# How long should a retail store have to remain open after its official closing time?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [June 4, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033 "2014-06-04T15:07:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 5
### Author:  [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/81 "2014-06-06T01:09:06Z")
Daycare used to charge $1/minute for late pick ups when I was working retail (I believe it’s more now - $20/15 minutes, iirc). There was no chance work would pick up the tab - so customers lingering after closing time could actually leave me out of pocket if they stuck around past the daycare centre’s opening hours.
I’m thinking of the guy who walked in at 5 minutes to closing time and went into the computer department to begin researching what he needed in a new computer. Three of us were stuck there well past closing time, and he didn’t even buy anything. His wife was apologetic, but he was not. That must be six years ago and I still can’t get over his sense of entitlement.
I’ve also had a night where a call came in on the tech support line one minute before the close of business (9pm) for help setting up a new router. It should have been a 5 minute job, but it took 20 minutes. When I finally hung up, there was another call waiting - yes, we had had two people phone in literally in the last minute of the day. Second guy wanted me to talk him through setting up his email in Outlook. I directed him to the step by step instructions on our website and told him to call back in the morning if he needed further help. He was pretty belligerent about that. It’s a little tricky - the line closes automatically at 9pm, and he must have got in only seconds before that. Normally his call would have been answered sooner but I was the only one in the office and I was stuck on that other call. I did feel bad that he spent 20 minutes on hold and then couldn’t get the help he needed, but I had to go. I was already going to be half an hour late, and I wasn’t being paid overtime. I thought it was pretty unreasonable to call at that time for email, especially as he had total access to it via webmail.
My boss told me she would have left him on hold and gone home without answering and I was gobsmacked by that. Surely leaving someone indefinitely on hold is never the right answer.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/82 "2014-06-06T01:20:27Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#):
>
> One night, we had a group of seven woman come in exactly at closing time, each one to buy one snack item and pay for it separately. Assuming they all had the right for “ten minutes,” that means 70 minutes of cashier time!
Your math is weird in this post but back to your original post, the idiot that came in at 6:10 should not be complaining and he was a self important jerk for complaining about the poor customer service.
If the store is closing in 10 minutes, the customers should be in line to check out and not browsing. No one should be coming in after closing time.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/83 "2014-06-06T01:46:35Z")
> [@DSeid](#):
>
> My business is healthcare - a pediatrician.
For some reason I heard this in Jack Webb’s voice. :dubious:
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/84 "2014-06-06T03:05:33Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#):
>
> Only if you are traveling at 150mph. It’s 10 minutes at 30mph without having to slow or stop.
Oh my god, that’s an eternity! 😉
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/85 "2014-06-06T03:19:42Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#):
>
> One night, we had a group of seven woman come in exactly at closing time, each one to buy one snack item and pay for it separately. Assuming they all had the right for “ten minutes,” that means 70 minutes of cashier time!
I understand what you’re saying: there is one register open after closing, all seven women are going to be BSing, not one will have the cash out, or the credit card, or the checkbook, each one will have to reach down to the bottom of the market bag, fish around for whatever they’re paying with, the credit card will not read, the check will not be made out, they’ll want to haggle over the price of each item. Burning up 5 minutes per woman would not be unusual which equals 35 extra minutes, minimum. And where are you gonna hide all those bodies? :eek:
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### Author:  [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/86 "2014-06-06T04:19:48Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#):
>
> This part, at least, is easy.
>
> At 6pm, you lock the doors. Station one employee by the door with a key so that customers already in the store before 6pm have someone to let them out when they are done. If anyone wants in after 6pm and before the last customer leaves, they get told, “Sorry, we are closed for the day.”
>
> After the last customer leaves, the remaining employees should (a) make themselves as invisible as possible from outside and make the place look as deserted as possible\*, and (b) ignore any noise from outside the door. You are closed.
>
> \*Stay away from the door, turn off any lights you don’t need to complete your remaining tasks, draw a curtain across the door if possible, or if you have some movable display near the door, pull that in front of the door, etc.
This. and one time it took 90 minutes after posted closing to clean up the store. As I was locking the door, a woman pulls up, and asks to buy "just one thing. " No, just no.
