Find your trade

The product is the same for all of them. What differs is the rhythm: a café regular who has not been in for three weeks has gone somewhere else, and a pet groomer’s regular at three weeks is early. Each page carries that trade’s own figures, and they differ by a factor of eight across this list.

• RestaurantsThe number of seats is fixed, and Tuesday is usually the empty day. What a restaurant can change is which day people come.
• CafesA cafe regular comes almost every day. Three weeks without a visit usually means they found somewhere else.
• SalonsClients come back every six to eight weeks. The whole business depends on whether they book again.
• BarbershopsWalk-ins cover the rent and regulars cover the wages. Knowing which regulars have stopped coming is worth more than another poster in the window.
• RetailA shop can be busy all month and still lose money, because the things that sell most often earn the least.
• BakeriesEverything is baked before the first customer arrives, so a quiet morning is not a saved cost. It is bread that goes home unsold.
• BarsFriday and Saturday pay for the week. The other five nights are open anyway, with the lights on and staff behind the counter.
• Nail studiosA set lasts two to three weeks, so the next visit is already on the calendar in the client’s head. The work is making sure it is your calendar.
• Pet groomersDogs come back every six to eight weeks whether the owner plans it or not. The coat decides. The question is only whether the owner books with you again.
• Gyms and studiosA member who misses two weeks is already thinking about cancelling. The habit breaks fast, and the membership fee follows it out the door.
• Tutoring centresFamilies decide once a term. Between terms nobody hears from you, and by the time the new term starts a neighbour has recommended somewhere else.