More and more newsagents are deciding to close on public holidays given the high labour cost (or high family time cost), declining newspaper margin in real terms, often mediocre foot traffic, less destination traffic for magazines and active competition from others for core traffic categories in the daily or several times a week purchase category.
At least once a week a newsagent sends me sales data by day of week and time of day for a discussion about these and similar topics.
While my preferred option is to look for opportunities to make situations work trough recasting the appeal of the business, sometimes, a small retreat is what is needed.
I think this is why plenty of newsagents will be closed today, Queen’s Birthday (in most states).
I haven’t opened on public holidays for 6 years. Not worth it with what we make from papers, magazines or lotto. I also haven’t opened Sundays for over 3 years. End result , happier me, better net profit and no real decline in customers (they just come in on a different day).
I’m strip shopping centre located so this likely wouldn’t work in a centre but works well for me.
We open only on Boxing Day and Easter Saturday, the other public holidays are not worth it. We are in a shopping centre but there is no obligation to open on public holidays.
The only reason we open half day on public holiday is the magazines delivery…….
When I visited one 7-11 on this Monday, and saw a staff who was cleaning the ice bag dispenser outside. His boss was at the counter serving customers.
“Are you paying double rate for your staff to do cleaning jobs on holidays?” I asked.
The boss answered with smiling: “As a part time staff, he either work here now and earn the double pay, or stay at home and still enjoy the double pay.”
The boss pointed to a recording device, “all the log in / out information of employee has been recorded, and sent to a remote company”
“Every task has been scheduled and has to be completed. The worker just does his routine work on a Monday”