NSS salons: are they affecting your business?

[theperfectten]

Does anyone else seem to have a problem with local NSS salons? I have found that I'm going to need to go back to full-time work and do nails part-time as I have not managed to build up a significant client base and I have bills to pay! My biggest problems are the 2 NSS salons where I live, people are completely uneducated... I'm pretty sure they are using MMA and whacking out acrylic nails for £25, gel nails for £30 (they apply acrylic for those and charge them the extra £5 for their trouble), Bluesky Shellac... crazy! And they're always full!!! Does anyone else have the same trouble?

 

[tanfastic]

Hi lovey, yes they can be a problem but you should concentrate on the good service you offer rather than the lees than perfect service offered elsewhere. If your clients want cheap and "not so" cheerful, let them go somewhere cheaper, but you do get what you pay for and they will probably come back to you when their nails are in a state.

I have found that people love the quick application in these salons, 45 minutes in and out but daren't ever go without enhancements because their natural nails are atrocious. Try to appeal to the more discerning client who likes a luxurious, slower treatment and gets fabulous nails which can be removed to leave fabulous natural nails.

Hope you do OK, and if you have to take a part time job, do it so you can keep trying to build up a loyal and regular client base.

Good luck

 

[theperfectten]

Hi lovey, yes they can be a problem but you should concentrate on the good service you offer rather than the lees than perfect service offered elsewhere. If your clients want cheap and "not so" cheerful, let them go somewhere cheaper, but you do get what you pay for and they will probably come back to you when their nails are in a state.

I have found that people love the quick application in these salons, 45 minutes in and out but daren't ever go without enhancements because their natural nails are atrocious. Try to appeal to the more discerning client who likes a luxurious, slower treatment and gets fabulous nails which can be removed to leave fabulous natural nails.

Hope you do OK, and if you have to take a part time job, do it so you can keep trying to build up a loyal and regular client base.

Good luck

Thanks for your reply, it's good to know that I'm not the only person! Have had a few people come to me after being there and god those nails take some removing! At least when they leave they have something decent and I've told them why they shouldn't go there! Those repeat customers are great as they are the ones who recommend their friends (who also go there!) just need a few more 'converts'!

 

[curvygirl]

i had a new client in yesterday for a shellac pedicure - she text me a few days ago to say she was wearing twinkle toes and would i be ok to remove them? i said yes no problem....

anyway she came in yesterday, so i wrapped each toe in dsolve soaked magis wraps and left for 10-15mins but the twinkle toes wouldn't budge! i buffed off some of the topcoat and wrapped them again for another 10 mins. To cut a long story short - it took an HOUR of buffing/resoaking in wraps to remove them.

i apologised to the client who said the usual NSS takes them off in 10 mins- i asked how? "oh they just DRILL EM OFF"

I felt sick when she said that

- when i managed to remove the last patches of glitter on her toes, i could see that each nailbed was bright red in the centre of the nail, the free edge on each nail was wafer thin - one nail was so thin that it was concave on the nailbed!

i showed her the damage, she was surprised and thought it was normal for her toes to be sore after a removal...WTF???!!! i told her her nails should be pink and healthy looking, not bright red.

we managed to shellac her toes, but i told her that realistically i couldn't promise they would stay on, gave her aftercare advice.

she rebooked there and then for a mani and pedi in 3 weeks time....

so when someone says don't worry what NSS salons are doing - well I DO WORRY... it's sickening that they can do this much damage to someone's nails and not give a stuff.. :-(

 

[theperfectten]

i had a new client in yesterday for a shellac pedicure - she text me a few days ago to say she was wearing twinkle toes and would i be ok to remove them? i said yes no problem....

anyway she came in yesterday, so i wrapped each toe in dsolve soaked magis wraps and left for 10-15mins but the twinkle toes wouldn't budge! i buffed off some of the topcoat and wrapped them again for another 10 mins. To cut a long story short - it took an HOUR of buffing/resoaking in wraps to remove them.

i apologised to the client who said the usual NSS takes them off in 10 mins- i asked how? "oh they just DRILL EM OFF"

I felt sick when she said that

- when i managed to remove the last patches of glitter on her toes, i could see that each nailbed was bright red in the centre of the nail, the free edge on each nail was wafer thin - one nail was so thin that it was concave on the nailbed!

i showed her the damage, she was surprised and thought it was normal for her toes to be sore after a removal...WTF???!!! i told her her nails should be pink and healthy looking, not bright red.

we managed to shellac her toes, but i told her that realistically i couldn't promise they would stay on, gave her aftercare advice.

she rebooked there and then for a mani and pedi in 3 weeks time....

so when someone says don't worry what NSS salons are doing - well I DO WORRY... it's sickening that they can do this much damage to someone's nails and not give a stuff.. :-(

Yeah I worry too, as if it was me and nobody had given me advice I would be mortified! Have heard some horror stories and seen some awful states and people think it's normal! But it's hard to get them to change to yourself or another 'proper' salon as they are getting such cheap deals....!

