Although I don't want to put the dampeners on the thread I have to say that I have never really worried about NSS.
No matter how quickly they work they never have the good customer service, conversational expertise and never develop a bond with their clients.
It's in out shake it all about....now give me your money.
JMHO of course.

I agree Judy....fair enough there are not any too near me....but i never see them as my competition...they ain't in the same league. They are faster...they are cheeper...but that doesn't bother me at all. My clients don't feel rushed and they don't mind paying for the quality..standards and service that i offer, they don't offer any of these things.

I agree with Judy and Angie, although I dont have that many L&P clients yet the one that i did who preferred to go back to the NSS was because of speed, the few others I have done, have commented when ive apologised because of the time , have said "but its been lovely gabbing and having coffee etc, and not being hurt"

as for my mani/pedi clients, as Judy said a hug or kiss when you finish or a trying to book next appt before polish is even dry on this one, makes you feel worthwhile, I think most of my clients want the personal touch, not the cheapest or quickest option, I dont miss the other type of clients tbh,

xxx

How many of you believe we can learn best from the experience of others?

No one has in my opinion listened to Carl's post which is one of the most important in this thread. Look at what he is experiencing. Listen to what he says. This is what happened in the USA and is now obviously happening in Australia. The NSS trained tecs are getting better. They are leaving the cut price salons and setting up on their own. They are proud of what they do and many use good products and drills with skill. They are learning and WE are standing still and living in cuckoo land thinking that a long as we give a good service and a sanitary one then speed doesn't matter.

Well I've got news for you. Speed does matter to allot of people (which is obvious) because these places have more clients than perhaps you do.
Now you have a tool that can fight against others' quick service and you can be pampering and non damaging. You know what it is .. PopIts. Those of you who ignor what is happening are going to be left out in the cold.

There are NSS in the USA but not nearly so many as there are good nail salons run by good technicians who are of Asian descent. 65%+ of all liscenced nail techs in the USA areof Asian descent and they are doing good business and working well and charging much more and working less hard than they did in the days when they learned in the discount salons.

It will happen in the UK too. So know it and get ready for it by being as good as they are and as fast as they are. Fast does not have to mean that the client is suffering or that the nails are worse or even cheaper.

I have been using my popits on some clients. I have been doing them at a reduced price as I am learning. I am now getting nearer to adding this as a service to those who want speed.
As most of you on here have stated, your clients like the time , chat, coffee etc. That's great! However, there will be as many again who want the speed.

I feel that being able to use the popits.....(hardly any air bubbles now Geeg!!), I am able to offer a faster service to those that want or need it. I worry about the faster salon's alot. I know there are lots setting up or already up and running successfully near me. I am still working on my times and still need to get them down by about 1/2 hour. Still takes me about 2 hours to do a set. With the popits I am doing it in about an hour with tips and just pink or clear. Need Geeg to help me with the pink and white finish.......(Hint, Hint)

If they can be good and fast without the use of poppits then why cant we...?

I am glad to hear that they are stepping up the game plan...stopping the use of MMA and hopefully seeing that good standards are required...as those are the only things i have against them.

Not all the salons and nail bars that are referred to as NSS on here are using MMA.

And the answer to your question is, you probably can but you just don't because you take more care.

These gals and guys work fast, don't chat, don't do much sanitation or prep work. They prep using files and drills and they sanitise by using primer .... of course that is faster. They generally use big beads of product and if they do pink and white it is one bead for each colour .. if they use a one colour overlay sculpt then they just use one bead ... they are really good at it; Very dexterous and agile with a brush and not too fussy about getting product onto the client's skin.

If the NSS techs added the refinement to their service that you do, then they would take longer. I'm not suggesting you stop woRking with the high standards you have ... but you can keep those and use PopIts and still work faster than you are doing now for the customers that want it. I suggest that everyone get good at usiNg these and promote a new service in the salon using them ... if we can't offer a quick service then we are going to be left in the dust.

One of my favourite expresions

IF YOU DON'T MAKE DUST ... YOU EAT DUST!!

