MMA use in the U.K.

[xtremities]

Is anything ever going to be done in the U.K. about MMA use or N.S.S.

Business is real quiet for me at the moment, so I took from advice from Mrs. Geek on this board and telephoned some clients I hadn't seen in a while and guess what, they had all gone to "what they called the cheaper salons". They then complained about being cut, nails hurting for days etc. but they were sooooo cheap, they are prepared to put up with this for the price.

How are us techs who have been educated, constantly striving to learn and who practice good sanitation ever going to compete with this.

I get so frustrated. I have two salons near where I live, one sunbed shop and one beauty shop and they are telling me that they have lost 50% of their clients to a new NSS salon that has just opened up undercutting them by 50%.

One of my ex clients actually said to me, if you cut your prices by half I will come back to you, because your nails are much better and you talk to me. Aaaaaaaah something just has to be done.

Thanks for listening, just sounding off.


Sam

 

[heatherw55]

Hi Sam,
Totally understand where you are coming from, i agree these cheaper salons are popping up all over the place , and also i am finding that they are putting clients off ever have there nails done again!!! I too find it hard to compete,and wish somthing could be done. So your not on your own hun!!! Best of luck , and hope business picks up for you soon. Heather x

 

[Boogaloo]

I agree I have 2 salons near me and my friends love it because they are cheap and quick, if only they new the what damage they can do with that drill and the hygeine, well lets not go there!! By the way what does NSS stand for??

 

[perfect pinkies]

hi hun, it stands for Non Standard Salon(me thinks!!) ive decided to give up for a while do more training and try again later. i live quite close to the town centre so i have at least 5 of theses salons all to close to me, so i know how you feel and definately sympathise.

 

[Sara Satchell]

One of my ex clients actually said to me, if you cut your prices by half I will come back to you, because your nails are much better and you talk to me.

Sam

Well that just about says it all doesn't it Sam! Keep your standards - DONT lower your prices - A perfect example of "getting what you pay for".....maybe that could be your advertising slogan....?!

 

[Noodle]

Hi Sam

I have to say that I absolutely agree with Sara.

Unfortunately though, it is only when clients whinge and moan that their nails are permanently sore, painful to touch and possibly damaged, that they realise if you pay CHEAP, you get CHEAP.

Some people never learn and will go back for more, just because it's a quick, no appointment needed, walk-in service, but why should the reputation of a trained, qualified and skilled technician suffer because of MMA and NSS?

Maintain your standards together with your prices.

 

[Boogaloo]

Just a thought I had, when I was training I went into one of these salon's and they had a sign up regarding the use of MMA and they state that their products do not contain it, they say they use OPI. Do you think they are telling porkies???

 

[Just Jo]

Hi ... I have also lost a couple of my ladies because of having them done cheaper elsewhere ... and like you sam was told that my nails were better!! Doesnt make sense You cant help but get downhearted about it though ... these 45 mins cheap sets really do hurt at the moment.

 

[naturalnails]

I had a lady come to me at the weekend for airbrushing. She was up here visiting her mum for the weekend. She lives in Windsor. She goes to one of the Thai shops (her words). We discussed the Watchdog programme and how some salons will try to improve their credibility by putting well known posters on the walls etc. She laughed and said that they had Jessica containers but they filled them up with something call "Hong Kong Girl" LOL

I said to her to check on the internet for MMA. I also pointed out that as she was not local to me I did not want to be accused of trying to poach her or words to that effect. She appreciated my honesty.

As I explained, if she decided to carry on going there then at least she would be making an informed choice. When I had finished her nails she was starting to convince herself that as she visited her mum every couple of weeks, she could come to me and have her nails done LOL.

At the end of the day, I don't think that enforcing licensing on already professional technicians is the be all and end all answer. What is probably more achievable is educating the public to what to expect from their professional nail technician.

Sam, maybe you could get a flyer together detailing the reasons why we want these salons checked and send it to your clients who have jumped ship.

However, if people are treating their nails in such a carefree fashion and only going to whoever is cheapest then they are not sustainable business anyway.

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

Right my thoughts are :
If you want burger you go to a burger bar......if you want posh nosh, then you go to a fab restaurant...............
You would never see a posh Restaurant serving a Maccie D with fries.and charge Maccie D's prices...........
Same you would never see a Maccie D' dazzling us with their extensive menu of exotic fineries............

