How to Handle Walk-ins vs Appointments: The Scheduling Strategy That Maximizes Revenue

The walk-in vs. appointment debate is one of those things tattoo artists love to argue about online. “Walk-ins are the lifeblood of a busy shop.” “Walk-ins disrupt your schedule and attract cheap clients.” “Appointment-only is more professional.” “Appointment-only leaves money on the table.”

They’re all partially right. The answer isn’t one or the other — it’s a hybrid system that captures walk-in revenue without disrupting your appointment flow. Let me show you exactly how I set this up at my shop.

The Revenue Math: Why Walk-Ins Matter

Let’s say you’re an appointment-based artist doing 5 sessions a day, 5 days a week. Even with deposits, you’ll have gaps:

• Cancellations with notice (deposit transfers to new date, but today’s slot is empty)
• Shorter-than-expected sessions (estimated 3 hours, finished in 2)
• Buffer time between appointments
• The occasional no-show despite deposits

These gaps add up to 5-8 hours of empty chair time per week. At $175/hour, that’s $875-1,400/week in lost revenue.

Walk-ins fill these gaps. A walk-in flash piece during a cancellation slot recovers $150-300 that would have been $0.

The Three Walk-In Models

Model 1: Flash-Only Walk-Ins

Walk-ins can only choose from pre-designed flash. No custom work, no consultations.

Why this works:

• Flash is ready to go — no design time needed
• Sessions are predictable (small to medium pieces, 30 min to 2 hours)
• Lower commitment — good for indecisive clients who want ink NOW
• Drives flash sales and creates urgency
• Easy for any artist at the shop to execute

How to set it up:

• Display flash prominently (wall, binder, digital display, or iPad)
• Price each flash piece clearly (no awkward pricing conversations)
• Set walk-in hours: “Walk-ins welcome for flash — [days/hours]”
• First come, first served (or numbered waitlist)

Model 2: Dedicated Walk-In Artist

One artist is designated for walk-ins while others handle appointments.

How it works:

• Rotating walk-in duty (one artist per day, or permanent if someone prefers it)
• Walk-in artist handles flash pieces and simple custom requests
• Appointment artists focus on their booked custom work undisturbed
• Walk-in artist switches to appointments on their non-walk-in days

Revenue impact: The walk-in artist position is often the highest-volume role in a busy shop — they might do 6-10 pieces per day versus 2-3 appointment clients. Lower average ticket but higher volume.

Model 3: Open Slots System

Leave specific time slots each day open for walk-ins in your scheduling system.

Example schedule:

Last 2-4 hours of weekdays kept open for walk-ins. Saturdays are full walk-in days. Mornings are protected for appointment clients.

If no walk-ins come during open slots: Use the time for drawing, consultations, admin, or social media content.

Managing Walk-In Flow

The Waitlist System

When walk-ins arrive and you’re not immediately available:

1. Greet them warmly. “Hey! We’re taking walk-ins today. Are you looking for something specific?”
2. Assess what they want. Flash from the wall? Small custom? Get a sense of scope.
3. Give an honest time estimate. “I’ve got someone in the chair right now — should be about 45 minutes. You’re welcome to hang out and browse flash, or I can text you when I’m ready.”
4. Add them to the waitlist. Paper list, iPad app, or your shop software if it has walk-in management (Porter does).
5. Text when ready. “Hey! I’m ready for you. Come on in whenever you’re set.”

Setting Walk-In Expectations

Be upfront about what walk-ins can expect:

• Wait times. “Walk-ins are first come, first served. Wait times vary from 15 minutes to 2+ hours depending on how busy we are.”
• Design limitations. “Walk-ins are flash-only (or small custom). For larger custom pieces, we recommend booking an appointment.”
• Pricing. “Shop minimum is $[X]. Flash prices are marked on each piece.”
• No guarantees. “We do our best to accommodate walk-ins, but appointment clients always take priority.”

Post this on your door, your website, your Google listing, and your Instagram highlights.

When to Turn Walk-Ins Away

It’s okay to say no:

• You’re fully booked with no gaps
• The walk-in wants something that requires a proper consultation and design time
• They’re intoxicated (hard no — always)
• They’re rude or disrespectful to your team
• The request is beyond your skill set or comfort zone

How to turn them away gracefully: “We’re fully booked today for walk-ins, but I’d love to get you set up with an appointment. Can I show you how to book online? We’ve got availability [day/time].”

