Bookmark of What if your website had business hours? — Bobbie Chen jamesvandyne.com
@jamesvandyne Interesting thought, and I would welcome it for commercial businesses, but fear not many would rise to the call. Most businesses seem to send their deal emails on Sundays too, and that’s when it’s most likely I’ll check them out. If enough industry leaders saw this as an opportunity instead of a loss, maybe the others would follow? Or they might fill the void.
@odd @jamesvandyne I like the business hours idea, and have been attempting to apply this to @TIL. I dislike the idea that my purchase is guided by some sort of mass messaging; rather, I find myself to be in a much healthier state when I take control of my purchasing;
- decide it's time to buy something when I can afford it;
- check to see if there is a deal;
- buy it either way if it's necessary.
This takes a lot of work, a commitment to focus, and awareness of the quiet ways in which the social order is constantly attempting to have an influence on your actions. But it is worth the effort.
@SimonWoods I like how you’ve done this! I think I’ll unsubscribe from the newsletters, even if I’m then losing a few offers and membership discounts. @jamesvandyne
@SimonWoods Yeah, I'm the same. If it's a purchase of any size, I make myself sleep on it for a while before I buy anything.
I generally ignore mass messages for "deals". Especially when you see the shenanigans around prime day where they jack the price the day before and "reduce" it to the regular price day of...I just don't trust that it's actually a deal and don't buy.
@odd Me too, but it can be annoying. In Japan, ATMs often close after certain hours and don't open until "reasonable business hours", which can be frustrating sometimes. It's a machine, why does it need 10 hour breaks every night 🤣.
I think it works for the right businesses selling goods...I'm not sure how well it works if you're selling services, unless those services have some human-dependent component.
@jamesvandyne I’m a bit ambivalent about that. If we all could take breaks from consumerism, I think the world would be a better place, but of course, if I just have to watch a movie only available on iTunes, I’m not so sure! 😅🌎🌍🌏