Should Your Shop Be Open December 26? -

Should Your Shop Be Open December 26?

Merry Christmas!

What? Christmas? Yup, it’s not that far away, and if you haven’t looked at the calendar it falls on Thursday this year. So what? Well, if you’re a shop owner you will probably give little thought about the Friday after Christmas until sometime late in December when an employee asks, “Hey boss, are we open or closed on the Friday after Christmas?” At that point it will be too late to make a good decision. If you decide not to close you will most likely aggravate some, if not most, of your employees (who will forever label you as “Scrooge”). Your customers will not have had enough warning and many will expect you to be closed. Your vendors will not know what your needs will be for that day and your entire staff will be irritable that day.

On the other hand, if you decide to close you will be faced with another quandary.  Do you pay or not pay your staff for the time off? Some employees would like the day off either way. However, some may be on a tighter budget and closing without pay could present a hardship. These are the employees who will tell you to stay open.

Some of you will be open no matter what, and I respect that. However, if you are on the fence, I have a suggestion that actually takes the decision and stress out of your hands, and all it takes is a little effort on your part now. A simple calculation to determine an average day’s sales will give you a number that represents the sales loss if you choose to close. Agree? Then what you can do is take that number and add it to your sales goals for the months of September, October and November (so if an average day’s sales is $6,000, you would add $2,000 to the September sales goal, $2,000 to the October sales goal and $2,000 to the November sales goal).  If you hit those sales goals, and have essentially covered the cost of closing, on December 1st you can announce to your staff and your customers that you will be closed on December 26th.  If the sales goals are not met, then the shop will be open on the 26th.

The other holidays do not have the same seasonal effect. No one really minds coming in on Thursday when the 4th of July is on Wednesday. Of course, New Year’s day will be on Thursday also, so should you close on that Friday????? Hmmm.

This article was contributed by Jim Piraino, a past superstar shop owner who now helps other shop owners 1-on-1 through the Elite Coaching Program.

You May Also Like

How Accurate Is Your Click-Style Torque Wrench?

The inner construction of the click-style torque wrench makes it naturally susceptible to a loss of factory calibration.

The click-style torque wrench is the most common of torque tools. Click-style torque wrenches can be very accurate, but due to how the wrench makes the click, it can lose its factory calibration.

Below the head of the wrench is a pin that holds the head or the ratchet to the body of the wrench. The pin allows the ratchet head to pivot and move the tang below. At the base of the tang is a slot where a pivot block makes contact. The block is typically made of a softer metal than the tang. On the other side of the pivot block is the cam. Behind the cam is a spring that can be adjusted.

Don’t Stress – Dress For Success And To Impress

What message is your appearance communicating to your clients? What is seen often speaks louder than what is said.

What’s The Difference Between H/T And A/T Tires?

Your guide to deciding if highway tires or all-terrain tires best suit your customers’ needs.

7 Things You Need To Improve Your Shop’s Brand

A solid branding strategy requires time and a lot of careful and intentional preparation, especially in this business.

The Key Ingredient Every Operation Needs To Be GREAT

The first step to creating a lasting, winning culture within your shop is to get honest with yourself about what’s broken.

Other Posts

Why Lightweight Brake Components Matter

Weight reduction is important for cars, too. OE engineering teams have certain goals that they need to meet or exceed.

Being Busy Is Easy – Being Successful Is More Challenging

Getting cars in your shop is like shooting fish in a barrel – but is that best for your business?

Don’t Ignore Ride Control To Avoid Customer Complaints

Don’t become apathetic to selling ride control products because customers don’t understand safety – explain it!

Read ShopOwner’s March Issue Online Now

Every issue of ShopOwner includes valuable business management and technical editorial content.