Shoppers in Quebec may soon have more time to browse stores on the weekends.
Starting Wednesday, a one-year pilot project will allow retailers to keep their doors open until 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays instead of the current 5 p.m. closing time set by rules introduced in the 1990s.
“We believe that for small businesses and local businesses, it’s good to always be flexible and try to be more available to clients, to their needs,” said Jane Ding, the executive director of Signé Local, a Quebec retailer specializing in locally designed and manufactured products.
Ding said their store, which is in Montreal’s Eaton Centre, is eager to partake, adding two hours Saturday and an hour Sunday.
“We’re open to the idea of testing it out, at least for now. We want to try to be more flexible and see if there are clients reacting to that change,” Ding said.
She added that clients often remain inside the store as it nears 5 p.m., asking for additional time to grab goods, emphasizing the need to extend operating hours on weekends.
“There’s a lot of foot traffic because we’re in the metro area so there is still a lot of people even when we’re close to 5 p.m.,” Ding said. “So I believe we can catch more clients if we are open or flexible on that part.”
Regulations in the ’90s were originally designed to protect workers’ work-life balance and help smaller businesses compete with larger retailers.
For Ding, this pilot project lifting those regulations is a welcome change.
“To compete with all the online that is always available 24 hours, we can maybe see a change of maybe more foot traffic, people coming into our store if we’re open more late,” Ding said.
Some malls, including CF Carrefour Laval, have already tested later hours and business groups say the change could boost local spending, while creating more weekend job opportunities, especially for students.
After taking to the streets with the news, many Montrealers reacted positively.
“With school and stuff, it’s for sure great that stores are open later,” said one Montrealer.
“It leaves people much more time to do their things, especially those who work,” added another.
One even noted that stores in Newfoundland stay open until 10 p.m. all days of the week.
But not everyone was in agreement, especially those who have experienced working retail.
“As someone who used to work in retail, we hate that,” said one person. “Having extra shifts, business wise, is going to hurt us.”
“I want out of the shops,” added another. “I find it very tiring, so if they’re open until 9 p.m., I’m already in my bed.”
Ding agreed that the extended hours could be less liked by employees at stores with higher staffing demands.
“Depending on certain stores and staffing, they are going to be either happy or not,” she said.
Quebec is currently the only province in Canada that regulates retail hours year-round.
The pilot project will run for one year as the province evaluates whether the extended hours should become permanent.
“We hope that it’s going to work out as a whole, for everybody,” Ding said, adding that it’s vital for businesses to update their operating hours to keep the community informed.
