Q. I’ve been going to my stylist for 5 years now. We get along great! However, the salon has gone from a “walk-ins welcome” salon to “appointments preferred”...and sometimes now, if I haven’t booked an appointment, I have to see someone else in the salon. What’s going on?

A. While it is true that many salons (and barbers) used to be friendly to “walk-ins”, they’ve discovered it’s easier to please regular customers by booking appointments. This way, clients needing to come before or after work, or on their lunch-hour, can be guaranteed the services they need with the preferred stylist in a timely manner. It also enables the stylists to “schedule” their work with family hours to better fit their personal needs. Too, it’s very difficult to “close up shop” at the regular time if there are clients waiting in the waiting room. With appointments, everyone gets home at a reasonable hour...client and stylist are both better served with this system.