Why is B&H constantly closed?

[jon_k]

I never understood it. They close several times a week, and sometimes only for a few hours. Their website comes back online but nothing has changed.

Server upgrades? Database optimization? Layout design?

Who knows because the website is fully viewable. It's almost as if they just log in and click 'turn off website' but I've yet to see why.

[Tom]

Owned and operated by orthodox Jews who do not conduct business on holidays or the Sabbath.

[zepp]

Originally Posted by jon_k

I never understood it. They close several times a week, and sometimes only for a few hours. Their website comes back online but nothing has changed.

Server upgrades? Database optimization? Layout design?

Who knows because the website is fully viewable. It's almost as if they just log in and click 'turn off website' but I've yet to see why.

Click the link on their main page to have your question answered - Upcoming Holiday Schedule. They leave the website on line during this time but just don't accept orders.

[TXFZ1]

I read on FM they are expanding the store. If I ever make it to NY, the store will be on the list.

Kinda religion but I think it's cool they are closed on Saturday and on all their religious holidays. Not just the normal christian days. I guess it's easy for me since I don't work for them.

David

[Riff Raff]

Much like the NYC diamond district, most all of the major NYC photography retailers are owned and operated by orthodox Jews. You'll find similar schedules from Adorama and other places also. They're not allowed to conduct business at all during the Sabbath, which is why B&H does not accept orders on their web site from sunset Friday through sunset Saturday. Or during certain Jewish holidays I believe.

In practice, it really doesn't bother me. When I got a bonus at work this year and was preparing for a major purchase, B&H happened to be shut down for two weeks. I placed my order anyway and it shipped out the day after they reopened. They were completely up front though that it was going to be delayed during that time. Just think about how many other businesses will delay orders by a couple of weeks with no explanation at all.

[KeithnFW]

I usually shut down for three days during Festivus

[Night Owl]

Originally Posted by KeithnFW

I usually shut down for three days during Fetsivus

One must conserve their energy for the Feats of Strength.

[CobyPhoto]

I just usually avoid B & H and shop at Samy's. They are open when I need them and I can always get just as good or better prices then B & H.

Disclaimer:

I understand religion and respect anyones choice. However, I feel if you are in business, you have an obligation to your customers to provide them with service on a schedule comparable to that industry. My studio is open many holidays I and days I would rather be closed, but it is convienent for my clients to do it on those days, so I am there.

It never fails. B & H is always closed when I really need something in a pinch.

CJ

[wjmphoto]

Originally Posted by CobyPhoto

I just usually avoid B & H and shop at Samy's. They are open when I need them and I can always get just as good or better prices then B & H.

Disclaimer:

I understand religion and respect anyones choice. However, I feel if you are in business, you have an obligation to your customers to provide them with service on a schedule comparable to that industry. My studio is open many holidays I and days I would rather be closed, but it is convienent for my clients to do it on those days, so I am there.

It never fails. B & H is always closed when I really need something in a pinch.

CJ

That is your choice to be open on holidays or not. But to expect others to conduct business according to your choices and beliefs is unreasonable.

I am an atheist but I do believe that anyone who owns a business is under no obligation to be open or provide services if doing so would force them to go against their personal beliefs. What is unreasonable is expecting others to live up to your expectations or beliefs. Trust me, B&H will do fine without your patronage. And I will continue to do business with them because they have integrity enough to do what is right according to their beleifs regardless of what others think of them. And in the end they always do right by the customer when they have to. Integrity, in my book, trumps just about everything else. It's real easy to give in to the whims of customers and cast your beliefs aside because of threats of taking their business elsewhere. These guys have the integrity to do what they believe is right in spite of the callous disregard of customers for their religious beliefs and rights.

Sorry, but expecting these people to go against what they believe or to state that they, as a business, have some imaginary obligation to be open just because it inconveniences you to be otherwise is simply ignorant!

[CobyPhoto]

Originally Posted by wjmphoto

That is your choice to be open on holidays or not. But to expect others to conduct business according to your choices and beliefs is unreasonable.

I am an atheist but I do believe that anyone who owns a business is under no obligation to be open or provide services if doing so would force them to go against their personal beliefs. What is unreasonable is expecting others to live up to your expectations or beliefs. Trust me, B&H will do fine without your patronage. And I will continue to do business with them because they have integrity enough to do what is right according to their beleifs regardless of what others think of them. And in the end they always do right by the customer when they have to. Integrity, in my book, trumps just about everything else. It's real easy to give in to the whims of customers and cast your beliefs aside because of threats of taking their business elsewhere. These guys have the integrity to do what they believe is right in spite of the callous disregard of customers for their religious beliefs and rights.

