Christmas and New Year Opening Times

[DinkyPinky]

This will be my first christmas/new year actually working in the industry. I have a home salon so I work flexible hours Monday to Saturday. I am unsure when I should be open over the festive period. Do you open Christmas Eve and between Christmas and New Year?

 

[Melanie89]

We will be opening christmas eve and new years eve till 3pm and we're being quite strict about not going over this time on these days. The rest of the days we'll just be taking as many appointments as possible, closed boxing day and the 26th not sure about 27th then open again until new years eve and not back till the 5th! xx

 

[J.Victoria]

boxing day and the 26th are the same surely! lol

 

[Melanie89]

haha woops! think i meant to say boxing day and not sure about 27th lol!

 

[SJK]

This will be my first christmas/new year actually working in the industry. I have a home salon so I work flexible hours Monday to Saturday. I am unsure when I should be open over the festive period. Do you open Christmas Eve and between Christmas and New Year?

Most salons close at around 2 or 3 pm on Christmas Eve, and that's strict. This year people will probably reopen on 28th, and run regular hours until New Year's Eve before closing at 2 or 3 pm, reopening 4th or 5th January.

But, since it's your salon, you can do what you like, so if you want to take a break, why not do it?

 

[Vetty]

I'm mobile and I work up until the 23rd then close until the New Year. Tbh, not many people actually want mobile appts between Christmas and New Year, they usually have a houseful of kids and family! Also, I want to spend the festive period with my family, not working!

I did it one year and had a week of cancellations, so I tell all my clients early that I'm not working and they're fine with it.

 

[geeg]

I don't know if any or you will heed my advice on this one, but I thought I would tell you of my experience.

As most of you know, I worked my years behind the nail desk just like all of you are doing right now ... MANY years of 8 till 8 (and beyond), always giving my all to the clients.

Every year, starting from August in some cases, my devoted clients would start to book their Christmas appointments!!! Yes ... August. Christmas eve filled up before anything else. Why, I used to wonder, did clients who would normally go for 3 weeks between maintenance appointments all feel they had to jam in the day before Christmas? It used to take ages to get them all on an even routine again after Christams.

Anyway, Christmas eve would come and the phone would never stop ringing from the moment we got to the salon, while many of the said adoring clients cancelled their appointments until after the new year, because they were too busy!!!

After about 3 years of this, I decided we would not take any appointments, and we would close the salon on Christmas eve. It gave all of we technicians time to give to our own families and celebrations and it was great.

Here is the reality. We were always so full with all the regulars before Christmas that we couldn't fit in new customers, so we really didn't gain over the Christmas period because we did all the same old same old! We made more money, (because we worked longer hours) but in reality we didn't because we were not building new clientele.

It was JANUARY when we got all the new business!!! Everyone who had seen and liked our beautiful nails at parties over the holidays, were booking in for full sets.

Maybe take a little time for yourself and your own families this year?

 

[angelina221]

For Christmas week i always take a 50% deposit. People do get busy at Christmas and forget about appointments so i started taking the deposits to avoid being out of pocket.
If they genuinely want the appointment then they don't mind paying, plus when they come to pay at Christmas, they are grateful that they have already paid 50% of the treatment cost.
People who don't want to pay a deposit don't get the appointment and it's then available to those who will pay.
I have honestly never had a problem with people paying the deposits.
This year everyone will be getting a Christmas card and inside will be a 20% discount voucher for any treatment that they book for January.
I'm also doing a Christmas raffle and there's lots of treatments as prizes.
Anyway, back to the question lol
I will be closing at 3 on Christmas Eve and then will be back to work on Weds 29th. I will then close at 3 on New Years Eve and then business as usually starting from 4th January.

 

[salpep]

Too be honest we work hard all year round and how many of us can honestly say we have good holidays..when your self employed or own a salon(s) your business is on your mind 24/7

I'm personally not going to work Xmas eve, I want time with my kids and family.
We want the money the job brings..but my kids, family and friends are just as important to me and if we can't take time out for them as well as ourselves..what's the point of it all.

So Xmas songs to the ready lol x

P.s I agree too many people book in and then never turn up!

 

[DinkyPinky]

Thanks for your replies. I was thinking along the same lines as Geeg especially as I am my own boss so it's my choice. I think I will close for the week and make the most of the break. :zzz:

 

[geeg]

Thanks for your replies. I was thinking along the same lines as Geeg especially as I am my own boss so it's my choice. I think I will close for the week and make the most of the break. :zzz:

You do that, chic! You deserve it. :hug:

 

[Smartieswife]

Completely agree with Geeg. All you get Christmas Eve is people canceling their appointment.Take the day off!!

 

[geeg]

Completely agree with Geeg. All you get Christmas Eve is people canceling their appointment.Take the day off!!

I haven't been in this business for nearly 30 years for nothing. Those who do not believe will soon find out and then next year will listen. lol I have been posting that same post for the whole of my years on salon geek. Most have been grateful for the advice and have enjoyed some needed time off.

 

[katiebbaby]

I am fully booked wk b4 xmas week and xmas week and the not working xmas eve as I am spending this with by beautifull kids and family, got hair appt at 7am and lashes at 8am then going to town liverpool going to the piccys and lunch some family time. Last year worked silly hrs etc im not doing that again no way hosey lol.


I have dedicated from 4-8 on the 23rd for tans only and only working from home and no special offers at all,,and all clients are happy with this.

And wont be working again untill the 2nd -3rd jan (apart from 30th december for tans only lol), as my partner will be off too and will be nice to spend some family time.

xxx

 

[deanosnana]

GREAT advice, geeg! :hug:

 

[PeepPaws]

I haven't worked a Christmas eve for a long time. It's a very important day to me to be with my family.
I have clients booking up for christmas from sept and they all book up to January because, as Geeg says, January is very busy!
I do not work from Christmas eve until beginning of Jan. I haven't lost any clients due to this.
xx

 

[persianista]

We work xmas eve till 3.30, then have staff drinkies.We then close for 4 days and reopen on the Wednesday. For hair it seems to be different as we are always busy between Christmas and new year as people are off work.

One odd little thing I noticed over the years is that we always get clients not want to leave when we finish xmas eve, as if they want to watch what the hairdressers do in secret!!!
We have a drink, do pressies, and raffle all the choccies we get given. (otherwise I get tons and the juniors very little, so we make it fair).

 

[katiebbaby]

Dawn I agree I love going to the hairdressers on xmas eve, it always seems such a great atmosphere, very busy the music on all staff happy always xmas drinks on the go I always walk out feeling very christamsy

 

[alpina]

We're going to very busy this Christmas now that we have the hairdressing as well as beauty. My first year in business I worked until 6pm on Christmas Eve - wasn't worth the stress. I was running around all day telling clients 'okay just pop your hand in the gel lamp, I'm off to turn the roast/check on the veges/etc'. Second year in I agreed to work up until lunch time only for a very good client but now I just refuse to work at all that day, there's too much to be done at home and Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days of the year.

It's different this year, this will be my first Christmas in the salon (was home-based before) so once I lock those doors on the 23rd I'm gone. No one will be able to ask if they can just pop around after Christmas Dinner to get a nail fixed that they broke that morning, lol. Yes this actually did happen, No I didn't let her come!

I'll be back open between Christmas and New Year's as this week is one of our busiest but I'm going to take a few extra days off in early January for a bit of a break.

 

[lauren89]

the last salon i worked in, we would work the 23rd (no matter what day it fell on) til 3pm then wer off until the 3rd/4th jan. It was lovely to have that break before the january rush. xx