Independents

After Years of Being Open 7 Days a Week, Day’s Decides to Close on Sundays

IndependentsJul 18, 2022

After Years of Being Open 7 Days a Week, Day’s Decides to Close on Sundays

The retailer surveyed employees and customers to ensure support for the move, designed to give employees a better work/life balance.

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Day’s Jewelers made the announcement it will close its stores on Sundays, after years of being open seven days a week, to give its employees a better work/life balance. (Image courtesy of Day’s Jewelers)
Waterville, Maine—After many years of being open seven days a week, Day’s Jewelers will now close all stores on Sundays.
 
The Northeast retailer made the decision after an employee survey indicated that working on Sundays made it difficult for them to obtain a good work/life balance. 
 
This led the employee-owned business to look at the benefits to its employees should it close its stores on Sundays.  
 
Day’s Jewelers President Joe Corey took a three-step approach to examining Sunday closures, the company explained. 
 
The first was to survey all Day’s employees to see if they were willing to close on Sundays, with the understanding there could be a financial impact to the company. (Since the retailer is now employee-owned, a negative financial impact would affect each employee’s long-term income.) 
 
This survey resulted in 90 responses from employees, with 80 percent in favor of closing on Sundays. 
 
The second step was to meet with building landlords, as several of Day’s building leases required certain stores to be open on Sundays. Corey requested waivers from these landlords, and all were granted. 
 
 Related stories will be right here … 
 
The third and final step was to survey all Day’s customers via email. 
 
The results of this survey showed that more than 93 percent of the retailer’s customers supported the closure of its stores on Sundays. 
 
The survey also asked if customers would shop with another jeweler if Day’s was closed, and 95 percent indicated they would not. 
 
Based on the results of the three-step approach, Day’s made the decision to close its stores on Sundays on July 10. 
 
The first Sunday it closed was yesterday, July 17. 
 
“The landscape of business has changed dramatically over the past few years,” said President Joe Corey, “especially as it relates to employee wellness. Since our employees are the company’s greatest asset, it was very important for us to ensure we do everything we can to support their needs, while also keeping our customers confidence and trust in us.”
 
The retailer also noted it will re-open on Sundays during important holiday shopping periods. 
 
Day’s Jewelers has eight brick-and-mortar locations across New Hampshire and Maine. 

Brecken Branstratoris the senior editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments in the colored stone sector.
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