Q. I’ve noticed in my salon, there’s a new sign posted. It says that if clients don’t cancel their appointment within 24 hours, a “re-booking fee of 50%” will be added to the next service. It’s beginning to sound like my doctors’ office. What’s up with this? Also, last week, I was 15 minutes late for my appointment. When I got to the salon, my stylist had already started on her next client and I had to reschedule. What’s going on?

A. Sad but true, we’re all very busy these days. Many salons are having to “re-educate” their clients to the fact that appointments not kept cost money. When you book your appointment, your stylist is there, ready to serve you and only you. When you miss an appointment, your stylist cannot go on to the next client because they’re not sure whether you’re really not coming or just running late. Most salons allow between 7-10 minutes. Then, if the client isn’t there and hasn’t called, the stylist goes on to the next client (if they’re there, or a “walk-in”, or, depending on the time of day, they may even go home [if you’re the last client]). While I’m sure clients find this discomfiting, unkempt appointments cost the salons quite a bit of money in “idle-time” for the stylist. It’s also a little “disheartening” to the stylist for a client to be a “no show”. Some salons won’t re-book clients who have missed 3 appointments without calling to cancel. It’s just financially unrewarding (not to mention inconsiderate on the part of the client) to maintain clients who are not committed to keeping their appointment. This is not to say stylists and salons are not understanding, that emergencies don’t happen to everyone. But most of us know our clients, and most sincere clients will call, either before the appointment or within 24 hours of a true emergency. So, sometimes policies none of us like must be put into place because there will always be those people who are inconsiderate and rude. Talk with your stylist if your still uncomfortable. There may have been a specific event that triggered this notice. I suspect that if your hear the story, you’ll have a better appreciation for the policy.