Do shops attract more customers with their doors closed?..

7sr2z3fely84g5

Always wondered about this,when a shop is about to close,people out of nowhere would suddenly swarm to the shop,giving the usual i be only 5 mins story..

Bonavox

Niko Lively Sacrifice wrote: »

Always wondered about this,when a shop is about to close,people out of nowhere would suddenly swarm to the shop,giving the usual i be only 5 mins story..

What?

Where To

What, do they jump in the window or something?

randylonghorn

Niko Lively Sacrifice wrote: »

Always wondered about this,when a shop is about to close,people out of nowhere would suddenly swarm to the shop,giving the usual i be only 5 mins story..

Or the people who have been working all day themselves and have finished at 5.30, or wangled getting off 10 minutes early to rush round and pick up a few things, appear?

im invisible

same with a pub i used to work in, sittin on my hole all day, then when i go to close over the doors around 11pm, they all start arriving

(this would be monday - thursday, wouldnt mind so much at the weekend)

Overheal

Some people have that mindset, 'oh im about to lose my chance at shopping there better get in!'

I've given up caring though. I work at an electronics store. I don't care why you think you need to browse for a new TV after 9PM, but I work hourly.

FortuneChip

Nothing gets me hot and bothered like a sign "We're Closed..."

orourkeda

Niko Lively Sacrifice wrote: »

Always wondered about this,when a shop is about to close,people out of nowhere would suddenly swarm to the shop,giving the usual i be only 5 mins story..

Closure is usually accompanied by a sale of some description. Assuming you mean going out of business

Ian Beale

Definitely, I've seen people crawl under shutters and then ask me "Are you closed?" oh no I just wanted to see you limbo under .... <_<

smk89

Yeah, I've often went down Grafton street at night and seen people camping outside closed stores.

Ohhh yes, I rememeber this from my teenage years behind the till of my father's garage. Quiet as a church for the last hour then a rush of about 10 people, and there's always someone outside when the shutter's going down.....

Sticky_Fingers

In this day and age shop keepers should be delighted that people are even entering the shop, no matter how close it is to closing. If you turn away paying customers then you can't piss and moan when your business goes under, same goes for paid staff who have any desire to make sure their livelihood is secure.

Sinfonia

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

In this day and age shop keepers should be delighted that people are even entering the shop, no matter how close it is to closing. If you turn away paying customers then you can't piss and moan when your business goes under, same goes for paid staff who have any desire to make sure their livelihood is secure.

How about you go and work in a retail shop for a ****e hourly wage for a while before spouting such bull.

Richard Hillman

If there was a band playing a gig in just say the o2 arena and it was announced that only 100 tickets were sold, they wouldnt get many more people to buy tickets. If you said there are only a few tickets left or "extra tickets available" then people would be queueing to get some.

Sweatynutsack

Deleted User wrote: »

Ohhh yes, I rememeber this from my teenage years behind the till of my father's garage. Quiet as a church for the last hour then a rush of about 10 people, and there's always someone outside when the shutter's going down.....

You wrote the script for Pat Shortt's "The Garage"??

Sinfonia

Richard Hillman wrote: »

If there was a band playing a gig in just say the o2 arena and it was announced that only 100 tickets were sold, they wouldnt get many more people to buy tickets. If you said there are only a few tickets left or "extra tickets available" then people would be queueing to get some.

True.

Scarcity (or the fear of scarcity) is the mother of all consumption.

MistyCheese

Ooh, baby! I love it when a shop plays 'hard to get'. All this "I'm sorry but we're closing in five minutes" and "Could you please finish your purchasing and make your way to the till." Oh yes, yes, YES!! Give it to me straight, shop, I've been a late customer.

Sticky_Fingers

Sinfonia wrote: »

How about you go and work in a retail shop for a ****e hourly wage for a while before spouting such bull.

I've worked in numerous sh!tty retail jobs and have often had to stay back to look after a customer. It goes with the territory IMO, you want to ensure you have a job next month you look after the customer today, you know customer service and all that pointless bull.

I've actually boycotted a shop that refused to serve me because it was just past closing time. I just there collecting a product I had purchased from them and the muppet refused to go into the backroom and get it for me. I had to waste my time going in the following day to collect it, I've never shopped there again and they have lost out on a lot of business over it.

later12

Apart from being the most repulsive jurisdiction on the planet, there is one thing I find interesting about the US, and that is workers' ability to sell.

