Summer Hours - do you do them?

[Elaine]

I'm curious... Do any of you adjust your hours for the summer?? open earlier, close on weekends, or any combination thereof...

I know some service businesses that close on saturdays for the month of August for some summer relief. I find that my local customer base isn't around much on weekends in August, and was contemplating doing the same. I would like some feedback from all of you more experienced shops

Help Please!

Elaine
In desparate need of a vacation!!

[Mike Labbe @ GTP]

We change from 9-3 Saturdays, instead of 10-5.

Saturdays and Mondays are still the busiest days for us.

[Rick Bergeron - CPF]

Memorial Day to Labor Day.... M-F 10am - 6pm
Rest of the year... T-F 10am - 6pm, Sat 10am - 4pm.

Saturdays and Mondays have been our slowest days for the past 6 years.

[FramerRandy]

This year, I have kept the same hours.
In fact, this last Saturday was the biggest order day for me in a month. graemlins/kaffeetrinker_2.gif
Don't know what to suggest, but am interested in how to get a little extra time off also. graemlins/kaffeetrinker_2.gif graemlins/kaffeetrinker_2.gif

[Matoaka]

We keep the same hours year round, but we have enough employees to cover vacations for the boss. I say, "Take care of yourself!" For example, close the week between Xmas and New Years.. and then again the first week of July. Some of our suppliers are closed during these weeks for inventory, so if I were King this is what I would do.

Whatever you decide, just make sure to post the vacation dates well in advance. Your regular customers will understand. And you'll come back refreshed and ready for action. (Everyone will appreciate that.)

Bon Voyage!

[framah]

I keep the same hours year round. I feel consistancy is important for your customers.
I am in here 7 days a week for about 12 to 14 hours during the summer which is my busy season.

Don't forget to offer something to the customers who stopped by while you are closed. I always put a sign up about being closed and where I have gone... usually somewhere to photograph... and I offer them 10% off for coming back when I have returned. I've done it since I first opened the store and almost always the first couple of days back, I'm swamped with work from those who came back.

Just do it! Close the store for a week or so and ENJOY yourself!!!

Why else are you working so hard?

