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#8 Walk-in queue · first on the floor

The barbershop walk-in queue app that keeps the line honest

getbarberpos is a barbershop walk-in queue app built into your POS. Clients check in on a tablet at the door or by scanning a QR code, choose any barber or a named one, and watch their place on a TV. Wait times come from the cuts already in the chairs and on the book.

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Included on every plan from $15AED 59Rs 1,999 a month · no per-barber fees

Floor · walk-in boardExample data
  1. 01Jay R.Fade + beardAnyonenow
  2. 02Sam T.Skin fadeMarcus12 min
  3. 03Kids (2)Kids cut ×2Anyone18 min
  4. 04Ali H.LineupOmar25 min
  5. 05Chris P.TaperLuis31 min

Why does the walk-in line turn into an argument every Saturday?

A paper list by the door works until the shop gets busy. Names get skipped, two people swear they came first, and the guy who wanted Marcus specifically ends up in the next chair over because nobody wrote that down. The barber is cutting, so the list runs itself, which means it doesn't run at all.

Then there's the wait time. Someone at the door asks how long, and the answer is a guess: 'twenty minutes, maybe.' If it turns into fifty, they leave, and they leave a review. If you say fifty and it's twenty, they never come in. Either way you lose the cut.

Walk-ins also crash into appointments. A barber with a booked fade at 2:00 shouldn't be pulled for a walk-in at 1:50. Without one screen that shows both, the floor manager is doing that math in their head between phone calls.

What you see on screen

Walk-in queue, up close.

Floor · walk-in boardExample data
  1. 01Jay R.Fade + beardAnyonenow
  2. 02Sam T.Skin fadeMarcus12 min
  3. 03Kids (2)Kids cut ×2Anyone18 min
  4. 04Ali H.LineupOmar25 min
  5. 05Chris P.TaperLuis31 min
  1. 01

    The TV board

    A full-screen view for a wall TV or spare tablet: first names only, position, chosen barber and estimated wait. No phone numbers on show.

  2. 02

    Per-barber columns

    Each barber has a lane, plus an 'any barber' lane that feeds whoever frees up first. You can drag a client between lanes if someone switches.

  3. 03

    Appointments in the same view

    Booked clients appear as fixed blocks in a barber's lane, so the board won't promise a walk-in a slot that's already taken.

  4. 04

    Left and no-show marks

    One tap marks a walk-in as left or no-show. They drop off the board, the waits recalculate, and the record stays on their client card.

  5. 05

    Live time on each chair

    A running timer on each cut in progress, measured against the service time, so you can see who's running long before the board gets wrong.

One full turn of the chair · 6 steps

How does a walk-in move from the door to the chair?

  1. The client types a name and phone number on the check-in tablet, or scans the QR code on the mirror or the window and checks in from their own phone. No app to download.

  2. They choose 'first available' or a specific barber, plus the service: haircut, fade, beard, lineup. The service picks the expected duration you set in your price list.

  3. getbarberpos adds up the time left on cuts in progress, the services already queued ahead, and any appointments that block that barber's chair, then shows an estimate instead of a guess.

  4. When they reach the front, the shop sends a text or WhatsApp message through your own messaging provider, so they can wait at the coffee shop instead of on your bench.

  5. The barber taps the name on their station tablet or phone. The ticket opens with the client card attached, so last visit's cut notes are right there.

  6. When the cut is done, the ticket goes to checkout with the service already on it. Tip, product and payment are added there, and the queue moves up.

Who it fits

Built for how your shop pays barbers

How it plays in each market

USAIn US shops where every chair is a booth renter, each renter can keep their own lane on the board while the owner just runs the door, and Spanish check-in screens help in shops in Houston or Washington Heights.UAEGents salons in Dubai malls can send the 'you're next' message by WhatsApp, which is how most UAE clients expect to hear from a salon, and staff can work the board in English or Arabic.PakistanIn a busy Karachi or Lahore saloon on a Sunday, the board ends the shouting at the door, and karigars can read their lane in Urdu on a cheap Android tablet.

Works hand in hand with

#3AppointmentsBarber appointment booking software with a booking page per barber, real service times, buffers, deposits through your processor and reminders.#½Client cardsBarber client management with a card per client: visit history, cut notes like guard numbers and fade height, photos, preferred barber and points.#8ReportsBarbershop sales reports for end of day, each chair and barber, services vs retail, tips, rent collected and your busiest hours, in plain numbers.

FAQ · 8 questions

Walk-in queue: questions owners ask

Q01Do clients need to download an app to join the walk-in queue?

No. They check in on the shop's tablet at the door, or scan a QR code that opens a check-in page in their phone's browser. Nothing to install, no account to create.

Q02How does getbarberpos estimate the wait time?

It adds the time left on each cut in progress, the service durations of everyone queued ahead, and any appointments booked in that barber's chair. The result is an estimate, so it's only as good as the durations you set for each service.

Q03Can a walk-in wait for one specific barber?

Yes. They pick a named barber at check-in and only that barber's lane counts for them. If they'd rather go faster, staff can move them to the 'any barber' lane with a tap.

Q04What happens when someone leaves before they're called?

Staff mark them as left. They come off the board, the waits for everyone behind them drop, and the visit is noted on their client card so you can see repeat walk-outs.

Q05Can I show the queue on a TV in the shop?

Yes. Open the board view in a browser on a smart TV, a streaming stick or a spare tablet and leave it full screen. It shows first names and waits only, not phone numbers.

Q06Does the queue stop walk-ins from bumping booked appointments?

Appointments sit in each barber's lane as fixed blocks. The board will not put a walk-in into a slot that runs into a booked client, and the wait time accounts for the gap.

Q07Who pays for the 'you're next' texts?

Messages go through the SMS or WhatsApp provider you connect, and that provider bills you for them. getbarberpos doesn't add a markup on messages.

Q08Can the walk-in queue limit check-ins near closing time?

You can close check-in from the board whenever you decide the line is full, and the QR page will tell clients the shop isn't taking walk-ins right now. Staff can still add someone by hand.

Skin · the last pass

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