How was your child's ear piercing experience at Claire's?

[Hdaniels11]

My daughter has recently turned 12 and has been begging my to let her get her ears pierced, she is adamant on the thought of going to claire's because it's " the cool place to go" but i've heard mixed reviews about it.

I've looked on the website and the earrings are super expensive i was quite shocked! For the people who have been how was your child's healing process experience afterwards?

I'm not sure how much training they get tbh. Go to a proper piercing place? If you go to one that does tattoos too then she'll think it's "cool"

You're paying for someone to put a hole in your child so go to someone who knows what they are doing.

You'll get exactly the same service, method and training of staff in both places

This isn't true. Guns don't use needles so the gauge of the "needle" hasn't changed. They load it with a blunt earring which is forced through the lobe at speed causing trauma.
I would only ever use a proper piercing / tattoo studio for all the reasons listed above.

I took my dd to a tattoo studio for hers and let's say a it was a slightly 'cooler' environment than Claire's if thats her priority.

She got to look in the tattooists portfolios whilst we were waiting and the woman who did i the actual piercing could have possibly been the coolest person she's ever met.

I got my daughters done at Claire’s a couple of months back. They’re great! Cost £50 including earrings, they have healed really, really well. Very sterile, and very pleased with the results

My niece had hers done at Claire’s. According to her mother the young woman who did it didn’t seem very experienced or confident but the worst of it was that the piercings were noticeably lopsided and the earrings were really hard to take out after the healing process and had turned her ears green. Probably cheap metal (I wasn’t actually in the shop when they were done)

The ‘starter’ earrings they used weren’t blunt, they weren’t needle-sharp either but had a pointy end rather than a standard earring

That seems expensive it was 30 quid at the tattoo parlour Inc. earings

It's not very sterile because there is no way to sterilise the gun and no way to keep a public shop floor in any way sterile. At the tattoo place there was a booth with a medical bed which is properly cleaned down after every customer, the needles are sterilised and it cost £25

I used to pierce ears at Claire's. I worked where at weekends while I was at uni. Unless things have moved on massively, I would not recommend it. Our "training" consisted of practising on a cardboard ear with dots on it (to aim for) and on each other! I really can't remember how/if the gun was cleaned in between.

We were all late teens early 20s, mostly uni students, often hungover. Seems so dodgy looking back, but hey, I got a 50% staff discount so 🤨

Take her to a piercing studio. I had mine done this year again and it was £20 including earrings at a well regarded tattoo/piercer. And the woman who owns it was very cool!

I had my first and seconds done at Claire’s (other piercings as an adult done at tattoo shops). I wouldn’t trust Claire’s at all, they use a gun which makes it more painful and can cause trauma. My firsts I had done when I was in primary school and they healed okay using Dettol to clean them. My seconds I was older and used salt water, they’ve caused me nothing but trouble 😭 all the ones I’ve had at a tattoo / piercing studio have never caused issues.

Accessorize were very good. My dd and her friend have had theirs done there (not at the same time!).

Don't go anywhere which does it with a gun. Go to a tattoo place and get it done with a needle. Much better from a healing perspective as well as having someone who knows what they're doing more.

We were in Claire's once when there was a small girl screaming in the chair while her mother promised to buy her everything in the shop if she went through with it. We couldn't get served because all the assistants were crowding and cajoling this little girl.

We went to an independent piercer who was careful to obtain my daughter's consent and who told her she could change her mind and they could stop at any time. He talked her carefully through everything and I couldn't be happier with the experience.

First DD done at Claire's, no problems 9 years later. Second DD had hers done at a popular tattoo place in our town. I struggled to get the butterfly off the back to clean them and actually ended up pulling the whole thing into her ear lobe . We ended up in theatre having it removed, and they told us she was the 3rd child that week. Apparently they put on a smaller back, hence why I couldn't get it off. They were re-pierced at Claire's a year later and again, 5 years on, we've had no issues. I really do think it's pot luck anywhere.

More fool the people who use these places, to be honest. Could end up fine, but why take the risk? I'm sure anecdotally there are loads of people who have had good experiences, but look at the stories from people who have worked there.

It's less sterile, it damages the ear, you're not being pierced by a professional with experience and extensive training. Go to a tattoo shop or piercing shop with needles, sterile beds and professional piercers. You can guarantee that if something goes wrong, the staff in Claire's won't have a clue how to sort it.

Don’t go to Claire’s. Go to a proper piercing place.

I got my 9 years old daughters done a few months ago at a local jewellers . I wanted to go to a piercing studio to get them done due to hearing horror stories about the use of guns to pierce but she refused . The jewellers were great they explained everything, all about aftercare and did both ears at the same time. They took time to make sure both ears were even and correctly placed too. I was very happy with it but I wouldn't recommend Claire's if I'm honest as I don't think many staff are actually experienced enough to do it safely and correctly

Please do not go to Claire’s. Apart from everything mentioned above I would not want to support a company that thinks it’s acceptable to pierce small children’s ears. I have walked past one of their shops before where a screaming toddler was being held down by their parents whilst a Claire’s worker punched holes into their ears. Absolutely disgusting and child abuse. I wrote and complained.

Ear piercing should only be done on teenagers old enough to care for their piercings themselves and old enough to give valid consent.

She won't think it's cool when she's got infected ears because they've told you a bunch of crap about the more expensive ones being better, and the cleaning solution being fantastic!
I had my first lobes done there and I'd never go again! I avoid the shop for everything out of principle. Take her to a tattoo studio and get them done properly, with a clean sterile needle and someone that actually knows about piercing care!

At age 12 I would have thought that tattoo parlours were much cooler and adult as an experience. She could pretend to choose which tattoo she'd go for if she was an adult and the person doing the actual piercing probably looks cool with lots of piercings themselves. My dd hasn't been in a Claire's since she was 9 or 10.

I have many piercings, all done with a needle. I would never even consider going to Claire's.

I know people who went to Claire's who had a bad experience and I know people who went to piercers and had the same. I got my daughter's done in Claire's when she was 5, never had a problem.