Walk into a store at 5.45pm in Boston or New York and generally staff will be happy to accommodate your browsing for as long as you wish to browse around within a fairly generous limit.

Walk into a store in Dublin at 5.45pm as someone is mopping the floor and you are likely to be met with a look of impatient disdain as it is made very clear to you that the store is about to close.

Maybe it is related to pay structure but the Irish inability to sell, even in these straitened times, is a rather curious one.

admiralofthefleet

its a womans thing, like a dipso on good friday they cant resist the temptation to go into a shop just because its closing

stevejr

MistyCheese wrote: »

Ooh, baby! I love it when a shop plays 'hard to get'. All this "I'm sorry but we're closing in five minutes" and "Could you please finish your purchasing and make your way to the till." Oh yes, yes, YES!! Give it to me straight, shop, I've been a late customer.

Like shops much?:pac:

Del2005

Shops shouldn't close. Problem solved.

Sinfonia

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

I've worked in numerous sh!tty retail jobs and have often had to stay back to look after a customer. It goes with the territory IMO, you want to ensure you have a job next month you look after the customer today, you know customer service and all that pointless bull.

Doesn't mean you enjoy it, or should expect other people to enjoy it. If you get paid to 6pm, and you close at 6pm, it's annoying when people show up at 5:59 to have a browse, or worse, show up at or after 6pm and give you **** for not serving them.

I've actually boycotted a shop that refused to serve me because it was just past closing time. I just there collecting a product I had purchased from them and the muppet refused to go into the backroom and get it for me. I had to waste my time going in the following day to collect it, I've never shopped there again and they have lost out on a lot of business over it.

So what if it was "just past" closing time? That means it's closed. This shop is presumably open about 8 hours a day, why couldn't you show up when they were actually open? It doesn't make a difference whether you show up at 6:01pm or 9:30pm. If the shop's closed, the shop's closed. And I don't see why you feel that an employee is in the wrong to complain that their time is wasted by having to look after you for no extra money just because you feel the world should revolve around your timetable, but you feel you are well within your rights to complain about how your time was wasted the following day.

Why do you feel such a sense of entitlement? I hate this "I'm a paying customer, therefore you must bend to me on all matters" bull****. The shopkeeper's in charge. Also, most businesses don't give a **** about ONE customer: boycotting that shop probably meant **** all to them.

Lapin

Niko Lively Sacrifice wrote: »

Always wondered about this,when a shop is about to close,people out of nowhere would suddenly swarm to the shop,giving the usual i be only 5 mins story..

Proof that people prefer After Hours. :pac:

whatswhat

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

In this day and age shop keepers should be delighted that people are even entering the shop, no matter how close it is to closing. If you turn away paying customers then you can't piss and moan when your business goes under, same goes for paid staff who have any desire to make sure their livelihood is secure.

I am more than delighted to get customers in my shop. However, when you quote "No matter how close to closing" That line peeves me off. We are open, on most days up to 9 hours. I am sure that most people in the shop/retail trade, will agree with me on this. Who in their right minds, knowing usual hours of trading, goes into a shop/store 5 minutes to closing and expects the moon on a stick! The most of us are short staffed, its a recession! I tell you this, I do piss and moan after a long day at work when idiots come in at the last minute.Its a joke! God Bless Retail and all that expectations and idiots bring!!!!

Sticky_Fingers

Sinfonia wrote: »

Doesn't mean you enjoy it, or should expect other people to enjoy it. If you get paid to 6pm, and you close at 6pm, it's annoying when people show up at 5:59 to have a browse, or worse, show up at or after 6pm and give you **** for not serving them.

Poor you, there are people sitting on the dole right now who would give their eye teeth to have a job and your moaning because you might have to work an extra 10 minutes now and then. The Celtic Tiger is dead and buried, the "I couldn't give a feck about the punters, my day's done" attitude won't get you very far.

Sinfonia wrote: »

So what if it was "just past" closing time? That means it's closed. This shop is presumably open about 8 hours a day, why couldn't you show up when they were actually open? It doesn't make a difference whether you show up at 6:01pm or 9:30pm. If the shop's closed, the shop's closed. And I don't see why you feel that an employee is in the wrong to complain that their time is wasted by having to look after you for no extra money just because you feel the world should revolve around your timetable, but you feel you are well within your rights to complain about how your time was wasted the following day.