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### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/87 "2014-06-06T13:45:43Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#):
>
> I understand what you’re saying: there is one register open after closing, all seven women are going to be BSing, not one will have the cash out, or the credit card, or the checkbook, each one will have to reach down to the bottom of the market bag, fish around for whatever they’re paying with, the credit card will not read, the check will not be made out, they’ll want to haggle over the price of each item. Burning up 5 minutes per woman would not be unusual which equals 35 extra minutes, minimum. And where are you gonna hide all those bodies? :eek:
Lordy-Loo. The tales of people who don’t understand how to check out will fill a book. Why is it that, after you take ten minutes to ring up the person’s thirty items and give them the price, they look at you like they are shocked they have to pay, and then start scrounging in their purses, backpacks, and pockets. And they can’t remember where they put the credit card they want to use, and have to pull out and put back ten of them before finding the right one. Or they can’t find their cash and, after you give them their change, it takes them five minutes to put it away.
One of the absolute corkers was the customer who brought 30 drinking glasses to the register at closing. I had to wrap and bag each of them individually.
And yes, I take the bus. That night, I ended up walking the 3.5 miles home.
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### Author:  [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/88 "2014-06-06T13:49:46Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#):
>
> I would bet that this was an owner-run shop rather than a chain.
>
> Did I win?
Yeah, it’s a local chain. They have like 15 stores in the tri-state area, but it’s locally owned.
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### Author:  [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/89 "2014-06-06T15:15:15Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#):
>
> … One of the absolute corkers was the customer who brought 30 drinking glasses to the register at closing. I had to wrap and bag each of them individually.
>
> And yes, I take the bus. That night, I ended up walking the 3.5 miles home.
Wait. You are annoyed because a customer came to the register, not after closing but within the posted hours you do business, with items that you sell to buy?
Dammit, customers should _know_ not to buy things at your store! It might inconvenience you. Customers … if only you didn’t have any, eh? Wouldn’t life be grand? One can dream.
[Case Study 1 in: Why Businesses Fail.]
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### Author:  [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/90 "2014-06-06T18:18:24Z")
> [@DSeid](#):
>
> Wait. You are annoyed because a customer came to the register, not after closing but within the posted hours you do business, with items that you sell to buy?
>
> Dammit, customers should _know_ not to buy things at your store! It might inconvenience you. Customers … if only you didn’t have any, eh? Wouldn’t life be grand? One can dream.
>
> [Case Study 1 in: Why Businesses Fail.]
When someone brings a large order that needs a lot of special handling right at closing…yes I’d be pretty annoyed. Especially since it meant I would have to walk 3.5 miles home late at night.
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### Author:  [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/91 "2014-06-06T18:49:15Z")
The policy at Home Depot, at least the one I worked at many years ago, was explained to me by the store manager as “We pay an obscene amount of money in advertising to lure people in. Ain’t no way I’m going to kick 'em out just because the clock says 9:00!”
Seems to have worked for them.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/92 "2014-06-06T18:51:43Z")
> [@Antinor01](#):
>
> When someone brings a large order that needs a lot of special handling right at closing…yes I’d be pretty annoyed. Especially since it meant I would have to walk 3.5 miles home late at night.
Yes, so would I. Are you saying you ( **DSeid** ) wouldn’t?
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### Author:  [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/93 "2014-06-06T19:01:27Z")
Are shops more likely to be robbed at or near closing time? I’m assuming cash/safe protocols are in place in most places to limit the amount of cash on hand at the end of the night.
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### Author:  [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/94 "2014-06-06T19:09:49Z")
nm, misread.
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### Author:  [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/95 "2014-06-06T20:01:18Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> Yes, so would I. Are you saying you ( **DSeid** ) wouldn’t?
Not only am I saying that, I am saying that the concept of being annoyed at a customer for wanting to check out, to give the shop their money for product or service, with whatever order they may have, at a time the store is open (even if just about to close) is one is likely highly correlated with a store failing.
The big chains and discount warehouses might succeed by offering lowest possible prices and by advertising; smaller shops more often succeed by customers feeling that you treat them right, by engendering some loyalty because you are willing to go above and beyond. That’s how you compete with Big Box. If you want your smaller shop to succeed you _look for_ those chances to go above and beyond, you are _grateful_ for having the chance to do so, because that is your chance to possibly win a customer’s lasting repeat business and word of mouth. You fear most of all the malignant discontented customer who is pissed off and goes out of their way to bad mouth your business (again, one of them off-sets ten happy campers at least). You want to do whatever you realistically can do to prevent that. Checking out a large, even special needs order (oh my wrapping 30 glasses! So special!) that came to the register before the clock struck closing is not even going out of your way: it is what you are OBLIGATED to do as _a minimum_, your freakin’ job, no more.
