Module 04 of 09
Scheduling and hours of operation
Your hours are a business decision, not just a convenience. The right hours depend on when your customers want to find you, what you can realistically staff, and what it actually costs to be open. Changing your hours later is disruptive — set them thoughtfully from the start.
Setting your hours strategically
Most new business owners set hours based on what they personally want to work, or what seems "normal" for their type of business. A better approach is to ask: when are my customers looking for me, and am I there?
Look at your neighbors
Visit your block or area at different times — morning, midday, evening, weekend. When do similar businesses get foot traffic? When do parking lots fill?
Talk to customers
"We're thinking of staying open until 7pm on weekdays — would that be useful for you?" Surprisingly few small businesses ask this question directly.
Check your Google Business Profile
After a few months of operation, Google shows you "popular times" based on customer visits — when people are actually coming. Use this to adjust.
Calculate the cost of being open
Each hour of operation costs labor + utilities. If the last two hours of Tuesday average $40 in sales and cost $60 in wages, you're losing money being open.
THE “LAST HOUR” CHECK
Pull your POS data by hour of day for the past 90 days. If the last hour of each day consistently generates less than it costs (labor + any variable costs), consider closing earlier. Small businesses often stay open too late out of habit.
In this Module
Setting hours strategically
Where to list your hours
Staff scheduling
Seasonal adjustments
Real-world examples
Related Modules
POS systems
Vendors & suppliers
Markets & pop-ups
Where your hours need to be listed
Customers check your hours in many places before visiting. Wrong or inconsistent hours are one of the most common sources of negative Google reviews ("drove 20 minutes and they were closed"). Every time you change your hours, update all of these:
Google Business Profile
Your website (header, contact page, footer)
Facebook business page
Yelp (if applicable)
Apple Maps listing
Front door / physical signage
Voicemail greeting (if you have a business line)
FOR MARKET VENDORS
If you primarily sell at markets with limited SKUs, a simple count sheet — a printed list of your products, filled out by hand at pack-out and market close — is often better than software. It's faster, works without Wi-Fi, and the data from each market day helps you pack smarter next time.
Staff scheduling
If you have employees, scheduling is one of your most operationally sensitive tasks. Understaffing creates a bad customer experience; overstaffing eats profit. Staff also have lives — last-minute changes cause friction and turnover.
Post schedules at least one week in advance — two weeks is better. Staff with families or second jobs can't plan around a schedule posted the day before.
Build a substitute list. Identify who is willing to pick up shifts on short notice and pay a small premium for it. Without a sub list, a single callout can mean the owner working unplanned.
SCHEDULING MINIMUMS BY STATE
Some states have "predictive scheduling" or "fair workweek" laws requiring advance notice and minimum shift lengths. Check your state labor board before finalizing your scheduling policy.
Holiday and seasonal adjustment
For most small businesses, the 10–15 busiest days of the year are predictable. Plan staffing, inventory, and extended hours for them months in advance rather than scrambling each year.
BUILD A SEASONAL CALDENDAR IN YEAR ONE
After your first full year, document which weeks were your busiest (sales and foot traffic), which were slowest, and any days where hours should change. This becomes your annual planning template — each year you refine it with the previous year's data.
Real-world examples
Karen — bookshop and gift store
Small-town main street retailer, 4 years
Karen opened with Tuesday–Sunday hours, assuming Mondays were slow. Her Google Business Profile data at 6 months showed her highest unsatisfied demand (people checking hours then not visiting) was Monday morning — the town's market day. She added Monday hours and saw a 12% revenue increase in the first month. "The data told me something I never would have guessed on my own."
Carlos — barbershop
Solo operator, 2 years
Carlos used to work seven days a week because he thought he had to be open when customers wanted him. After tracking his revenue by day for three months, he found Sunday generated less than any other day but required him to be at the shop all afternoon. He closed Sundays and added a Thursday evening slot. Same revenue, two extra hours of personal time per week, and his stress level dropped noticeably. "I thought I had to be open every day. I didn't."