AIBU Claire's ears piercing

[cindersrella]

So I have just been to Claire to get my children's ears pierced (they wanted them done) my older daughter (9) begged and begged to have them done, I told her yes..
So the earring were got out put in the gun and she went into melt down.

To cut a long story short after encouragement from one assistant who was lovely to the manager who had had enough for the day (her attitude was shit once my daughter had started to get itchy feet) she didn't have them done. However I have still had to pay for them as they came out of the pack and were no longer sterile

So I have basically just paid £75 for one pair of ears to be pierced with earrings, a pair of earrings which are possibly never going to be worn and some solution.

AIBU to feel really pissed off at been charge £37.50 for some 9ct gold earrings ?

Are Claire's not professional's in ear piercing? I am sure they wouldn't be doing it if they wasn't?

No. They’re in no way a professional piercer, hence why they use non-sterile guns.

They have no training in any piercing practice.

Honestly for all of you saying Claire are bad with piercing etc I had no idea. It's plastered all over the website, shop, bags at how great it all is!

Are Claire's not professional's in ear piercing? I am sure they wouldn't be doing it if they wasn't?

^ Professional in the same was I am a "professional firefighter" as I have done a 1 day fire marshal course.

Go to a professional piercer who understands the tissue, uses properly sterile equipment and will cost less!

they use non-sterile guns.

WTAF? Seriously? How on Earth is this even legal?

Agree with all PPs saying don't go to Claire's, but also thought I'd add that the ridiculously priced solutions they encourage you to buy are also a total waste of money. I make my own solutions for less than a fiver and have never had an infection yet.

They pulled gloves from a box.... is this not sterile?

They pulled gloves from a box.... is this not sterile?

The gloves are sterile. The gun cannot be cleaned adequately ergo the moment the glove touches the gun all sterility is lost.

It's plastered all over the website, shop, bags at how great it all is

Of course it is! They’re trying to flog a service.

When your daughter is ready visit a piercing studio.

Let's just hope the smaller ones are okay. What is the best solution to use if there's is shit?

Would you be happy to be sold earrings that had been opened and handled?

I be perfectly happy to be sold earrings that had been opened and handled, as long as they had then been sterilised in an autoclave and then put into sterile bag because then they'll be just as sterile as they were when they were first taken out of the original bag.

I'm assuming Claires have autoclaves in their shops.

I wouldn't however, be happy to have my child's ears pierced by a gun, because it's impossible to properly sterilise a gun. And I certainly wouldn't want my child's ears pierced in the middle of a shop by an untrained person at somewhere like Claires.

Pretty unhygienic all round really.

Just to give some context in places such as Claire's and many high street beauty salons you will find people piercing with the minimum requirements.

These are a license and basic training.

The training course is about 2 hours and costs around the thirty quid mark. A license ranges between 50-250, depending where you are in the country. A premises inspection will be done, but this is very basic and considering the lack of regulation in the piercing arena doesn't show much at all.

It is shockingly easy to set up as a piercer with a gun.

Think of it as an expensive but lucky escape. Go to a tattoo shop/piercing studio and have her ears pierced with a needle by a professional. Not a sales assistant with minimal training. Not to mention the damage piercing guns cause to the skin. I've honestly no idea why anyone would go to Claire's. I saw a wriggling, screaming toddler being pierced in Claire's while being held to the seat by her mum (I assume) and I felt so sorry for the poor little girl who'd had no say in the bloody matter.

Oh and don't do the twisty thing these shitty places tell you to do! Leave the piercing well alone to heal. No idea if they still tell you to do that but I had mine done at a similar unprofessional establishment twice due to infection who recommended it.

Ah OP, lots of people are lured in by Claire's piercings. Don't feel bad for not knowing that they're crap! For future reference, always go to a proper piercing/tattoo studio and always get pierced with a needle. No guns anywhere. Use nothing but warm salt water to keep your daughters piercings clean, that does the job perfectly well. The solution that they sell is unnecessary!

Without wishing to derail this thread, I had my ears pierced as a child in a claire’s. The holes are in the wrong place and I can’t wear a lot of types of earrings as a result - for example hoops because the angles are all wrong.

Would it be worth getting them repeirced at a proper place? Are there any downsides to having 2 holes in my ears fairly close together?

Loudbatperson. Thankyou for the info, it's shocking these big chain stores can get away with it...

The lady said she had pierced 12 children today the youngest was two

What is the best solution to use if there's is shit

Make your own. One part salt to four parts cooled, boiled water?

Did they give you the fast healing solution? It’s a nonsense, piercings wont be ready to be changed until a minimum of 4 weeks and 6 weeks preferably.

Did they advise you to twist the stud?

Jaseyraex Thankyou. I feel pretty bad about it now. Wish I would have bothered 😔

Wouldnt*

They gave me this

YABU for not doing your research on why Claire's piercings (and piercing guns in general) are so bad. Piercing the hole should never be done with the earring itself, its literally forcing a blunt object through skin and creating trauma. Not to mention they cannot be sanitised properly, so the wounds in your younger daughters ears now have a risk of infection or disease.

Always go to a professional who pierces with a brand new needle every time. Your eldest has had a lucky escape.

I also had my ears pierced as an adult about 14 years ago and it cost me about £20. I don't understand how it's got so expensive. FWIW I first got them done at a jewellers and had to let the hole heal as it went septic.

Rainbow I only thought this was for the cartilage... trust me it's a big frickin learning curve 🤨

@cindersrella

It’s really important you don’t twist the stud, even if they told you to.

They did tell me to twist them, 180 one way 180 other.

£75?!?!? I have my lobes pierced twice, once at Claires once at a proper tattoo shop and I didn't pay over £30 for each of them. What a rip off!!

The training is minimal and guns cannot be sterilised properly. The guns also cause trauma to the ear tissue. I had mine done at age 4 (by a gun as mum didn’t know better) and have been very lucky that they are even without earrings in they stay open. I cannot believe they are considering facial piercings?