 

[Chickafish]

NSS are frustrating to deal with, but I don't see an end to them. The only option is to do your best to show your clients you know what you're doing/talking about, and hope for the best. There will be people who are only after the cheapest price tag, and there will be people who will come to the realization that what they've had done to them in the past is not good, and will want to continue coming to you.

Where I'm working now, there are about 3-4 questionable nail places nearby. Today, I gave a woman a Gelish removal/reapplication. She told me about how they drilled it off her at the other place. After seeing how it really should've been removed, and my telling her what she should do about the current damage on her nails, and what treatment options I thought she should consider having in the near future until she has full plate of healthy nails, she noted my name after paying and said she'd be rebooking with me again when she comes back from her vacation. Not too long after, I had another client come in for a pedi and shellac mani. This woman was well rude to me, and after spending a little over 2 hours working on her, she paid and left (no tip for me or anything!) with a less than satisfied look on her face. I can tell she probably won't be back because she probably thought despite my careful eye to detail and care I took to make sure she was happy with her service, she probably thought she paid too much. But honestly, I don't feel bad. I know the lady before her will probably tell her friends, and they'll probably pop in, and I already know she'll be returning. I'd rather have 5 of the Gelish lady, than 20 of the latter. I have no space for clients with no loyalty.

 

[MissOwen]

They do effect me..... they take all the cheap chavvy client who don't care about getting sore fingers and one size suits all airbrushed white tipped nails. That leaves me with the nice, normal clients who want good quality nails and who will look after them :wink2: :hug: xx

 

[Jocie]

I completley sgree with curvygirl. Iv had similar things such as that happen to me. It just blows my mind how people don't clue in. I would just feel so terrible if I ever did that. There isn't really anything we can do.
In my province here in canada they unregulated the beauty industry. So you dont have to be certafied or even hold insurance to work here. Its descusting. You can take an electrosist course (like laser hair removal etc) over the internet and they sent you a peice of paper saying you can practice. Just horrible. I also hear a lot of techs talking about how they get lots of stuff off ebay bahhh just horrible.

Don't feel alone sugar I know exactly how u feel

 

[sleepingbeauty]

I have a facebook page where I have pictures uploaded of clients nails on how they look to begin with, and how they are looking after each treatment, after a period of months.

In particular I have one client who has a bad case of Onychorrhexis and now through regular treatments of Bio Sculpture, the HUGE splits that were down the entire nail plate are finally growing out & this lady has now been able to grow her nails & the ridges are showing signs of major improvement. People who visit my page can actually see for themselves the benefits of Bio Sculpture, so have also been booking themselves in for treatment.:lol:

What I'm getting at here is, if you girls could do the same with your ladies nails who were treated by NSS. Upload pics of how their nails looked when you got them & how they are looking after regular visits using your System. With any luck genuine clients out there will also see how good your work is & will book themselves in too accordingly.

If your work is good then people will eventually come to you.. In the mean time, you will just have an influx of clients with badly damaged nails.

 

[beautybemine15]

Sorry to be blunt but i somehow think we might be doing something wrong and i can not put my finger on what it is..The reason i say this is because i have noticed at least 6 new nss salons have opened in birmingham uk alone in last 3 months and that is not all there is more opening on top of what is already here.They seem to be creeping up by the second here. I do not know where they get there money but i am sure its legal i am sure they are in money laudering and sex trafficing cos the women never speak a word of english to there clients. And the police have shut down quite a few here a while ago. But i doubt it is dealing with the problem cause the more they close the more they open. And i think no matter how i am going be competitive in the way i do my nails i still think id be the first to close then the nss in other terms they would put me out because even if we do not like to admit it people have a Gulity pleasure when it comes to a ''bargain'' .And it is worse in these times when money is tight. I think i am gonna struggle as the kind of product i am using would make it hard for me to be competive with the nss pricing as i would be undercutting myself so to speak

 

[greenreader29]

Someone explain what a NSS is please?

 

[izzidoll]

Someone explain what a NSS is please?

http://www.salongeek.com/general-articles/31808-nss-exactly-what-does-mean.html

 

[Emily Case]

There are loads in my area, but I find once a client realises just how bad the nails are in comparison to my website gallery, they are converted! Not only do my nails look much better, they don't hurt to apply/remove and the client knows their natural nail is safe and not being drilled away to mush. I try to educate my ladies, and in turn they tell their friends why they shouldn't go to the discount salons... The friends then visit me too.

People are getting better at knowing what's right and wrong in the industry, but there are still a few that want cheap and ugly instead of reasonably priced, pretty enhancements.

