Night Moves: Hardware after dark
What does the night bring?
Dark streets full of bats and neon lights? Or bonus hours of profit and extra community goodwill.
Extended evening hours at a hardware store can bring all of those realities – maybe not the bats.
Richard D. Crabtree II, owner of Crabtree’s True Value Logan Sales Company, in Logan, Ohio, discusses the ups and downs of having longer evening hours at his hardware store.
Hardware store customers in the evening do less “shopping around” and enter the store with more “direct intent,” said the owner.
“This might be explained by an urgent need of theirs pertaining to a project or a repair. I’ve witnessed a great many of our evening customers bee-line it to the plumbing aisles and my heart goes out to each and every one of those poor souls,” he said.
As per the owner’s sales reporting, his customers are spending less in the last hour of business, usually both in individual transactions and as a whole.
Also, he said, there is typically a lot of gratitude expressed should someone in need catch him in his store working late after closing.
“Should there be an emergency and I am familiar with a face, I’ll put their needs before my own and do my best to supply the customer’s needs despite the time and potential risk,” said Crabtree. “This saves them at least an hour themselves when having to travel to the next large city and back.”
His store, Crabtree’s Logan Sale, known as ‘LS’ by the small, rural community of Logan, Ohio, was established in 2017 by the Crabtree family.
“My father Richard Crabtree, a practicing CPA and partner at the time, had always dreamed of owning a hardware and general store, with the idea holding appeal to the rest of the family,” he said. “When a ripe opportunity arose via auction in this underserved community close to our hearts, he took action. The rest was history.”
Nestled in the well-known Hocking Hills, said Crabtree, the area is second only to the Cedar Point amusement park when it comes to tourism destinations in the state.
Night shift
Extended evening hours at a hardware store can take some experimentation to find that sweet spot of profitable returns.
LS has always stayed open until at least 7 p.m.
“We had tried ‘summer hours’ in 2021 stretching into 8 p.m. With the competition closing their doors much earlier in the day and locals coming home late in the evening from their jobs out-of-town, we find that a closing time of 7 p.m. is optimal when trying to both serve the community and remain profitable,” said the owner.
Foot traffic begins to taper off after seven and the sales aren’t always there to support another hour of labor expense.
“Usually a member of the family is present to see the employees out and doors closed at the end of the night,” he said. “If not a Crabtree, then a manager will see closing through.”
Staffing can serve as a challenge as some do not want to work any nights.
“That said, there are other parties out there that can and will only work nights,” he said, “so it evens out from a staffing perspective albeit the occasional grumbling.”
Most of their staff works split-shifts; both morning and evening shifts throughout the week. “We have learned to be detailed in these regards when posting job listings and make it clear up front if we require evening and weekend availability,” he said.
Encounters of all sorts, in any retail business, can be different in the evening. Hardware is no exception.
“We have come to learn that theft is a significantly greater problem in the evenings,” said the owner. The later it happens to be, the greater the chance a shoplifter is on the premises, he said, adding that, “more often than not these are people dealing with an addiction problem.”
He said: “Sadly, not only is theft higher at these times but also the risks of robbery and bodily injury.”
The question becomes when is too late, not great, and poses risks, not rewards.
“Later hours are just not worth it,” said Crabtree, “especially when the sales may not be there to support the added cost of business. Additionally, it can make hiring and scheduling a tad more complicated depending on the employee’s availability and work preferences.”
But the upside is plentiful too.
The owner said, “Not to discount the positives of staying open later, I have found the practice can be very rewarding as it is so for our customers.”
There are some that commute to work an hour or more to Columbus, he pointed out, leaving them very little time, if any, to stop by the store once they are back in town for the evening. “Our customers are grateful to have the opportunity to shop later, especially in times of dire need.”
Furthermore, should that last hour be a bust – all is not lost.
“While a slower last hour is not optimal, it does provide a chance to catch up on projects otherwise difficult with a steady flow of customers needing to be served,” he said.
After dark rewards
Can hardware owners make money extending their store hours into the evening?
“I suggest to other owners that expanding their store hours is worth a try; your mileage may vary. It could be very profitable; a no-brainer if your location is the only offering nearby open later in the evening,” said Crabtree.
Give it a trial run, summer may serve best as it is generally a high performing season when most people are most active, seemingly out-and-about later as the sun provides longer days.
“Keep a close eye on sales reporting as well as shrinkage figures in your review of effectiveness,” he said.
“Security and related procedures need to be a consideration as well. Later hours may change how you choose to operate. For example,” said the owner, “our employees take the trash out no later than 6 p.m. every evening despite being open until seven, in order to do so before the sun goes down and vampires run amok.”
For those owners currently extending the time staying open into the night, once in a while it’s prudent to assess your hardware store’s evening hours.
“We may consider extending them again in the summer, once we install our new surveillance system,” said the owner. “This is a discussion to be had when considering not only the potential profit, but our employees and the economic climate.”
Evening hours at your hardware store can be profitable but do it wisely.
“If you should choose to extend your hours later in the evening, it could take some tact when enacting this change in regards to your employees and their adoption,” said Crabtree. “For some, working an hour later in the evening may not be tenable for their lifestyle.”
And a word to the wise from this owner: “I do not encourage anyone to answer the phone after closing. The mere sound of your voice will have the caller believing the store is open and they will be disheartened when you have to tell them otherwise.”
