Businesses that close completely for lunch?

[bangerjim]

Not uncommon at all. They have to eat also! I know of several, mainly medical, accounting, and legal, that have always closed up and no live phone person over the lunch hour. You just leave a message and they call back.

Not a big problem to me on that. I like to eat also!

[brass410]

If you wanna work 24hrs a day 7 days a week, just work for yourself cause thats what people will expect of you. The minute you take time off for family life or a sanity break they'll be sure to let you know how inconsiderate you are and undeserving of their patronage. I dont miss them at all when they come crawling back because they really couldnt do better elsewhere service or price wise.

[MaryB]

Common here, most places in town close over lunch but usually someone is there until 12:15 or they come back at 12:45 in case someone needs something. All it takes is a call and they will stay open and wait for you to get there... or talk to someone at the cafe because that is where everyone heads to eat LOL lot of business gets done at lunch time!

[TyGuy]

When we were in Munich I noticed that everything except the food stands and restaurants seemed to close at lunch time. Most folks gathered in the biergartens or parks and ate lunch together in the fresh air. It was refreshing compared to the rushed lunch in a cinder block dungeon I’m used to having. I do understand needing to get things done over your lunch break as well but the fellowship at lunch was a neat experience that I think we could benefit from.

[Handloader109]

If you don't know a business's hours, don't expect them to be open to your whim. My local CVS closes daily 1 to 2pm. Only one pharmacist and less than pre covid techs. The new, old normal. We've been spoilt by Walmart, etc 24-7 hours. You have a phone, use it.
I have a small, one man, me, engraving business. I had hours posted, M-F and part day in Sat precovid. I changed to by appointment since covid and while I still have that posted, hours are Tues-Fri 9 to 4, and totally by appt on Sat. And even then, a lot of folks want to show up 5pm, 6pm....

If yah don't like it, go elsewhere....and that goes for anything

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[Shawlerbrook]

If you think it’s bad here go to Europe, they take siestas for most of the afternoon in some countries. With so much business going online and with a culture where not working is no longer shameful, it will get worse.

[M-Tecs]

It's fairly common in rural areas. In my hometown the PO still closes from 12:30 to 1:30.

[.429&H110]

From a Yankee point of view, if your employees punch out for an hour a day, you can cover nine hours and pay them for eight. When I was riding around in my service truck, I was always docked a half hour a day for "lunch", losing 10 hours a month of overtime. 120 hours a year. Two week's pay.

I for one am tired of hearing that "people" do not want to work.
It's a untrained boss problem and HR is useless.
Woke people cannot, must not, even try to run a business.
People need leadership or they doze off.

My last boss figured out how to work millenials.
Simple.
Work them Saturdays.
Then they show up for 40 hours to defend the overtime.
Paying them 50 hours got their attention.
Can anybody afford to work part-time and run a car? Just no.

[DDriller]

Our doctor's office and pharmacy both close for lunch. Doc from 12-1 Rx from 1-2. My barber also takes lunch from 1:30 - 2:15 since his partner had to retire.

[farmbif]

post office here, just a bit bigger than a closet, closes every day at 11am. many of the businesses in this area are closed on Wednesday and quite a few take an hour off for lunch. that's just the way it is

[myg30]

Before covid, the post office sub stations near me started to close for lunch and the main office by the airport reduced its man power and the lines were long and slow.
When covid hit not sure if anything changed much.
Several business places around here close for lunch and the pharmacy at several places take a lunch.

Remember when EVERYTHING was closed on Sundays !!!! Family day for God and dinner !

Mike

[gwpercle]

There is still a shortage of workers .
A local sandwich shop closes at 2 PM now, the owner said it was because they couldn't get enough staff for a second afternoon-evening shift .
Where I worked (4 person business) we tried to have at least one person in the office at lunch ...but some day's it wasn't possible ... Times have changed !
I remember quite well when all businesses were closed on Sunday ... and the times when you couldn't sell booze on Sunday !
Gary

[bedbugbilly]

It doesn't surprise me one bit. I run into it with a number of doctor offices as well as my dentist. As far as others such as stores, I've run into it as well but I fully understand the reasons for it. So many places have problems even being able to find people to work let alone being able to schedule it so that they can have someone to be there to "cover" the bio noon hour . . . and as inconvenient as it may be for someone . . . someone who is using THEIR lunch hour to run errands etc - others are entitled to have time to eat their lunch as well.