So stay as you are, because the clients that do come to you know the difference between Maccie D' type nails and fab restaurant nails............
And do you really, want the type of client that doesn't care about how their nails are done or appreciates the art of creating fab nails ?????
Promote your business as a top class one ............... then there is no competition for you ..................
Just my thought's
There will always be NSS and then there will also be the SSS (Super Standard Salon) and we will win in the end, as we are setting the standard and clients will foolow, it might just take a prod lol or knackered nail or two xxxx

 

[angel.tips]

I know what you say is true Ruth but it is sooooooooo frustrating that even though you explain to people the hazards of going to a NSS they still opt for it as though their health is worth nothing. I did lower my prices to compete but realised that those sort of clients that have cheap nails do not look after them. I refuse to lower them now because I know my work is far superior and am sitting tight riding the storm. ( hope it ends soon though!) I'm now looking into doing an airbrush course for nails and tanning to add to my skills.

 

[bimbogeri]

The only thing I can suggest is a bit of scaremongering. Get the worst pics of MMA and drill damage you can find and make up a little flyer. Maybe put some pics at the top with some 'normal' or 'ok' nails on with the heading "They look OK from here...." and then go on with "but underneath.." and have pics of the MMA and drill damage. Or maybe "The REAL price of cheap nails" etc etc. Have some professional info on there as well of course, but we do know that a picture tells a thousand words. Some people will let information go in one ear and out the other, but a scary picture will stick in their mind.
Stick the flyer up by your desk and let people mull it over as you work on them...
OK, maybe it's not that 'adult' a thing to do, maybe it's being just as bad as the nail companies that bad mouth other brands to enhance their own, I don't know, but I have found in the past that picures DO work. When I did henna and body painting I petitioned a shop in Tunbridge Wells that sold dodgy 'black henna' with a sheet I had made up out PPD burns, complete with gruesome pictures. They then went on to import a more recommended brand (complete with the sign that they were 'the only/first place in the UK with safe coloured henna' - not true at all cos they were my supplier that I gave them the details of, but ho hum).
At the end of the day, some people just won't care, or they will have the 'it'll never happen to me' attitude. No offence to any smokers here (so please don't neg rep me!) but I know plenty of smokers who know the dangers but still don't give up, some out of sheer stubborness and some because they think the dangers don't count, but it's kinda the same thing. Hopefully you will find enough people that DO care to keep yourself going, and know at the end of the day that at least you did the right thing.

 

[mum]

Hi Geeks

Some really interesting points on this thread!

You may have seen mention in last months mags that there was to be a Nail Forum organised by HABIA (chaired by yours truly). This happened (and will be reported on in the mags). It was attended by some great people in the industry and also some other very interested parties. For example, Environmental Health Depts are very involved and desparately need to get to grips with nail salons and associated issues.

MMA is not banned here and is unlikely to be in the near future. BUT.....education of technicians, the public, the media and local authority is the only way forward for now.

The, so called, NSS salons have issues with using MMA (which is legal) and drills (also legal). Whatever any individual view, there is no issue with price. All salons need to be commercial and, as Ruth pointed out in her own fab way, dinner our for some is 'Maccie D's'.

I totally disagree with scare tactics (sorry Bimbogeri) but all that does is bring the whole industry into disrepute as the public are not educated enough to separate scary MMA from every nail salon.

Education, keeping your nerve, confidence in your skills and products and showing everyone (clients, local press etc) how good nails can be in the right 'hands' will win through. Value for money is essential but, at the end of the day, most people are happy with the saying 'you get what you pay for' and therefore take the consequences

 

[bimbogeri]

Having re-read my post, I think I probably came across as wrong. My fault for waffling on too much! What I really meant to say as the bottom line was that it is possible that if you keep a flyer displayed in your salon showing pics of MMA and drill damage it may 'go in' slightly better than just text, because sometimes a visual medium works better.
I agree, scaremongering isn't right and I probably used the wrong word when I used it. I was trying to mean 'impact' but have had a stressy day and my brain isn't working properly!
So apologies to anyone who I lead down the wrong path!!

Just edited this again because my brain obviously STILL isn't working right. I don't mean JUST to have pictures either, just too illustrate your written flyer because sometimes people can't equate the damage in their head without a picture. Back to the smoking analogy - you know it does damage to your heart/lungs, but a biology textbook photo of a ruined pair of lungs will probably stick in your head better than the words.

Or maybe I should just shut up now? :o :smack: