early closing

early closing (uncountable)

1. (UK, dated) The practice of business premises in a town closing for one afternoon each week.
   • 1962 July, “Talking of Trains: The new all-line timetable”, in Modern Railways, page 10:

     The index to stations does not show early closing days or stations with car parks.

This practice seems to have largely died out.

• “early closing”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “early closing”, in Collins English Dictionary.