[Bob Doyle]

~~~~~~~~~~Franken thread~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mike, love the animated yin yang atavar!

[Rogatory]

I should'a closed the month of June. graemlins/cry.gif But July 5th, BAM! busy again.

[Dave]

My hours adjust themselves. I'm open T-F 10 am - 6 pm and Saturday 10 am - 4 pm (Michigan Time EST). Everyone here goes by Indiana Time (half the year EST and half Central...Indiana doesn't change its clocks but will begin this year,but it still isn't decided if it'll go EST or Central or allow some counties to decide for themselves). So my summer hours automatically become 9-5 and 9-3 (Indiana time).

Confused yet??? :confused:

Well, it works to my advantage, because I usually ride my bike about 3.5 miles to work. If I'm running late, nobody cares and they figure I open up at 10 am Michigan time.


Dave Makielski

It's a real strange world we live in, Master Jack.

[Gumbogirl]

Wow, Dave, that is cooool.

I was about to say, whatever you do, be consistent. I know my favorite shop's schedules, and it drives me batty when something gets changed and I arrive to find someone closed at 4 pm when they have always been open until 6.

I would try and keep this feeling in mind when making hours. Or, you could have someone come in and cover you for vacation. (think there's a whole thread out there on the vacation topic)

Then, Dave posted, and that kinda blows that theory. He made me realize I need to relax?!!

[Meghan MacMillan]

We were just debating that. Saturdays are a busier day here, but we haven't seen anyone after 3:00pm since school let out. It's tempting to close at 4 or 5 on Saturdays for the duration of the summer but I like the simplicity of being able to say the hours clearly and concisely.

[RozR]

Elaine...

It is a very tough call.... We have just been closed for the entire week from July 2 thru July 11th - I am here just to check in/catch up.

But you are in a tourist area... which may or may not bring you framing business, and having just returned from an area that is similar to yours - being open says to the tourist - we are here for our customers!! So I wouldn't close completely - even if you have someone present that may not be full service for design/framing, it could be to your advantage to be open.

The hours we have we keep all year - M 10-2, T-F 10-5, Th til 7, Sat 10-4 and take a few "extra" days here and there on weekends to get those much needed vacations! I'd love to close Mondays but find it is enough of a business day to bring in work and be open for customers. And it seems the majority of business occurs earlier rather than later - but then it is retail - and we never know when the customer will get the urge to have something framed!!! Some of our biggest jobs have walked in after posted hours when we are still here and just hadn't turned the sign off yet!!

I hope this helps!

[Rick Granick]

Some of our biggest jobs have walked in after posted hours when we are still here and just hadn't turned the sign off yet!!Roz- that tells me you would probably do well to stay open later during the week. This would also provide the advantage to customers of being able to swing by and pick up their order on the way home from work.(We're open till 6, but I keep the lights and sign on if I'm here working late.)

:cool: Rick

[Janet L]

We've begun staying open till 8 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our customers really like the two night choices when they're driving in from the RTP area from work. We were rarely able to leave at 6 anyway, and we always had couples dropping by, so we extended the hours and it has been great for us. If we're slow on either of those nights, it gives us some nice catch-up time. I'm not having to spend as many Sunday afternoons at the shop.

[RozR]

Originally posted by Rick Granick:
that tells me you would probably do well to stay open later during the week.

:cool: Rick Rick - what is so funny is that in the past 4 years for ALL the nights we have been here late I can count on one hand the number of times people have shown up during the week late... most of the projects that came in after hours were Saturdays or just after closing!! But, again, it is rare and we also keep the open sign on whenever we are here... except today - I am here to catch up from our week off this past week and I have had 2 major customers and the Open sign isn't even on!!!

Go figure!!

[Rick Granick]

Maybe keeping the open sign off is a secret trick for getting people's interest up. You know how everyone wants something they can't have!
:cool: Rick

[Elaine]

My thoughts are this...

Since we moved, we do not attract the tourists just browsing to see what little art we have, and they are not here for framing. Our focus is framing, and we target the local customer base. In the old location, we used to be open 7 days a week and that was split between two of us. Our current hours are T-F 10 5:30 and Sat 10-4. Saturdays are not that busy. My thoughts on taking some time off are this...

FOR AUGUST ONLY
Maintaining T-F but with extended 9-5:30 (rare to have anyone in at 5 or after) Closed on saturdays for the month of August only. It would be nice to take some time off and also to test to see if it mattered if we were open on saturdays. I would like to post a sign on the outside door with a postcard takeaway that says "sorry we missed you while taking some vacation, but here is a gift to bring back and see us a)during the week; b) when we reopen on saturdays in september.

Also, I would post a Press release in the local newspaper, and post a large sign with the hours for August in advance.

my thoughts, what do you think, and do you think its worth a test??

Elaine

[Framing Goddess]

The simpler, the better.

Monday through Saturday, 10-6.

Some summer Saturdays have been slow, but then the next is rock'n'rollin'.

edie the KISS goddess

[Cliff Wilson]

This is my third year.

Saturday's from June to September have been very poor the first two years. I had ONE good Saturday in the first two years. My regular hours are T-F 10-6, Sat 10-2. (Tried Sat 10-6 for a while and Nada after 2)

So, this year starting July 4 until Labor day I have "Summer" hours of M 11-5, T,Th,F 10-6 and Wed 9-7 Closed Sat & Sun. I am "trying" the extended hours on Wed because I am here anyway.

I don't "give" anything (like promos) because I'm closed.

So far the only comments I've recieved are the "good for you" kind. My sales are slightly above last year. Had a couple of people say they tried Sat, but just came back later. Apparently very understanding.

I should point out that the "square" of shops here mostly close on Saturday in the summers, so my hours don't stand out as too unusual.

I'll try to let you know what I think when it's over. Of course, that doesn't help you this summer! ;)

[HannaFate]

The only adjustment I have ever made for Summertime is to turn off the spot lights in the gallery. They generate a lot of heat, and I figure, when it is 100 outside, customers walking in would rather have cool than bright.

It is gratifying to have someone walk in, and the first thing they say is "ahhhhhhh!"

I have always had a place for customers to sit, and offered something to drink (hot chocolate in winter, cold soda in summer)

[Ron Eggers]

I always kept the same hours year 'round. No (posted) additional hours at Xmas (we all know about the unposted hours) and nothing shorter in the summer.

I still stay consistent with my new hours, which are:
Mon: Closed
Tue: Closed
Wed: Closed
Thu: Closed
Fri: Closed
Sat: Closed
Sun: Closed to allow employees to spend time with family.

[Elaine]

Ron,

I'm beginning to wish I had your hours...

[Rogatory]

Ron, how do you find the time?

[ERIC]

The days must seem to just become one big blur!