Originally posted by monochrome It is complex and historically driven. They are (I believe) Orthodox, and as they interpret their religion, accepting orders over the internet on the Sabbath which are then processed afterward, constitutes working on the Sabbath. Both B&H and Adorama are very clear about this on Fridays and Saturdays on their websites. They offer plenty of advance warning.
Many Orthodox don't drive on the Sabbath, either, and in many cases don't use electric lights. In my neighborhood growing up there were many temples, each within a walking distance radius of its members.
At Adorama we do appreciate that our closing times can be inconvenient to some of our potential customers.
Adorama's owner is an observant orthodox Jewish gentleman, whose beliefs prohibit him - his family and his business - from operating on the Sabbath and on many of the religious holidays (which all begin an hour prior to sunset the evening before the day of the holiday, which is why we close early on Fridays).
We can't employ non-Jews here during those days, because to do so would involve the company conducting business - which is forbidden in Jewish Law.
In this era of 24-hour commerce which seems to take for granted that we all sleep with our i-phones under our pillows and work a relentless 60 or 70 hours a week, the Sabbath is a special time for us to be with family and friends.
I guess it's unusual to find that there really are still people who consider their spiritual duty to be more important than making a profit out of our customers at every opportunity. I receive frequent emails from customers who state that in this day and age it is comforting to know there are people around who do not place money before all else.
Many businesses in the US and elsewhere in the world force employees to work on holidays when the time is better spent with their friends and families - or just relaxing by themselves
We are grateful for the understanding of our customers that this is an important element of our owner's value system. Perhaps the following links to articles in the Washington Post & the New York Times will help to make some sense of our closure policies:
Ruling Guides Orthodox Sites' Sabbath Sales - WSJ.com http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/09/te...=1&oref=slogin