Business Hours. A Common Aspect of Business that gets Overlooked

It was in 2021 when I had a business hour ‘issue’ that has stuck in my head.

I was standing outside a store door unable to get inside.

I am a runner and this was the year when my sports medicine chiropractor suggested I get fitted for a new shoe and gave me the name of a couple stores to go to.

Running is not something I mess with, that suggestion was at the top of my list. I needed new shoes so I could avoid injury and sore legs. (and, I just really love shoes👟😁 ). 

I googled a couple stores to learn more about them and wrote down the hours of the one I liked most. It wasn’t on my side of town, it was about 25-30 minutes away. 

It was a Sunday, they were open 12 - 5:00 PM and I had a bit of time in the late afternoon so I headed to the store. I arrived, easily found a parking spot and headed to the door only to notice the open sign was not on and it was a little dark inside … because they were not open. 

What?! 

I checked the google listing again and it said 12 - 5:00 PM, it was 4:27. 

I stood there frustrated. I know it was later in the afternoon, but it wasn’t 5:00. I drove about an hour round trip for nothing. 

Can things come up unexpectedly to cause a business hour mishap? Absolutely. I understand it can happen. 

This situation was one where I was told “we posted our hour change on social media”. 🙄

Why it is important to List Your Business Hours beyond Social Media

That experience wasn’t my last, I have had this happen more than once over the years.  And I see a lot of businesses sharing about early closures in a social media post/story, but not on any other platform. 

Yes, when I see these shares I check on it.

And now some stores have a posted QR Code for hours, no exact hours listed on the door but a code to scan to see the hours, which is brilliant especially if you do change hours frequently. 

But it is only good if the code takes you to the current, up-to-date hours. And yes, some do not. You are then standing at a closed door with a QR code that says the store is open. 

It seems when businesses need to close an hour or 2 early, maybe even only 30 minutes, they don’t find the need to update the hours anywhere else other than telling their social following. 

I can never understand why that is, why social media is the only share.

Sure, some people look to social media for store hours, but some don’t even think about socials for finding when a store is open or closed. (#me)

Social media isn’t exactly the platform that’s meant to list your hours – sure, you might have them listed there, but if your hours are listed elsewhere, why not update them there as well?

My guess is that it’s a time thing - people don’t have the time to update anything past socials.

But social media is not the only ‘sauce’ to running a business.

Maybe you know this, or maybe you don’t, (I wrote about it HERE) but something to consider is when you post on social media not everyone sees your posts and stories.

No, they don’t. 

As I mentioned in that POST, your full social media audience does not see everything you share - in fact, only about 10% see what you post, which means if you have 500 followers, 50 may see the post, while 450 may never. These platforms control that, not you. 

But outside of that, what you need to consider is some customers may not even use social media. This is true.

Others may not open their social media daily. Yes, this is likely. 

So again, why would you only inform your customers about hour changes on a social platform? 

If that is the only platform you use, I get it, you are updating where the hours are. 

But a bit of advice on that, if you are using only social media, put that to rest. 

As a business owner, you should not depend only on social media to share and talk about your business.

You should use other resources for your business hours (and marketing) if you want customers to come to your store and know about your business.

How to Notify Your Customers of Hour Changes

Let’s think outside the comfort zone of social media. 

People want to know when you are open, so TELL THEM, in multiple ways. 

I think we both can agree that happy foot traffic is great for business!

Sharing your hour updates and changes on social media is a given, let’s just add in a couple simple areas. 

• List your business on Google. Some may do a Google search for a “shoe store” in their area and your business comes up, helping you get found, and, BONUS, it lists your hours. (plus it is free)
  

       You can list day-to-day hours on your Google Listing also. If you have a week

        where you need to close at 5 instead of 6, you can put those all in Google.

        Great way to keep your hours at their best.

       Yelp and Bing are other free online resources that list your business, including

        hours. 

• Email newsletter. List your hours in every e-newsletter, even if at the bottom of the email. This is a great resource for your customers. If you have any updates to hours, tell them in the body of the email also so they know. 

• If you change your hours for a season, send a specific, separate email to your subscribers, keep them up-to-date about your business.
  
  
• List your hours on your website. Yes, your business website should have your hours listed, in a place where eyes can see them. 

The only time I can see a business not updating their hours is in the case of an emergency. It can happen for sure and maybe you need to shut the door and lock it up. I get it. 

But outside of an emergency, you need to post a sign on your door and update your platforms, all of them. 

Closing 30 minutes early for your child’s concert? Share on socials and update your Google. ✔️

Going to be open 2 hours longer on a Thursday? Share on socials, update Google, email your customers about the extra hours they have to shop. ✔️

Closing for a vacation? Share this and update your Google, website and email that to customers. ✔️

It doesn’t matter why you have an hour change, but if you know it is going to happen, update all platforms where your hours are listed.

Communicating Your Updated Business Hours Matters

Overall,  if you want to be a good business who builds loyalty and welcomes repeat customers, do the simple thing and update your hours on multiple platforms, even if you feel it is a small thing to do. 

I believe small business owners have the best intentions but sometimes need a solid reminder. I am your biggest cheerleader, working to support you and help you grow. 

And I know the small details matter. As the quote by John Wooden reads, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen”.

Maybe I wrote this post as a direct informational virtual assistant wanting to help more small businesses grow with happy customers, but also as a regular shopper who wants to stand at the business door and walk through it when the hours say open. 

If time is the reason your hours stay posted from the past, please connect with me so I can help you bring them to the present. 🖤