Re: Same goes for the high street. Why do they open at 9am and close at 5.30pm?
"Perhaps because people don't *want* to work all day and all night? Perhaps because the stores can't afford to employ the extra staff and pay for the extra lighting and heating that opening late would involve?"
This is on the assumption that being open outside "normal" working hours means the store has to be open 24/7.
The stores that cant afford to be open the extra hours are still paying to be open at times of the day when no customers visit. This makes no sense.
Obviously it would depend on some sound market research but there would be nothing stopping a shop targeting working people opening at 1600 and closing at 2330hrs each day. No extra staff needed and if that is the time the customers visit, it makes much more sense than being open 0900 - 1700hrs.
My closest high street is virtually a ghost town during the day. There are some old people walking around and there are a lot of unemployed people walking around. The overwhelming majority of shops have silent tills and bored staff gossiping with each other. However from about 1530 onwards things change and the last hour the shops are open (generally 1700 - 1800), they are busy with lots of customers and queues at the till as people try to shop before closing time..
Most of the shops could close until 1400hrs without any noticeable loss of revenue and staying open to 2000hrs or later would likely bring in extra customers.
Its not about hiring extra staff, it certainly is not about making people work all day and night (who suggested that or is it just a strawman to scare people off the idea?), it is about being open at a time that suits your customer base.
Nightclubs and restaurants are a good example. Why open when you customers dont need you?