A Model for Hair Care Flow in Salons in the Black Community

Farmer L. Lee Stenson ()
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Farmer L. Lee Stenson: U.S. Coast Guard

Chapter Chapter 8 in Community-Based Operations Research, 2012, pp 191-211 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Hair care for many black females is a complex, time-consuming, and expensive process requiring frequent trips to hair salons. This process is further complicated by the standard operating practices of many community-based stylists. We develop a discrete event queueing model of the salon-based hair care process based on the data from African-American-owned salons in the USA. This model is used to explore the impacts of two contrasting operating strategies: stacking clients (multiple clients scheduled at the same time) and not stacking clients (clients arrive according to separate appointment times). We show that client waits can be significantly reduced and high profits retained by not stacking clients, employing assistants to wash and dry clientele, and partitioning services based on processing times. Processing times and costs can also be reduced by increased use of simpler and more-natural hair styles. Finally, we recommend specialized business models to meet the needs of black women in the armed forces.

Keywords: Black Woman; Black Hair; Multiple Client; Potential Revenue; Hair Style (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:isochp:978-1-4614-0806-2_8

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DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-0806-2_8

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