Why do you feel such a sense of entitlement? I hate this "I'm a paying customer, therefore you must bend to me on all matters" bull****. The shopkeeper's in charge. Also, most businesses don't give a **** about ONE customer: boycotting that shop probably meant **** all to them.

Considering I dropped nearly 2 grand on that purchase I would expect a bit more cop on from the owner. It was sitting in the backroom ready to be collected, it would have taken him less than a minute to give it to me. Instead he acted the bollox and made me come in the next day for it. I may be only one customer but he has lost all my repeat business and that of my family. It may surprise you that in this age of choice and the internet customer service is pretty bloody important, if you won't provide the service the customers want then they will go somewhere else. Getting in a huff because you have to stay in work an extra 10 minutes and stating that you don't give a rats arse what one customer thinks is a surefire way to ensure that you will be sitting on your arse on the dole.

whatswhat wrote: »

I am more than delighted to get customers in my shop. However, when you quote "No matter how close to closing" That line peeves me off.

would you rather they went somewhere else for their purchase? Would you prefer to spend an extra 10 minutes in work to get a sale or spent that time down the pub with you pockets a little lighter than that ought to be?

whatswhat wrote: »

We are open, on most days up to 9 hours. I am sure that most people in the shop/retail trade, will agree with me on this. Who in their right minds, knowing usual hours of trading, goes into a shop/store 5 minutes to closing and expects the moon on a stick!

Perhaps the people who actually have jobs and hence have money to spend. I don't expect the moon on a stick but we are in a recession and to turn away paying customers because it's near/ just past closing time is plain stupid.

whatswhat wrote: »

The most of us are short staffed, its a recession! I tell you this, I do piss and moan after a long day at work when idiots come in at the last minute.Its a joke! God Bless Retail and all that expectations and idiots bring!!!!

All the more reason to go out of your way to make that sale and improve the days take to help ensure that your shop doesn't have to let anymore staff go, it might very well be your neck on the chopping board next time so it's in your own best interest to increase sales as much as possible.

Sticky_Fingers, managers who listen to attitudes like yours risk the health of the employees working for them.

We have closing times for a reason.

We have to say "no" to customers for a reason.

For all you know, the person not giving you your trinket may have a *very, very* important reason for closing.

Like he has a pain in his chest. One that's shooting up his left arm.

Or his daughter rang saying she was being followed up a street by a gang of men.

The kind of thing that is more important than someone who bangs on the shutters saying "I NEED THIS NOW! I DON'T F*CKING CARE IF YOU'RE CLOSED!"

There's a line between keeping business and the "You want to not work? Tough sh*t, get on with it, I am your master" attitude.

To be honest, it's pure unadulterated arrogance, and the world would be a better place if all those who had to put up with arrogance could turn around to the arrogant and say "we're doing our best, you'll get X in Y minutes, now please, have patience".

mattjack

I always prefered shops with doors closed when in my ram raiding stage of life..

Sticky_Fingers

Deleted User wrote: »

Sticky_Fingers, managers who listen to attitudes like yours risk the health of the employees working for them.

We have closing times for a reason.

I didn't know that there was any law stating that a shop couldn't remain open past a certain time?

Deleted User wrote: »

We have to say "no" to customers for a reason.

Such as what exactly?

Deleted User wrote: »

For all you know, the person not giving you your trinket may have a *very, very* important reason for closing.

Like he has a pain in his chest. One that's shooting up his left arm.

Or his daughter rang saying she was being followed up a street by a gang of men.

The kind of thing that is more important than someone who bangs on the shutters saying "I NEED THIS NOW! I DON'T F*CKING CARE IF YOU'RE CLOSED!"

I wasn't aware that closing time was the period when most accidents/bad sh!t happens to store employees. Please provide a valid reason why a shop shouldn't remain open an extra 10 minutes to accommodate a paying customer without relying upon childish hysterics.

Deleted User wrote: »

There's a line between keeping business and the "You want to not work? Tough sh*t, get on with it, I am your master" attitude.

