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Bonjour Dr. Ecommerce:

Would e-commerce shops be allowed to open at times when regular shops have to be closed (by law)?

Thanks a lot in advance for your answer.

Best regards

Anne

Bonjour Anne:

Consider that an E-commerce shop has two parts. One part is the web site which is normally online 24 hours per day (certainly, I don't know of any web sites which shut down outside of working hours!). The web site should allow people to view merchandise, place orders and email enquiries. Hence, the showroom aspect of the shop is open 24 hours a day.

The other part is the order fulfilment and customer service part. This is where electronic orders are dispatched, questions are answered and the bits of business which require human interaction are dealt with. It is this part of the business is subject to laws regulating working hours, labour, etc.

These laws are established by the country in which the business is based. In your case, such a business would be subject to French laws on labour, working hours, etc.

Dr.Ecommerce