Let’s say you walk up to the front doors of a business, government office, or any other place that you expect to be open during the day. Unfortunately, the doors are locked. How frustrating would you find this experience to be?

Although there may be several factors at play, chief among them is whether the venue has posted their official hours near the doors. For instance, if the place is open on a seemingly random schedule and doesn’t state their hours anywhere, it’s probably only a mild surprise that they would be closed when you stopped by. 

On the other hand, if the hours are permanently stenciled on the window, the venue has basically made a promise and then broken it at the same time. They’ve stated very clearly that they should be open, only to disappoint you by doing the opposite. In the process, they’ve eroded whatever confidence you may have placed in that business.

The solution here is quite simple: if you’re going to make the effort to display your hours in an official way — like printing them on the door or posting them on your website — then be sure you stick to that schedule. If your hours change or there’s a special circumstance preventing you from observing them, then post the relevant info in the same place the original hours can be found. And if sticking to a fixed set of hours isn’t your thing, just be upfront about it. By telling customers to call or check with you before they make the trek to your place, you’ll save them time and avoid needless disappointment.