6/7/2020
We are currently open from 9AM until 4:30PM Monday – Friday.
Saturdays we are currently open 7AM - 2:30PM
As always, please keep in mind that we sometimes will stop taking walk-ins prior to our close time if we reach capacity, so please endeavour to arrive at least 30 minutes before we close to avoid disappointment.
As you may know there unfortunately has been a spike in cases as of late, some of which are in our surrounding local areas. Being a barbershop, we are a high traffic and close contact business which means high risk. So we will still continue to ask you to please sanitise your hands using the sanitiser provided upon entry. When you have to wait outside, please ensure your are social distancing for everyones safety.
Here at New York Barbers we are pushing to move back to normal processes however we still must adhere to COVID-19 restrictions and regulations. We, as many others look forward to when everything can go back to normal and we can put this behind us!
PREFERENCES FOR BARBERS:
We will now be re-introducing the ability to wait for a specific barber. However, we are strictly limiting this to no more than 3 customers waiting at once for a specific barber. We will stop taking preferences for a barber until they serve the customers that are waiting for them. If the barber you want to go with already has 3 customers waiting for them, we will not be able to check you in with them at that time. This is to avoid backlog – keeping in mind that the barber also needs to tend to other customers not specifically waiting for them. We must keep the workload fair and equal between all of our team. If you wait for a specific barber, please bear in mind you may have a longer wait, especially if there are customers in front of you waiting for that barber as well and as we mentioned above that barber may also need to tend to other customers waiting, not just the ones waiting specifically for them. We may also ask you to wait outside when waiting for a specific barber, as your wait will be longer, it gives other customers who are just waiting for the next available barber the opportunity to wait inside as well.
As per usual, preferences for barbers will not be available from around 1 hour before close time depending on how many customers are waiting. It will just be the next available barber.
Online Check-In is still not available, purely for the fact that our barbers will reach the maximum of 3 customers waiting for them very quickly via online check ins, not giving customers who are already in-store a chance to wait for their barber. You must visit us in-store to check in.
WAITING:
Now that we are taking preferences for barbers again, this means we no longer have the ability to have customers lined up in order, as the customers who choose to wait for a specific barber will not necessarily be served based the order they came in (as they are waiting on one barber, not all). So, if you have to wait outside, we recommend sticking around as your turn may come up quicker than expected. Once it’s your turn, we will call out your name. If you are not present, you will lose your turn and the customer behind will take your place. We will then call out again when the next barber is available and if you are still not present, we will unfortunately take your name off the list.
We will not ring you when it’s your turn. We are a very fast paced barbershop. Our front desk is checking customers in and out, running the café, answering the phone and everything in between. We unfortunately do not have the time to call every customer when it’s their turn, especially when their turn comes up quicker than our system estimated for us, we may not have the ability to call in time. This is why we ask you to wait around if you can, as it makes things a lot smoother for everyone.
If you have any questions, please feel free to message us on Facebook, email us at info@newyorkbarbers.com.au or give us a call during business hours on 9707 2215.
There are some requirements that businesses must undertake still, most of which we already do:
-Retail businesses are to have no more than 20 occupants inside at any time, granted that number of customers still allow them to be social distancing as well as not exceed the 4 square metre rule. Any business that require customers to wait (like us) must ensure those customers maintain a healthy distance (1.5m), not only this, but there is to be only 1 person for every 4 square metres. Based on the size of our waiting area, this works out to a maximum of 3 people. So, we will still be sticking with the limit of 3 people waiting in-store at once (with the exception of parents waiting with their child). Once we have 3 people in store waiting, we will require other customers to line up in order outside - as we move through each client and there is a seat available inside for you, we will let you know to come inside. The outside area is undercover, and we have invested in 3 outdoor heaters to keep customers who are waiting outside warm and more comfortable whilst we have to go about things this way due to COVID-19.
-We are required to take down your name and contact phone number. This is to support contact tracing, should it be necessary. However, we already do this with our check-in system so nothing will change here.
These requirements are taken directly from instructions via the Department of Health and Human Services, more specifically their requirements for Shopping, Retail and Personal Services. You can check out the information on their website: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/shopping-and-retail-restrictions-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR2oXnj5OseDlO1G3O5d4yuVGN1Pa1T3MWdVEa2dr2TdPEYZBY_FjXeunOo
We are ensuring our shop stays sanitised and clean, with all high traffic areas being wiped down and disinfected as often as possible.
Our staff are wearing gloves if they choose, if they are not wearing gloves they are sanitising in between clients. We found the gloves are quite difficult to work with for some of us so we will wash and sanitise instead.
BRINGING EXTRAS TO THE BARBERSHOP:
We kindly ask that, if possible, you do not bring extras (those not getting a haircut) along with you. (Parents bringing their child is fine). We are a very family orientated environment here at New York Barbers, and we are used to our customers bringing extras along for their visit to our barbershop which is usually fine. However, due to COVID-19 and social distancing regulations: if families, friends, girlfriends, etc are all coming along together it makes it really difficult for us to stick to government regulations and the maximum of 3 people that we are technically allowed waiting in the store at any time based on our waiting area's size. We hope to go back to normal ASAP, but we must abide by the rules until we are told otherwise.
Thank you for your cooperation and support. This is definitely different than how we usually run things but we must ensure the safety and wellbeing of our team, customers, and the community.