Rant! Friend & family discounts

[Allthingsbeautyx]

I need to vent.. Sorry in advance!

I've just sat for 2 hours doing a gel manicure & pedicure for a close family member for her to then tell me that she doesn't have the money until she gets paid! And this isn't the first time!

I'm happy to offer my family discounts but I just think it takes the P a bit when i only charge a tenner per set just to help cover costs!

As this isn't the first time I'm now reconsidering what I should charge my family. I don't want to seem tight and I don't want to lose them as clients but I've recently made beauty my full time job and I will soon be renting a room.

What do you offer your friends and family, especially if you are also self employed? And how can I let them all know that I can't be so generous anymore without sounding rude about it?

Tia X

 

[AcidPerm]

It sounds like they don't care one jot about being rude to you and clearly have no respect for you trying to earn a living.

Next time, ask them directly how would they feel if their employer told them he'd owe them for this month but hey guys, thanks for working anyway...?

You need to spell it out to them. Why do theirs for free when you could be earning some money?
It's not being rude to charge, it's called running a viable business.

If you don't set some non negotiable ground rules now, it will steadily get worse not better. Firstly, increase your prices to a more realistic amount and only offer a small discount to friends and family. Certainly ensure you make some profit per set otherwise, to all intents and purposes, you're just playing at doing nails. That's obviously what your friends think!

Sadly, you're won't be the last to be mugged by 'so called' friends and family. There are lots of previous threads with geeks posting EXACTLY the same dilemma.

 

[CFBS]

My 'mates rate' is 20% off the full price.
So that's for my mum, 2 sisters and 2 nieces.
Friends and old beauty colleagues pay the full price.

 

[nailpod]

I don't charge my mom or my sister anything, but then again it's just the way I was brought up, but other family I would charge cost on treatments and products bought. In saying that no one abuses my service either. My sister might get me to do odd wax here and there but that's about it.
And only 2 of my friends who have been my Guinea pigs for ever I charge them 50% of the rate.

Everyone else full price.

I learnt the hard way: I found ppl who pleaded poverty or asked for mates rates I have given they the clients who ask to pay it off or come late or usually have issues with their nails or it lifts or whatever. Funny enough full paying clients don't have issues. It could be because of you don't pay for something you don't value it as much? Just a theory I have.

 

[Allthingsbeautyx]

I am thinking of sending a text around to say 20% off for family and friends from now on because it is now my full time job. Unfortunately the close family member who messed me around today was my sister so I hate to do it but she's really P'd me off!! My sister in law has also taken the micky before by asking if she can 'borrow' one of my polishes to 'touch up' her toes before a night out!! I just think you wouldn't go into a salon and ask these favours would you? My mum seems to be the only 'decent' one that I treat, I don't charge her anything yet she always insists on giving me a little something and has been helping me with everything recently with starting my own beauty room, she's even been washing my towels bless her! I think I've been too nice to everyone and it needs to stop, I just need to think of a nice way to message it to them all now!

 

[KrisKross]

My mum and best friend get their treatments free - a leg wax and/or bikini every 6 weeks.

Everyone else pays full price.

How about sending a text

"hi everyone, as you know I'm now running my own beauty business full time. It's starting to get busier which is great but this means I can no longer afford to turn away full-price paying clients to do cost-price treatments for family and friends which I'm sure you'll understand and agree with..." (makes them seem unreasonable if they don't) ..."I will be able offer friends and family a 20% discount though, and I hope you'll all still come to me".

 

[SkyeMcReid]

I had this problem for a while too! I do my mom for free or cost of product, my friends have come to understand that this is my living and I need to make a paycheck, so I'll occasionally knock $10-$20 off depending on the service.

 

[East Còast Hair Dèsign]

Your mam sounds so sweet, she's the only one by the sounds of it that treats you with respect, I don't charge me mam at all, but she buys her own colours from Salon services. I don't get to see me mam very often as we live so far apart so anytime I get to go home and do her hair and see her happy I'm ok with that! She too, always tries to give me something for it but I never accept, I tell her to save it for her retirement fund haha be firm and assertive with your sister and friends don't let them take the P! Good luck x

 

[rachelizabeth]

I do all treatments on my mum for free, she also payed for my qualifications and bought the majority of my equipment when I started out so would never dream of charging her for obvious reasons! Eyebrow shape I do on my best friends (2) for free, but then they buy me a drink when we go out. If it's anything else, even tinting, I would ask for money.

It sounds harsh but I don't do mates rates for anyone because when you're self employed, performing a treatment on a friend is essentially taking time out of your diary when you could be performing a treatment on a client. A lot of friends will try and take advantage because they don't seem to realise that this is our profession, it costed a lot to get to where we are, equipment is expensive, and time is precious!

When you've been working all day you don't really want to come home and have your friend pop round for a free leg wax or manicure, even if they see it as just sitting down and painting a few nails. Be firm with people and know your worth

 

[squidgernetball]

I'm afraid I charge everyone full price. My 2 lovely best friends pay the same as Joe Public. When my mum lived near, like yours, she insisted on helping out and wanted to pay her way.

I have a salon and look at it that while I'm doing a mate with a discount, I could be doing a client paying full price and there's no way I'd do anyone at home. My days are too long already.

Make a decision and tell them very simply "I'm going to have to start charging you I'm afraid" and if they remotely give a monkeys about you and your business, they'll pay!

Vic x

 

[Allthingsbeautyx]

So, I sent the text message out to my family and close friends who I would like to offer the 20% discount to, and obviously explained that now I'm self employed I can't turn away paying clients to do discounted treatments bla bla.. My sister replied saying she understood and that it's absolutely fine yet my sister in law has read the message but no reply! Rude, but oh well!

 

[Beckybee]

i suspect most of us are the same, we give a freebie or mates rates, then when we ask for a favour we get told a straight no with no fear of hurting our feelings. Been there so many times.

I do a few mates who insist on giving me more than I ask, I no longer do those who slip me a fiver and think they are treating me! When those people ring I'm really too busy to fit them in.

Grow a set or get a big marker pen and get someone to write mug on your head.

 

[blossom]

When my dear mum was alive I used to do hers for free, she paid for my first course and my manicure stuff 12 years or so ago and was my long suffering model when I learned everything and let me try out new things without complaint and used to hand out my cards if anybody admired her nails! And my daughters I don't charge either when they have nails.

My sister in law is half price but it's only occasional .

My friends pay in full.

 

[Makenna]

My friends have all been really 'well behaved' in paying me full price. One of my best friends gets mates rates - in return she lets me use her selfridges employee discount.
My sister never pays and she is the worst client going, she wriggles, changes her mind on colours half way through and then peels it all off the next day. But I have open use of her wardrobe, and she swears when she's no longer a poor student she'll pay me back... Doubtful
I never charge my mum a thing, if it wasn't for her I wouldn't even be doing nails, or have a car and a place to live!