Barber Shops

Barbershops in Nevada are popular places to get a haircut or shave. They are also places where customers come in close contact with the staff. There are many challenges to starting, restarting and managing your operation during good times, but additional challenges during the pandemic need even more careful planning, oversight and management. It is important to understand the COVID-19 requirements that may still apply to your industry, suggested best practices, and resources available to help you.

COVID-19 Requirements

Nevada’s Roadmap to Recovery lays out requirements for businesses with specific capacity limits and other requirements. Starting May 1st, 2021, the state transitioned to local authority for setting specific requirements by business types. Visit the Nevada Health Response website for the latest updates on COVID-19 Guidelines in Nevada.

To learn more about Nevada’s specific requirements for Barber Shops, CLICK HERE

Industry Best Practices

Some general best practices and tips that may help you comply with guidelines and help your customers and employees feel safe include: 

  • Require customers and employees to wear face masks
  • Social Distance
    • Stagger or limit arrivals of employees and guests, following current capacity limits
    • Use Partitions or walls between each chair/workstation, then each chair/workstation can be used at any given time.
      • If there are no partitions or walls between each chair/workstation, the business can use every other chair/workstation or arrange seating to be at least 6 feet apart to create separation and achieve social distancing.
    • Consider posting an employee at the entry door to greet guests and open/close the entry door to minimize the number of persons touching the door handle
    • Install plexiglass/clear acrylic panes or barriers between the customer and cashiers
    • Stagger appointments
    • Use phone or online reservations, discourage walk-ins, and have people wait outside or in their cars
    • Have customers complete a self-assessment questionnaire prior to arrival
  • Innovate
    • Install and use a touchless, non-signature payment system
    • Have customers pay through an app on their phones
  • Cleaning
    • Have hand sanitizer and sanitizing stations and products readily available for employees and customers
    • Clean chair cloth (cape) for each client – consider disposable capes, and discard after each client
    • Sanitize and disinfect the chair after each client
    • Change or adequately clean all tools between clients or thoroughly disinfect tools including combs, brushes, clippers, scissors, and other styling tools
    • Barbicide should be changed every day or more if it becomes contaminated – implements should stay submerged for a minimum of 10 minutes
    • Clean and disinfect barber chairs, headrests, and any screens
    • Launder all towels and linens between clients and completely dry items and store in closed, covered cabinets
    • Establish new operating hours so you can close earlier to thoroughly clean the operation each night
    • Use cleaning products that meet the EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) – this list of products can be found on the EPA website here: List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2
    • Read more about Cleaning and Disinfecting during a pandemic

Business Basics

Business basics are more important than ever. Evaluate your profit and loss statement. Look for ways to reduce operating costs. Analyze your cash flow and breakeven to evaluate the impacts of guidelines and best practices on your operations. As Nevada’s COVID-19 measures evolve you may need to continually adjust your operations. Here are a few things to think about: 

  • Get Help
    • Contact a business development counselor at the Nevada SBDC by calling 800.240.7094 – we can help you assess your operations and decide on best strategies for your business
    • For questions about cleaning and disinfecting, strategies to control new waste streams, or other environmental questions, contact an environmental business advisor at BEP at 800.882.3233
  • Communicate
    • Keep communicating with your customers on social media and your website with announcements about your current hours
    • Be open about the measures you are taking to meet the new and updated guidelines; consider signage at your entrance so customers can be aware of the steps you are taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to meet any new industry guidelines
  • Expand Services
    • Consider providing an on-line reservation platform for clients
    • Consider offering service or product sales that are an “add-on” to scheduled services.  This allows more services and products per client reducing client visits and PPE/disinfection cycles
    • Offer hours of business that are most popular or stagger days and schedules to offer services that closely match clients’ schedules
    • Offer gift cards
    • Offer product kits and sales of product to reduce inventory and satisfy customer needs
  • Potential Cost-Saving Measures
    • Revamp and simplify your product offerings to increase margins, minimize product expiration
    • Reduce hours to minimize utility bills and increase time for cleaning, for example instead of staying open from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM operate from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
    • Consider energy efficiency, waste minimization and other sustainability strategies
    • Only turn on utilities that are needed – do not use all fans, lights, or air conditioners in the shop when fewer people are seated
  • Creative Marketing
    • Update or redesign your website; make sure it is mobile friendly
    • Use micro social media and focus more on the immediate neighborhood in order to bring in local clients
    • Advertise through local homeowner associations
    • Consider starting or expanding client referral programs

Resources