To think *some* independent shops really aren't helping themselves...?

[BeansAndNoodles]

I'm massively supportive of small businesses, I try to use them as often as I can. We are lucky to have a high street with lots of independent shops. However, my trips to town are limited due to being short of spare time, plus parking costs a fortune unless you limit it to the free 90 mins that you get in the supermarket car park, etc.

But time and time again I go to one of the independent shops to find them randomly shut. I get that they probably only have one staff member so it's hard to stay open if anything out of the ordinary happens, but it's still so flipping frustrating.

The last few trips to town have ended with me ordering stuff online or going into one of the chains because the independent shops I wanted were closed for no apparent reason. The independent health food shop is the worst, they close for an hour at some point between 11 and 3 for lunch but it's not the same time day to day and they don't say on the closed sign what time they'll be back, so if you get there and it's shut you don't know if it's worth trekking back to that end of town in 30 mins or not. I tend not to even bother checking now and just go straight Holland & Barrat instead. Several more shops seem to rely on posting that days opening hours on their FB page, but thats hardly a reliable way to tell people if they're open or not! Last week I had an afternoon off and took a trip to a different town specifically to go to a shop that stocks work by local artists to get some cards and gifts, only to find it closed with no indication of why or if it was opening late or what. I checked their FB page while stood outside but nope nothing. Later that day (3 hours after their stated opening time) they posted that they'd decided to open later for the Christmas lights switch on and that they hoped people would come and support them

Anyway I've just seen yet another slightly passive aggressive plea from one of the owners of the worst shops for this, complaining how quiet business is and telling people to use them or lose them yada. Well yes I totally agree but more often then not when I try to use them they're not bloody open!

Dealing with amazon when your product has a fault is far easier than dealing with an independent shop 😕

I think it goes deeper.

You are clearly someone who wants to support small businesses and you're willing to put in extra effort to do so.

Most people just do what's most convenient.

Some small business owners think they have a right to run a business regardless of whether the business is actually viable. If you want people to come to your shop, you need to recognise that you are competing with Amazon and Temu and need to offer more. You can't charge twice as much for the same item, you can't make it a miserable or tense experience for people who come in, you need things like opening hours and new stock posted somewhere online so people know if it's worth making the trip.

My friend recently lost her job with a cookie making company who replaced her with AI marketing. The owner recently posted a whiny video about how she can't afford to pay the new NMW. She's charging £70 for a box of 12 cookies. She's obviously not selling that many. If she cannot turn enough of a profit to pay her staff without charging so much that no-one buys her product, then her business model doesn't work. She needs to accept that people don't want to pay £6 for a cookie and get a job.

I live in a tourist area and I work for a company who deals quite a lot with local, small businesses.

They’re all complaining about how difficult it is, how the council never helps them, the local business organisation does nothing, that trade is down, etc, etc.

However, half of these business really aren’t helping themselves by never being open.

We have a massive event here in the summer with 10s of thousands of visitors, all out wandering in the town with money to spend. Most businesses take at least half their annual takings that week. Lots of business change their opening hours that week so they’re open later in the evenings, except some doggedly stick to their 10-4, closed on Sunday and Monday hours and then moan that it’s been a crap event.

Last night we organised a late night Christmas shopping event. Spoke to the businesses to organise a date. Put on carol singers, brass band, a craft market. spent a fortune advertising it. Town was absolutely heaving - guess how many of the main moaners were open? None. It’s ridiculous. I give up.

On the rare occasion I buy books (instead of audio or the library) because I actually want to own the physical copy, I try to buy from small businesses.

Placed the order, told it takes a month (don’t know why), slightly annoyed but whatever. 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks, nothing. I contact them on social media because no one ever answers their phone, “oh yeah sorry it’s here we misplaced your contact”. On top of that, when placing the order the employee was rude as hell.

If I had just ordered it from Amazon I would have received it the next day instead of all this faffing around.

This is exactly what our nearest independent grocery shop does. It's been here for years and is always busy. I go there a lot because it's genuinely convenient for bits and pieces after work. You'd struggle to do a full shop but it's perfect for those "run out of milk/bin bags" or "I don't have xyz for a particular recipe" or "can't be arsed to cook, what can I shove in the oven/microwave " scenarios.

When I lived in East Anglia, each town had a day during the week when shops were closed all day /afternoon to be able to open on Saturday.
Is this still in practice in some places?

There's an honesty box lady near me who is always always ALWAYS on social media complaining about people nicking stuff (which I absolutely get must be huuuuugely annoying). But her tone is so irritating and all-condemning that sometimes I'm this close to saying well maybe this is why retailers have staff? Her stuff is bloody expensive too (NOT that anyone should be stealing it).

Lots of bored mothers after 9am drop-off in my village would happily go for coffee. The cafes open at 10.

