There was once a time when even the Internet went quiet at Christmas, but in today’s world of mobile, dual screening when watching the Christmas movie and an expectation that the Boxing Day and even New Year’s sales will be live on Christmas Day, consumers will still be shopping. Shutting up shop for Christmas may no longer be an option for many.
Fortunately for most of us, couriers don’t collect on Bank Holidays so even if we wanted to work there will be some downtime for the warehouse and whilst we already know that some businesses are planning to work on Boxing Day, for many it will be the 27th that is the busiest shipping day.
When do you expect to be shutting up shop for Christmas – are you working on Christmas Eve or will be you picking and packing right up until the final courier collection? When will you open again? Some will work full time on the 27th to the 31st whilst others may decide to ship on just a couple of days between Christmas and New Year. There will be others who put their online shops into holiday mode and take an extended break and, regardless of how many consumers will still be shopping online, be thankful of the time off.
Of course those who use fulfilment services don’t have quite the same worries. If you use Amazon FBA you can happily carry on selling over Christmas and it’ll be Amazons problem. You can even fulfil eBay and website orders from FBA stock if you so wish and if you use a private external fulfilment house then doubtless their employees will be working to keep your orders flowing out of the door.
It feels like it’s been a long year with constant wrangling over Brexit by politicians and then the recent election and at the same time marketplace have kept up their steady stream of releases and updates to keep us on our toes. If ever online retailers deserve a break it’s now and with the Bank Holidays coming, whether you celebrate Christmas as a Christian, as a secular time for families, or don’t celebrate Christmas at all, we hope that at the very least you get some time away from the business with your loved ones and friends.
Shutting up shop could result in a significant financial loss. Staying open will eat into your well deserved downtime. Which will you be doing? Also don’t forget – marketplaces demand that you’re still responsive to customer messages over the Christmas period with an expectation that you’ll reply within 24 hours. To make this easier on Christmas Day, don’t forget we have a free Replyco trial over the entire Christmas break.
12 Responses
Shutting up shop could result in a significant financial loss “Maybe”….but there has to be more to life than chasing pennies. I always shut up the day before last Post and will reopen on Christmas Eve. It is good to take a bit of time away from the rat race. Besides we have the joys of hosting Christmas this year and my brother will be bring his ferral kids up from London to wreck the place from this weekend and chaos will follow to they are loaded back on a train on the 27th.
I find the internet will start to slow now, and this weekend the bricks and mortar will discount a lot (some just to stay in business)…It has been a very weak Peak trading this year also am glad I never overeached.
I shut up shop about a week ago. I can’t be doing with the delays and problems you get around this time of the year, and plus I need a break!
Also please don’t assume that everyone uses courier companies. I physically lug all my orders to the Post Office and pay for postage at the till. Seems I am in the minority there. In general I trust the Royal Mail far more than courier companies, who I regularly see throwing packages over my neighbour’s fence with total disregard.
I’m closing all online venues this Friday and not reopening till the 6th of January. The time off is far move valuable than a few extra pennies.
Closing this Sunday, reopening New Years Day. Look forward to the rest over Christmas!
I was going to leave ebay in holiday settings mode, allowing buyers to carry on buying, but hit a snag as the option of bulk editing dispatch time seems to have disappeared, probably when I opted into business policies.
I was going to change this in bulk edit to be however many days it needed to be, so that the estimated delivery date was correctly reflected, thus cutting down on the number of disgruntled buyers chasing orders. Unfortunately holiday settings mode on ebay just puts a little notice up to buyers and doesn’t adjust estimates for you, so that happens a lot. Hopefully I’ll work it out.
We are closed on Christmas eve as nothing will go out until after Xmas anyway and our rm collection would be 11am rtaher than 4pm. As for after Xmas, we are closed up until monday 30th when we open just to clear any stuff that has come in over xmas, but again Royal mail collects at 11am so a half day if we are lucky… on then closed for new years day.
Money is impprtant, but so is a break… no break means no relaxation and that leads to stress and mistakes, often costing more than a few days off!
On a plus side it is during out quiet time so all good!
oops i meant rm collects at 11am on 31st Dec not 30th!
Was planning to do last post on Sat 21st and switch back on the 27th, we travel home on the 28th and nothing needs posting till Monday 30th.
Last year I was away for most of January, the year before that we were very busy, traditionally over the years we have always found January to be very busy, but as Sam said, there is more to life than working.
here christmas eve, here boxing day.
🙁
Shop open until midday on Christmas Eve, open on the 30th, then off until New Year.
I thought about opening on the 27th given its a normal working day, but by taking that one day off, I am off for 5 days on the trot, and I feel like I need that.
As for the online venues, E-Bay has a 2 day handling, so that can actually stay as it is, Amazon has a one day handling, but given we are quite new on there, I may drop that back to 3 days to reduce the prospect of problems.
So the online venues will be open all the time, but I will only dispatch on the 24th, 30th, and then not until 2020.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !