Dealers closed on Sundays

[iphonedyou]

durbster said:

I'm currently looking for a used car and am surprised how many places are closed today.

Viewing a car takes a chunk of time. It's not something I can pop out and do on a lunch break during the week and I really want to look at quite a few cars at short notice so taking time off work isn't practical.

The weekend is surely the perfect time to view cars so wouldn't it make sense to be fully open Saturday and Sunday and closed on, say, Mondays and Tuesdays.

Any idea why? Do they do genuinely more business in the week or is it something like margins being too thin to pay staff a weekend rate?

Because if you're serious you'll view and buy a car on a weekday, so there's no need to open on a weekend.

[scot_aln]

iphonedyou said:

durbster said:

I'm currently looking for a used car and am surprised how many places are closed today.

Viewing a car takes a chunk of time. It's not something I can pop out and do on a lunch break during the week and I really want to look at quite a few cars at short notice so taking time off work isn't practical.

The weekend is surely the perfect time to view cars so wouldn't it make sense to be fully open Saturday and Sunday and closed on, say, Mondays and Tuesdays.

Any idea why? Do they do genuinely more business in the week or is it something like margins being too thin to pay staff a weekend rate?

Because if you're serious you'll view and buy a car on a weekday, so there's no need to open on a weekend.

Depending on your work situation why should you have to take time off to go buy a car. Surely it should be about convenience and service to the customer.

[loskie]

That's fine but if you need that convenience then you should be prepared to pay for it. Compare it to buying a first or second class stamp whichever best serves your needs.

[Jasandjules]

iphonedyou said:

Because if you're serious you'll view and buy a car on a weekday, so there's no need to open on a weekend.

You seriously think that people will take a day off work to view cars? With maybe 20 days of holiday a year?

I was very serious about buying a car and on a Saturday I bought it........ It was a three hour each way drive....

[The Rotrex Kid]

If you can only do a Sunday, and your dealer is closed on a Sunday, email them and say 'I want to buy XXX car but can only do Sunday' and I would bet £1 that someone will be there for you on a Sunday.

Salespeople are greedy, if they can sell a car they'll be there.

[Matt_E_Mulsion]

Surely it comes down to simple market forces, if there were enough actual sales concluded on a Sunday then the dealerships would open for business. If it's a waste of time turning the lights on and paying the staff for the day then they had might as well not bother.

My other half spent ten years working in a small but high end motorcycle clothing shop. They found that with the way shopping trends went to more online and given the industry that they were in, between Autumn and Easter the footfall on Sundays in the shop became almost nil, hence they stopped opening up on Sundays.

[PH User]

Jasandjules said:

iphonedyou said:

Because if you're serious you'll view and buy a car on a weekday, so there's no need to open on a weekend.

You seriously think that people will take a day off work to view cars? With maybe 20 days of holiday a year?

I was very serious about buying a car and on a Saturday I bought it........ It was a three hour each way drive....

Yes, people do take a day off work to view cars.

[hyphen]

Matt_E_Mulsion said:

Surely it comes down to simple market forces, if there were enough actual sales concluded on a Sunday then the dealerships would open for business. If it's a waste of time turning the lights on and paying the staff for the day then they had might as well not bother......

[DodgyGeezer]

I'm happy to not have a dealership open on sunday. Working all weekend must be a complete PiTA and play havoc with family life

[sam greenock]

DodgyGeezer said:

I'm happy to not have a dealership open on sunday. Working all weekend must be a complete PiTA and play havoc with family life

Does your concern stretch to hospitals being closed, paramedics being off the road, armed forces etc so as all the staff can take the weekends off for family time........?
After all having work weekends must be a complete PiTA for those folks too

[DodgyGeezer]

sam greenock said:

DodgyGeezer said:

I'm happy to not have a dealership open on sunday. Working all weekend must be a complete PiTA and play havoc with family life

Does your concern stretch to hospitals being closed, paramedics being off the road, armed forces etc so as all the staff can take the weekends off for family time........?
After all having work weekends must be a complete PiTA for those folks too

it is a PiTA for those groups too - difference being one group out of all those mentioned are not essential..... that said nor are restaurants, garden centres, cinemas etc

[MitchT]

DodgyGeezer said:

sam greenock said:

DodgyGeezer said:

I'm happy to not have a dealership open on sunday. Working all weekend must be a complete PiTA and play havoc with family life

Does your concern stretch to hospitals being closed, paramedics being off the road, armed forces etc so as all the staff can take the weekends off for family time........?
After all having work weekends must be a complete PiTA for those folks too

it is a PiTA for those groups too - difference being one group out of all those mentioned are not essential..... that said nor are restaurants, garden centres, cinemas etc

They have a simple choice. Be open when people with disposable income are in a position to walk through the door and spend it, or be closed and lose the business to a rival who is open. Don't like working weekends? Then choose an industry to work in where your customers don't have a specific desire for you to be open on a weekend. Not rocket science.

