September 21, 2012
Independent Workaholics
According to a report from England’s Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), some 60 percent of Britain’s convenience store shopkeepers work more than 50 hours in an average week, while just seven percent work fewer than 30 hours a week.
The report also found they also take very little holiday, with 51 percent claiming to take less than 10 days off a year while one in five reported taking no holiday at all. Furthermore, many work on public holidays like Christmas, keeping their stores open so customers can buy last minute essentials when all other stores are closed.
"Some of our members are in store at four or five in the morning to receive the day’s newspapers and are still there late at night closing up every day of the week," said James Lowman, CEO of ACS, which represents more than 33,500 local shops, in a statement. "You can add to these figures the many hours spent outside the store but working in the community on local events and initiatives. We know that 89 percent of local shops play an active role in the community, on top of spending every day engaging with customers behind the counter."
Rav Garcha, who owns a c-store in Birmingham, explains that his store is at "the heart of local communities and we know our customers like nobody else." Paul Cheema, who owns one in Coventry, focused on the importance of being here for customers "every day from first thing in the morning until late at night."
By comparison, according to Office of National Statistics figures for the last quarter, the average working week of most other professions is between 30 and 40 hours a week. Those working in agriculture, forestry and fishing work the most hours on average (45) while those in accommodation and food services work the fewest (28).
C-store owners in the U.S. appear to face similar time pressures. According to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NCAS), of the 148,000-plus convenience stores in the U.S, 63 percent are owned and operated by someone who only has one store.
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Are most independent storeowners in the U.S., particularly one-shop owners, overworked? Do you have any advice for operators that need to scale back on their long hours?
Poll
Many small business owners bought themselves a job, or their part-time job became their career. While it is noble to say they have to be there “for their customers” I find frequently it is because they are trying to save labor — just like the big boxes.
The trouble is, they can become indifferent and resentful towards the very customers they say they have to be there for because there is not enough money to pay someone to cover their shop and the owners’ lives are compromised.
As I often tell my audiences, you can try to do the work of two people, but you can’t be two people. Raise your prices a bit and hire more help so the energy level in your store doesn’t suffer. Otherwise, you can be saving money but creating an unmemorable experience for your customers which is a bad cycle.
If NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) ran a similar survey in the U.S. I would expect the same results. Convenience retail is a 24/7 365 industry. A typical single-site owner would likely be working a good share of the 168 hours a week that the store is open.
After rent, labor is the largest non-COGS expense owners face. One way they control it by working more themselves. In addition, many elect to purchase goods from Sam’s or Costco rather than having them delivered as they believe this helps them control cost of goods, which adds to the time they spend working.
We do a lot of work in this area either working directly with entrepreneurs or speaking with them at various industry meetings helping them understand how to improve their profitability by changing the way they think about the business. Some of this additional profitability can go to hiring the right staff, lessening the hours they feel they have to work.
I can’t speak for the entire country, but in Manhattan, owners of bodegas, newspaper/candy stores, fruit and vegetables stands, et al are working well in excess of 60 hours a week. Most of these stores are open 24/7, including holidays. When the owner is not manning them, someone in the family is. Most are immigrants and minorities, by the way.
Should they scale back? Only if they don’t want to have a roof over their heads and food on their tables. These are among the hardest working people I have seen in my life and they are doing what they have to do to realize their betterment and that of their families.
These people are working harder than most. And, contrary to the silly assumption that hard work makes you successful, they will never be millionaires. If fact, they may not be earning enough to pay income taxes. They don’t see themselves as victims, and they are not relying on the government.
Independent owners are overworked and more, but this passion and devotion gives them a tremendous edge. A good independent, with great outreach, knowledge of the market, high levels of interaction with shoppers, and being a vibrant, integral part of the community, is one of the toughest competitors around. All this comes only with the kind of time and energy investment described in the article. And, we may think that they should slow down and take a vacation, but they aren’t about to do either. They love the store too much.
Independent store owners are some of the most industrious and hard working people I have ever had the pleasure to work with professionally. As a result, most know their customers and their business extremely well. While this may take its toll on some, many of the others I know love their work, their associates and their customers. It may be hard to take time out to relax or unwind, but it is critical to do so from time to time. And one of the best ways, yet most challenging at the same time, is to find the person whom you can trust to “mind the store” in your absence.
The question is, what does the term overworked mean? Many of the people who put in the hours do so because they love their job. If you gave them the chance to work fewer hours, they would still end up at the store.
For those who want to work fewer hours, but don’t seem able to, I have two pieces of advice.
1. If you want to quit working in the business you have to make yourself spend some time working on the business.
2. It is impossible to make a $100,000 a year doing $10.00 an hour work.
The same is true of restaurant owners. These folks build their businesses by purchasing, preparing, marketing, and chatting with customers at all hours. It’s the American dream!
Are you kidding me? This is your living … for you and your family. My father reminded me often, “You take care of the business and the business will take care of you. And, as for family, and time with them, we all worked at the store with my father. It was a great way to grow up and learn a lot of life’s lessons early on. Figure out your priorities ASAP!!!
I recently did an “internship” as a fly on the wall with a c-store to understand their operations. What I witnessed was working hard, not working smart.
Most independent c-store owners do not need to be open 24/7 or even 8 hours in most cases. Waiting at 5 a.m. for the newspaper delivery when hardly anyone reads newspapers does not make sense either. The inventory is bought on perceived demand instead of real data, due to lack of technology.
Also in terms of hiring additional help, most of the money is tied up in inventory or merchant account sweeps. In addition, physical stores get hit the hardest when it comes to taxes by local municipality.
