It cannot get any harder, can it?

[topcuts]

Yesterday we took £16. That is our 2nd to worst day since opening earlier this year (this is a relocated salon so I am not new to it).

We need £225 a day to cover everything and thankfully broke even tues/wed/thur but today again? Crap (Excuse the language) with cancellations.

Now I have advertised in a premium local magazine, a smaller local magazine, delivered nearly 5,000 Christmas leaflets this month (November) and emailed eveyr large company in the town offering a Crhistmas Present of 20% discount with any service and taken vouchers to 40 shops..... I am normally a marketing queen and never miss a trick. There is nothing else I can do (I have ordered Introduce a Friend cards and Loyalty Cards for January so I am prepared)

What the hell is going on with this recession?? Is it just that everyone is busy Christmas shopping? How are you all getting along at the moment?

As you will see from my other threads, I am normally positive and encouraging everyone but not this time, this time I need YOU to encourage me!

PS No salary for 3 months

 

[dee]

oh yikes i hope it picks up for you the rest of the month , i know its quiet for people all over the place , all different places of the world the recession is hitting people not just nails but hair too etc ,
hopefully next year things will sort themselfs out x

 

[lushtan&beauty]

hi sorry to hear your predicament. im in the same boat, Ive been quiet since september. I thought it was just because the kids had all gone back to school and parents had uniforms ect to buy. but to last this long.........?
Ive decorated the shop and got new posters and flashy light on window displays to attract customers but nothing. Im starting to get really paranoid as a lot of bookings are cancelling at the last minute. Its all since i sprayed a group of 6 women. they asked to be dark and i told them a medium would be better as it wouldnt freak them out as its their 1st one. One of the women said that she had had one before and always got the dark. 4 days later one of the women phoned to say her spray was all patchy and it was too dark so she had tried to rub some of it off. I explained this wasnt our fault but she wanted a refund on all 6 tans. since then ive had a substantial drop in customers and bookings cancelling. Im hoping it picks up over xmas cos i dont know what to do x

 

[topcuts]

OMG that is so sad and so horrible to hear and for you experience, the public are sods and will always try it on....I dont know what to say to help you other than keep advertising, do a leaflet drop and smile smile smile. It is hard isnt it

 

[hayleysspraytan]

Keep the faith!!! People are busy this time of year have you extended your opening hours?? You may just find it happens later on in this month with a mad rush the last week!! Keeping my fingers crossed for you x

 

[hayleysspraytan]

hi sorry to hear your predicament. im in the same boat, Ive been quiet since september. I thought it was just because the kids had all gone back to school and parents had uniforms ect to buy. but to last this long.........?
Ive decorated the shop and got new posters and flashy light on window displays to attract customers but nothing. Im starting to get really paranoid as a lot of bookings are cancelling at the last minute. Its all since i sprayed a group of 6 women. they asked to be dark and i told them a medium would be better as it wouldnt freak them out as its their 1st one. One of the women said that she had had one before and always got the dark. 4 days later one of the women phoned to say her spray was all patchy and it was too dark so she had tried to rub some of it off. I explained this wasnt our fault but she wanted a refund on all 6 tans. since then ive had a substantial drop in customers and bookings cancelling. Im hoping it picks up over xmas cos i dont know what to do x

Itv may well have nothing at all to do with this hun ... its a funny old economy at present and people have lots to get sorted pampering may well be a little later down the list this year ... Im sure it will happen though hun try not to panic and focus on being proactive advertising etc good luck x

 

[Pinkbunny28]

I feel your pain. I did a pamper event last night and I spent AGES making up these little organza bags with solar oil, toe separators and free sachets of things to sell for 4.49 and not 1 person picked 1 up to enquire, the ones I was doing treatments on I was urging to buy but not 1

It really is such a bad economy and dad said its only gonna get worse next year

I'm lucky I don't have ongoing expenses as I'm mobile.

I hope it gets better tomorrow/ when you're next open x

 

[Beautytreats75]

I work in a salon and its dead, i am also a mobile therapist and im fully booked!! I just think clients want treatments as cheap as possible AND want the treatments brought to them! No parking or fuel cost for them then

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using SalonGeek

 

[bombini]

I think a lot of people don't want to pay full price for things anymore and sadly it has affected most industries if not all of them.

I haven't taken on new clients for a few years as I work part time from home around my son so can't be very flexible on hours but in the new year I will start advertising again as I need the extra income ! Im not looking forward to it to be honest. I went on maternity leave just before the recession hit so I have never really experienced the clients that want to pay as little as possible.

I am quite thrifty now with what I spend my money on, always try and buy food that's on offer, buy clothes in the sale or use discount vouchers. Most of my LO's xmas presents have been in the sale.