Yes there is also a line between being willing to put in a few extra minutes now and then and being forced to work down the pits for your bourgeoisie capitalist pigdog masters. Lets keep a bit of perspective here please.

Deleted User wrote: »

To be honest, it's pure unadulterated arrogance, and the world would be a better place if all those who had to put up with arrogance could turn around to the arrogant and say "we're doing our best, you'll get X in Y minutes, now please, have patience".

This doesn't make any sense

Geez that yoke you were looking for really got up your goat. What was it, a pacemaker?

Anyway, much as people like you wished the world revolved hypothetically around them, it does not. It never will.

I see people like you every day at my current job. People who think that the aircraft will wait for them. People who will say to the security men "for F*CKS SAKE I'M NOT A TERRORIST I DON'T NEED TO DO THIS!"

I see them twice a day. Once when they're on their way to the aircraft, and again walking, escorted, in the opposite direction as they find that the plane hasn't waited for them.

Should retail folk be all "yessuh yessuh massuh i get dat foh yu yu de massuh"?

No.

People are people. Treat them as people and they will treat you as a person. Treat them as servants and they will remind you they are people.

Opening and closing times are published on signs into premises. When you enter those premises you are agreeing to those terms.

Besides, what if something happens to you while you're on the premises after hours? could the shop worker who allowed you to stay be negligent for allowing members of the public remain on private premises after the agreed closing time?

SarahBeep!

I hate the 'I'll be really quick in the changing rooms' feckers....IT'S FIVE TO SIX FFS!!

I hate the fact people think we should ALWAYS be accomodating, we're accomodating from 9.30-6PM, do you think banging on the door at five past means I'll reverse the cash up of my till so you can look around and **** off again?? NO!

PinkFly

Eh yes its quarter past 6 ive been patient enuf, my son will be waitin at my dront dooe for me now, and there ur still hovering round browsing....bloody bugs me....my needs and responsibilities come before the customer after opening hours in my opinion.....its only a certain kind of person that does it...i wood NEVER EVER do it cuz i know how rude and obnoxious it is!!

How so Joe

Cannot STAND people who come into shops just as they're closing. Or someone who, knowing they have a full trolley of shopping, will continue to browse as there are multiple announcements made that the store is closing.
It's not like the opening hours of a store aren't advertised, and if you're in a supermarket they'll make announcements that the store is closing soon. So the people who wander up to the till five minutes after the advertised closing time with a full trolley REALLY get my goat. We're not the store owners, we're merely mindless drones employed by the 'man'. It's not like I enjoy staying late, and that someone would blatantly ignore the multiple announcements and requests for them to make their way to the till absolutely drives me insane.

Worse than those people, though, are the ones who get stressed when you won't sell them alcohol after ten. I've been yelled at a good few times for something which is a) a legal requirement and b) a default setting on the computer system which can't be overridden. Now that's headwrecking.

Aurum

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

I wasn't aware that closing time was the period when most accidents/bad sh!t happens to store employees. Please provide a valid reason why a shop shouldn't remain open an extra 10 minutes to accommodate a paying customer without relying upon childish hysterics.

I spent some holiday time working in a luxury goods shop. It closed at 5pm every day. A guy that I worked with commuted to Dublin everyday from a nearby county, and his transport home left every 45 minutes. If he didn't leave the shop by 5.05 he'd have to wait almost an hour for the next connection. Also, the shop's insurance didn't cover items stolen outside opening hours (except in exceptional cases), so it was against store policy to open the door once packing up had begun. I can't count the amount of times arrogant prats kept the staff of the shop waiting well after 5. They rarely apologized for the inconvenience caused, and generally behaved as though they were entitled to our (unpaid) time. It was around this time that I lost faith in humanity and began my law degree.

celj

Try working in the catering trade!
I worked as a chef for years,last orders 9.45 in the restaurant.People stroll in at 10 after the 5th drink.
After working a 12 hour day you are then stuck for another hour at least as they have all the courses.

At least I could leave when they got the last course,The waitng staff could be there half the night with some people.

And before anyone starts the "you should be lucky to have a job"routine,I was happy to work hard giving people the best meal I could but strolling in late when the restaurant should be closed is disrespectful to the professional staff there who have a life outside.

Irish people are the worst for this behaviour,getting as many drinks into them as they could before they eat.