Sorry, but expecting these people to go against what they believe or to state that they, as a business, have some imaginary obligation to be open just because it inconveniences you to be otherwise is simply ignorant!

LOL...Did I say I wanted them to change? I could totally care less what they do. However, I have my view and my patronage, whether it will hurt them or not, will go to someone else. Period. I get better customer service and prices at other places, THAT is my main priority.

Please read my disclaimer. First sentence: 'I understand religion and respect anyones choice.' End of Story. So please, just because I post an opinion that I take my business else where, do not assume that I am expecting or promoting them to change. If I were, I would STATE that.

Thanks,

CJ

[iCe]

Josh- Careful... you're skirting the edge of having a religion discussion and that will get JonK's thread tossed in the dumpster...

[AllenAyres]

I think it's cool they follow their beliefs so strongly. If I need something STAT and they're closed I can get it elsewhere for probably less, but if they're open I like to purchase from them - their service is usually excellent. Next time I'm in NY I plan to go by and see what my kid's college fund bought them

[jon_k]

People really took this thread and made some flames out of it.

I'm not religious, but was curious as to why the site always shut down. It was beyond me.

There's no problem buying from someone else when they are closed. I've always purchased B&H and then if they're shut down, somewhere else. No need to boycott B&H just because they shut down all the time for their religious beliefs.

I've always gone there if they're open and if they're closed I buy elsewhere. B&H obviously puts religion before the almighty dollar. Is that a bad thing? Sure, they lose dollars, but hey it's their potential income, not yours!

In fact, I wish the company I worked for gave us these days off. I don't practice anything, but all the extra days off would be welcome. My place of employment is driven by the the almighty buck first and personal beliefs second, unfortunately.

Thanks for the answer to my question though, I never considered that they were observing Jewish practices.

[wjmphoto]

Originally Posted by iCe

Josh- Careful... you're skirting the edge of having a religion discussion and that will get JonK's thread tossed in the dumpster...

I understand that and am avoiding that.

The fact remains that people are making a veiled arguments against the decision of B&H to close on their religious holidays and claiming that they are in violation of some imaginary set of obligations to customers to be available when it is convenient for them regardless of how inconvenient or personally wrong it is for the people who own that business. And I do love it when people say that they are cool with "name that personal identifier" but..... if "that identifier" happens to inconvenience me then they are violating that same imaginary obligation. It's even more hysterical because they take the pretend high road of "I work on my holidays so they should to!"

Well just because one person does not have enough spine to close on a day that is important to them does not mean that another business should do the same. I respect one for living up to their personal beliefs and have no respect for the other for caving in to the demands of customers. In reality, if it is so easy for you to be open on those days in the first place, they were not very important to you to begin with. Whether the excuse is business, customers or what, the only obligation that we have is to ourselves, our families and our personal beliefs. Once we set any of those aside in the name of money or customers, we lose in more ways than one.

Personally, I won't work on anniversaries, kids or the wife's birthdays and those do quite often entail me taking the family on trips to celebrate those occassions. I turn away business on a regular basis on those days because my family and personal obligations far outway customer demands every single day of the week. The moment I compromise those personal obligations and take customers above my family and beliefs, my integrity is absolutely nonexistent.

[wjmphoto]

Originally Posted by jon_k

People really took this thread and made some flames out of it.

I'm not religious, but was curious as to why the site always shut down. It was beyond me.

There's no problem buying from someone else when they are closed. I've always purchased B&H and then if they're shut down, somewhere else. No need to boycott B&H just because they shut down all the time for their religious beliefs.

I've always gone there if they're open and if they're closed I buy elsewhere. B&H obviously puts religion before the almighty dollar. Is that a bad thing? Sure, they lose dollars, but hey it's their potential income, not yours!

In fact, I wish the company I worked for gave us these days off. I don't practice anything, but all the extra days off would be welcome. My place of employment is driven by the the almighty buck first and personal beliefs second, unfortunately.

Thanks for the answer to my question though, I never considered that they were observing Jewish practices.

I've worked for companies like that myself and that is exactly why I will never work for someone else again. I can still remember working 30+ days in a row with no time off on more than one occassion for a certain company. They even threatened to fire me because I left when I got the call that my father had a stroke. That was my wakeup call and made me realize how little they cared about us as human beings and how little I wanted to work for people like that any longer.

I got out and have not worked for someone else since then.

(Heck, I would almost consider converting to Judaism just for the holidays if not for the fact that I give myself even more time off throughout the year than they get! Life's too short to waste it on some d@mned company that doesn't care about you.)