Holiday hours

**DrNeyecare** · 11-09-2007, 07:05 AM

Just wondering what are everyone's plans for business hours around the holidays?

Ie, Thanksgiving eve, black Friday, Christmas eve, etc.

**obxeyeguy** · 11-09-2007, 07:45 AM

Closed on Thanksgiving, Friday, and saturday. (only have one office normally open on Sat.) The guy down the street is closed all week.
Have not looked to Christmas yet.

Aaaahh, Thanksgiving in the carribean, only 6 more days......

**optigrrl** · 11-09-2007, 08:14 AM

Are you in a mall, retail-mixed or strip mall or medical plaza/office?

**DrNeyecare** · 11-09-2007, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by optigrrl

Are you in a mall, retail-mixed or strip mall or medical plaza/office?

I guess you can say we're in a Medical plaza type setting. HOwever, we have very little foot traffic in our location. :(

**Jubilee** · 11-09-2007, 08:29 AM

We close down for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. We are normally closed weekends to begin with. We are even talking about a half day on Wednesday before to give us time to prep.

There are no appointments scheduled for the week between Christmas and New Years. We are closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas day, New Year's Eve and New Years Day as well.

While money could be made (especially on the New Year Holidays) the doc fully believes that the focus at this time should be on family, friends, and faith. Not on money. (That comes Jan 2nd! ;) )

**DrNeyecare** · 11-09-2007, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by Jubilee

We close down for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. We are normally closed weekends to begin with. We are even talking about a half day on Wednesday before to give us time to prep.

There are no appointments scheduled for the week between Christmas and New Years. We are closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas day, New Year's Eve and New Years Day as well.

While money could be made (especially on the New Year Holidays) the doc fully believes that the focus at this time should be on family, friends, and faith. Not on money. (That comes Jan 2nd! ;) )

Totally feel this way also. Spending time with friends and family are soooo important. However, how about the convenience for the patient? Wouldn't it be aweful for a bunch of patients to have to wait an extra week (assuming closing between x-mas and new years) week for glasses?
I"m thinking about letting the staff take the week off but myself coming in just to dispense, answer phones, and vacuum...

**Fezz** · 11-09-2007, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by Jubilee

We close down for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. We are normally closed weekends to begin with. We are even talking about a half day on Wednesday before to give us time to prep.

There are no appointments scheduled for the week between Christmas and New Years. We are closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas day, New Year's Eve and New Years Day as well.

While money could be made (especially on the New Year Holidays) the doc fully believes that the focus at this time should be on family, friends, and faith. Not on money. (That comes Jan 2nd! ;) )

Bravo!

We do not work weekends either. But, our half day is FRIDAY! We close the Friday after Thanksgiving. We do work the week between X-mas and NYs. This is a very busy week. Kids are home from college and "must be seen right away", contact sales are brisk, and people want to burn up whats left of their flex spending, or medical reimbursement dollars. We are always very eager to help them in that endeavor!

**Jubilee** · 11-09-2007, 09:17 AM

The office is open the week inbetween, it is just the doc doesn't see patients.

When his kids were in college, this was time he had to spend with them. Now that they are off on their own, they still come home for this week and its family time.

Since my hubby works for the Borg (TM) we take off the week before Christmas to visit his family in Seattle. While we may not be conducting exams, I still sell, dispense, and use that time to make sure we don't have any outstanding insurance stuff to deal with.

Cassandra

**ADO** · 11-09-2007, 10:48 AM

Originally Posted by DrNeyecare

Totally feel this way also. Spending time with friends and family are soooo important. However, how about the convenience for the patient? Wouldn't it be aweful for a bunch of patients to have to wait an extra week (assuming closing between x-mas and new years) week for glasses?
I"m thinking about letting the staff take the week off but myself coming in just to dispense, answer phones, and vacuum...

Giving time off for your staff is a great idea! Question. Will you pay them for the time off?

**CME4SPECS** · 11-09-2007, 11:34 AM

I always close Thanksgiving and Friday, I'm always closed Saturday. Christmas, I'll close 24, 25, 26. Assistant coming in 27,28.
I'm headed to Puerta Vallerta on a cruise. Life is too short...take a break!

**chip anderson** · 11-09-2007, 11:40 AM

Always closed on the actual Holliday because I would see so many young people when they were out of school. But now the doctors are filling all the easy (young people) and I am getting old and lazy, closing Thanksgiving til Monday morning. The young people are going to mall for the type operations there anyway.
Another big factor is ophthalmologist no longer work on Saturday, most don't work on Friday afternoon any more.
Chip

**HarryChiling** · 11-09-2007, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by Fezz

Bravo!

