One of my favorite shops in my youth was Al Stillers Sauganash Schwinn, on the northside of Chicago. He closed for lunch every day at noon, and opened up at 1;00. I always respected that. I wish more businesses did that. It bugs me when I go into a store and someones got a smelly sandwich sprawled out on the countertop next to the cash register. For gods sake take a break and enjoy your food.

I agree they might get some additional business, but I also agree that the LBS owner and employees need to have time off to be with their family or time for other weekend obligations.

I'm also old enough to remember our Blue Laws. Today, everybody's in a flippin hurry to go nowhere!

Saturdays and Sundays are the two days that most working people have to do personal things. On the weekdays it difficult to go to a bike shop. If the shop stayed open for longer hours like 9 pm, then it would be different. But most shops don't do that. Nor do they open early like 8 am or earlier.

Pro bike fitters are even more restrictive. They're usually scheduled by appointment only, and for good reason.

So. We need to be open 8am to 9pm Monday thru Sunday, but that is OK because we don't need any personal time as shop people are not "working people"?

My LBS is closed Sundays during the cold seasons but open 7 days a week from April through September as I recall. A family owned and run shop with a couple of apparently honest long time employees. It claims to currently be the oldest bike shop in Nevada.

HEAR! HEAR!:thumb:

There is customer service and then there is abuse. And yes I do mean abuse. My wife has made special trips to her store for a customer who absolutely had to have whatever it was and couldn't be there during normal business hours. Then the woman changed her mind and didn't buy it after all.

A business sets their hours, if you want to purchase what they sell you will make arrangements...I do. There is more to this world than the ****ing not so all mighty dollar.

Aaron:)

My dentist doesn't see people on Saturday or Sunday.

My barber doesn't cut hair on Sunday or Monday.

That doesn't stop me from working it in my schedule to see them when I need to. I imagine the same holds true for a bike shop that is closed on Sunday.

I used to have an otherwise really nice customer who would only come in at closing time. Generally he'd call from his cell phone to say that he was on his way and would be there in 10 minutes. Would we keep the shop open for him? Then he'd hang around and yack for an hour or so.

Together or separately?

My LBS is closed on Sundays because that's when everyone in the shop races.

Both bike shops I frequent are open on Sunday, for limited (noon to 4) hours.

My LBS is open for 6 hours on Sundays.

I would think if you are interested in doing a good business you would want to make it convenient for customers. I work at a public library and we are open Sundays.

Most people have Sundays off so that makes it a prime day for a bike shop to be open. I'd like to spend every day riding my bike and spending time with family but you have to make a living too. Maybe the bike shops not open on Sunday make so much money during the week they can close during prime time?

Don't they understand that since they all cycle on sundays, maybe us consumers would like to as well. Say if I go for a ride on sunday and something happens to my bike, i am SOL until Teusday? Where as someone that works there can close the shop on sundays go out for a ride, and if something happens to their bike, they can just bring it back to their shop. I don't know. Just seems like Sunday is the most ridden day of the week by most cyclists. People have to have issues with their bikes, but there is NOWEHERE to bring it other than x-mart?

The two LBS I frequent are closed on Sundays. They however have hours every evening at least to 8 PM weekdays and till 6 PM on Saturday.

This was the trend I observed when I visited LBS on my business travels, was able to receive some bike entertainment before dinner, often a place suggested with thumbs ups from the LBS staff, and they were not ever wrong. Some areas had their shops open to 9 PM or 10 PM depending on the sunset with DST in that area.

I do not fault them for being closed on Sundays, if you are organized you should be able to plan your shopping needs.

It was mentioned concerning repairs if something breaks, have you had car troubles on the weekends? From my experience the good shops (those I trust) are closed from noon on Saturday till Monday AM early.

This may become a trend of more businesses during this economic down turn, have less employees, schedule them less hours, and if working a quality/value type service business, the customers WILL come when you are present.

A good business revolves around the customers needs not the owners/employees. Why not be open when it's convenient for the customer? You, as a business owner should plan your schedule to be open at prime time (unless you are doing so well you don't need the business). Car repair shops are probably make enough that they can get away with inconveniencing the customer.

Our Main library is open on Sunday, yet the branch libraries are all closed. I have one a couple miles away and would love to ride there and pick my weekly reading materials, but no, must go all the way to the downtown main location, a good ten miles.

Thinking about it, many service type shops are closed on Sunday -
My barber has Sunday and Monday off.
The bird food supply house is closed on Sunday and Monday.
My bank has no hours on Sunday, though there are banks with locations in retail stores that do have hours on Sunday.
My wife's hairdresser takes no appointments on Sunday.
The dog groomer is also closed, Saturday too!
Many of the local veterinarians have short hours if any on Saturday, but no office hours on Sunday. There is an emergency animal clinic open 7/24 that is mentioned in the answering machine message.
To see my doctor an appointment is usually required, yet his office is staffed with limited hours as well 7 days a week, and there is always the emergency room.
My dentist has no appointments available on Sundays, some on Saturday, but then he takes Wednesday off during the summer.
My favorite auto repair shop is open till noon Saturday, and closed on Sunday, (they do not sell cars on Sunday, likely why closed).
What are the hours of your transmission repair shop, or body shops, these place are never open when needed either.

