BEWARE!  Don’t allow a slow economy to scare you into making short-sighted, wrong-headed decisions.

One evening not too long ago, I was sitting in a café/bakery style restaurant, where I frequently took my laptop to catch up on a little work. I arrived at 6:45 (later than my usual visits there) and immediately confirmed with the guy at the counter that they did in fact close at 9pm that night as the business hours posted on the door stated.

To my surprise, less than a half-hour later, one of the employees asked me if I would like a refill before they poured out all of the coffee. He told me that since business was slow that evening, they would be closing early, but added that I was welcome to stick around a little longer while they cleaned the store. Confused, I immediately scanned the restaurant and noticed several other parties still enjoying a meal or a coffee. Five minutes later, a lady walked up to the counter to place an order, but was turned away. The irritation was noticeable in her voice as she lamented “I thought you guys close at nine!”

I lingered for another 20 minutes or so, and during that time, four more parties approached the entrance (yes, I counted), and tugged in vain on the handle of each glass door, obviously expecting to find one that wasn’t locked. Then, inevitably, one person would look at the other, point to the window sticker that listed the hours of operation and shrug their shoulders.   

Allow me to cut to chase. The decision to close early was short-sighted, unprofessional, obtuse, and stupid. Something like this might not have been so unexpected from a “mom-and-pop” business, but this restaurant was part of a large chain with locations in 24 states.  

Their actions were foolish for a few different reasons. First of all, it was remarkably inconsiderate to give customers the boot well within clearly posted business hours. Well, OK… we weren’t actually forced to leave, but we figured it out by the time we were sitting in near darkness. Turning off the lights at (or before) closing time is a favorite get-out hint among the subtlety-challenged. And what about turning away those who had driven – perhaps out of their way – to eat there with the understanding that they would be open?

They aggravated – perhaps even angered – their customers by demonstrating their disregard for us. And as you undoubtedly know, negative experiences are far more likely to be talked about than positive encounters.

Also, those of us who arrived between 7-9pm that night would likely think twice before returning in the evening, for fear of again being turned away or pushed out the door. They might have even lost customers, all together. In fact, I KNOW they have. After that experience I gave them one more chance and again, they closed earlier than expected. I have not returned since (day or night). 

What’s more, crass cost-cutting moves like that at the expense of customer satisfaction reek of desperation. And just as people who  appear desperate are the last ones to get a date, an outwardly struggling business is a turnoff to customers. As General Patton once said, “Americans love a winner.”  

The manager in question evidently thought this stunt was a good idea because it would trim expenses for the month by a few bucks. Either that or it was $3 beer night at the local club, and he contrived an excuse to knock off an hour or two early. But what did locking the doors prematurely cost this store? Were the operational savings worth the EXPENSE of closing early?

No way.

There aren’t many things more costly than short-sightedness. If the manager who made the call to close early and turn out the lights on customers within posted business hours were in my employ, he would no longer hold a management position within my company. Yes, I think that manager should have been fired or demoted.

Sound harsh? Perhaps. But nowhere near as harsh as my initial inclination, which was to suggest that he be kicked to death in front of the store for being a moron… though, I mean that in the nicest possible way. 

There are many ways in which businesses tend to turn off the lights, so to speak, on their customers during an economic downturn. Don’t be that kind of business. When revenue drops, it’s a good time to look for wasteful spending and excess expense that can be eliminated. However, if you consider taking care of your customers to be wasteful spending, you’re among the least likely to survive this recession.  In a tough economy, it is more important than ever to provide a more remarkable customer experience than your competitors.

Remain focused on the big picture, and you can help the businesses who turn off the lights on their customers… by taking some of those pesky customers off their hands.

- Kent 

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