Remember you? Time to read this again

[waffle4]

Maybe I can help you there as well .... Last thing you want is your holiday time interrupted by repairs.

SHHH! Without my clients realising it ... During their appointment before the christmas holiday, I quietly added a tad more product to all of their nails and made them all a little thicker. :lol: We are all clashing about over the hob and in the oven and in and out of the freezer, opening boxes and wrapping gifts etcl much more than usual, and we all know clients break nails when rushing and doing all these things (me too) so it was my 'insurance card' for a stress free holiday without repairs and they never really knew I'd done it! Call me a little Minx if you like .... It worked! Peace and Joy to you all; you've earned every precious minute of it. X

So would you reccommend an extra coat of shellac topcoat on them all to be on the safe side? I find the run up to Xmas a nightmare too coz they're all peeling off stickers and Sellotape and ruining their free edges! X

 

[Planky1]

I too won't be opening on Christmas Eve, my son's birthday is the 23rd, so that whole Christmas holiday is important to us as we make sure we split our time between Christmas and his birthday and the parties and events that go with the 2.

So I am going to be quite strict and limit the days I work in between Christmas and New Year also. No bookings for that particular time as yet anyway, so I can be a bit flexible and do what suits.

My business has really started to take off now and has taken blood sweat and tears and I have been incredibly busy for a brand new buisness but I said right from the start that Christmas is the one time of year I WILL have time with my family and it's just tough :wink2:

Ooooo feeling all Christmassy now, can't wait!!

 

[Lysa.G]

I am very sad to say that this IS the first year in 15 years that I am working xmas eve and new years eve. Sadly with the economy the way it is my hubbies business went through and I had to return to work in a salon as well as being mobile. All i can think of is how am i going to be wonder women again and
produce the dinner?!!! But on the bright side i have family and health and most of all a lovely set of Shellaced nails!!!!

 

[An*Gel]

I'm a bit jealous of you all now after reading your posts ....

I normally work a half day 9-2 Christmas Eve , i like the rest of you have no-shows and cancellations on the day but this year they have all paid deposits so i won't be too put out if they don't show..

But over here i find the men tend to leave it till Christmas Eve to get their gift vouchers/ hampers so i would lose a big chunk of my Christmas takings if i shut up shop.

I'm used to it at this stage and have myself well organised so it's all good. :Love:

Susan, you are SO right!!

When I had my salon, we'd get an influx of desperate men in through the door on Christmas eve and they would buy ANYTHING!! :lol:

All of the retail stock would go, along with hundreds of Euro worth of gift vouchers.

 

[nicolaluise]

Obviously I'm hair not nails, but I'm dreading this year again and never learn!

I go on holiday for 2 weeks on sat (never had a nov hol before!) last week and this week was/is horrendously busy, and guess what's happened ... I'm in bed with that damn 24sickness bug :'( so panic has set in now as i have 1&1/2 days worth of cancelled clients to squeeze in and not a single case packed (hubby is in Germany on a business trip grrr) and then I come back off hol on 3rd dec and back to work on 5th dec, fully booked with 1 day off on 9th dec until Christmas Eve, I'll be working 8-4pm ... My clients want blood I'm sure of it!

Feel like crying just reading this!!!!!

 

[Gawjus36]

Christmas nearly killed me last year, I didn't have a free minute from one day to the next! I worked between Christmas and new year and was busy straight away in January - great!!! Not.
I felt like I didn't have any involvement or ownership over anything related to Christmas which made me really depressed. I have three young children and did all my Christmas shopping online so never got into the Christmas spirit with that. When the parcels arrived my husband wrapped them all so I didn't have that involvement, and I didn't cook dinner because we were invited out!
I hated it. It was like everything was just happening around me and I was surplus to requirement

I was tired like I've never been tired before but put my clients before me and mine. Well not this year, I only have one shot at life, I'm going to make mine a happy one that's much better balanced than last year!!!

 

[gr8nailz]

Our salon is closed on Mondays and since Christmas Eve falls on Monday this year, whew, what a relief. I dodged that bullet. Otherwise, we are open a half day on Christmas Eve. When I do have to work Christmas Eve, I always feel sad because I'm missing this special time with my family.

I can always make more money...I can't make more time.

 

[nicolaluise]

I can always make more money...I can't make more time.[/QUOTE]

Love this! So true x

 

[Annemarie]

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 Christmas.

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 (and three Christmases spent in bed ill and exhausted) 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? XX. Have a very Merry Christmas rather than spending it ill in bed. X

It's my first Christmas as a salon owner so I have decided to close my salon on Christmas eve and spend it with my little girl, my partner and my family. And I can't wait. I'm working rock solid up till then.
I will be up early on Christmas eve and after breakfast I'm going into town with my little girl, sister and niece to the cinema to watch a Christmas movie, then ice skating for an hour or two then off for a meal and a glass of mulled wine.
After my sis goes home, I'm going to chill out with another glass of wine while I watch my little one decorate her gingerbread house and laugh at her dad falling asleep on the couch.
I'll put her to bed as late as possible. then when I know she's fast asleep her dad and I will get her presents from the loft and place them round the tree, eat the carrot and mince pie etc and place snowy foot prints on the floor.... ahhh magical.
I have always worked Christmas eve and can't remember the last time I took it off. Come Christmas day I would be so tired I'd fall asleep after the dinner and miss most of it. Not this year though.:biggrin:

