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

[smileyeagle1021]

You know, I'll be the dissenting voice and say that 24/7/365 is the BEST thing to ever occur and that it SHOULD be required of more places.
My attitude is coming from an industry that NEEDS to operate 24/7/365 (legally hotels must have staff on site 24 hours a day in case of emergency, even the hotels that have posted hours for their desk will have a security person on site). Hospitals also have countless people working odd hours. Stores have moved stocking to overnight. Our world has become so interconected that even ignoring everything else, we can't take the luxury of assuming that just because it's "late" here means it is "late" where our business is operating (I will never again stay at the Super 8 in Martinez because their onsight manager got upset at me for calling him at what was just before 5am there, but that was 6am here or, more accurately when I had to leave to make it to Martinez). The call center I worked at was for booking hotels, they had hotels on every continent other than Antarctica... how arrogant are we to assume that Mountaint Standard Time (or any North American time zone) is the time zone that the world must go by.
The world is changing, those who can't keep up need to be left behind.

[Cats]

I actually do work in a 24 hour pharmacy store...working the 3rd shifts. Even though we are up during the late night hours (we work 9-10 hours in a shift, the longest of any in the store, but we get a higher pay plus we only need to work 4 days to get our fill time hours in), even we muble to each other what the hell some people are doing out at 3 am buying useless stuff (we're a high volume store and put away our delivery away overnight, so we are always busy working; at least we're not there just waiting to for people who come in needing things). Need medicine for you or your sick kid? Okay. Just got off the late afternoon shift at the other 24 hour places on the block? Okay. Some munchies cause you're staying next door at the hotel? I'll give you that. Picking up mascara and hair dye or just plain trying to hang around for a bit? Find a new hobby, seriously.

We've seen people literally shopping for an hour in the middle of the night (the worst was a few years ago, this lady came in just before 2:30 am, and was the last customer I rang out at 8 am when I left. She bought only $35 in stuff, but spent the entire night just looking at EVERYTHING. At least she was nice).

Now, in our stores case, we do have enough buisness to justify staying open all the time, plus given we have a pharmacy open all times as well, it's a good thing.


We do have some people on occasion on bad snow days or big holidays (such as xmas and thanksgiving) who are shocked we are open. But they're always IN the store buying things! They don't understand that the buisness they are giving us on the days where they find it odd we're open ARE the very reason we are open because the company doesn't want to lose out on that potential profit (and even if they post a loss on that one day, it's still better than having the customer potentially go to a competetor instead).

Now I understand not everyone celebrates the same holidays. So? What's the harm in closing a few days a year? No one is going to die of lack of deodorant or because you ran low on eggs (isn't that what a good neighbor is for?).


But anyway, in buisnesses that actually do benefit from staying open all the time or provide services that might be needed at any time (such as drug stores/gas stations), it's mainly a good thing. But as for mostly everyone else, I find it unecessary.

[DesignFox]

Well, I think the problem is that I've been in situations where people have tried to force me to work hours I didn't want.

If employees choose to work the late hours, the holiday hours, etc. I have no problem with it.

I feel that if I've made it abundantly clear before I was hired what hours and days I'd be willing to work, I shouldn't get threatened for expecting other time off.

It's really when the customers have a temper tantrum that it annoys me. I mean, YOU aren't working. What do you expect? I also work in businesses that don't sell necessities. I've never worked for a grocery store, gas station, hospital, pharmacy, etc.

I worked in the Mall, and generally, other than Christmas Eve and New Year's/Eve, holiday hours went fast. So I never had a problem. Being a good employee, and the boss usually not wanting to piss me off, I got my New Year's Eve/Day off. And as a bonus, I usually got Christmas Eve, too.

The only job I had problems was when I worked in the photography studios. My manager at the one place was a total asshat.

[MergedLoki]

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.

:

Not sticking up for EW's. but about stuff being open. back in teh day people DID have to plan ahead but, generally, people also worked less hours (MORE people worked a standard 9 - 5 job or whatever).

It's proven we (well in North america anyways :S) work way more hours then we did say... 40 or 50 years ago even. (on average i'm saying). Also in general only men worked. so a woman wasn't working and could get shopping etc. done.

so more time spent working = less time available to plan ANYTHING, let alone getting groceries, so i'm all for the 24/7 thing. (but i already stated that so i'll stop before i get into repeating myself)

[Boozy]

Why do you think we all work more?

It's because of this obsession we have with being productive and making money every second of the day. Stores being open 24/7 year-round is a symptom of that attitude.