Have you sold many gift vouchers ?

 

[tiatia22]

You need £225 a day to cover costs.Wow......I think that is the problem,too high over heads, is your rent very high, i have a salon, no way could i manage if i had to clear that ammount every day,I would sit down and look at how you can save on costings.I would say you need about 2 years to get yourself on track, and we are in a bad recesion at moment so it's not easy. wish you all the best,and merry christmas.xx:lol:

 

[little voyce]

This reply relates to this thread AND the next regarding good ol' Groupon (but it's not about them specifically). I hear from EVERYBODY that it's quiet out there, tho there is still some good regular work coming through. I think it's due to a number of things, one of those being Christmas just in three weeks but I also think our industry may have done itself a great disfavour. The whole nature of the public's buying has changed since the introduction of the wholesaling of discount vouchers and I think we have encouraged the public to seek cut price deals - and not loyalty. Particularly, if times are universally hard, why should someone come to any of us if the salon down the road is offering similar for less?And the next week another salon will be offering less....

At what point will your client come back to you? Obviously, this doesn't account for all our clients - we know that. And the ones that remain loyal throughout are the backbone of our business.

I believe though, that at some point the whole voucher mentality will implode as it will become unsustainable. Too many voucher merchants climbing on the same bandwagon. And everything is cyclical. Nothing remains permanent except for good service, good value and a good reputation.

To bring about this sea-change though, we, as an industry, have to stop subscribing to and encouraging this 'cut-price' habit. To do so, you have to also stop purchasing your OWN deals.... difficult eh? I admit, I bought one only recently. Nothing to do with beauty, but the concept remains the same.

We need to believe in the value of our product and charge accordingly. Add value where you want in any way that builds the publics perception of your services. Encourage newbies to avoid under-pricing and under-cutting. They are short-term solutions.

Lastly, it's tough but we have to ride this out - and taking less and less is not going to be the horse to back.

 

[Rinn]

good on ya.. well said

 

[Theden]

This reply relates to this thread AND the next regarding good ol' Groupon (but it's not about them specifically). I hear from EVERYBODY that it's quiet out there, tho there is still some good regular work coming through. I think it's due to a number of things, one of those being Christmas just in three weeks but I also think our industry may have done itself a great disfavour. The whole nature of the public's buying has changed since the introduction of the wholesaling of discount vouchers and I think we have encouraged the public to seek cut price deals - and not loyalty. Particularly, if times are universally hard, why should someone come to any of us if the salon down the road is offering similar for less?And the next week another salon will be offering less....

At what point will your client come back to you? Obviously, this doesn't account for all our clients - we know that. And the ones that remain loyal throughout are the backbone of our business.

I believe though, that at some point the whole voucher mentality will implode as it will become unsustainable. Too many voucher merchants climbing on the same bandwagon. And everything is cyclical. Nothing remains permanent except for good service, good value and a good reputation.

To bring about this sea-change though, we, as an industry, have to stop subscribing to and encouraging this 'cut-price' habit. To do so, you have to also stop purchasing your OWN deals.... difficult eh? I admit, I bought one only recently. Nothing to do with beauty, but the concept remains the same.

We need to believe in the value of our product and charge accordingly. Add value where you want in any way that builds the publics perception of your services. Encourage newbies to avoid under-pricing and under-cutting. They are short-term solutions.

Lastly, it's tough but we have to ride this out - and taking less and less is not going to be the horse to back.

completely agree well said !!!!

 

[Divine Locks]

This reply relates to this thread AND the next regarding good ol' Groupon (but it's not about them specifically). I hear from EVERYBODY that it's quiet out there, tho there is still some good regular work coming through. I think it's due to a number of things, one of those being Christmas just in three weeks but I also think our industry may have done itself a great disfavour. The whole nature of the public's buying has changed since the introduction of the wholesaling of discount vouchers and I think we have encouraged the public to seek cut price deals - and not loyalty. Particularly, if times are universally hard, why should someone come to any of us if the salon down the road is offering similar for less?And the next week another salon will be offering less....

At what point will your client come back to you? Obviously, this doesn't account for all our clients - we know that. And the ones that remain loyal throughout are the backbone of our business.

I believe though, that at some point the whole voucher mentality will implode as it will become unsustainable. Too many voucher merchants climbing on the same bandwagon. And everything is cyclical. Nothing remains permanent except for good service, good value and a good reputation.

To bring about this sea-change though, we, as an industry, have to stop subscribing to and encouraging this 'cut-price' habit. To do so, you have to also stop purchasing your OWN deals.... difficult eh? I admit, I bought one only recently. Nothing to do with beauty, but the concept remains the same.