When I had my custom millwork/cabinet shop . . . I had posted hours . . . which included being closed for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00. I was open from 7:00 to 12:00 and 1:00 to 5:00 five days a week and from 7:00 to 12:00 on Saturdays. Still, I had people complain because I wasn't open earlier later, on Sunday, etc. because my posted hours did not "fit their schedule". Yes a business depends on its customers but for anyone who has been self employed, they know that there would be those who would complain if you were open 24/7. Not to mention those who would stop in for "free advice e" on how to do something yet never spent a dime . . . all of which took up my time that I needed to be working in the shop for paying customers.

As a kid . . . 60 years ago . . . . I well remember a number of stores that would close at noon . . . but people were more patient in those days and understanding . . . . unlike so many of the folks today that seem to think the world revolves around them.

With the way things are right now and how the country is being run . . . and the number of small businesses that have had to close completely as a result of the pandemic and "mandates" . . . . we ought to be happy that some of the stores were able to keep their doors open after all of it . . . especially with the high inflation, supply issues, the Left wanting to pay people "not to work" etc.. smaller businesses having to close at noon so all who work there can have an uninterrupted lunch seems like a small price to pay . . . . especially when the alternative could be to be closed permanently.

[truckjohn]

Yep. What so many have said. What are you supposed to do when you can't staff lunch? Stealing hourly employees lunch breaks violates federal labor laws, and owners get grouchy when they don't stop for food.

One of the primary reasons so many school districts were losing teachers is that the schools gave them 20 or 30 minutes for "lunch," but then demanded they spend it on patrol duty, effectively shorting them out of lunch every single day. Maybe it's fine if you are making money, but most teachers with less than 10-years in make less than pizza delivery guys. Especially now in states that increased the minimum wage. In Florida and Missouri, you can make more as a cashier in Aldi or McDonalds than you can as a 1st year teacher with a masters degree.

That said, many work around it. If lunch is a busy time, they man it and then close down at 11 or maybe 1:30... But if your business primarily caters to other businesses, you take lunch when they take lunch, because they will be lined up at your door at 1:00.

But for example, CVS only has one actual pharmacist on staff per shift. All the rest are techs, but they can't dispense medical advice. Since they don't want to hire more, they just close the pharmacy for their lunch.

[.429&H110]

Federal Labor Laws were written by Yankees, for Yankees,
and they obey them like AZ drivers obey a speed limit.

[Baltimoreed]

On a trip to Ireland many years ago we discovered that most of the stores in small towns would close for lunch. The pubs were open though. Stayed in B&Bs. A beautiful place with lovely people. Lotta sheep.

[Kimber1911]

Pretty sure our post office is only open from 9-4:30 and they close from 11:30 to 1 for lunch, it is absurd

[Big Tom]

When I grew up (in Germany), it was very much normal that businesses were only open from 8am to 6pm, closed for an hour over lunch, on Saturdays closed at 1pm and nothing was open on Sundays except for the Church. Less convenient than the almost normal 24x7 open today, but people could easily live with the "limited" hours. I kind of find it positive that some companies like the Chicken Fila stores are closed on Sundays to let employees have time with the families.

[Minerat]

If you wanna work 24hrs a day 7 days a week, just work for yourself cause thats what people will expect of you. The minute you take time off for family life or a sanity break they'll be sure to let you know how inconsiderate you are and undeserving of their patronage. I dont miss them at all when they come crawling back because they really couldnt do better elsewhere service or price wise.

And that the prices went up 25% to cover putting up with their bad attitude or more likely I just have to big a job list right not to take on any new clients, sorry.

[Ed K]

I've ran into a couple of these lately in which I needed to get something done between noon and 1:00 pm only to discover that the business is completely closed .

Apparently your productivity must be low from noon until 1:00 as well

Truthfully I can understand your point but what bugs me the most is quitting early and going to a 9-5 place only to find at 4:40 they've closed early!