ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

OK. The is the 21st century. Tesco is open 24/7, we can buy stuff online on Christmas day if we want to.

But why is there this expectaion that this applies to everyone and every trade? When someone has THEIR day off work, why so they expect everyone else to still be working to serve them?

Today is a good example. In the past I've been there fixing my own car, or fixing things that can't be done when open....like painting the floor (can't be arsed this year, as the Landlord is taking the **** with urgent building repairs). Anyway, despite being offically closed the phone is ringing off the hook, and streams of cars are driving through the entrance all wanting something done there and then.

Its the same Saturdays...Saturday for me is a half day.. I finish at lunch. We aim not to book any work in (or as little as possible), with the idea is to clear any backlog and just provide a "drop-in" service for light bulbs and stuff. Yet come 1:00pm when we're supposed to shut, its like a invasion...people with their 5-day 9-5 jobs, do their shopping and then all must think...oh I'll just pop in and see if they can service my car while I wait. The one week I was on my own, one guy went home sick (norovirus), the other was on holiday, then I get invasion of punctures and blown bulbs, just as I was ready to go home and have some well earned R&R We're then put in a catch 22 situation...ruin my personal plans and work late for the sake of customer satisfaction, or fob them off and risk losing return business. .

Now, money is tight, technically we should be open and not turning away trade, but everyone I work with wants/needs a few days off. We want to live. Not work to death. Hence working 12 hours days this week to clear all the backlog in time for Easter. Frankly I'm knackered, and tempers were getting flared due to the work load/deadlines, so thankfully we're shut, the premises are locked up and the phone is off....

I'm still not dressed yet.....bliss

(ps. nothing personal intended to anyone who does this)

Hammer man

iTrader: (25)

ggggggggranville

Lisawrx

iTrader: (1)

I hope you feel better for that.

I understand where you are coming from. Working in a shop, it's exactly the same, obviously none of us deserve any time off in the eyes of some people.

CharlySkunkWeed

iTrader: (7)

I hear ya ! Same with overtime (im in a trade) people assume i WANT overtime. These days theres no such thing as double time , so its not worth loosing a weekend to get paid the same as during the week. Now shops i think are different , they should be open more than 9-5 as its the only time people that have jobs get time to shop ! Even take shifts , the amount of time i have had to leave work early just to make opening times . . . . .

cuprajake

iTrader: (11)

I had some one want to book their car in today as they were off for Easter, they just expected me to be working.

The other one is when they want us to work Sunday lol.

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

Just the same with IT support. On call now, was this morning and am tomorrow morning too. Still it is work

Far better to have too much, and then be able to pick and choose. Yesterday I ditched a company that was 10% of my annual turnover. I was told I was getting too "big for my boots" and "no longer cared". For some reason 19 phone calls from the same person by 8:15am in the morning does generally p!ss someone off. Or maybe it was the 5am text messages about a backup they tried to run through the night that failed.

There comes a time when you have to take a break, and those customers who don't respect that need to be politely informed that you are unable to help them. If they have a hissy fit, and if you have enough work on, the best option is to show them the door. Harsh, but if you don't you will never ever have any time off, as there is always some twit who thinks their problems are more important than you ever having a break.

unixhead

Supply and demand, put the prices right up at the weekend if you're in demand.

CharlySkunkWeed

iTrader: (7)

Money isnt everything though.

Peedee

iTrader: (4)

I don't work in a shop or deal with the public in any way thank god, but I do understand what you're saying with folk wanting stuff done there and then, no matter what day, time etc.

On a slightly different note, the sooner they get rid of stupid Sunday trading laws, the better. This is 2013, not 1960. Why shops aren't open until the evening is beyond me. There are plenty of people who need the money and would happily work on a Sunday afternoon!!

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

No, but it certainly helps put a problem into perspective. If you charge the same rate at weekends as you do through the week there is no incentive for your customer to come through the week.

If I don't want to take a job at a weekend I tell the customer that its time and a half or double time. Amazingly they find a way to wait until Monday 95% of the time. That way at least you are offering the service if it is really urgent, but also in most cases getting at least some time off.

Its all about finding the correct balance.

Lisawrx

iTrader: (1)

I hope they don't.

Most shops are open more than long enough as it is. Most are open more than 9-5 Monday to Saturday as it is, then for 6 hours on a Sunday. Quite frankly, as someone who works in this sector, if people can't manage to find time to do some shopping in all that time, tough luck.

The reality of retail isn't that more people would be taken on, the existing staff would just be stretched further, as is happening in my company. We have lives and family too.

Infected by sti

iTrader: (6)

Hit the nail on the head

If you worked for a company and they expected you to work overtime, you would be expecting to be paid accordingly for your time, so at the end of the week when you have already busted a gut in work to help out your customers and have probably worked more than the average person anyway is it wrong to want to be paid accordingly for you to stay open? Would your staff work the extra hours for the same money? So why should garages not be expected to charge slightly more on a weekend to cover the extra overheads that come with doing extra hours

Some people need a reality check

CharlySkunkWeed

iTrader: (7)

Ironic thing is if i have to take time off during the week to get something done , i would have to work the weekend to make up for it !

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Yup.

Whilst we could put prices up or a "weekend/holiday levy" charge ( which would look pretty amusing on the invoice ), nobody here wants to work those kind of hours (not me at least).

