The vanishing of beauty therapists

[NancyJoan]

Just had a call to tell me that the person who has done my nails for ten years no longer works at the salon, so my appt today is with someone else.

Obvs they won’t tell me where she’s gone.

I’m not surprised, it’s happened with hairdressers over the years. But wonder, are there any other industries where people leave at a moment’s notice, and are never seen again?

I don’t know but I hate this. I like ‘Sarah’ to do my nails as I know she will do it properly. The one time I had ‘Jane’ she did a rushed job. I purposely book ‘Sarah’. A similar situation has me wandering around my local area bereft, seeking recommendations for a half decent manicure.

*I've changed their names.

It happens in every single industry that people move on, doesn't it? You only notice in the industries where you have one-to-one contact with a specific person.

Maybe. But if I left my job (in marketing) there would four weeks where I’d mention to people I was in contact with that I was leaving, and where I was going. And after I left, if anyone asked where I’d gone they would be told, ‘Oh, she got a job with the National Trust’ or whatever.

Yeah but it’s so that you don’t leave the salon and follow “Sarah as a customer I guess

Whereas you moving to the national trust wouldn’t dent your employers business

Recruitment is the same. Here one day, then ..... poof. Vanished.

I’ve seen a few posts on our local town Facebook group of people trying to find out where their hairdresser/beauty therapist has gone after they’ve disappeared from their usual salon. They’ve usually been tracked down and happily reunited at the new location!

Well most beauty therapists would mention it on the sly so you’d go with them

I'm a lawyer same happens in law firms. They probably didn't leave at short notice either. So eg. Sarah hands her notice in but will be told she is not to tell her clients she is leaving, her contract forbids her contacting them outside work. She works three months notice but can't say anything. When she has left letters are sent saying she has gone and her work has transferred to Jane. No mention of where or why Sarah went as then the clients might follow her. Obviously if Sarah is high profile and popular her clients might track her down via linkedin and follow her anyway.

Our hairdresser of 10 years, not only left to open her own place (far away) but she took almost all the staff with her. They could not find replacements and the shop closed down.

Ive had this with hairdressers, and no they won't tell you where they've gone because they don't want to lose your custom! Just recently I was at the salon when a customer phoned up to make an appointment with 'Sarah' only for them to be told Sarah has left. I then heard the receptionist say 'no, we can't tell you where she has gone'.

The best hairdressers Ive ever had moved to a city over an hour away, so obviously I couldn't follow her. But if she had stayed local I'd have tracked her down and followed her, she was that good. Tough shit if the old salon has lost my business!

Decent hairdressers and beauty therapists are like gold dust in my experience, which is why people like to stick with the same ones.

I used to work in the industry, it’s 15 years ago now but in general salons don’t let you work your notice in case you poach your customers. They just tell you to go now but pay you. Happened both times i moved on.

Look on Facebook for her.

I had this with a hairdresser too - I only knew her first name . Wasn’t because she was particularly good at hairdressing (although she was to be honest) - she was just a very kind person . She had only met me twice but she seemed to have remembered everything we had talked about the first time (six months if not longer in between) . Was gutted that she left , she was a lovely person and I wish I could have told her . Same story - they wouldn’t tell me where she’d gone , etc .

in general salons don’t let you work your notice in case you poach your customers

And some have contracts that say staff can't work within a certain radius of the salon for a given length of time.

@ThatLibraryMiss And some have contracts that say staff can't work within a certain radius of the salon for a given length of time.
That too... i’d forgotten about that!

Infantry regiments

My hairdresser left recently and I was really surprised when the salon owner phoned to rearrange my appointment and told me where she'd gone. I stayed with the salon and a new stylist as I was so impressed that they did that.