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Absent pets leave dog groomer out of pocket

Sarah-May BuccieriLincoln
BBC A man stands in a dog-grooming parlour holding a small white chihuahua dog. He has short grey hair and is wearing a black shirt. The dog has pink ears, black eyes and a pink tongue, which is poking out. The room has blue walls and white tiles.BBC
Sandy McFarlane, the co-owner of Friends and Fable Pet Grooming, says 41 people have failed to turn up since February

The owner of a dog-grooming business says people failing to turn up for appointments has cost him "a couple of grand" this year.

Sandy McFarlane, 73, from Friends and Fable Pet Grooming in Lincoln, said so-called no-shows were "very infuriating", after having 41 so far this year.

"There must be a lot of people in Lincoln Hospital because we've got a lot of people saying that they've got a relative just going into hospital – that's their biggest excuse," he added.

Rob Hardman, landlord of the Tyrwhitt Arms, near Lincoln, said no-shows were adding to pressure on the pub trade and the culprits did not "realise the impact they're having".

McFarlane said he opened the parlour in February, but dozens of people had missed their arranged slot, despite his team sending out regular reminders.

Last-minute cancellations were also "very difficult".

"You're looking through the door to see if they're arriving, nobody's arriving."

A close-up view of the white chihuahua. It is in a basin and is being showered with water. Its fur is wet. It has big black eyes, pink ears and a shiny black nose.
McFarlane says staff have to prepare in advance for every appointment

McFarlane said his team prepared for every appointment.

"We come in, we open up, we turn on the air con, we get ready for them coming.

"Folks don't mean to be rude, I suppose, it's just how things are maybe."

From no-show appointments to empty tables, Rob Hardman, landlord of the Tyrwhitt Arms, at Fiskerton, near Lincoln, said he also found people not appearing for bookings "frustrating".

Hardman said 21 people did not show for booked tables on Father's Day this year which he said cost him about £500.

"The pub trade is struggling as it is," he said.

A man with a bald head and salt and pepper beard. He is wearing a blue shirt and black glasses. He is standing in his pub, which has wooden tables and a mixture of wood-panelled walls and exposed brickwork. Lighting on the side of the walls casts a golden hue.
Pub landlord Rob Hardman says no-shows are very frustrating

Hardman, 53, said he had noticed a drop in etiquette and said: "People are just a little bit ruder since lockdown.

"They just don't think to ring up and say, we're going to be short of people or we're not coming, it's just very frustrating."

He said he had heard of instances of people making multiple bookings across different businesses and "just going to the one that they fancy".

Other pubs have reported similar issues. In April, staff at The New Inn, in Folkingham, near Sleaford, said they were left out of pocket when a table of 13 failed to turn up after they had put on extra staff.

Hardman, who has run the Tyrwhitt Arms since 1998, said he was "tempted" to introduce deposits, but feared "people would just go elsewhere".

Pubs were "closing all the time" and people not showing for bookings made it harder, he added.

"The one thing we all can't afford to do is lose money which we would have taken."

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