We need to believe in the value of our product and charge accordingly. Add value where you want in any way that builds the publics perception of your services. Encourage newbies to avoid under-pricing and under-cutting. They are short-term solutions.

Lastly, it's tough but we have to ride this out - and taking less and less is not going to be the horse to back.

Thank you so much for posting this, you have just made up my mind for me.

I opened my hair and beauty salon in September of this year and i've got to say I am seriously struggling.

Most days I don't have a single customer, last week I earned a grand total of £23.50!!! I have tried everything from leaflet drops to newspaper advertising and neither seem to have made any difference so this morning I was seriously considering using the dreaded Groupon, the theory being that any amount of money is better than none?.

However, having read your post I have realised that its time to make a stand against this trend, and i agree that these marketing sites could well be contributing to my, and others, current problems. I can see how tempting it can be for owners in my position but, as you said, the whole discount thing simply cannot sustain itself (similar to the whole banks fiasco which has dumped us in a world recession!). Question is, how many businesses will it take down with it?.

We all need to take a stand in order to maintain the public's respect for our industry:!:

(blimey, i'll be burning my bra next :lol

 

[persianista]

Discounting destroys businesses. You have to treat it like an overhead, just like rent/ rates etc.
Our industry should not be expected to work for slumdog rates of pay. That teacher/doctor etc buying a groupon which forces a therapist to work for £1 an hour needs to be made to feel ashamed of their greed. THEY WOULDN'T WORK AT THOSE RATES OF PAY, SO WHY SHOULD WE?
Maybe we should point out that the average therapist doesnt have a pension to strike over, or a union to enforce minimum charges for her services.
I have never bought a groupon. I like to pay my way in this life, and do not want people to suffer so I can exploit their desperation.
I really hope ethical buying comes into fashion.
Makes me laugh that people will buy fairtrade coffee, then use a groupon whch ensures that an entire industry suffers in the UK.

 

[Divine Locks]

I like the idea of a union to enforce minimum charges for services, perhaps we should form one :biggrin:

 

[Pinkbunny28]

I like the idea of a union to enforce minimum charges for services, perhaps we should form one :biggrin:

I think this is illegal? Thought you weren't allowed to set minimum charges for anything. Although I'd love to do that x

 

[Divine Locks]

OMG is it really illegal - WHOOPS :lol:

Mind you companies like groupon are inadvertantly setting a maximum price for treatments, surely that should be illegal xx

 

[persianista]

I think this is illegal? Thought you weren't allowed to set minimum charges for anything. Although I'd love to do that x

There is minimum wage though.Surely this has to be considered? If you employ a therapist to do an hours body massage, they have to receive the minimum wage by law I would have thought.

 

[Alex-Lydia]

Yesterday we took £16. That is our 2nd to worst day since opening earlier this year (this is a relocated salon so I am not new to it).

We need £225 a day to cover everything and thankfully broke even tues/wed/thur but today again? Crap (Excuse the language) with cancellations.

Now I have advertised in a premium local magazine, a smaller local magazine, delivered nearly 5,000 Christmas leaflets this month (November) and emailed eveyr large company in the town offering a Crhistmas Present of 20% discount with any service and taken vouchers to 40 shops..... I am normally a marketing queen and never miss a trick. There is nothing else I can do (I have ordered Introduce a Friend cards and Loyalty Cards for January so I am prepared)

What the hell is going on with this recession?? Is it just that everyone is busy Christmas shopping? How are you all getting along at the moment?

As you will see from my other threads, I am normally positive and encouraging everyone but not this time, this time I need YOU to encourage me!

PS No salary for 3 months

I really feel for you, keep the faith if you have a good business plan and keep reviewing it, have ethic's and stick to them and keep professional and keep your clients aware of your professionalism I believe (hope) we will all get through this hellish time.

Discounting destroys businesses. You have to treat it like an overhead, just like rent/ rates etc.
Our industry should not be expected to work for slumdog rates of pay. That teacher/doctor etc buying a groupon which forces a therapist to work for £1 an hour needs to be made to feel ashamed of their greed. THEY WOULDN'T WORK AT THOSE RATES OF PAY, SO WHY SHOULD WE?
Maybe we should point out that the average therapist doesnt have a pension to strike over, or a union to enforce minimum charges for her services.
I have never bought a groupon. I like to pay my way in this life, and do not want people to suffer so I can exploit their desperation.
I really hope ethical buying comes into fashion.
Makes me laugh that people will buy fairtrade coffee, then use a groupon whch ensures that an entire industry suffers in the UK.

Fantastic piece of writing, we should all be showing these words to our friends, neighbours and clients so they see what 'a great deal' does to not just our industry but all industries, employers and workers alike.

Britain once had a reputation for class and quality - lets keep that reputation.

x