We do not work weekends either. But, our half day is FRIDAY! We close the Friday after Thanksgiving. We do work the week between X-mas and NYs. This is a very busy week. Kids are home from college and "must be seen right away", contact sales are brisk, and people want to burn up whats left of their flex spending, or medical reimbursement dollars. We are always very eager to help them in that endeavor!

I get real deal on them during the time of year between Christmas and New Years, if they even mention flex spending my next question is how much do we have to work with? I fell it my duty to help my patients maximize those dollars, which usually means a bit over. Better they get it than lose it. :D

**Happylady** · 11-09-2007, 02:21 PM

We are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. We close early Christmas eve. We stay open our to our normal time on New Years Eve to catch those last minute people using their benefits. We are usually very busy in December.

**rbaker** · 11-09-2007, 02:44 PM

Now that my working career is over I can say without any equivocation that the most important gift that I received as an employee was the time off to spend with family and friends. The most valuable thing that I could give my employees was time off to spend with their family and friends. When your work here is finished you will not be judged by what you got for yourself but by what you gave to others.

I think that it is better to put the welfare of your employees ahead of the convenience of the customer.

**CME4SPECS** · 11-09-2007, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by rbaker

Now that my working career is over I can say without any equivocation that the most important gift that I received as an employee was the time off to spend with family and friends. The most valuable thing that I could give my employees was time off to spend with their family and friends. When your work here is finished you will not be judged by what you got for yourself but by what you gave to others.

I think that it is better to put the welfare of your employees ahead of the convenience of the customer.

I couldn't agree more!
I've never met a person that said "gee, I wish I would have spent more time at the office."
I've always felt that a few days off around holidays is not going to send me to the poor house. Working those same days is not going to make me rich either. You can always make a little more money some how, but you sure can't buy time!

**Grubendol** · 11-09-2007, 02:51 PM

We're open Black Friday. We're open on christmas eve and new year's even, unless I can talk him out of it.

**cocoisland58** · 11-09-2007, 03:36 PM

We close early the day before Thaksgiving(it is usually our late night), open the Friday after, closed Christmas Eve and day, close early New Year's Eve. We are in a strip mall and have a lot of foot traffic especially now with everyone spending their flex fund before year end.

**optical24/7** · 11-09-2007, 04:27 PM

I'm gonna be closed 11/14 thru 11/25. I go on my annual deer hunt and negotiated the time off when I got hired. They are short opticians at our other location, so were just gonna shut it down here. I've called and made arangements with patients I know will be coming by durring that time, but the patients that really know me won't even try to come by. I've trained them about this time of year. :D

:cheers:

**harry888** · 11-09-2007, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by Happylady

We are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. We close early Christmas eve. We stay open our to our normal time on New Years Eve to catch those last minute people using their benefits. We are usually very busy in December.

I'm with Happylady. Fri and Sat after thanksgiving are full of college students. I've also averaged at least one new local patient that weekend fixing their panicked guests glasses. I can't believe the goodwill that has generated the last few years.

December is just too busy to take extra time due to flex plans and insurance plans with expiring benefits.

Also, I find one full day with my family to be enough when we are cooped insidetogether due to cold winter weather. Fourth of July I prefer more time.

Harry

**CME4SPECS** · 11-09-2007, 05:20 PM

When I was in Santa Barbara the day after Thanksgiving was our busiest day of the year. When I bought this business 15 years, I expected the same. Well after 3 years of twideling my thumbs on Black Friday, I had enough. I catch a little slack from people occasionally, then I ask them what they did over the holiday. And I get "oh our family was in town for the weekend, we had a great visit" UH huh...me too!

**DrNeyecare** · 11-09-2007, 10:07 PM

Next Question:
For all the Employers and office managers out there:
For the staff that you're giving time off... is that Paid time off?

**Jubilee** · 11-09-2007, 11:20 PM

For us Thanksgiving is..

Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day..

The added days are not. Though if I wanted to go in and work I could...

I just don't wanna =)

**chip anderson** · 11-10-2007, 04:13 AM

Course it's paid time off, what do you think I am cheap or something?

**obxeyeguy** · 11-10-2007, 06:49 AM

Originally Posted by DrNeyecare

Next Question:
For all the Employers and office managers out there:
For the staff that you're giving time off... is that Paid time off?

All paid as usual.

**AdmiralKnight** · 11-10-2007, 08:28 AM

I need to come work for you guys :\

Since I'm Canadian, we had our Thanksgiving last month, no black friday etc, but as for Christmas, we're open Saturday the 22nd, then closed untill the 27th. I'll probably end up missing a couple days pay in there... course, we don't have sick days, so It's not a big suprise.

Not sure about new year's yet.