Sorry, We’re Closed

I recently read a post over at Signal vs. Noise (37Signal) that spurred a question that should be asked about any company:

Why does our company close?

Signal vs. Noise has the example of a sandwich store that closes when their fresh bread runs out. Everything a company does is a testimony to their brand. This includes when and why your company chooses to open or close. Does your store close because every other store closes at 5? Or does it close because you have a good reason to close [perhaps] beyond that after 5 your profits aren’t worth being open? I don’t know about you, but this really makes me re-consider the ‘norms’ of business.

For example:
A toy store that aims to supply toys for ages 2-4 chooses to “close” for a period of time during the day when everyone gets out of pre-school. During this time they open up their store as a playground, allowing kids to play in the stores’ play area with various new toys. The registers are closed and staff gets to enjoy simply chatting with the parents and kids. After a certain period of time, the store is ‘re-opened’ allowing people to purchase again.

This creates a nice break for the staff. It speaks to what the store is about- the kids. It exposes the stores’ “customers” directly to new products (you can see what toys the kids liked and didn’t) and it allows you to build a community and honestly get to know parents. And those are just to name a few.

Can you think of a reason your company could close at a different time that speaks to what your company is about?