 

[Planky1]

It's my first Christmas as a salon owner so I have decided to close my salon on Christmas eve and spend it with my little girl, my partner and my family. And I can't wait. I'm working rock solid up till then.
I will be up early on Christmas eve and after breakfast I'm going into town with my little girl, sister and niece to the cinema to watch a Christmas movie, then ice skating for an hour or two then off for a meal and a glass of mulled wine.
After my sis goes home, I'm going to chill out with another glass of wine while I watch my little one decorate her gingerbread house and laugh at her dad falling asleep on the couch.
I'll put her to bed as late as possible. then when I know she's fast asleep her dad and I will get her presents from the loft and place them round the tree, eat the carrot and mince pie etc and place snowy foot prints on the floor.... ahhh magical.
I have always worked Christmas eve and can't remember the last time I took it off. Come Christmas day I would be so tired I'd fall asleep after the dinner and miss most of it. Not this year though.:biggrin:

Sounds absolutely perfect and we will be doing much the same. My favourite time of year, so magical. Love it :Love:

Sent from my GT-I9300 using SalonGeek

 

[Vetty]

I'm working til about 6pm on Friday 21st December and then am not working again til the 2nd January - the Christmas period is family time. I wont put my phone on so I'm not offering a repair service either!!

I work plenty hard enough all year and take very little time off so I'm not giving up my Christmas break......

Btw, I need to get this off my chest though! I recently sold a gift voucher, the recipient of the voucher wanted an appointment within the week before she went away for 5 weeks which I was unable to do, we agreed she would ring me in January to book. The buyer then emailed me complaining that I was unable to fulfill what I had 'promised' and as I was 'taking 2 weeks off in December' she wanted her money back! I'm not taking w weeks off I am closing for the Christmas period, it's actually 4 working days off!

 

[geeg]

I'm working til about 6pm on Friday 21st December and then am not working again til the 2nd January - the Christmas period is family time. I wont put my phone on so I'm not offering a repair service either!!

I work plenty hard enough all year and take very little time off so I'm not giving up my Christmas break......

Btw, I need to get this off my chest though! I recently sold a gift voucher, the recipient of the voucher wanted an appointment within the week before she went away for 5 weeks which I was unable to do, we agreed she would ring me in January to book. The buyer then emailed me complaining that I was unable to fulfill what I had 'promised' and as I was 'taking 2 weeks off in December' she wanted her money back! I'm not taking w weeks off I am closing for the Christmas period, it's actually 4 working days off!

As far as I am aware, no gift voucher guarantees a client an appointment specifically at the time they may want it. She agreed on January so she has no come back before that time as long as she can redeem the voucher within the time period specified on the voucher.

 

[Vetty]

As far as I am aware, no gift voucher guarantees a client an appointment specifically at the time they may want it. She agreed on January so she has no come back before that time as long as she can redeem the voucher within the time period specified on the voucher.

I know, and what's nuts is the recipient of the voucher seemed quite alright with it on the phone. It's the person who bought and gave the voucher who's kicking off!

People, pfft! As ValencianNails said once - Clients, can't live with them can't food shop without them :wink2:!!!

 

[justnailart]

Great advice, Geeg, thank you. This is my first Christmas doing nails and I don't finish my (non-nail) day job untill 21st and was wondering how best to handle those last few days. Definitely going to keep Sunday & Christmas Eve free without feeling too guilty! :Love:

 

[waffle4]

So would you reccommend an extra coat of shellac topcoat on them all to be on the safe side? I find the run up to Xmas a nightmare too coz they're all peeling off stickers and Sellotape and ruining their free edges! X

So is anyone gonna be doing an extra topcoat to safeguard against Xmas repairs?

 

[Wooshka]

Wow! I'm a drongo

I just realized that I will be getting a 5 day break instead of the 4 like I first thought.
I don't open Sunday's (unless it's a very special client and occasion) and with me closing X-mas eve, X-mas day, Boxing Day and the day after boxing day, plus the Sunday before X-mas eve, it's actually 5 days.

Wooohoooo!!!!!! Happy relaxing days are a coming

 

[Rinn]

Susan, you are SO right!!

When I had my salon, we'd get an influx of desperate men in through the door on Christmas eve and they would buy ANYTHING!! :lol:

All of the retail stock would go, along with hundreds of Euro worth of gift vouchers.

haha yeah and i remember one xmas eve opening the door to a guard ( policeman)...in full uniform...i immediatley thought someone was dead.:Scared:...No, Thank God he just wanted a gift voucher for his missus.

He was all apologies when i told him he'd frightened the life out of me.:lol:

 

[gr8nailz]

Just found out that our concierge staff must work until 6:00 pm Christmas Eve for those last minute gift card purchases. :Scared:

If they refuse to work, their employment will be terminated. Nice holiday spirit, huh?

Like I said before, I can always make more money...I can't make more time.

 

[geeg]

So is anyone gonna be doing an extra topcoat to safeguard against Xmas repairs?

Seems like a good idea to me.

 

[emmajane57]

I have just taken a job in a department store and am having to work christmas eve and boxing day. I am regretting it already!! The store is opening till 10pm on the run up till christmas and managers were issued a list of tips on how we can keep ourselves and our staff safe when we leave work at this time and have to make our way through manchester city centre. So they know there is a risk, but hey ho as long as they are making money what do they care. :evil: