If I want into your store/restaurant, and the sign says you close at 10pm…you should close at 10pm. Not 9:55. Not 9:30. TEN!
I understand if you’re perhaps a little slow in that last hour or you have amazing plans that night you want to get to but you’ve made a commitment to a time. You are telling your customers that you are available to them from this time to this time, not from this time until you decide when. Your business has made a promise to your customers, you wouldn’t want to be a liar would you?
Maybe you should rethink your hours? Maybe it should read: 11am to late (gives you room to move)? Maybe you should realize you have a job with set hours and are getting paid to complete them?
I’ve been on the other side of this. As a waiter, it’s really hard to get that table at 10 minutes to closing because now you don’t know how long you’ll be there and you have to plead with your grumpy anti-social cook to stop cleaning and start preparing. Not fun, but it’s the job.
In addition, what does it say about your company if your employees make me feel like I’m inconviencing them? It says I should be spending my money somewhere else.
Your business has made a promise to your customers, you wouldn’t want to be a liar would you?
3 Comments
So true. This is a huge peeve for me and the worst places for this are coffee houses — one local chain regularly irks me because their staff stop brewing coffee about half an hour before close and then shut down the espresso machines 10 minutes later — if I walk in at 7:45 and you close at 8:00 I should be able to get a decaf but it’s *near impossible* in most cases. Here again, is why Starbucks are the Big Guys — they will make you that decaf at 7:57 if you have cash to hand them.
That’s something small business really needs to take note of, good customer service. If you can’t offer cheaper, offer a better experience. Say what you want about Starbucks, their service is consistent and good.
Why do you wind me up with these posts Russ?? Closing time is all about the customer and not about the staff. Many places seem to forget that.
Oh and while we’re on the subject of opening hours, would you care to enlighten me why banks are only open in downtown Victoria M-F, 9-5? Ostensibly that’s for the working crowd who WORK during those hours. Means we all rush over when we need to at noon and endure a 20 person line-up with a half-staffed counter. If I had a bank and was committed to customer service, I would certainly be open before or after regular working hours. During lunch EVERY window would be staffed. Thank the gods we have ATM machines and online banking and these brick and mortar duds will eventually be relegated to the history bin.