It seems like a pretty basic retail concept to me.
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### Author:  [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/96 "2014-06-06T20:20:50Z")
You must be a real treat to go shopping with.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/97 "2014-06-06T20:55:52Z")
> [@DSeid](#):
>
> My business is healthcare - a pediatrician. We are grateful that some of our local competition takes the attitude expressed by some here, and refuse to see people maybe 5 to 10 minutes late. Nothing makes a formerly loyal patient much more pissed than having waited for a doc in the past and then being turned away for being a bit late. One pissed off patient/customer offsets 10 or so happy people. Unless seeing them will end up putting us so far behind that others will have to wait more than a few minutes as a result we will find a way to still see them, especially if it is less than 15 minutes late … traffic can be a bitch.
>
> Like I said, it is just good business sense to go out of your way a bit.
I dunno, tho - I spend hours and hours each year waiting for doctors and dentists to see me, after showing up on time.
I spend zero seconds per year waiting for stores and restaurants to open at the advertised time.
I don’t really feel like stores and restaurants owe me any time. Doctors and dentists - yes, you can wait for me some times. (I don’t take this attitude as an excuse to be late, by the way - I am always on time for appointments. But yes, traffic can be a bitch).
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### Author:  [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/98 "2014-06-06T22:44:05Z")
Well it depends.
In the summer when its 100 degrees sometimes people wait until night when its cool to shop so yes, I’ve seen stores stay open past their closing time.
Wouldnt you if you were managing a store and had a parking lot full of cars and tons of people wanting to come in and shop? A smart manager schedules this.
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### Author:  [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/99 "2014-06-06T23:15:33Z")
This thread should be Exhibit A as to one of the reasons why Wal-Mart is putting mom and pop stores out of business. If I show up at mom and pop, employees are telling me to get the fuck out. I can show up at Wal-Mart at 3:14am looking for a caulking gun and can take my time.
People have to realize that it’s not 1955 and the 9 to 5 world no longer exists.
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### Author:  [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)
#### Post date: [June 7, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-should-a-retail-store-have-to-remain-open-after-its-official-closing-time/690033/100 "2014-06-07T00:43:22Z")
I think it is extremely rude and presumptuous to think your time is worth more than the store employees.
Do the people that think it is reasonable to be in a store after closing also think it is ok to knock on the door of a store before it is open and have them let you in? After all some of their registers might be open - how rude of them not to let you in.
The store “closes” at time x it “opens” at time y. If you aren’t in line in a reasonable time for you to check out - you are an asshole. Sure if the store messes up - and runs out of register paper - and you were in line in what would normally be a reasonable time - they should stay over.
Luckily when I worked retail it was almost always in interior mall stores - and virtually all of the practiced the lowering the gate ahead of time. People would stop by and ask “are you still open”. I would cheerfully say “yes - we don’t close until 9:30 so you still have 8 minutes (or whatever).” And as long as they were done by then - I was very happy. As the night went on (I think I usually started at 9:10ish or so) - the door got lower and lower - so you would need to be a bigger and bigger dick to walk in without asking about the time.
Of course that strategy didn’t work if you didn’t have a door that lowered. At the jewelry store - we had strick security procedures - if we weren’t out the door at a certain time - the alarm company was on the line asking for our key code (which always seemed real secure to me! We didn’t have caller ID and the code they were asking for was the same one that shut off the alarm).
So I didn’t really have to deal with the situation most people are talking about. In working hundreds and hundreds of nights retail - there were maybe a handful of cases where a person was in after closing (again - I was more isolated than a walmart). So in my mind - if you are trying to - you are an asshole 🙂
I think it is different with whoever made the restaurant analogy, but I always ask their policy. Most seem to be ok with staying open - as long as all your orders are in the kitchen by a certain time. I think it is something like 30 minutes before closing the kitchen closes in some places. They have expressed that they will still be there for a decent amount of time after closing anyway. But maybe I am wrong there - and the asshole in that case,
And I was totally happy to let some customers browse (not the jewelry store) while I closed up shop, but almost no one did.
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