Honey, I’m Late!
We’ve all been there; you schedule an appointment for a haircut or waxing or that fitting and the minutes tick away, and before you know it, you’re late. It always happens at the damndest, most inconvenient times and we as professionals get that, we honestly do but this is not to say that it doesn’t put us out, too. If you have been late to such an occasion, read on and this might help give you some perspective. If this doesn’t apply to you, tell me: is it lonely up there on that high horse?
I recently had the chance to take a client that was scheduled to get a haircut and beard service by one of my colleagues and this chap was almost a full hour late to his original appointment. This of course, held no consequence to me, as I was available but sadly this put my colleague out of time and money in his own pocket. I talked it over with said colleague and it was no skin off of his nose and of course, I cheerfully took care of the chronologically-challenged cat but in some cases, this can be a source of contention between not only the client/barber relationship but that of between colleagues as well. It is with the latter in mind that I encourage you to read on and maybe help to negotiate the murky and sometimes just plain scary waters of how to handle being late (no one wants to be “that guy”) and what you can do to avoid such anxiety.
To the client reading this, I would like to go ahead and say: it’s fine. You’re running late? We get that. We live in this world too (for the most part) and we know how traffic/school/work/the bank can get and we are willing to work with you, in terms of rescheduling and so forth. The primary thing you must remember with us is to COMMUNICATE what’s going on! I get it, we’re guys, that isn’t exactly our wheelhouse in many cases but there’s no need to turn in your man card over such a thing. I promise you we won’t talk smack about you behind your back… well, no more than usual, anyway! If you’re running late, TELL US. Stuck in traffic? TELL US. Emergency situation? Call 911, then get back to us when you can (somethings take precedence). The point is that theres no reason that you should have any trepidation over letting us know that you’re running behind. We might get a little “ehh” about it to ourselves but ultimately we get it. We can’t help you unless we’re let in, Yosemite?
Meanwhile, to those of you who have had a client go to another barber under such circumstances, try to remember: it’s not personal. This person was running late and you happened to be unavailable? It’s not you, it’s the circumstances at hand. Oh, your colleague swooped in on that person like they were a walk-in? If you’re busy, then they’re up for grabs at that point. However, if you’re not busy, then you should have a conversation with them and make sure it’s all gravy. If so, Kool And The Gang. You know as well as anyone that it’s a numbers game and your colleague is not out to spite you. Yeah, things get dicey when money exchanges hands but honestly, we shouldn’t be so money-hungry to where we start going for one another’s throats over such things. They’re haircuts, not heart surgeries; there will alays be more and they’re NEVER going to be a matter of life or death. If ever that becomes the norm, then my friend, you have bigger issues at hand.
I hope you found this to be informative and maybe gain a little insight, should such a situation occur, have fun and Happy Styling!
-Written by our very own COVINA BARBER TIM DREW