[PH User]

MitchT said:

DodgyGeezer said:

sam greenock said:

DodgyGeezer said:

I'm happy to not have a dealership open on sunday. Working all weekend must be a complete PiTA and play havoc with family life

Does your concern stretch to hospitals being closed, paramedics being off the road, armed forces etc so as all the staff can take the weekends off for family time........?
After all having work weekends must be a complete PiTA for those folks too

it is a PiTA for those groups too - difference being one group out of all those mentioned are not essential..... that said nor are restaurants, garden centres, cinemas etc

They have a simple choice. Be open when people with disposable income are in a position to walk through the door and spend it, or be closed and lose the business to a rival who is open. Don't like working weekends? Then choose an industry to work in where your customers don't have a specific desire for you to be open on a weekend. Not rocket science.

The not rocket science bit is that they will open if they think it's worthwhile or the want to.

[anonymous-user]

sam greenock said:

DodgyGeezer said:

I'm happy to not have a dealership open on sunday. Working all weekend must be a complete PiTA and play havoc with family life

Does your concern stretch to hospitals being closed, paramedics being off the road, armed forces etc so as all the staff can take the weekends off for family time........?
After all having work weekends must be a complete PiTA for those folks too

TBH let's face it doctors surgeries, dentists etc cba really opening at a weekend, neither could the old traditional banks either.

I'd be happy if all shops shut on a Sunday to prevent staff being 'co-erced' to work on a Sunday rather than spend time with family and friends etc.

Given the last year you would think many people may want a simpler life with less consumerism bks.

[123DWA]

Car dealer here who doesn't open Sundays, we decided to stop opening Sundays after lockdown as we usually did little to no business on a Sunday. I will occasionally do a viewing on a Sunday now but only with a £200 deposit from the person viewing to ensure they're serious as I'm not giving up my 1 day off just to show someone a car and them say "we'll have a think about it and let you know". To be honest though, a few people ask if i'm open sunday and when I say no they usually just follow straight up with "oh ok i'll pop in on Xday instead then". Anyone who insists on viewing on a Sunday and won't leave a deposit is probably best avoided anyway

[sam greenock]

speedyguy said:

sam greenock said:

DodgyGeezer said:

I'm happy to not have a dealership open on sunday. Working all weekend must be a complete PiTA and play havoc with family life

Does your concern stretch to hospitals being closed, paramedics being off the road, armed forces etc so as all the staff can take the weekends off for family time........?
After all having work weekends must be a complete PiTA for those folks too

TBH let's face it doctors surgeries, dentists etc cba really opening at a weekend, neither could the old traditional banks either.

I'd be happy if all shops shut on a Sunday to prevent staff being 'co-erced' to work on a Sunday rather than spend time with family and friends etc.

Given the last year you would think many people may want a simpler life with less consumerism bks.

I don't really think wanting to go car buying on a Sunday can wholeheartedly be described as "consumerism bks" - it's probably most car buyers best chance of having the day off to spend the time visiting dealers and test driving cars.

Or perhaps you'd like the swing parks shut on a Sunday too, no TV, no radio, no tinternet, no streaming, no inter web forums blah blah blah as well..........

You'd be better off moving to the Outer Hebrides and joining the "wee frees" although to be fair, even they are being dragged into the 20th century these days, what with the devil worshippers running the ferries on a Sunday and subverting the word of the lord - no sex standing up either as it could be misconstrued as dancing

[rich146]

Its very simple... Spend lunchtimes or evenings mon-fri looking online and seeing what catches your eye. Make enquiries . If you can't view a specific car immediately you would likely buy (hence getting in touch) then you hope its still available on Saturday.
Its life .

The less tyre kickers the better. I don't want a growing trend of dealers hating customers by default. Im fed up with speaking to local Audi dealerships talking down to me like I'm a pain for contacting them and making me feel like I know nothing , even down to my personal finances and decision/priority making.

Edited by rich146 on Sunday 27th June 10:17

Edited by rich146 on Sunday 27th June 10:20