Container barber shop beside a motorway service station. Yay or nay?

bob_161 · 06-02-2022 11:20pm #1

Been approached by a busy motorway service station to open a barbershop in a shipping container to the side of their shop unit. Rates are favourable.

Own one barbers shop (bricks and mortar) currently but city based and have mix of regulars/walk-ins.

Thinking it's a good opportunity but that the customer base will be different aka commuters / one off clients / passers by. It’s not that near a town but not that far either.

What do we think? Good idea or bad? Would people use the service?

magicbastarder · 07-02-2022 11:14am

sounds like an odd place to have a barber shop - people on a motorway would usually just want to be getting from A to B and the thought of stopping off for a haircut seems strange.

i haven't paid for a haircut in decades so i'm not the best person to comment!

higster · 07-02-2022 11:26am

If it has electric vehicle chargers with high usage I would be thinking could work nicely “hair cut while you charge”

Blazer · 07-02-2022 11:27am

I think its a great idea... trying to make time to go to the barbers is a huge peeve of mine... day is taken up by meetings and then looking after the kids.

At least if I was driving somewhere I could build that time into the journey for a haircut.

Obviously a lot of people must have asked for a barber at that shop for them to approach you? Unless they're just trying being greedy and just approaching different business people to open close to them to increase their foot traffic?

magicbastarder · 07-02-2022 1:13pm

you'd need to be on that motorway already though, if you were driving somewhere.

worth asking, is it near a toll?

patrickbrophy18 · 09-02-2022 12:04pm

You could almost say that the driver would be taking a short-cut en route, eh? :D

Wishbone Ash · 09-02-2022 12:26pm

Truck drivers would certainly benefit. It's not as if they can easily park up a truck in an urban area to run in for a haircut.

magicbastarder · 09-02-2022 12:35pm

would they be on the clock when driving their trucks? i.e. would their boss be OK with them stopping off for a half hour haircut if they're driving the 'company car'?

Teacher2020 · 09-02-2022 12:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118604826#Comment_118604826

Most truck drivers are paid by the day not by the hour. They have compulsory breaks to take too - quite often 30 or 45 minutes. It would be a way for them to pass the time. Hubby is a truck driver - I know it would suit him down to the ground because he often complains of having to go get his hair cut on a Saturday as the queues are massive.

seamus · 09-02-2022 12:44pm

Doesn't sound like a terrible idea. Plenty of sales people and such on the road all day who'd struggle to find time to get to the barber. Or who don't want to go to some random barbers between jobs. You could find yourself with a whole other set of regular customers who go to you because they travel that road every week.

L1011 · 10-02-2022 9:02pm

Pretty sure there are barbers in some UK motorway services already. Must work for them.

Traffic volume and ability to cut straight away (low/no queues) would be the two major factors. People won't wait to get a cut like they might elsewhere

Container barber shop beside a motorway service station. Yay or nay?

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