Close the Door

No problems with the door being open when heating or air con are not on.

Yes - proper air curtains are disrupted by anything passing through the air current and therefore not suitable for entrances - they were originally designed for cold storage areas forty or so years ago. What most shops actually use are heaters over the door - the heat disappearing through the open door. Quite a few shops now just leave them turned off.

Yes - in temperatures below 16 and above 24 degrees C it is easier to maintain CIBSE guidelines for healthy working conditions by putting on the heating/air con and closing the door. If heating/aircon are not on then the door doesn't need to be closed and natural ventilation will help.

The campaign only asks for the door to be closed if heating or airconditioning is on!

We agree. The door needs to be shut if heating or airconditioning is being used.

Thanks aquarius moon and sunbob. Great to hear of another store boss doing the sensible thing and closing the door when it's cold - also opening it when it gets warmer outside when natural ventilation is the best thing. Quite right about pubs/restaurants, and we do cover them, though on the whole these tend to be better than chain stores on door policy. It is simply not true that a closed door deters custom - so many shops of all sorts now trade successfully behind a closed door in winter that it would suggest something seriously wrong with a shop if people don't bother to open the door to get to what is on offer (which is unlikely and we haven't seen that yet). There are also reports of customers staying longer in an even, comfortable temperature when the door is closed, and spending more. Shoplifting also goes down, saving more money. A no-brainer. Note taken of the comment on the Forest Hill Co op.

For anyone who does care about their community, environment and the conditions staff are expected to tolerate in their local shops - not everyone it seems - there is plenty of research on the campaign website at the top of this thread. Re the question about revolving doors - these are excellent for conserving heat inside and allowing high customer traffic (so long as there is a good disabled entrance alongside as in some M&S branches) but with obvious downsides when it comes to space and cost.

Does William Rose use heating? Some butchers do not, so it would be useful to know.

We address the 'sticky' door problem by asking customers to try and make sure the door does close behind them (where possible) in cold weather, and asking retailers to do their best to make sure the door functions properly as.... a door.

'Shut that Door' is a title helped nicely by the song, but a slightly more polite approach works better with retailers !

Thanks for info on the Apple store

If you are aware of any of your local shops who insist on an Open Door Policy could you please inform us with photographs & addresses? The Close the Door campaign works to save significant energy waste and greatly improve working conditions for staff in the retail sector - the aim is make it common practice to close the door when the heating or air conditioning is on in shops and restaurants. We now have thousands of shops of all types and sizes across the country trading successfully with a closed door in winter so we know that trading is not adversely affected!(for more go to www.closethedoor.org.uk, and join our Facebook/Twitter).