There is a nail salon in Northampton that opened about the time I started, they were terrible but these days their nails are light, thin, well shaped and £20 a set. And yes it is the same Asian couple who are working there now as when it started.
Carl is so right, as usual
As for that womans comments about our geek needing correct training, I don't think I would have bothered to reply, she's the sort of customer that will never understand the point you are trying to get across. Smile and move on.

I have read Carl's post and listened to what he said, but I didnt have time to post until now.

These are my opinions on the subject.

I think we all should know that the most skillful part of 'doing nails' is the actual application. To be able to get the ratio exactly right, then apply it on the nail precisely and correctly in speed time without bumps and lumps is the most difficult. Sanitation, hygiene, preparation, using the correct products is the easier part to learn. Do we not agree..?

So therefore, if the nss gets training in the 'easy' part and change all their products to respectable brands without MMA then - like Carl said - what else is there for us to talk about...? Can we really complete with their speed..?

I too have seen these people at work. They are very fast, quick and accurate. The finish application result is smooth and precise with minimal filing.

I agree with Judy and the others that some clients come to us because we can hold a conversation and they feel pampered. But there are also a large market of prople out there who do not want to talk and just want good, fast nails with minimal fussing.

At this moment, Poppits seems to be the only answer for many of us who cannot compete with the speed of the nss. Poppits are not only fast, but can also 'build' the shape of the nail which many of us find difficult in mastering.

But then if you can do a full set of handmade nails with the proper prep and minimal filing in half an hour then poppits or no poppits, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

I personally know people who owns NSS. It is very true that they are catching on. Some have even sent their employees to big companies like Calgel to get more training and then advertise it as one of their services.

It is also true that we have advantage over them because of their lack of English. BUT there is also another important change in the nss industry that some of us seems to have missed. Most of these nss are family owned business. They have been around for some time now and there seems to be the next younger generations coming on the scene to take over the family business. Daughters, sons who are educated and who can speak english and who can take even more further training if necessary. This is not my personal assumption, this is a fact that I know because I am in contact with these people.

So where does that leave many of us..?

Just my humble opinion.

All I can do, or any of us can do, is educate our clients.
Our clients, and the clients of NSS, hold us in a professional regard. WE are the experts. Many times the clients trust that all sanitation and disinfection standards are being carried out as the law states, why would they think any differently?

I agree that my clients differ from those who frequent the NSS in our area, mine like a good chat, and enjoy the break in their day without feeling as though they are being moved through an assembly line.

There will always be those people who want fast nails, cheap nails, and wouldn't be pleased if they had to sit in my chair for any longer than 45 minutes. Those people are not my clients, nor will they ever be, and that is perfectly okay.

I am extremely lucky in the fact that withing a 150 mile radius of my shop there are only 5 nail salons, all NSS. There are at least a dozen postings for nail techs on the job boards, and I seem to have hit the market at an opportune time, more people want nails than there are professionals to accommodate them.

Hey, if any of you fellow geeks want to move to the end of the earth, you could always come work here with me.

Why not offer BOTH a fast service and a couture service? Now you can do both and service all clients.

I didn't want to add to this post, but geeg is right....as per usual...lol

I use an electric file and have done an infill in 45mins with polish app. (only happened a few times) and a rebalance in an hour. Does that make ME a bad tech from a nss......I don't use the e-file on the natural nail, and have taken extra training to ensure proper usage of it. I take my time with prep, and when I apply, I do it so I have very little to file up at the end.

Nobody wants to sit for 2 hours.

I know its more than just using MMA that makes a NSS....What i am trying to say is....

If they are only fast because they are not safe prepping....little or no sanitation and only doing one bead of pink and cutting corners....they still ain't my competition.

If as Nailzoo says they are picking their game up, and doing it the right way (all the things that i mention above) then this is going to take them longer and then they are no different to us.

If they can do what most of us do and to the same standards and still do it in under an hour without having to use popits then why cant we ?? (if we want to)