees, and other non-emergency staff deserve a day off, so do I.

9-5ers get Saturday and Sunday to shop. My store is open past 5 pm. Plus, most 9-5ers get more vacation and sick time and personal days than I do. Shop then.

You won't DIE if you can't get a cell phone on Memorial Day. Deal with it, I'm BBQing with my family, too.

I do everything in my power not to shop or run errands on any federal holiday. Because I know the only reason most businesses are open is because of the people who attack stores like rabid dogs on Holidays. AND if no one is shopping, WHY are the poor slobs who would rather be off and partying with their friends being forced to work?

Time management. If I can do it, so can everyone else!

I'm not saying places should be forced to close. But I think this OMGZ I NEED IT NAO!!! and 365 day crap is damaging to a lot of us. ( I let my employers know up front the holidays I DO NOT work. So far, only one manager challenged me on it after she hired me. I told her to go ahead and fire me...she didn't)

[Flyndaran]

I don't think the world would end if a store stays open late.
If a business owner thinks they might make more money by staying open late, then that's their business alone, so to speak.

[MaggieTheCat]

I used to work for a call center of a pet supply company. It USED to be 24/7/365. Yes, including Christmas Day. All day AND night Christmas Day. Only the call center was open, the warehouse would shut down, so even if someone did call at midnight on Christmas Day to place an order, it's not like the order would even get packed out until the day after Christmas, at least. It was purely for customer service purposes.

Thankfully, the company did decide to start closing on Christmas Day (they actually shut the phones off at 3pm Christmas Eve and re-open 7am the day after Christmas Day.) They also decided that staying open third shift just wasn't worth it; they had 6 agents on the phones all night, and most of them wouldn't even take 10 calls between midnight-6am. So, now they close at midnight and re-open at 6am.

Personally, I still think a PET SUPPLY STORE being open on a holiday like Thanksgiving is ridiculous. They have a huge website, so if someone really wanted to shop on Thanksgiving Day, they could place an order online. Once again, even if they call the order in to the call center, it's not going anywhere till the next day at least, anyway. And if someone has a question about a product or an order, well, dammit, that can wait too. Pet supplies are not that important that someone needs to go out of their way on a holiday to bitch about an order or get an answer to a question. If it's something about a prescription item that might actually be important -- well, guess what! No pharmacist works on those holidays, anyway, so they'd have to call an emergency vet either way.

[Peppergirl]

Personally, I don't have a problem with stores being open as long as the employees are not FORCED to work the holiday.

Where I work, its strictly voluntary - and they've never had to force the issue, because it's 1.5 x the hourly rate, so the slots fill up quickly.

Unfortunately, I'm quite sure there are many cases where employees have no say on whether or not they work. That becomes a giant can of worms, for me at least.

[gremcint]

24/7/365 has one advantage: more shifts therefore more jobs.

[Arcade Man D]

I don't think most places need to be open 24 hours. Pharmacies and gas stations/convenience stores are about all I can justify. I'm assuming that when they are open, stores have reasonably long hours, though. At least 10 hours, preferably 12. That allows anyone working any shift to actually get over to those stores, whether they work 9–5 or midnight–8am.

I'd add grocers to the list of "I can see why they'd be open 24/7", personally.

Mainly because food is a necessity, and C-store/gas station "food" is not always what I'd consider food.

[BroomJockey]

I thought about grocers, but the Safeway near me is open from 7am to 10pm. That's in the "long enough that anyone on any shift can get there." If you're working the night shift, and on your day off, at 3 in the morning, you have no food and you're in danger of starving to death by 7, you've got some pretty bad planning issues But yes, I wouldn't begrudge a grocery store being open 24/7. Most have overnight restocking crews and maintenance anyways, add one person to act as cashier, and that's all you'd need.

[Kimmik]

Um why are certain holidays more important then others? why should I have to go at times that a store is the most busy? I work at wal-mart basically in a college town sorta.. we are open 24/7 we generally may close Christmas and thanksgiving. You would not believe how busy we can be at 3 in the morning. Between guys coming in to cash their checks after the get off about midnight and then buying their supplies.

I love going shopping in the wee hours of the morning when there is less people and I can browse at my pleasure comparing and reading ingredients which can be a pain in the rear when there is a billion people in the same isle.

