Charging family members

[pure]

I wouldn't dream of charging my family for any treatments. By family I mean mum, kids and step kids.

With my friends it's a little different. If they come into the salon then I charge them a discounted price. If they come to my house then I will charge minimal if at all.

Many of my friends have their own businesses and so they do us cheap or free favours all the time and so I do the same.

The other month, all our husbands went away to watch the rugby, so I had all my girlfriends over for a girly night with manicures and wine. :green: All free but lots of fun!

 

[ttmil]

I charge my mother half, just because she insists she needs to pay something and then she still thinks I'm not charging enough. The rest of the family I give them 30% off as I figure they are taking a slot from a full price client and anywhere else they went they'd pay more than I'm charging. If I did it at my house on my off time I would probably do mani & pedi for free and enhancements for bare minimum that would cover product.

 

[sknight]

I have 2 models, my mum and my cousin who advertise my nails. They are the only ones I do freebies for as they get me loads of custom. I would never do freebies for someone cos i know them or am related! It costs me money and time and it sounds harsh but will they respect their nails and your work if they are free? most wont and you will find yourself doing free repairs when they break after a few days of neglect.

You need to think of your future business and start out as you mean to go on.

Stevie

 

[Blackjack]

[quote my mother in law asked me to do my sister in law's feet and she said to me if I was going to charge then she would do them herself!!! :irked:
Lily x x[/quote]

I would of said well youll have to do them anyway as i am just too busy at the moment !!! on principle of her attitude.
It is nice to give a few people freebies when you are training people are giving up there time etc when you are training. But always make it clear that you are looking forward to a change in carreer for the money aspect aswell so that you can better your family life.
When I am at work I am working for money as most of us are self employed and if we do not work we do not have spondoolies!!
I have a strict policy at work that the girls all get products at cost which is a good bonus for them and dosn't cost the business BUT if anybody wants a treatment then they pay the treatment price. Not only for myself but i dont want any of the girls under pressure to work for free.
I do treatments for my children and my mum for free but apart from them no way hoseay
Please do not forget that a person that genuinely cares for you will appretiate all the overheads and training you have paid for and will never expect you to give up your time for free once you are qualified.

ps she sounds a rite abrupt cow poor you

 

[sharon h]

hi, I am like you when i was doing my training for nails etc I had plenty of friends and family to practise on then once qualified my other family members who never had any interest in nails, looking nice or having a spray tan kept ringing to say they were going to a party etc could I do it for them as mum, nan, etc said i did it now for a living. it was always hinted they could not afford it so in the early days i would do it for free until I realised it was costing much more than i thought to replace the products,especially when I was working for myself. so now if any family/friends phone i send them a leaflet with my price list and advise them to call me to book an appointment. I have gone to family parties and heard a few moans saying im tight and selfish etc but i have to make a living and pay bills like everyone else. i will only give my mum free treatment now. I was even getting friends turn up the night before going out, sitting there complaining their nails were a mess and they could not do them as they have not got a nail polish to go with their outfit and dont have the time or money to go to the salon, constantly hinting it really does my head in, yet before i got int the health and beauty industry I never heard from certain family or friends. I hope you charge people for your time and products as i wish i had done back then. good luck and merry christmas.

 

[lilly]

i gave up hairdressing for a while because of this prob, i ended up paying for poeple to have their hair coloured etc and not being able to afford to get mine done !!! now i look at it differantly, every time that gel pot is opened its money thats comming out! i'm to soft because when it gets to payment time i have to swallow back the words " oh no dont worry about it !" and then feel crap when they say "oh ok, cheers!" :smack:

 

[soulcaliber87]

Coz I am not qualified yet, I do practise on them and I don't expect them to pay but once I am qualified I would like a bit of money but I know they won't budge! There are girls on my course that practise on their in laws and they give them a fiver here and there just for her time etc. Which is nice, but mine wouldn't do that! Even if it is a fiver its still something nice!

Although I have a friend who comes to see me every other week and goes oh I wsa thinking to cut my nails but then I thought I was seeing you tomorrow so you might as well do a manicure on me!!! Twice I have done it now, and not even got a pittance! I thought hmmm wot do I say? I'm not qualified yet, but have passed my manicure and pedicure!

I'm just scared in saying that will be? lol

you should charge them in my own experience it will become a thing that will happen more and more people will expect things for free cos the idea there going on is oh its only doing it on relatives (its still products you could be using on someone whom is paying) charge or you will get walked all over
xxxxx

 

[Do-N nailz]

If they first came to you and askedyou to do their nails and they said they would pay you, then I would charge half price. But, if they expect you to do them for free and they have the money to pay you, I would either charge them feel price or not do them at all.

 

[soriminah]

Funnily enough, I can't get my Mum on my massage table at all - free or not. I've waxed her eyebrows for years tho and my sisters and I colour her hair. But considering all she's done for us over the years - Mum deserves looking after.
I'm happy to trade with people but only do freebies for Mum and my sisters but that's my choice not to charge them. But I'd be charging family of family etc.
My rule of thumb - if they expect a freebie, definately charge - how rude to expect that you'd do it free. Even my niece will give me money. When I tell her no, she demands I take it and says you can't be doing it for free.

 

[doiamailbox]

Hello!