These NSS places aren't salons, they're butchers. Everyone knows it, but you can only advise and if someone does decide to go there instead of coming to you (for some unknown reason, probably price and time it takes them for a full set), you may just think yourself lucky... Do you want their cheap chavvy clients?

Xxx

 

[salj]

I do not know where they get there money but i am sure its legal i am sure they are in money laudering and sex trafficing cos the women never speak a word of english to there clients. And the police have shut down quite a few here a while ago

I've tried to say something about this comment a couple of times this morning but the words will just not come in a polite way.

So I will settle for saying that I am wondering how you are sure that nail technicians are involved in money laundering and sex trafficing just because they don't speak English to their clients? If it is you speculating, it's kind of ridiculous and also a pretty offensive thing to say!

 

[gillyxx]

I totally agree with all your comments. In my area we are saturated with these nail bars and it makes me cringe everytime i pass. Needless to say i am based in a salon in a different town.
I just wanted to tell you that many of my new clients are coming in for removal of gel and acrylic and then getting further treatments from me.
I had a new client in yesterday, who came in with her very young (age 9) daughter. I had previously spoken to her about the shellac she had done and advised it may take some time for the removal. The client was more than happy with this as she knew that her nails had been damaged by these said places. Anyway she came in and it took me 2 hours to buff and soak of all the product from her nails. I then did a set of gel nails on the client and she has rebooked to come back for maintenance in 2 weeks time. Her daughter said that it was nice i chatted away to them both and that the place her mum usually goes to never asks the client anything, never discusses what were doing during the treatment, never explains anything or even smiles.
Maybe in time we can educate the daughters as well as the mums. THen when they are old enough to get their own nails done. They will come to us rather than than these new salons.

 

[laurakate]

My friend thinks that getting her nails done and experiencing discomfort go hand in hand together.

I have told her to let me proove her wrong

 

[beautybemine15]

I've tried to say something about this comment a couple of times this morning but the words will just not come in a polite way.

So I will settle for saying that I am wondering how you are sure that nail technicians are involved in money laundering and sex trafficing just because they don't speak English to their clients? If it is you speculating, it's kind of ridiculous and also a pretty offensive thing to say!

No i do not think it is an offensive thing i doubt i said anything wrong to say or rise a point on the issue when they are girls suffering this kind of abuse may not be everyone but it is there. And its a shame that it is a taboo to speak about. I have read an article on this topic in babtacs vitalitys mag issue june/july i highly commend them for doing it as it appears to be a highly sensitve issue to discuss.Which is a shame cos i believe these issues should be made aware off. If i am offensive for rising it here then heaven know's what you think of babtac for raising it in there mag. Pardon me for offending anyone! my point was not in anyway ment to offend

 

[salj]

No i do not think it is an offensive thing i doubt i said anything wrong to say or rise a point on the issue when they are girls suffering this kind of abuse may not be everyone but it is there. And its a shame that it is a taboo to speak about. I have read an article on this topic in babtacs vitalitys mag issue june/july i highly commend them for doing it as it appears to be a highly sensitve issue to discuss.Which is a shame cos i believe these issues should be made aware off. If i am offensive for rising it here then heaven know's what you think of babtac for raising it in there mag. Pardon me for offending anyone! my point was not in anyway ment to offend

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong at all in you (or BABTAC) raising the issue. Maybe some find it taboo to speak of but I'm also all for raising awareness. If this kind of thing is going on it's appalling.


But you never mentioned this in your first comment, you just seemed to say that all the NSS salons in Birmingham are shady, illegal and involved in sex trafficing.


What I asked was how you knew this was going on, you seemed pretty sure it was happening at the salons in your area.

And what was offensive was the insinuation that these girls are involved in these activities because 'they don't speak a word of english to their clients'. Not really a valid reason for suspicion!


So maybe it was just worded poorly, but it's pretty bad to generalise like that without giving any back up as to why you've said it in the first place.

 

[gr8nailz]

There are 19 NSSs in a 7 mile radius of my salon....19!!!

NSSs are the reason I no longer do l & p. These places are cranking out "pink and white" at $18-$22 a set and rebalancing/infill for $12. A set of regular l & p is $15 and a fill is $10. I tried to hang in there as long as I could. I couldn't compete. I didn't want to. Shellac more than made up for the loss of l & p clientele.

I've seen the work from a lot of these places and quite frankly, it's was very good. The techs are skilled. I was blown away that one bead created such a beautiful nail. One bead! However, several of these places obviously used MMA.

 

[Sarah89Nails]

Ahh this post scares me! There are no Nss salons here but I hope they never come here! I think when I start up my business I will do as the previous poster suggested showing improvement of nails to help prepare incase NSS pop up sometime soon!!!

x