When did we become a 24 hour nation?
By vivasuzi
@vivasuzi (4127)
United States
July 23, 2007 10:39am CST
Last night I saw that BK commercial where P-Diddy really wants his BK but they are closed! So he goes to the owners house and the owner opens it just for him. At the end they say "now open until Midnight or later".
My first thought to this commercial was that it was soooo unhealthy and would help a person gain weight fast if they were eating this kind of food that late at night.
Then my second thought was, when exactly did we turn into a 24 hour nation? I remember a time (when I was young) where we got all our shopping, eating and chores done by 9 and then basically just hung out at home, went for walks, or did other simple things like that. Nowadays everything is open 24 hours! So suddenly I find myself getting bored if I'm home after 9. Suddenly I'm going grocery shopping at 9, then not eating dinner until 10, having a snack at 11:30, and staying up til 2... Often times my husband and I will go to Meijer or Target after 10 just to "get out".
When Walmart was being built in my neighborhood, they wanted it to be 24 hours and actually had to fight with the local community who did not want cars driving in and out of their streets all night long. They ended up getting it to be 6AM-midnight, which is still way more time then I need since I never shop at walmart.
What happened to the simple days where stores closed at 9 and you just dealt with it? Do we really need to go grocery shopping, or get fast food, 24 hours a day? I can understand having a 24 hour pharmacy or even a 24 hour 7-11 for emergency needs (or cravings) but don't really see why we are extending the hours of so many stores.
1 person likes this
10 responses
@judyt00 (3497)
• Canada
23 Jul 07
When I was growing up, stores closed at 6 pm, except for Friday night at 9, so people with jobs could shop. And they were ALL closed on Sundays. If you needed medicine, you actually had to call the pharmacist at home and beg him to fill your prescription, and pay extra. Restaurants, except for a select few in neighbourhoods where foundaries and other 24 hour factories were, all closed at 9 or10. Nobody was bored, because they (now here's a concept) spent time with their friends and neighbours, or went to bed at 10 PM
2 people like this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
24 Jul 07
Yep that's what changed, we used to spend more time with friends and neighbors in the evenings. I've noticed what happens now though is that sooooo many ppl commute, or drive 30, 40, 60 minutes, or even hours to work each day. Now that we've all added so much travel time to our lives, it also means we are further from friends/family. It takes me an hour or so to get anywhere it seems! So maybe that's why things are open later, b/c we don't even get home until later now-a-days.
@kelly60 (4547)
• United States
23 Jul 07
I have wondered the same thing. I live between two small towns. In one town, the grocery store closes between 7-8 depending on the time of year, and even the gas stations are closed by 10pm. In the town on the other side of me, there are a couple of stores that stay open until midnight, and only one gas station (the only business in the entire county) that stays open 24 hours. I know that in larger cities though, many businesses are open all night, and I admit that when our grocery store used to be open 24 hours, I used to quite often go shopping in the middle of the night.
1 person likes this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
24 Jul 07
Well there is great benefit to shopping in the middle of the night. Usually, the stores are cleaner, food is fresher b/c they are putting new stuff out for the next day, and it is WAY less crowded! So instead of being there for an hour fighting the crowd, I can do all my grocery shopping in 20 minutes.
I do notice that gas stations close early still, and wonder what would happen if I desperately needed gas in the middle of the night.
@naka75 (795)
• Singapore
24 Jul 07
Almost all the macs in my city are 24h. Sometimes they even become refuges for people living in the streets. The staff don't mind because they are busy tending to customers (even in middle of night!). The coporations could argue 24h operation creates more job opportunities but I think they are targeting a growing markets of nocturnals who have needs to be satisfied. Then the police has to increase their patrols in these premises.
@Savvynlady (3684)
• United States
24 Jul 07
I am not a big tv person, but I saw that same commercial a few weeks back, and I have to say that he should have waited; He lives in New York, the city that never sleeps, shoot he could have gotten food from ANYWHERE!! Walmart is a 24 hour operation and in the south, that is just about the few things open at night here in Alabama as well as a few stores. I also remember when stores opened at 9 and closed at 5 or 6 unless it was a department store which stayed until 9 or 10.
@sugarfloss (2139)
• Malaysia
24 Jul 07
hey vivasuzi!I haven't seen that commercial but I'll catch it on youtube later.The marketing department in BK has been doing their homework.good marketing strategy,i must say.there are pros and cons of becoming a 24 hour nation.i believe more cons.more accidents cos people aren't getting enough sleep and boozing,more cases of obesity cos lack of sleep also means weight gain(and the boozing adds to that too)and more crimes!this is just an opinion,i'm paranoid when it comes to discussions like this.
@onlinebiz (119)
• Singapore
24 Jul 07
Hey! That is so so true, but in Singapore, most activities cool down by 9.30pm or 10pm. Cos everyone are either at home or having night-life at clubs and pubs. However, we do have more 24 hour services such as MacDonald's 24 hr delivery or 7-11 etc. From what I know, 24-hour nations seems to be the new trend in established and globalized countries.
Regards,
Adrienne
http://www.e-marketinghub.com
http://www.e-marketing-systems.com
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
24 Jul 07
in australia, the shops her closed at 5 or 6 pm on monday-wednesday except on thursday and friday when we have a late night shopping... then the shops will close at 9 pm... we don't have lots of restaurants that open 24 hrs... so i think it is still reasonable here...
@CatNPK (461)
• United States
23 Jul 07
As long as people continue to shop and do things, stores will stay open and others will extend their hours. I think the process has been happening in the US for almost 20 years, but we are still far from being a 24 hour nation. As a night owl, I love going grocery shopping at 3am because absolutely no one is around. In spite of the busy days, the whole town is virtually lifeless after midnight any day of the week. Personally, I spend tons of time with friends and family on an almost daily basis. Growing up we almost always ended up eating dinner at 9pm or later, so that habit is still ingrained. Due to my current job however, I am in bed by 10am almost every night as are most people I know. Depending on where you live, the 24-hour culture has not yet taken over. But I enjoy the fact that we have some of it where I live so that I can run my errands when no one else is crowding the lines.
@princessa200145 (616)
• United States
23 Jul 07
we have a 24 hour big walmart here it is nice to go grocery shopping at night there is none there at that time i can take my time and i dont get slammed into by another cart or people gabbing when i need something where they are standing. i like that as for that commercial i think its stupid that food is not good for you kids that see that will be tempted to be like p didy and do that who needs all those calories and fat i cant eat their food anyway if i even take a bite i am praying to the porcelain god all night. if u know what i mean good post
