Running the Shop During Thanksgiving Week: A Realistic Plan

Thanksgiving week is the most chaotic week in fabrication. Crunch installs Monday-Tuesday, shop closed Wednesday-Friday for most. Plan it now.

Monday & Tuesday

Triage installs by must-finish (in-laws coming Wednesday) vs. nice-to-finish. Be honest with customers. Push the nice-to-finish to December 2.

Wednesday operations

Half-day. Skeleton crew for emergency support. Office closed by noon. Pay the people who do work the day a bonus.

Thursday & Friday

Closed. Out of office on every channel. Your customers want to enjoy the holiday too — they don't want a quote on Black Friday.

Saturday

If you're ambitious, run a yard cleanup. Black Friday + Saturday is when families wander into showrooms with the in-laws. Be ready with a clean yard and a friendly host.

The real win

Tell your team the schedule by November 1. Letting people plan their Thanksgiving is worth more than any holiday bonus.