My suggestion is definitely smarter data/inventory solutions, limiting hours to train customers to shop only during peak times, as well as hiring family to avoid much overhead paperwork.
Small businesses of all types require hands-on approaches by their owners. Retail is a great example of that. Employee trust is the main issue, along with labor expense constraints.
Bottom, line, you have to build the business before you can take your eyes off of it 24/7.
Working long hours is not exclusive to entrepreneurism. The productivity that large companies demand, and the long hours that independent business owners require is generally more than 60 hours each week.
If you’re passionate about your business then you see the world through the eyes of your business. There are lessons everywhere and everything is contextual; all should excite and incent you to log-in or open your doors.
More Discussions
How Timely Is the Planned Lowe’s Website Renovation Focusing on Personalization?
Is Lowe’s being timely with its website reno, and is it right to be placed as…Should Costco Be Opening Members-Only Gas Stations?
Is this the right move for the warehouse club?As Boomers ‘Age Out of Peak Purchasing,’ How Can National Brands Retain Interest With Gen Z?
According to a recent First Insight study titled “Is Gen Z Still Choosing Your Brand,” while…
Many small business owners bought themselves a job, or their part-time job became their career. While it is noble to say they have to be there “for their customers” I find frequently it is because they are trying to save labor — just like the big boxes.
The trouble is, they can become indifferent and resentful towards the very customers they say they have to be there for because there is not enough money to pay someone to cover their shop and the owners’ lives are compromised.
As I often tell my audiences, you can try to do the work of two people, but you can’t be two people. Raise your prices a bit and hire more help so the energy level in your store doesn’t suffer. Otherwise, you can be saving money but creating an unmemorable experience for your customers which is a bad cycle.
If NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) ran a similar survey in the U.S. I would expect the same results. Convenience retail is a 24/7 365 industry. A typical single-site owner would likely be working a good share of the 168 hours a week that the store is open.
After rent, labor is the largest non-COGS expense owners face. One way they control it by working more themselves. In addition, many elect to purchase goods from Sam’s or Costco rather than having them delivered as they believe this helps them control cost of goods, which adds to the time they spend working.
We do a lot of work in this area either working directly with entrepreneurs or speaking with them at various industry meetings helping them understand how to improve their profitability by changing the way they think about the business. Some of this additional profitability can go to hiring the right staff, lessening the hours they feel they have to work.
I can’t speak for the entire country, but in Manhattan, owners of bodegas, newspaper/candy stores, fruit and vegetables stands, et al are working well in excess of 60 hours a week. Most of these stores are open 24/7, including holidays. When the owner is not manning them, someone in the family is. Most are immigrants and minorities, by the way.
Should they scale back? Only if they don’t want to have a roof over their heads and food on their tables. These are among the hardest working people I have seen in my life and they are doing what they have to do to realize their betterment and that of their families.
These people are working harder than most. And, contrary to the silly assumption that hard work makes you successful, they will never be millionaires. If fact, they may not be earning enough to pay income taxes. They don’t see themselves as victims, and they are not relying on the government.
Independent owners are overworked and more, but this passion and devotion gives them a tremendous edge. A good independent, with great outreach, knowledge of the market, high levels of interaction with shoppers, and being a vibrant, integral part of the community, is one of the toughest competitors around. All this comes only with the kind of time and energy investment described in the article. And, we may think that they should slow down and take a vacation, but they aren’t about to do either. They love the store too much.
Independent store owners are some of the most industrious and hard working people I have ever had the pleasure to work with professionally. As a result, most know their customers and their business extremely well. While this may take its toll on some, many of the others I know love their work, their associates and their customers. It may be hard to take time out to relax or unwind, but it is critical to do so from time to time. And one of the best ways, yet most challenging at the same time, is to find the person whom you can trust to “mind the store” in your absence.
The question is, what does the term overworked mean? Many of the people who put in the hours do so because they love their job. If you gave them the chance to work fewer hours, they would still end up at the store.
For those who want to work fewer hours, but don’t seem able to, I have two pieces of advice.
1. If you want to quit working in the business you have to make yourself spend some time working on the business.
2. It is impossible to make a $100,000 a year doing $10.00 an hour work.
The same is true of restaurant owners. These folks build their businesses by purchasing, preparing, marketing, and chatting with customers at all hours. It’s the American dream!
Are you kidding me? This is your living … for you and your family. My father reminded me often, “You take care of the business and the business will take care of you. And, as for family, and time with them, we all worked at the store with my father. It was a great way to grow up and learn a lot of life’s lessons early on. Figure out your priorities ASAP!!!
I recently did an “internship” as a fly on the wall with a c-store to understand their operations. What I witnessed was working hard, not working smart.
Most independent c-store owners do not need to be open 24/7 or even 8 hours in most cases. Waiting at 5 a.m. for the newspaper delivery when hardly anyone reads newspapers does not make sense either. The inventory is bought on perceived demand instead of real data, due to lack of technology.
Also in terms of hiring additional help, most of the money is tied up in inventory or merchant account sweeps. In addition, physical stores get hit the hardest when it comes to taxes by local municipality.
My suggestion is definitely smarter data/inventory solutions, limiting hours to train customers to shop only during peak times, as well as hiring family to avoid much overhead paperwork.
Small businesses of all types require hands-on approaches by their owners. Retail is a great example of that. Employee trust is the main issue, along with labor expense constraints.
Bottom, line, you have to build the business before you can take your eyes off of it 24/7.
Working long hours is not exclusive to entrepreneurism. The productivity that large companies demand, and the long hours that independent business owners require is generally more than 60 hours each week.
If you’re passionate about your business then you see the world through the eyes of your business. There are lessons everywhere and everything is contextual; all should excite and incent you to log-in or open your doors.