Saturday & Sunday

[MichaelEC]

For those of us that service walk-in's and drop-off's are you open on weekends?

Do you actually work on systems at this time or are you catching up on paperwork and just receiving computers and allowing customers to pick up?

I swore I would never work on a Saturday or Sunday if I ever ran my own business. But, I find myself sometimes walking into the office and sitting at the computer doing research, paperwork, or going over the next week's work on Saturday. Sunday the office is off limits to me. I refuse to even think about work.

I run my business out of my home so it's not always easy to put it out of your mind, let alone stay out of the office/shop area.

What do you do on weekends?

 

[16bwhitt]

I work everyday of the week. Even if it's not on computers, I do web development too, and there's ALWAYS something to be done with that. Was up till 3am Thursday night working on a server. So I guess you could say night and weekends!

I've had clients call me out on a Sunday, I usually don't ask for tips, but they gave me one that day. I figure if i can make an extra hundred bucks on a Sunday, why not?

 

[Markverhyden]

My first real job was working offshore on drilling rigs. After 12 years of being in a 24 x 365 industry I don't have a problem with weekends and nights. I just charge accordingly. It's surprising how many emergencies become less of an emergency when customers hear the emergency price.

 

[Moltuae]

I have some business customers who are open 7 days. In fact a couple of the retail stores I do work for close for only 2 or 3 days a year and their busiest days are holidays and weekends. So I have to be available 7 days a week, but I tend to only work 6 days a week (though I'll often do a bit of DIY work on the house or car on Sundays).

I usually work from about 7am until 9pm, Monday to Fri but I finish a bit earlier on Saturdays (usually around 6 or 7pm). I say usually, because of course being my own boss means I don't have to work if I don't feel like it. Sometimes I'll skive off for an hour or two or finish early if I feel I've earned a break.

 

[callthatgirl]

Servicing clients and running a business are 2 different things sometimes. I don't schedule clients on weekends unless I want to. Today I am finishing up 2 migrations from Friday. I knew that going on on that. It's assumed I guess. My weekend work is doing stuff I don't want to do during the week, usually my side work or other things that I have to do to make the business run. I work on operations/sales/newsletters, SEO, marketing and my project work that is outside of CTG regular business. --the project work is considered my hobby work that I do when I have time, so last pretty much.

Everyone has a different considerations when it comes to work. I have read my techs here on TN that say they only work 9-5 and after 5, it's their personal life. I could never get that to work for me, mostly because I work alone now and when in an 8 hour day would I get the other stuff done, baffles me.

 

[MichaelEC]

My first real job was working offshore on drilling rigs. After 12 years of being in a 24 x 365 industry I don't have a problem with weekends and nights. I just charge accordingly. It's surprising how many emergencies become less of an emergency when customers hear the emergency price.

I did that in the Air Force for eight years, hence the aversion to working weekends when I'm the one that now makes those decisions. Nothing like going out at 0400 on a freezing, snowy night to fix an ICBM that just exited strategic alert status. And it's only 75 miles down the road.

 

[Digital Micro]

For me it depends. If it's a customer calling on Saturday or Sunday I will if I can, and they are willing to pay after hour rates. If it's something like a server issue that starts on a Friday I will go back on a Saturday if need be. I will also do project work on weekends, but I preplan for that. It's also easier on weekends for projects.

I have retail clients that open on weekends. I also work with the three largest nightclubs in Birmingham. They all have alternative methods of doing mission critical work in the event something bad happend. A couple of my retail clients are franchise's. They can't call support for their POS systems because they don't work weekends.

 

[MichaelEC]

What I was mostly interested in knowing is if anyone with a retail location/home is open on Saturdays or Sundays for drop-off or pick-up.

I guess my questions was not direct enough.

 

[Larry Sabo]

I'm home-based and am open for pick-ups/drop-offs on the weekends, and any time up to around 9:30 PM if need be. I work whenever I can get it.

 

[JoeTech]

We have a rotating shift where one person works 9am- 12pm on Saturday. We are closed on Sunday. It is mainly for customers to bring in or pick up machines that live out of town or can't make it during the week. Since it is only one person & only open 3 hours, unless it is dead slow not many actual repairs get done.

The weird things on Saturday is that it all comes in rushes it seems. It can be dead quiet for 30 mins then the phone rings and while I'm on the phone 3 people walk in at the same time. Then it's dead again for an hour until someone walks in & then the phone is ringing off the hook until The customer is gone.

 

[mikeroq]

We are only M-F. There has only been a handful of exceptions in my 5 years. Came in twice on a Saturday for a few hours to play catch up when we were really busy. Went onsite at 3 AM two days in a row. Day one was 3AM-10AM then finish out the day in the shop til 5:30 and next day was 3AM to 10PM never left the site. A few hours one Saturday onsite to migrate a file server, and last occasion was getting a call 10 minutes before close on a Friday from a customer about a hour and ten minutes away. Got home at like 10:30PM.

 

[Krynn72]

We are open for shortened hours Saturday, and closed Sunday. Saturdays tend to be pretty busy for residential pickup/drop-off.

 

[allstarit]

Offer a higher rate for afterhours and weekend work. I do this for my business clients.
Home users i tend not to because majority of home users only report issues afterhours or when they home from work.

If businesses require outside business hours support then they pay the premium rates to get it

 

[sapphirescales]

I work every day, including holidays. I don't give a crap about "official" holidays. When I want to take a day off, I do. But my official hours are 8:00am to 9:00pm. Being open so early/late has snagged me more jobs than I can count. And I always answer the phone even outside of business hours. It's hard work, but being closed every weekend is basically not working 30% of the month. That is unacceptable.

 

[MichaelEC]

But at what sacrifice?

 

[cypress]

I work Monday - Saturday and very rarely on Sunday's unless it is a pickup or drop off or urgent. I agree with @Larry Sabo in that I will take the work whenever I can get it.

 

[sapphirescales]

But at what sacrifice?

I'm young and I can do it. I'd rather bust my rump now when I'm young, then HAVE to do it when I'm old and really can't. I'll probably slow down once I hit 30 or 35, but by then I should have a net worth in the millions and I'll be able to slow down.

I'm cheap. The only furniture in my bedroom is 2 $25 IKEA tables and a stand for my main desktop. I sleep on the floor on a Japanese futon. If you want to be able to make it as a young millennial these days, THIS is how you have to live. And you have to make a ton of money too.

The one thing that's going to save me is that 99% of people my age don't want to do hard work and they don't want to sacrifice. Instant gratification. I'm not a goldfish. I can delay gratification. And when I'm 60 I'll look back at these times and smile. And look at my peers in pity. They look at me with pity now, but it'll be reversed 35 years from now.

 

[Larry Sabo]

I'll probably slow down once I hit 30 or 35, but by then I should have a net worth in the millions and I'll be able to slow down.

Hahaha. Sorry, that was funny.

 

[sapphirescales]

Hahaha. Sorry, that was funny.

I already have a net worth of $600k at 25. It's not much, certainly not anywhere near enough to retire on. But I'm doing a HECK of a lot better than my peers. My house is paid off, and I'm looking at actually buying or building a strip mall so my shop is rent free and I can also make money renting spaces. Renting sucks.

 

[Larry Sabo]

Wow, you weren't kidding! Congrats!