I know at least a couple of people who have started GoFundMes in order to open their own shops. As far as I know they don't plan to give any dividends to their contributors if they make a profit 🙄

My small town has a really good business promotion team at the Council - I suspect they talk firmly to businesses like this because I have rarely gone to one to find them randomly closed.
A very popular bakery which was open for about 10 years opened 10-6 (and it's on the way to the train station - perfect if you were getting a train home and needed bread or wanted cake!). It closed because it needed new mixers and ovens at the same time I believe and couldn't afford both.

A lot of them are hobbies for people who retired early with good pensions. As long as the shop isn't actually losing money and the tenant of the flat above pays his rent, they don't really care.

I also think that just because a shop is independent, doesn't mean its automatically more ethical or morally "better" than a larger chain.

I am quite shocked to see so many in this thread identifying Shein or Temu goods being sold in independent shops at 10 x the price.

Equally, smaller independent shops often flout employment laws more than a larger chain with a proper legally produced employee handbook and work place policies would.

I dont know where this idea came from that we should all shop at independent shops because they're always "better".

Yes! There's a lovely café near us right next to a decent playground. When it's open it's brilliant - good coffee, homemade cakes, really good quality. But they shut at 2pm in the week and on Saturdays, and are closed on Sundays. It's baffling! They're missing the after-school crowd (always busy), plus the after lunch weekend crowd on a Saturday, and everyone on Sunday.

I get that the owner wants a weekend, but she has staff so surely they could run it? And yet there's a lot of 'use us or lose us' sad face social media. We have a theory she won the lottery and runs the cafe as a hobby.

You build this into your business hours. If the bank is open 11-2 on a Tuesday, you pick the time on a Tuesday you close for lunch to suit the bank opening times. Or, you can deposit cash with the post office or at business ATMs.

It isn’t about not being open, it is about customers not knowing when you will be open. Running any business is hard, but the first thing you do is make sure you are offering a service to your customers, in a way that works for them. If you can’t do that then you shouldn’t be in business.

That’s awful, Christmas.

Oh yes - the rude independent shops. I’ve experienced a few of those. What planet are they on to alienate potential customers? You unfortunately get some rudeness in massive, busy, impersonal chains but one-off independent s? I’ve gone in to a couple over the years, smiled and explained what I was looking for very politely, only to meet with a stony-faced snub with a sneer thrown in free!

'I hand made this pebble art you know, local stones, yes, it's £346'

Well, yes, but it's just an example of when shops have to close and why a 1 man operation might not be able to stay open 8 hours a day just because 1 customer might want to visit at that exact time. It's not as simple as people on this thread clearly think it is.

Why don’t people say that on their fb page then?!?! TELL THEM if they want customers to shop there they NEED to stay open!!!!

Exactly. Or you change banks to one who makes it easier for small businesses!

It's not mission impossible - there are plenty of ways around this problem. Besides, I highly doubt any business has wads and wads of cash any more, most people pay with cards/their phone. I go shopping a lot and I can count on one hand the number of people I have seen paying actual cash over the last few months.

I didn't realise this was a widespread problem: I have it with just one local shop. I won't say what or where it is, but it arrived in town opening on just 3 days scattered throughout the week, which was bad enough as I had to try to remember their nonsensical schedule. But I mostly remembered it, & bought stuff there.

I tried to use the shop, as it sold stuff for an interest of mine & it was good to be able to see & discuss the sort of items which I'd previously bought online. But once I'd got used to their schedule, they started closing even when they were supposed to be open, with no explanation. The first time, I thought maybe there was an emergency or a family problem, but when the shop was closed again after I'd made a special trip to get something, I gave up & have never been back.

No doubt it will close soon & there'll be a sad facebook post talking about economic downturns or lack of local interest. Nope, it wasn't that.

🫡

I’ve long said this. I think if more greengrocers, bakeries, butchers etc had one or two nights a week when they did 1100-1930 then they’d get a lot more custom. People shop in the evenings at supermarkets because they are working when the shop is open.

It must be difficult for small businesses to be open whenever they're wanted, but if they were in the habit of updating their opening hours on their social media and putting a note in the window it would help. It only takes a couple of minutes and only a dire emergency would mean they didn't have time.

Yep
I recently went all the way to town to go to an independent curtian shop. Online said opening hours are 9-3, fair enough.
I went at 9.30.
There was a sign on the door that said, back open tomorrow
Eh?
Then I couldn't even go back for ages, so I ordered what I wanted online, around 4 days later I get a refund and an email, 'really sorry the colour you chose isn't in stock'. So why did you let me buy it then?
Bit frustrating when you're dealing with 1 person in today's world lol. Assistants are important!

Eh, this is easily solveable. You pay someone to watch the till for you a couple of times a week. It would be providing someone else with a bit of cash and it would keep your shop open so customers know they can rely on you.

Yes, you would have to run it through payroll etc but if they are reluctant to do that then that reeks of something dodgy to me. In business you have to consider these things and be creative about solving such problems.

If you are that stumped by merely taking cash to the bank then sorry, but running a business isnt for you and you should work for someone else instead 🤷‍♀️