Guest User 10/27/21 Guest User 10/27/21

Walk-ins or appointments?

Seems to me the mobile age brought with it some confusion.Smart phones and appointment booking apps certainly have made the way businesses operate more efficient, or have they?Lets dig in.

‘Does your tattoo shop do walk ins or is it by appointment only?’ This question is normally by way of a phone call. But how did they find our phone number in the first place? By looking at analytics and simply asking our clients ,some sort of search led them to our tattoo studio. Google searches in the form of , “tattoo shop near me” or word of mouth from friends who might suggest a follow to one of our social media accounts like Instagram or Facebook. Either way at this point it’s likely a ‘call now’ button or DM is sent and initial contact is made. From there the question appears yet again , ‘Do you guys accept walk in tattoos or is it by appointment only?’

What’s become obvious to me over the years as technology grows is that a ‘walk-in’ tattoo client isn’t limited to a person driving over and walking into our studio and saying hey. It’s clear that folks do a lot of their walking around digitally. Why should shopping for your next tattoo be any different?
In order to answer the question first we need to ask ourselves what a walk-in client is in the first place? Historically this would have been an individual visiting a tattoo shop without prior commitment or appointment. No monies for goods or services has been exchanged nor is there any expectation of task to be completed day of. Basically a cold call for a good and, or, service.
But wouldn’t it make sense to assume that once a phone call is made and the conversation is had that at that point a verbal contract has been made?
It would go something like this:

Me, ‘Thanks for calling Electric Street how can we help you?’

You, ‘Yes I was wondering if your shop does walk-ins or by appointment only?’

Me,’Depends on how busy we are I have an artist available right now feel free and stop by’

You,‘ Thanks! See ya soon!’

In this example I would argue that a telephone ‘walk-in’ was able to secure an appointment even though no deposit was left. In all reality yes we may be overthinking it but a worst case scenario would be the above conversation followed by the client showing up and not having a tattoo artist available right away. How would that happen? Easy, if between the time of the phone call and the clients actual arrival we were to get an influx of other actual ‘walk-ins’ tattoo clients. Since no deposit was left in order to secure the tattoo appointment we are obligated to service other clients in order of first arrival.
‘But why do I have to wait? I called a couple of hours ago and made an appointment?’
You can see how this sort of thing can get tricky.

The long and the short of it folks is that your best bet to get in and get tattooed is to make the time to show up and brake the ice. We will always do our best to accommodate 😌

Guest User 5/14/21 Guest User 5/14/21

Tattoo Traditions

Here at Electric Street, we value and appreciate the art and history of tattooing. Tattooing has been around since as early as 3370 BC! Many different countries and cultures have used tattoos for different reasons; such as showing status, representing a tribe, honoring a lost friend or lover, or simply showing off ones freedom.
Tattooing is a tradition.

Tattooing through the 20th century gave way for evolution and growth in style, technique, and equipment. Through the 1910’s - 1930’s, tattoos were mainly found on sailors or sideshow performers at the circus as it was not something very common to see. In the 1940’s, the pioneer of traditional tattooing was on the rise. Normal Keith Collins, better known as “Sailor Jerry”, changed the basis of tattooing in America. He added color to his tattoos which made them stand out. His nautical and military themed designs were very popular amongst those in the service. Eventually, people who were just proud to be Americans were getting patriotic Jerry style tattoos. Tattoos became a symbol of strength and masculinity but was not widely accepted as it was still given a negative social stigma. Over time, tattoos became more popular and more accepted in society. Machines were build better and stronger, inks were made brighter and more diverse, and designs got more intricate. There have been many men that paved the way for modern tattooing and through them, we believe in keeping the tradition alive. We are simply standing on the shoulders of giants.