Not only that but my husband being a night stocker generally prefers shopping with me at the wee hours of the night.. he really isnt a people person.

However I can understand small stores closing, the mall, bookstores, the specialty shops etc. I remember growing up in a small rural part of Cali, a family who was not christian, bought a restaurant and had it open on Christmas for the folks traveling or who wanted to go out. They got a lot of nasty responses. Their response still makes me laugh to this day.

"If everyone closed for every religious holiday,holy day, or national day of importance, then there would be very few days places would be open." They went on to say how they didn't expect places to close for their holidays so why should they be hated for being open. The USA is a melting pot of religions/backgrounds/cultures. We should strive so that no one religious holiday trumps another.

[Nyoibo]

And I bet some of the people making the nasty responses were eating there, while bitching that the place was open on christmas.

[suchislife2]

Personally there are SOME times where 24/7/365 is something that is needed. Like a petrol station or a chemist (not that I know many). A lot of the time I know places like Dominos, Piza Hut, McDonalds, KFC those sorts of places will be open on days like Christmas. But apart from Maccers most of them close at some point.

I think that if people are willing to work 24/7/365 then why should they be denied the access to that work?

Some people are night owels and prefer working at night. OR they have things like uni/school in the day and want the option of working a full "days" hours at night. I guess it's more that in this day and age there are people willing to work at odd times, and SOME things are needed 24/7/365. While other things are not, it's nice to still be able to get that burger when a snack attack happens at 3am in the morning after a night of drinking.

[Rapscallion]

24/7/365 has one advantage: more shifts therefore more jobs.

Not necessarily.

When Sunday opening for supermarkets hit over here, I found out from industry sources that the takings on the Sunday (for the first few weeks at least) were mirrored by the reduction in trade the rest of the week (mostly on Monday).

Most places base their personday needs on expected turnover. You've got your basic requriements (janitorial staff etc), but the majority of staffing levels are involved in moving stuff through the store and into the hands of the customers. The less that happens, the fewer jobs at the newly quieter times. It evens it out somewhat.

Also take into account that longer Sunday (and assumedly all night) opening etc is going to drive people to the places that can do such operations, taking jobs away from the businesses (mon'n'pop operations generally) that cannot do that. Such sole traders are far more likely to close as a result.

Swings and roundabouts.

Rapscallion

[MergedLoki]

I personally like it. the local walmart here (one of the big 'super store' ones with grocery's etc.) USED To be 24/7 and it was great. There's also a grocery store here that is 24/7 and I like it as it gives an option at 1am besides fast food.

Granted that being said I work in a hospital so... we're open 24/7/365 anyways :P and i work shift work (generally evenings and nights) so the whole 9 - 5 mon - fri thing really doesn't work for me 90% of the days outta the year.

I'd say it's a good thing. Long as you have employees willing to work those late hours who's it hurt? no one.

[Lace Neil Singer]

As long as it's voluntary and not staff being put down to work on those days, like it or lump it. Where I work, if I want say, a bank holiday off (petrol station and store are closed Christmas and Boxing Day) I have to either book it as holiday or ask about a month in advance. Tho admittedly, my manager is very good at trying her hardest to get you a day off if you want one, not everyone is in the same position.

I have to admit; I think that the current state of EWness in people is in part due to shops being open all day, every day. Back in the day, people did actually have to plan ahead; now, they expect a shop to be open and bitch if it's not.

The petrol station used to open on Boxing Day. However, two years ago the takings for that day did not break even, due to the fact that the staff were being paid double time and just five customers turned up all day. This wasn't a one off, but the last straw; the most customers who ever showed up on a Boxing Day was twelve, and no-one spent that much money. So the powers that be decreed that the petrol station would be closed Boxing Day from then on. You would not believe the moaning and whining that resulted. -.-

One woman even said, "Well, you should be open Boxing Day just in case I need to go buy milk or something." So, the employees should have to sit there, twiddling their thumbs, on the off-chance that you should have to buy something that you should have bought two days ago? So the store should take a loss in profits cuz they have to pay those staff double to just sit there doing fuck all just in case you should turn up and spend 45p? Think again, lady.