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RUNNING HAIR CUTS
ON SCHEDULE
By O. R. GEYER
S O M E years ago, while studying
the problem of how to dispose
of waiting customers without
losing their business, P. W.
Wenger, a barber of Des
Moines, Iowa, conceived the idea of
using a card index.
Each customer of the Wenger shop
was listed on two cards, one for the
alphabetical list of customers and the
other for the daily list. Each visit to the
shop was noted on these cards, and a
notation was made of the approximate
time for the next visit to the shop, long
experience having taught the author of
the system to gage most accurately the
time when nature will make another visit
to the barber imperative. The hair cuts
vary from once in seven days to once in
three months—the latter case being that
of a man almost completely bald. Shaves
are listed from "daily" up to "fort-
Hair Cut Is
ext Saturday,
Four-Thirty"
Suited to the Customer's Convenience
Havinif a definite time set eliminates waiting; most men are more than willing to
be indexed.
tza
nightly." Needless to say, the last is a
meager job of blonde fuzz.
The cards were filed according to the
day of the month, and on each day
Wenger looked over his appointments for
the day and stepped to the telephone to
call his customers. Smithers was told
that he was due at 11 o'clock for a hair
cut, and Thompson learned that it was
time for a facial massage and that the
hour of his appointment was 12:15
o'clock. When these customers arrived
they invariably found the barber waiting
for them.
At the end of a month's time Wenger
can tell exactly the value of each customer.
He knows just what each customer
expects, and if Smith looks upon
massages and hair tonics as an extravagance
the subject never is mentioned to
him. On the other hand, Jones is a
customer who always desires this service,
and the work is done without questions
being asked. On leaving the shop Jones'
name is put down for a date and hour
two weeks later for another hair cut.
Each customer's trade, therefore, is conducted
on its card value.
The system has caused widespread
comment and has been adopted quite
generally over the country in recent
months. Traveling men
from other cities visiting
Des Moines call the barber
on reaching Des
Moines and make an
appointment, and the
time saved these busy
customers is one reason
why Wenger has been a
success. The fact that a
man never is bothered
for attentions he does
not desire, is another
big factor.