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Most businesses have customers that will go elsewhere if you ignore them for a month. If my employer tried that I would have no job to come back to.

Maybe it would work for a dominatrix. "You are unworthy to see me for the next month, that will be $5,000, you may pay me now."

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First, those customers would have nowhere else to go because everybody is on vacation. Second, those customers will be on vacation too to begin with!

Precisely this. In Sweden there is the notion of industrisemester which originated from when manufacturing dominated the economy. Basically, all of Sweden (minus social services) shuts down from midsummer to beginning of August. Any “real” work done during this period is an anomaly/bonus Depending on your disposition.

Since the whole country does this, customers are just fine with it.

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