The Barber and the Waiting List

A friend recommended a new barber to me, so I decided to give them a try. I looked them up online and found a link to their booking site with an availability calendar.

At first, I couldn't even tell whether the calendar was working. I couldn't see a single available slot. Were they completely booked? Did they start using an online booking system and just give up on it? I couldn't decide.

So I called them

I picked up the phone and asked when they would be available. "You can book online," the barber said. I told him I had checked, but couldn't see any available slots.

"Yes, this is quite common," he explained. "I only upload my opening times one month into the future."

Upload opening times? Was he setting his availability manually instead of just configuring a recurring schedule once? That must be painful. But that wasn't even the main issue.

He told me they're usually completely booked out for the next month — but not to worry. They always have people cancel, especially in the morning hours.

Sounds great — so how do I know when a slot opens up?

My hours are flexible, and I'm usually available for a short barber's appointment on short notice. Perfect situation, right?

"Well, just check the site every once in a while," he said.

Check the site? He meant I should keep a tab open and hit refresh every day to see if maybe a slot had opened up? No, thank you.

What are my other options?

He said he keeps a manual list of phone numbers that he calls when he gets last-minute cancellations. He could put me down and call me if that happens.

I never did go to that barber

Long story short, I did not end up going. I wanted to, I really did, but it just didn't work out. This story could have gone completely differently had he had a waiting list on his booking site.

And that's when it hit me. The killer feature. A waiting list.

The feature that barely exists

For some reason, this feature is all but nonexistent on booking platforms, even though it addresses easily the single biggest pain point barbers and nail salons have told us about: last-minute cancellations.

The struggle of finding a replacement. Making all the phone calls. Moving around their entire schedule. Or deciding maybe it's not worth it — "I'll just take an extra long break."

We decided: no more. In our app, a waiting list is a must-have. When someone cancels, the system automatically alerts people on the waiting list so you can stop worrying about who will fill the spot.

Less manual work. Less frustration. Less money lost to last-minute cancellations.