Was wondering what you opinion is about charging family member, my mother in law asked me to do my sister in law's feet and she said to me if I was going to charge then she would do them herself!!! :irked:

I thought well have you got a certificate in pedicures? So do you guys charge your family members? If so at a discount? Am I mean for wanting to charge the in laws?

Thanks for reading

Lily x x

I'm not sure what your plant is after you a certify. If you are going to work in a salon than the first time mom ask for a service, you should get her a gift certificate with the amount for that service. This will let her know right a way your value as a professional in the salon, believe me see will not ask you to do anyone for free again.

As for the practice, if you ask me how I got where I with my skill level I can only tell you that, "I'm because I do" so do anyone that willing to let you, you can practice now or practice later on a pay customers, but at least try to get product cost not so much as it's coming out of your pocket, but you need to learn the confident in asking it. This is very important, because in the salon you will be doing lots of it, broken nails, nails art, retails......

As for friends and other family members, you can lose more that a client. I try to avoid taking that chance.

Remember the sooner you can get peoples to come back, the sooner you will find success.

Hope that help.
:hug:

 

[heidi14]

The only people I don't charge are my Mum and my sister because they do alot to help me. The rest of the family, however I do charge the rest of the family because it takes the same amount of time and effort as any other paying customer!

 

[little_star]

Whenever I cut my mams hair she always gives me £5, Iv never asked for it but she realises its saving her money going to the hairdressers anyway. My sister also gives me abit of money when she has her hair cut or a manicure but not long ago my friend asked me to cut her hair so i went round to her house and cut in into a bob for her and she didnt offer me a penny which really annoyed me because i didnt have the guts to ask for money but now all my friends will expect free cuts too and it is using up my time where as theres a lot of my family offering to pay me to cut their hair and i have to turn them down because i dont usually have time to do everyones hair. so i think you should charge all your customers even if it is discounted for family and friends.

 

[CaraLouise]

id do them hlf price or sumting or just explain sayin u cant have them totally free becz it costs u to use these things but i do my close family 4 free like sisters n mum coz they alway helpin me out with gettin bits n tht but my bf's family i do them hlf price x

 

[kylieb]

Sorry but what a b***** cheek!
Let her do it herself hun I say!
I charge my friends an family for what it costs me. Like they say 'I couldnt go to a salon for that price'
Whats the point otherwise? Its costing you for products.
I wouldnt ever dream of charging my mum though (if she was here)

xxx

 

[Sharonian]

Hello!

Was wondering what you opinon is about charging family member, my mother in law asked me to do my sister in law's feet and she said to me if I was going to charge then she would do them herself!!! :irked:

I thought well have you got a certificate in pedicures? So do you guys charge your family members? If so at a discount? Am I mean for wanting to charge the in laws?

Thanks for reading

Lily x x

Hi Lilly

I used to have this problem then i decided enough was enough, i made up and printed of my price list and gave them out to everyone and told them that the next treatment would be free then they could have 20% off after that cause i loved them sooo much! They then feel like they are getting a speacial treat that the wouldnt get anywhere else...and it worked. I do have one friend however that still tries to get freebies so when she askes me to do her nails i book her into my diary and make sure i fill out her client card at the start of the service that way its not so hard to ask for the money at the end..wen they say how much? just look the other way and say the price (make sure you know what you are charging before you start)...its hard but like all the other fab nail techs on here have said 'its your time and products...and if the dont come back then you havent lost anything!!)

p.s i always give my mum freebies cause shes ace!)

hth

sharon

 

[pringle12]

Mine depends on what family members..... my sisters i double the price (cos spending more than 5 mins with them is torture enough) lol.... Really i tend just to ask then for a donation just to cover the cost.. but everyone is different. this is quite a hard one to answer !!!!

Good one hun love that made my day,me to lol.x

 

[Leah30]

Your time is as precious as anyone elses. If your sister in law is not prepared to cover the cost of materials (at least) then let her go and buy the products her self to do it.

Good luck with it.

Leah x

 

[BiancaBear]

Hi I would say that if you are having to think about weather they should pay or not then Yes thet should, I know that if mum or nan asked i would do thier nails without a penny being paid but any other family members i would want something in return! Nothing in this world is free and that includes the products that you have buy!. If tehy can't help you out then don't put yourself out for them,
I know that sounds harsh but true!

Take care

 

[sammyt]

if you thought it was a one off, for holiday etc id just do it for free if you got on well and know she would appreciate it as a treat, but with her actually saying if your gonna charge she would do it herself thats just cheeky,she will be asking allsorts of you if its gonna be free.

generally a set price list just for family & friends is easier. i found myself charging hardly anything for a full set at first but because it was far to low friends wouldnt think anything of abusing there nails n just getting me to do full set more often cos it was so cheap. think its just finding a happy medium. you find yourself fighting with yourself saying shall i chrage that much or not?

hope helps xx

 

[mandms006]

i didn't charge a lot of people while i was training but found that they would want there nails done alot butand now i will ask those that i didn't charge before i ask for something towards the cost even if it something small like a 5 pounds they now never want there nails done now, i never charge my children because they are my children or my sons girlfriend, so i think start how you mean to go on if they don't want it done because you are charging then its them in the wrong has you have to pay for the product and its your time that you are taking to do it it could cost you the time for a paying client