Earliest drop-off

This is where you decide how early a customer is allowed to drop off before their service is due to start. Set it wide and everyone can drop first thing in the morning; set it tight and drop-off lands right before you'll actually start work.

The setting only appears for drop-off businesses, and it sits alongside your other booking-timing controls.

Open in app: Booking Settings

Before you start

Your shop must use drop-off scheduling for Earliest drop-off to appear. An appointment business will not see this row. There is no Service Model switch on Booking settings to change that; do not look for one on this page. See Appointment settings for the controls currently available.

Set how early customers can drop off

1. Open Booking Settings.
2. Under Scheduling, open Earliest drop-off (drop-off businesses only).
3. Choose an option:
   • Just before service — drop-off lands right around the scheduled start. Keeps your lobby clear; best when you start each pet close to its arrival.
   • 1 hour before — customers may arrive up to an hour ahead of their service.
   • 2 hours before — a roomier morning-drop window.
   • 4 hours before — a wide window; most customers can drop in the morning for an afternoon service.
   • Any time after we open — the widest option. Customers may drop off any time you're open and the pet waits for its turn.
4. Click Save. The change applies to new bookings only.

For cleanup time, use the separate Scheduling → Time between appointments setting. Booking start times controls the spacing of times offered online. See Drop-off timing controls for a comparison.

See what customers pick from

On the booking page, customers choose a drop-off time and each option shows how long until it's ready below it. Your Earliest drop-off choice sets how far back that list of drop-off times can start:

• With Any time after we open, the list spans your whole open day, so a customer can drop at opening even for a mid-afternoon service.
• With Just before service, the offered drop-off times cluster near when the service will actually run, so there's little or no waiting.

The narrower the setting, the fewer drop-off times a customer sees — because there are fewer moments that count as "early enough." If customers report seeing only one drop-off time, this setting is usually the cause; see Drop-off booking FAQ.

Tips

• Wider is friendlier, but means more waiting. "Any time after we open" gives customers the most freedom, at the cost of a longer hold for early droppers — which is expected, not a fault. See Drop-off scheduling.
• This setting never changes the ready time itself. It only controls how early drop-off is allowed. Service speed and the buffer between services are unaffected.
• Owners and staff are never limited by it. You can book any feasible drop-off time from the schedule; the window only shapes the customer-facing booking page.

Related

• Drop-off scheduling — the drop-off model and why ready time can be later than expected.
• Drop-off timing controls — how this combines with time-slot interval and buffer.
• Drop-off booking FAQ — common questions and fixes.
• Appointment settings — the full booking-settings reference.