You are in your own crystal ball world. My mechanic has posted hours “Service desk open until 6 pm”. That means I expect them to be open at 5:50 to pick up my car or maybe to drop it off. That doesn’t mean I expect them to be available to fix it at that time. That also doesn’t mean that because last week I saw them open at 6:15 I also expect them to be open today at 6:15.
For example. Last week I had to pick up some xrays. I called them and said, “What time do you close?” They said 5, so I asked my boss if I could leave at 4:30. Having left at 4:30, I got to their office at 4:50. I fully expect them to still be open at 4:50 for such a minor thing!
As to the OP, it really depends on what the business is. Like someone said, if you are in a business where you have people’s stuff, it behooves you to stay open until closing time - dry cleaner’s, mechanic, etc. Otherwise I’ll just shrug and find some place else.
Close up due to unforeseen circumstances? Do your best to find coverage or at least leave a note.
If you were just bored due to a slow day- no sympathy. I’m sorry your day was boring, but that’s what you agreed to when you went into business and posted your hours.
I always call before going to a business that I’ve never been to before, if its small enough it probably is also a specialty shop, and I usually call the same day that I go. Also- I don’t wait until 10 minutes before it closes, 'cause ya never know!
Some people might envy the idea of making your own business hours and being your own boss, but having been the daughter and wife of small business owners, there is no such thing as closing early or not opening shop. It was a hefty business loss (pizza place) and they would hear about it ALL DAY LONG the next day. Never opened late, only closed on Easter, 4th of July (cant compete with BBQ) Thanksgiving day (reluctantly, my ex hated to close that day) and Christmas Day (also reluctantly- he was a slave to the money!)
I am the sole proprietor and only employee of a small service business. For the first three years I didn’t take a day off. I was terrified that a potential customer would find a locked door and never return. Once I started to feel established I would miss some days (for significant family events, or to go to a trade show, not to “take a ME day”) I put up a sign, put a notice on the website and change the voicemail greeting.
On the sign I add that if you were coming to place a new order mention the sign when you come back and I’ll give you a discount.
For unplanned absences I at least put up a hand written sign. “School Nurse called. Back ASAP.”
This drives me kinda nuts about the barber shop next door to mine. On slow days they just lock up fifteen or twenty minutes early. There are always four of them working. Draw straws to see which one of you stays 'til closing. Of course, they don’t have a sign with their hours, or a website, or a facebook page, or even and answering machine. They think I’m just messing with them when I tell them how many people pulled the handle of their locked door. And, they do start three hours earlier than I do.
I wouldn’t go to browse, but if I knew exactly what I wanted and where it was, I wouldn’t hesitate, unless it was a Home Depot or other big-box store where even a quick march across the store and back might take the entire 10 minutes. But most places I shop, 10 minutes is plenty of time to get in, get what I want, get back to the front of the store, ring it up, and be out the door with a few minutes to spare.
asimovian came close to the actual situation. My husband is running a small computer repair shop. On Friday, he suggested he close 10 minutes early to get us a table at his favorite restaurant. I didn’t like the idea just in case someone showed up and was then annoyed. He said he thought the person would just come back the next day, since that’s what he would do. Hence the poll.
On a side note, sometimes I have no option other than to show up just before closing. Working full-time, I can’t always take off time to arrive well before closing time. I don’t browse or anything, but if I am making a bank deposit, picking up my car, or mailing something, etc, I am not going to take time off to get there a half hour early. That’s ridiculous.
I would not necessarily not go back, but I’d be less inclined to do so. The last place I’ve gone to that does this is a fast medical clinic, and the only reason I still go there is that I prefer the short wait time.
In other words, your business better be really good for me not to mind.
I can say this to the OP: if your husband had my computer, and found out that I had to wait an extra day to pick it up so he could go out to eat, I would be pretty pissed off.
This happened to me at the Rite-Aid, not even a small business. They closed 10 minutes early and I was livid. They had some fuckwit preventing people from going in. I wanted to throw a brick through the window. I don’t dilly dally about and would’ve been out of there before closing. I was going to write a nasty email to corporate but forgot about it by the time I got home.
I still go there because it’s convenient and they have cheap beer.
Working at the video store, I tended to turn the open sign off at 10 minutes to close, but not actually lock the door until closing time on the dot.
Anyone who was in the store at 10 minutes to close, I’d very politely greet them, ask if I could help them with anything, and remind them that we’d be closing in yadda yadda minutes.
One of my former bosses used to get very antsy when we still had customers in the store at closing time. I practically had to put up a force field between him and the customers. (But besides that, he was phenomenal in his customer service.)
Why should the shop owner justify his absence to you? That’s seems preposterous to me. You’re not his employer, mother or school teacher.
Especially since it wouldn’t change a thing, the shop is closed either way. Why on earth would knowing whether it’s because the owner has a stomach flu, or because his grandmother passed away or because he’s having a quickie with the sales assistant matter to you?
Too late to edit : I’m amazed by the number of people who thinks the shop owner should have a valid excuse to close early. What kind of sense of entitlement is that? If you find out that the closing time is not reliable, come earlier or bring your business elsewhere, and that’s the end of it. Why he’s closing earlier is absolutely none of your business.
Heck, when I was working retail with a small business owner we would sometimes close early because business didn’t justify the costs of running the utilities. This was more common on Sunday nights and some holidays like Independence Day, where very few people were out for gasoline at 9 PM (regular closing time was 10).
It’s my business to the extent that they want to be seen as reliable and professional. So, a good reason for being closed when they advertise as being open might not stop me seeing them as unreliable. How much this will matter depends on the nature of the business, and whether there’s another option nearby.
So no, I don’t have a right to know, but a business that closes early without explanation doesn’t have a right to my continuing custom.
Again, that all changes if they’re holding my property. If they’ve got a car, computer, clothing or whatever belonging to the customer, they damn well open when they say no matter what.
They don’t have to write out chapter and verse. Even a note saying “I’m sorry we have to unexpectedly close early” shows me they don’t make a habit of it and they respect my time as much as their own.
I think another issue is callers. I am quite likely to call a small business with a question about service within ten minutes of closing–especially if they close at 5:00. If I am sitting looking at a company’s website, and it says they close at 5:00, and I am calling at 4:50, I expect an answer. If the phone rings and rings and rings, I am going to move on. I don’t know if they went out of business, or what, but if I need my widget repaired, why would I delay the whole process another day to maybe talk to this unreliable widget repair person when I could just as easily move to the next?