What happens to checkout when my store is outside business hours?

Online checkout is blocked server-side by a Shopify Function, including Shop Pay and express checkouts. Customers see your custom closed message, so write your next opening time into it. POS sales, subscription renewals and order edits aren't blocked.

Can I use the close time as a same-day cutoff?

Yes. Set close time to your fulfillment cutoff (for example, 2:00 PM). Customers who arrive later see your closed message and can't complete checkout, so say in it when they can order next.

How do I set business hours on Shopify?

Shopify has no native business-hours setting, so it takes an app. In OrderRules, open Schedule, choose a status for each day of the week, and set an open and close time for the days you trade. Save, and checkout is blocked outside those hours from that moment — enforced server-side by a Shopify Function, so it holds through Shop Pay and express checkouts too.

Can I close my Shopify store at a certain time each day?

Yes. Set a close time per weekday in Schedule and checkout stops accepting orders at that time automatically, with no manual switch to flip. Each day carries its own hours, so a late Friday and a short Saturday are a normal configuration rather than a workaround.

What timezone do store hours use?

The timezone configured in OrderRules Settings, which should match your store's. If you set 9 AM and your timezone is America/New_York, that means 9 AM Eastern for every customer regardless of where they are browsing from. A wrong timezone here is the most common reason hours appear to fire at the wrong moment.

Daily Schedules

3 min read · Facts checked October 12, 2026

Define When Your Store Accepts Orders

OrderRules lets you set independent business hours for each day of the week. Orders are only accepted during your configured hours, and checkout is automatically blocked outside those times.

How to Set Your Schedule

Go to Schedule from the dashboard
For each day of the week:
- Status -- Custom hours, Open all day, or Closed all day
- For Custom hours, the opening time -- when you start accepting orders (for example, 9:00 AM)
- And the closing time -- when you stop accepting orders (for example, 6:00 PM)
Click Save

Example Schedule

Monday:    Custom hours    9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday:   Custom hours    9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday: Custom hours    9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday:  Custom hours    9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday:    Custom hours    9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday:  Custom hours    10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday:    Closed all day

What Happens During Open Hours

Checkout works normally
No closed banner shows
If you've set an order limit, the product page can show how many orders are left
Products are available for purchase

What Happens When Closed

Online checkout is blocked at the server level, including Shop Pay and express checkouts
The banner displays your custom closed message
Customers see when you reopen if your closed message says so

Open versus closed, at a glance

	Store open	Store closed
Checkout	Works normally	Online checkout blocked server-side
Storefront banner	None	Your custom closed message
Products	Available for purchase	Still visible; checkout is what stops
Customer sees	Orders left today, if you set a limit	Your closed message

Using Close Time as a Cutoff

If you run a same-day or next-day delivery business, set your close time as your order cutoff.

Example: Close at 2:00 PM so you have time to fulfill same-day orders. Customers who arrive after 2 PM see your closed message, so write something like "Orders for next-day delivery must be placed before 2:00 PM."

Timezone

All hours use your store's configured timezone (Settings → Timezone → Store Timezone). If you are in New York and set open hours to 9 AM, that means 9 AM Eastern regardless of where your customers are located.

Tips

Match your schedule to your actual production or fulfillment capacity
Use the Calendar for one-off schedule changes like holidays
Changes take effect immediately after saving -- no delay

Understanding the Dashboard Split Shifts (One Window Per Day)