I don't claim to have all the answers, but I suspect that for most people, a shop that is only open 9-5, Mon to Fri, might as well be closed. Saturday also usually doesn't work for me either as there is more in my life than just motorcycles. Hell, even my dentist books appointments on Saturdays and Sundays now at no extra cost.
I was just thinking of a good idea for these shops last night: I used to lead a lot of group rides in the summer. We'd usually meet early Saturday or Sunday morning at a Tim's on the way out of town (like Innisfill, edge of Mississauga, edge of Scarborough, etc). We'd typically have a coffee, use the can, and be on our way.
So I got to thinking... imagine a place like Royal D or Twisted Throttle with big parking lots... they could cater directly to these group rides. They could open at 8am, have coffee available, and even have all of those little things for sale that invariably someone always forgets: like rain gear for when its spitting out even though it didn't call for rain, a gear bag for when it's hotter than expected, or a branded sweater for when it's colder than expected. They could even offer incentives... like a 5% discount for the ride leader (incentive to start the ride there), so he could take that opportunity to buy that expensive accessory that is on his list... give him a reason to start a ride there, bringing customers with him, and kill two birds with one stone by getting the shopping done at the same time as going for a ride. I wouldn't bother meeting up at Tim's anymore if something like that was available. They could even go a step further and offer a computer that could be used to transfer GPX tracks, etc.. If a shop catered to us like that, I could see being there at least twice a month during the riding season. Bonus if they were near a dirt-riding area and had enough space to let people park their trailers for the day.
As far as staff standing around... I wonder when more idle standing around would be, Tuesday at 10am or Sunday at 2pm? I don't have the answer, but I figure most people with disposable income to spend on hobbies still have weekends off, but need to be somewhere to earn that money on Tuesday mornings.