FAQ Friday: Arrival Time
Today we are talking about another tattoo etiquette that is quite major, and that is arrival time. How early is too early? What happens if you are late to your appointment? So many scenarios that bring up some questions that will hopefully be answered now!
Like any appointment you schedule, there is an appropriate window of arrival time that will make a good impression. A rule of thumb that is well-known is if you arrive 15 minutes early you’re on time, if you arrive on time you’re late, and if you’re late then you’re, well, late. Now this is typically used for job interviews, but it is loosely followed for other appointments as well. People may not associate this with a tattoo appointment but now is the time to start! It is greatly appreciated if you arrive early because there will be paperwork for you to fill out. Our paperwork is fairly extensive as we cover a lot of information with you, and we wouldn’t want to intrude on your appointment time with boring paperwork!
There are several artists that choose to schedule multiple tattoo appointments in one day especially if the designs are not too complex or time consuming. If one person is late to their appointment, this begins a domino effect that will delay other people’s appointments scheduled with your artist that same day. This is another reason why it is courteous to arrive early because yours may not be the only valued time involved.
Now there is such a thing as too early. The 15-minute window is perfect, and we wouldn’t want to mess with perfection! Arriving 30 minutes or more earlier than your scheduled time does not mean your appointment will start at the time you arrive. Your artist will need that time beforehand to set up and prepare for your appointment. During that period, we wouldn’t want you to feel like you are waiting an unnecessary amount of time to start your appointment.
If you feel like you are going to be late, please do not hesitate to call and let your artist know. This kind gesture will go a long way with your artist. There are a few outcomes likely to happen if you show up passed the 15-minute grace period or no call no show your artist. Both situations will, unfortunately, include losing your deposit and will require another deposit to schedule a new date. While we completely understand that life happens, and there are valid reasons for being late, please consider that our policies are set in place to protect our artists livelihood. Your missed appointment that was either cancelled completely or moved further out affects your artist financially.
Information overload! Hopefully knowing some of these notes will help you understand why we have certain policies written and there is never any malicious intent. Check back next Friday where we will dive deep into bringing guests to your tattoo appointment!
-Sam