How many hours will I work after buying a convenience store?

Corner stores are often run by an owner who is behind the counter most days. Ask whether some of the hours behind the earnings went unpaid. Before you picture your own week, learn how many hours the current operation takes and who works them. That is a fact you can check, and the seller’s answers tell you a lot.

Ask for the real schedule

Ask the seller to write out a normal week, including opening and closing, deliveries, ordering, cash-ups and bookkeeping. Then ask who does each task. Check the answer against the payroll records and the posted shifts. If the owner covers a late shift every night, that is a job you will either do or have to pay someone to do.

Count the unpaid family time

Spouses, children and relatives often work in a store without a wage. Ask who they are, what they do and whether they plan to stay. Once they leave, that labour becomes a payroll cost. Ask your accountant what the cash flow would look like if every hour, including the owner’s own, were paid.

Nights, holidays and sick days

Open hours set the minimum. Ask who covers a sick call, a holiday or a staff member who does not show up. In a small team, the answer is usually the owner. Talk to the current staff, with the seller’s permission, about how reliable the roster is and how much of the week they could take on if you asked.

The same adjustment applies to the owner’s salary in the statements you are reading.