The Holy Week of I-Café Owners
In my favorite forum of i-cafe owners, one hot topic they are discussing now is the question of whether or not they will open their shops this coming Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. Replies vary but none, so far, had posted that he will close café all those holy days of Lent.
In a predominantly Catholic country like the Philippines, the days mentioned above are so important to observe such that by virtue of a national law and by presidential proclamation, all those days are specifically declared as official legal non-working holidays every year. As such, all gainfully employed citizens of the country are paid even if they do not report for work in those days.
The self-employed, including i-café owners especially the Catholics, are in a dilemma as to the choice whether to close their shops or not during those days. Those who had planned to do something else like going home to their hometowns, going out for outings or just simply observe the days of Lent have no problems closing their i-cafés.
To those who are caught between the request of customers to open during those holy days or the desire to take advantage of the opportunity to earn more because the competitors will close during those days and the religious obligation to observe abstinence or what have you, below are some guidelines that may help in making the right decision. I wish to say that being a Catholic, my suggestions are for Catholics only.
First, ask yourself if the customers requesting you to open your shop during those days of Lent will be there only for leisure (gamers, chatters and the like) or they are productive ones who need to use your computers to earn some money (online agents, transcriptionists, etc.). If your customers making the request are of the first kind, you may want to make a serious thought before making your decision. Those customers may also need to observe Lent as you should. With the second kind of customers, the decision should be easier.
If for some reasons, you are caught in a situation between losing a little money if you close and earning a little if otherwise (please note that customers would be much less during those days as many will observe the holy days too), take the course of least resistance in your heart.
I rather choose to close on friday only…
The choice is yours. There is no right nor wrong decision on this. It all depends on one’s situation.
sir ed,
i was undecided on my holy week schedule until i read your latest article.
actually, just like ants, i planned to open shop for the whole holy days to prepare for the “rainy days,” but when an unexpected customer bought a cpu unit from me yesterday, that was clearly the Lord speaking… ‘will close on good friday.
thanks for sharing this article.
Well, i did close yesterday, even though a lot of my customers were ringing my doorbell, asking if i’ll open later on in the day. I waved them off, telling them to find something meaningful to do, and reflect on what the day was about.
Good Friday is usually the day my wife and I spend the whole day cleaning out every nook and crany of our shop. but since we had to take my brother-in-law to the airport earlier in the day, some nooks, we just didn’t have the time to get into.
some people get themselves nailed to the cross. others go church hopping. we take the day to do maintenance on what the good Lord has provided for us. it’s the one time of the year we can close shop, so that we can do whatever needs to be done without customers in the way. we worked till we can hardly move. not only did we get rid of the dirt, grime, and computer troubles, we also got rid of a year’s worth of tension.
at the end of the day, husband and wife looked at what they have accomplished and said… “this is good…”
I decided to open my shop around 4:00 pm and the outcome was good. I am only earning 300-500 a day in my shop right now but last Friday I open my shop and earned 500, not bad for a half-day earning. I always do repair in my shop when I see that their is a need to do it on that day. I love my shop but sometimes when I only earn 300 I am very upset. My shop is already 2 years and a lot of cafes are opening here in our area…What will I do? I’m thinking of going down to 10 per hour because of this situation so that a lot of players will play in our shop and those internet shop will close. Do you think that is fair enough? Anyone can give me a feedback. Thank you!!!