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Rant: Walk-ins on Saturday are why I almost closed the shop in Bakersfield
Last Saturday I had 14 walk-ins before noon. Fourteen. I was booked solid since Tuesday, and every single one wanted a full fade like I had nothing else to do. One guy got huffy when I said 45 minutes, then sat in the chair and told me his last barber 'took forever anyway.' I get it, walk-ins keep the lights on, but I'm done pretending they're a blessing. They're the reason I almost shut down for good that week. My last appointment walked out at 7:40 PM and I hadn't eaten since 9 AM. Has anyone else had a day where the walk-in crowd just about pushed you over the edge? How do you handle the overflow without losing your regulars?
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the_brian25d ago
The part about "not eaten since 9 AM" hit me hard. I had a Saturday like that back in Fresno last summer, where I swear I didn't sit down for nine straight hours. Walk-ins just kept rolling in like a broken faucet, and every single one acted like their fade was the only haircut on the planet that mattered. I finally told the last guy at 6 PM that I was taking a 10 minute break to shove a protein bar in my mouth, and he actually rolled his eyes at me. That week I started booking my Saturdays with zero gaps, and I just tell walk-ins straight up, "I can get you in at 2 or not at all." Your regulars matter way more, and if a walk-in gets mad, that's on them, not you.
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