I am starting to think there is a great business opportunity, setting up a repair kiosk near local MUPs, and open on the weekends when there are people out and about. :thumb:

Thinking about it, I recall a story in the Chicago area paper about a school teacher who did just that, located downtown in or near the park, the business grew and he hired and taught young people to do the repairs so he could have time off and ride.

A good business owner does know when his prime sales and business occurs, and for the many I know Sunday is not a profit day, it is a convenience day for customers that visit just because or for entertainment.

My BnL has a auto parts store, thought he would open on Sundays. His Saturday sales dropped, Sunday sales did not make it worth while, and Monday sales continued to be his best. He learned that those that meant to come on Saturday, put it off, just do it on Sunday, but when Sunday was a nice day, they decided to watch the game, the race, go to the lake, take a walk with the family, go fishing with a friend, and just decided they would put it off till the next day when out and about. He now closes on Sunday and even reduced his Saturday hours. His business has grown, now Saturday is best day even with less hours, and Monday is the second best, yet same volume as before. Profits are improved, as his payroll is reduced do to the lower open hours and potential risks that any business has by just being open.

You are correct the business should address the customer's needs, but that does not always mean to be available 7/24 just for that unknown customer's convenience. Many businesses are beginning to re-examine their profit times and build their schedules upon this information.

As an example, there are two quality family dining establishments near my home, both are always packed, 7 days a week from 6 AM to about 10 PM, quality food and great service, plus exceptional coffee (IMHO).

One shop decided to operate only one shift, 6AM till 3PM, 7 days a week. Kept all his staff, went to a 4 day/ week type schedule giving his employees 3 days off per week. (Paid the same as 40 hour week).

The other shop continued business as usual. Business declines so much at the supper hour, he had to cut some staff, the serviced then suffered when additional customers would visit, which eventually hurt business even more and even affected the day business counts.

Which do think is going strong and doing well, today?

If you are a quality shop, (even applies to LBS), people will come to you when you are available. In today's uncertain economics, people will seek quality and value. Convenience is not the major factor for all business today, profit periods will dictate when available.

As consumers we think we are entitled to the services we required when we desire. That thinking is turning to new directions. The time of "entitlement" is ending, a new dawn for the period "responsibility" is emerging for many now, and if you do not make the little adjustments, dependence on others will continue to weaken the economy and hope will fade to a even dimmer light.

They ought to be open on Sunday's. If they want to close one day a week, make it during the week. Saturday and Sunday are often errand and shopping days. They are loosing business being closed on Sunday.

Disagree. Convenience is all about today. Why do you think folks shop online? It's a lot easier then getting in the car/truck/bike/etc. and going someplace to look for something that may or may not be in stock. Online shopping is ALL about convenience.

If a B&M (brick and mortar) shop wants to succeed, they need to consider customer convenience, service, and pricing. Convenience and service can often override pricing, but it does need to be a factor.

Well, working in the public sector my viewpoint may be skewed...I see the library is packed on Sundays because people have the day off. I infer from this that people have time to pursue their interests on Sundays and it makes sense that it would carry over to a business.

I didn't say they should be open 24/7..I said be open when it's convenient for your customers. I'm guessing a Sunday afternoon is going to get more traffic than a Monday morning.

There is definitely a regional thing with retail.

In California, I could find retailers open at hours where I could buy something. Even a mom & pop store would be open until 7 or 8 in the evening.

Here in Pennsylvania, it is amazing how many retailers are open the same hours as I work. I have to take time off of work in order to get to some businesses, because they work M-F 9-5. My LBS and a couple of others do have Sunday hours, and at least one does have some Sunday hours, at least in season (but only in the afternoon).

I agree that it's a regional thing....you get some very religious area (Grand Rapids, MI) and a whole lot of businesses are closed on Sundays.

As soon as bike shops are government funded and not required to make a profit we can have library hours.

Because we need to make a profit we cannot be open all the hours some customers think we should be.

There is a point of diminishing return for hours open. For every hour you are open you have to pay two or three(or more) people to be there. At a point most people will refuse to work more hours so you need to hire more people to handle the extra hours(This can be cheaper because these people will not be getting paid overtime but you offset that with base costs all employees have)

Then you have the perception of the customer that a store needs to be open hours that are convienient to that customer. This customer beleives that because he has bought a tube at 4:00 on a Sunday that a thousand other people must want to do it as well. This has not shown to be true at our shop. We are open on Sunday and it brings in just enough to justify being open those hours. We are open more in the hope that will people will come by looking and buy later, but that is hard to judge.

And finally what would solve most peoples Sunday woes is to simply buy TWO tubes when they need one.

Maybe it's just a PA thing. What routes do you ride up in the wiles barre area?

Government funding is irrelevant to the fact that Sunday is a busy day. I guess for some reason you sell more on a Monday morning when most people are at work, than a Sunday afternoon when most people are not? Might be true but it isn't logical to me.

I agree, I have worked in many places that THRIVED on Sundays simply because it the day that everyone is home. The logic just is not there.