[geeks] The One True Rant (was: um, hi. I'm new.)

[Greg A. Woods]

[ On Wednesday, June 26, 2002 at 23:59:38 (-0500), Eric Dittman wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: [geeks] The One True Rant (was: um, hi. I'm new.)
>
> I can see the point of the off-hours being non-profitable.  They
> have to have the whole store lit, and have enough employees to
> assist customers, operate the cash registers, and provide
> security.

I don't know about USA Home Depot stores, but at the Canadian head
office store here in Toronto the after-hours service SUCKS.  The story I
heard was they'd have almost the same number of people on staff
overnight anyway for cleanup and restocking and security, so keeping the
cash registers open is about the only extra cost.

> I've noticed some of the grocery stores that were open 24
> hours a day are now closing (usually around 11:00PM).  I've
> also noticed that the last couple of new Walgreens I've seen
> aren't open 24 hours.

We go through cycles of 24hr grocery stores here in Toronto.  One does
it first, then eventually lots of them do it, then they all seem to stop
at once.

Of course here in "Toronto the Good" we've had stupid idiot do-gooder
politicians deciding how businesses should operate for many years.  When
I first moved here in the early 1980's there was a rule in Toronto
proper (i.e. before amalgamation) that gas stations (petrol for those of
you across the pond!) had to follow strict rules for overnight (and
weekend?) service -- only one in a neighbourhood could be open at a
time, and they had to work out a rotating schedule if more than one
wished to provide such service.  It meant that unless you knew the which
was open at a given time that running out of gas could be quite
traumatic, and even switching to reserve on my motorcycle late at night
made me instantly change my priorities!  :-)

-- 
								Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098;  <gwoods at acm.org>;  <g.a.woods at ieee.org>;  <woods at robohack.ca>
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