Sinfonia

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

Poor you, there are people sitting on the dole right now who would give their eye teeth to have a job and your moaning because you might have to work an extra 10 minutes now and then.

Realistically, that's a job I got because I was better qualified than other people who applied for it. It's not my fault or problem if they're on the dole and I have a job that I'm qualified for.
I work hard when we're open. When we're closed, we're closed. Also bear in mind the fact that once a place closes, the staff are usually cashing up at the end of the day, which is why they're still there. It would be ridiculous to reverse that process and start over for every latecomer that comes along.



Overall, the (and your) problem is this:

When a person comes along 10 minutes after closing, from their perspective it's only an extra bit of work for the employee and sure it's only a bit after closing.
From the perspective of the employee, this happens all the time. In the shop I used to work in, no less than 5 people would come up after closing every single day. So where does one draw the line? If I serve you, 10 minutes after closing, why not serve four other people, up to half an hour after closing?

This isn't an issue of principles relating to better customer service, it's an issue whereby you have singularised the scenario, so that it's one person, one time, just on or after closing time. In reality, if you accept one latecomer, more will follow (and they'll give you even more **** for serving the first guy and not them).

As others have pointed out, there are also issues relating to insurance.

SarahBeep!

Sinfonia wrote: »

Realistically, that's a job I got because I was better qualified than other people who applied for it. It's not my fault or problem if they're on the dole and I have a job that I'm qualified for.

I'm with you completely on this one. A lot of people around my age (I'm 19) can't get jobs because the never BOTHERD getting one when times were good. I got up off my ass and waited table and cleaned plates when I was 14. Did that until I was 16. Then I got a 'real' job, in sales. I was there for two years. I left there and moved onto a job I'm much happier in, also sales. And friends of mine can't even get jobc collecting glasses. It's all their own fault :rolleyes:

later12

SarahBeep! wrote: »

I'm with you completely on this one. A lot of people around my age (I'm 19) can't get jobs because the never BOTHERD getting one when times were good. I got up off my ass and waited table and cleaned plates when I was 14. Did that until I was 16. Then I got a 'real' job, in sales. I was there for two years. I left there and moved onto a job I'm much happier in, also sales. And friends of mine can't even get jobc collecting glasses. It's all their own fault :rolleyes:

I have a job because I didn't work when I was 14. I was told to go upstairs and open a book and come down at suppertime. I know plenty of guys from school who let their grades slip because they were busy earning inflated wages, and are now unemployed with no contemporarily useful skills and no qualifications.

Nothing wrong with the decision they made, btw, 18 year olds cannot be expected to be economic barometers. But please do not portray those of us who did not work in our school or college days as being lazy or ''not bothered''.

citizen_p

No, I go to a shop when I need to, I don't sense a shop door closing and become drawn to it.

If the door is just closing however I will knock and ask, if im not allowed in etc.. no hard feelings, thats why shops having opening hours...

Gavin "shels"

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

Poor you, there are people sitting on the dole right now who would give their eye teeth to have a job and your moaning because you might have to work an extra 10 minutes now and then.

You can come into my shop at 10pm and I'll let you stay till 10.10pm with the one condition you clean, restock the shop and have it ready for opening the next day. Unfortunately shops don't do this themselves therefore I do it when I close the shop at 10pm and not 10.10pm.

leggo

In fairness, while in an ideal world the 'customer is always right' attitude would be the best way to go, that relies on people always being reasonable.

As someone already pointed out, a certain type of people do this. If you don't see a problem with it, then you either are that person or have never worked in retail. The main problem (my day-job is retail security...so I'm generally the guy who's refusing people) is that when you start out you try and be nice and reasonable, and take them at their word that they'll only be 5 minutes. When they walk out 15 minutes later with a "Gotcha!" sneer on their face, you realise that it's just never worth the hassle.

People have lives, lives that they build around their scheduled working hours. Customers insisting that they can just waltz in and disregard any decency and concern for others and get the red carpet treatment are just delusional. It's not a case of bad customer service, or people who should be happy to be a job (the latter is just a recession-based excuse people use to say "Do what I want, regardless of how irrational it is"), it's a case of taking advantage of people's kind nature and putting your own needs above theirs when you've no real right to. The shop is closed. Practise better time-keeping in future. End of.

If you do this and still expect service with a smile then you really need to take a long look in the mirror.