The only way round it is to setup shifts like the supermarkets do. Someone still has to be in to "manage" staff, so not only would we need more employees, we'd need more managers. We're not a big enough business to do that, I doubt the income would cover the overheads..as suppliers are shut on holidays, saturday afternoons as well as Sundays, so work is limited to what is stocked (we work on a JIT stocking/supply principal on most items), so more stuff would need to be stocked, causing more overheads in "dead stock" lying on the shelf for god know how long (still have some condensors and contact breakers, they must have been there for 30 years ).

So really without the suppliers open or any willing staff its just not workable.

Big chain shops have alot of part time staff on shifts and huge delivery networks to maintain stock. But still, I know alot of chains take the **** with hours and shift rotas.

hodgy0_2

the sad fact is that because of the 24hr "have anything anytime" society

people have completely lost any concept in time management, everything is “lastminute.com”

with the resultant collapse in productivity

shooter007

Me and my wife have a small newsagents, we are open 6am till 6pm. On bank holidays we open 7am. First customer this Morning at 7.02am "How come you wasn't open at 6".

paulr

No,no,no. There is no need to have anything but food shops open on a Sunday.

Peedee

iTrader: (4)

Sorry didn't make that clear.

Supermarkets only. Not high street shops etc.n

David Lock

I don't understand what the fuss is here. Going back to Ali's post for the last few garages I have used it has been quite clear when they are open/closed. Typically there is an "hours of business" sign on the office door and a big CLOSED sign across the entrance often with a chain across the entrance. The phone is left to ring, a closed message left, or an answerphone message.

What can be easier than that?

dl

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

I know exactly where you're coming from.

I work on the family farm full time, and we sell products from the farm. I tell all our customers that we are open from 9am to 5pm and that if they want anything, please call in within that time frame because that's when I'm about. I also mention that after 5pm the farm is locked up and fully alarmed.

This seems to go through one ear and out the other for half of our customers.... They always want what's easiest for them. If they're coming through the village at say 6pm, they'll simply call in and expect us to serve them. I have to come out of the house, disarm the farm, unlock the gates, and tell them the closing times again, this time more firmly.

People seem to assume that because we own a farm, we're open 24/7? Yes, we're open 7 days a week, but not 24 hours a day!

jods

Everyone is being worked to the max. Except, of course, Chavscum and terrorists. I've had the check engine light on for a week but just have had no time to drop the car off for a service. I'm just thankful that I've got a job tbh. I'm a contractor at a large UK pharmaceutical company and have seen people close to and in tears with the workload and pressure. Not one or two, many. It's brutal.

belliott69

iTrader: (3)

That's spot on, people have become to used to getting anything they want straight away and will stamp their feet like a little child if it doesn't happen. I remember when my local town used to have all the shops shut at 12.30 on a Wednesday and people still coped easily.

billythekid

I have similar problems - but as we do a lot of work over the phone its more phone calls than physical people visiting the office. We operate 8am - 6pm, but if its outside these hours and I dont recognise the number I just answer the phone "security". Most people get the hint and either hang up or just ask what they wanted to know - if I can help them I do but other than that I just say sorry just security mate etc etc...

It also makes people think we have 24/7 security LOL.

Osimabu

iTrader: (2)

I'm a plumber and I only work Monday to Thursday, except for genuine emergencies for my existing customers. I'm not by any means rich (despite the perception of my trade), but I value my time off very highly indeed.

A friend dropped dead out of the blue on Christmas Eve 2011 age 40. After that, and being a good few years older than him, working too many hours to keep my customers happy seemed far less important than enjoying time with my family, regardless of the financial rewards.

To Ali, I'd say if you're busy most of the time, you're clearly providing people with a good service, so don't bother about the selfish twits who expect you to stay open later than you advertise. You can be certain they wouldn't do it for their firms, and they aren't worth worrying about. You'll always have work from the decent people who respect your hours.

CharlySkunkWeed

iTrader: (7)

Aye , no point in being the richest plumber in the graveyard.

Osimabu

iTrader: (2)

Precisely.

zip106

I don't think any shops should be open on Sundays - food or not.

We have these modern things called refrigerators and freezers - want food on Sunday?
Then buy it on Friday or Saturday.

There's no need to go shopping on a Sunday, no matter what hours you work in the week.

Back in the day when the only shop open was the newsagent (and then only till lunchtime), meant Sundays were more chilled out.

RA Dunk

I'm so glad I don't need to deal with the public sometimes..

Peedee

iTrader: (4)

Totally disagree. Gone are the days when the man worked 9-5, mon-fri. Wifey and two kids at home, then Sunday was "a day of rest" where people went to church in the morning, had a big roast cooked by wifey in her pinnie and a big smile on her face, then 'family time' on a Sunday evening gathering round playing games and listening to radio 4 on a big wooden radio. This is 2013, not the 30s, 40s, 50s etc. People work all sorts of crazy hours, travel places on Sunday afternoons / evenings, lads nights in etc etc. Some people work 7 days a week, myself included sometimes.

Peedee

iTrader: (4)

Agreed. Worked in a shop many years ago, never again will i do a job that involves speaking / serving the public. I have sympathy for people that have to deal with the majority of self-important, idiotic members of public every day (notice I said "majority", not all as I did meet some nice folk!)