Convert rejected walk-ins into appointments. They’re already in your shop and interested — don’t let them leave without a path to booking.

The Appointment Side

Protecting Your Appointment Clients

Appointment clients paid a deposit, planned their day around their session, and expect a professional experience. They should never feel like they’re competing with walk-ins for your attention.

Rules for balancing:

• Appointment clients ALWAYS start on time. Never bump an appointment for a walk-in.
• Don’t rush an appointment to get to a waiting walk-in. Take the time the piece needs.
• Walk-ins should wait in a separate area from appointment clients being tattooed.
• If an appointment runs long, communicate with waiting walk-ins honestly.

The All-Appointment Model

Some shops and artists are appointment-only. No walk-ins, no exceptions.

When this makes sense:

• Your books are consistently full 3+ weeks out
• You specialize in large, complex custom work only
• Your studio is in a location with minimal foot traffic anyway
• You prefer a controlled, predictable schedule

When this doesn’t make sense:

• You’re in a high foot-traffic area (you’re leaving walk-in money on the sidewalk)
• You have slow days or gaps in your schedule
• Multiple artists with varying booking rates (some artists are full, others have gaps)
• You want to attract new clients who might become regulars

Walk-In Revenue Optimization

Flash Walls That Sell

A well-curated flash display is your walk-in conversion tool:

• Rotate monthly. Fresh flash keeps regulars coming back to see what’s new.
• Price visibly. Every piece should have a clear price tag. No “ask for pricing.”
• Organize by size/price. Makes browsing easier. “Small ($100-150)” section, “Medium ($200-350)” section, etc.
• Include various styles. Not every walk-in wants the same thing. Variety catches more eyes.
• Highlight “one-of-one” pieces. “This design will only be tattooed once” creates urgency.

Saturday Flash Days

Turn your highest walk-in traffic day into an event:

• Announce flash day on Instagram (Tuesday or Wednesday for Saturday traffic)
• Design special flash just for the event
• Set simple pricing tiers ($100 / $200 / $300)
• All artists participate
• Post content throughout the day (stories, reels, client reveals)

Flash days can generate $3,000-9,000 for a 3-artist shop in a single day.

Converting Walk-Ins to Appointment Clients

Every walk-in should leave knowing how to book an appointment:

• Hand them a business card with your booking link
• Ask for their email (for your mailing list)
• Follow up: “Thanks for coming in today! When you’re ready for your next piece, you can book online at [link]. We’d love to see you again.”
• Add them to your CRM in your shop management software

A walk-in who gets a great experience today becomes an appointment client next month.

Technology That Helps

Porter ($79-249/mo) has the best walk-in management feature:

• Digital walk-in queue
• Assign walk-ins to available artists
• Track walk-in revenue separately from appointment revenue
• Process consent forms and payments in the same system

If your software doesn’t have walk-in management, a simple whiteboard or iPad running a notes app works:

1. Name
2. What they want (flash piece #, description)
3. Time added to waitlist
4. Artist assigned
5. Status (waiting / in progress / done)

My Shop’s System

We run a hybrid model:

• Monday-Friday 10am-3pm: Appointment priority. Walk-ins accepted if artists have gaps.
• Monday-Friday 3pm-7pm: Open for walk-ins and flash. Appointments also accepted.
• Saturday 10am-6pm: Walk-in focused. All artists participate. Flash day once a month.
• Sunday: Closed.

Walk-ins account for about 25% of our total revenue. That’s $5,000-7,000/month that would be $0 if we were appointment-only. We’d need to book 2-3 more appointment clients per week per artist to replace that income.

Walk-ins aren’t beneath you. They’re revenue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should tattoo shops accept walk-ins?

Most shops should accept walk-ins because they fill gaps between appointments and represent incremental revenue. The key is managing expectations and dedicating specific hours or artists to walk-in service.

How do you manage walk-ins alongside appointments?

Designate specific times or artists for walk-ins. Options include dedicated walk-in hours, one artist on walk-in duty while others handle appointments, or leaving afternoon slots open for walk-in availability.