Jimoslimos

Is this thread closed?? I just need to pop in quickly and say something - only be a minute, honest;)

When I worked in retail we'd generally be happy for people to continue browsing if they were already in the shop at time of closing. Latecomers would usually be turned away - and anyway these were the kinds of people who'd already have been turfed out of other shops a few minutes previously.

Having said that I've encountered (and emphatise with) customers who use this ploy because during normal hours they hate busy, crowded shops with other customers invading their personal space.

celj

SarahBeep! wrote: »

I'm with you completely on this one. A lot of people around my age (I'm 19) can't get jobs because the never BOTHERD getting one when times were good. I got up off my ass and waited table and cleaned plates when I was 14. Did that until I was 16. Then I got a 'real' job, in sales. I was there for two years. I left there and moved onto a job I'm much happier in, also sales. And friends of mine can't even get jobc collecting glasses. It's all their own fault :rolleyes:

All teenagers should be encouraged to look for a job in this day and age.

7sr2z3fely84g5

i think teens have better chance of getting jobs than of an older person who would expect at least min wage and proper working rights.

Bowlardo

leggo wrote: »

In fairness, while in an ideal world the 'customer is always right' attitude would be the best way to go, that relies on people always being reasonable.

As someone already pointed out, a certain type of people do this. If you don't see a problem with it, then you either are that person or have never worked in retail. The main problem (my day-job is retail security...so I'm generally the guy who's refusing people) is that when you start out you try and be nice and reasonable, and take them at their word that they'll only be 5 minutes. When they walk out 15 minutes later with a "Gotcha!" sneer on their face, you realise that it's just never worth the hassle.

People have lives, lives that they build around their scheduled working hours. Customers insisting that they can just waltz in and disregard any decency and concern for others and get the red carpet treatment are just delusional. It's not a case of bad customer service, or people who should be happy to be a job (the latter is just a recession-based excuse people use to say "Do what I want, regardless of how irrational it is"), it's a case of taking advantage of people's kind nature and putting your own needs above theirs when you've no real right to. The shop is closed. Practise better time-keeping in future. End of.

If you do this and still expect service with a smile then you really need to take a long look in the mirror.

Brilliant...hit the nail on the head

SarahBeep!

later10 wrote: »

I have a job because I didn't work when I was 14. I was told to go upstairs and open a book and come down at suppertime. I know plenty of guys from school who let their grades slip because they were busy earning inflated wages, and are now unemployed with no contemporarily useful skills and no qualifications.

Nothing wrong with the decision they made, btw, 18 year olds cannot be expected to be economic barometers. But please do not portray those of us who did not work in our school or college days as being lazy or ''not bothered''.

I never let my school work slide. I'm training to be a teacher and can fford to do so because I'm an experienced worker ina good job. My wages were NEVER inflated, I'm making under a tenner/hr. Working gave me a skill school couldn't, independence.

stephendevlin

We've had someone "when we were actually closed for a stocktake" open the toilet window and shout in "are you open??" when someone was in there "on the job":D

voz es

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

In this day and age shop keepers should be delighted that people are even entering the shop, no matter how close it is to closing. If you turn away paying customers then you can't piss and moan when your business goes under, same goes for paid staff who have any desire to make sure their livelihood is secure.

'Opening hours' indicates that the store is supposed to be closed outside of these hours, have you not grasped tha yet?

Yes, you can piss and moan if you business closes down or you loose your job if this is the only other reason than our the enonomy is in tatters

Fair play to us sticking it out while others go off abroad pay nothing in tax and most likely come back flush when we have paid off the state loans paying high taxes doing menial jobs, putting up with self important folks like you who think that holding up staff after their paid hours is something other than rude!

Mike 1972

1) Open a shop
2) At all times while the shop is actually open leave the shutters half down giving the impression to passers by that its about to close
3) ?
4) PROFIT !

Aard

In France, if a shop closes at 6pm, it's locked at six and everybody is gone. People working there start telling people 15 minutes before that they're closing soon, and generally won't let anybody in about 10 minutes before.

celj

Aard wrote: »

In France, if a shop closes at 6pm, it's locked at six and everybody is gone. People working there start telling people 15 minutes before that they're closing soon, and generally won't let anybody in about 10 minutes before.

They are right!