Regular Office Hours

Whether you view it as a regular "nine-to-five", 8am to 5pm, 9am to 6pm, or something in between, you know what I mean - that time of day, Monday through Friday, when you're at work. Some are fortunate to have rotating schedules, work early or late shifts, or maybe even have a three day weekend. But in the US, most of us are condemned to sit in our cubicles from mid morning to early evening.

Why, then, do so many companies who depend our business only make their services available when we can't be there?

You've probably already read my rant about standing in line at the post office on Saturday mornings. But the same is also true for a variety of other much-needed services: banks, pharmacies, the DMV, etc. When the hell am I supposed to cash my checks, mail my letters, pick up my allergy meds, and get my freakin' voter registration card renewed if you're not gonna open until after I have to be at work and then close before I get out?!

Some may say, "Oh, but you've got time on your lunch break, and there's always the drive-thru!" Ok, have you guys actually been to any of these places lately? Here's a few true stories.

+ I was out of town a few weeks ago for work, and as I'm leaving to drive back home, I stopped at the local branch of my bank to deposit the paycheck I had received from that week. I had looked up the bank hours that morning, and found that while the bank didn't open until 9am, the drive-thru was open at 8:30. I arrived around 8:40, and the entire place was closed. I walked up to the front doors, and noticed a small print-out, informing me that due to budget cuts, the drive-thru hours were now matching the inside hours. So I sat around until 9am, watching a few other customers pulling up, looking at the sign on the door, cursing in a variety of colorful ways, and driving off to work. At 9:07, the bank teller finally arrived, went inside, and locked the door behind her! At 9:11, she returned to the door, to let me and two other pissed customers inside to do our business.

+ The line at my local post office has a current speed record of 43 minutes. I have an hour break for lunch, and it takes me about six minutes to get from the door of my work place to the door of the post office (and vice versa). You do the math, and tell me you want to swallow your lunch in that amount of time.

+ Two weeks ago, I left work and had to drive to four pharmacies in the area to find one that was open past 6pm. And even then I had to argue to get the pharmacist to fill the prescription before they closed at 8pm. Why it takes a degree and an hour and a half to put pre-packaged medicine into a little white paper bag is beyond me, but that's a rant for another day.

If I wasn't already running a small business, I'd start one like this: I'd make a new chain retail store that offers all of these services, but at the times when we need them. The store hours would be 5am - 9am and then again from 6pm - 10pm. Maybe I'd even give in and have a drive-thru window open during lunch hours and on weekends. So hey, you there - yeah, the one sitting at the computer desk reading this and eating Cheetos. How about you? Go ahead and steal my idea - you don't have to even give me credit for it. Just build a branch in my neighborhood, ok?