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 ?

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

Absolutely don’t.

As everyone else has already said, a needle piercing is so much better. I had my ears pierced a few months ago and it was so much better than when I had it done with a gun (always ended up swollen and infected so had to be taken out). The way it was described to me was the gun basically forces an earring through your ear whereas the piercing needle is hollow and cuts out a tiny hole in your ear for the earring to go through. And definitely don’t turn the earrings! I’ve left mine alone and they’ve healed really well. I bought Prontolind spray from Amazon for cleaning my ears. (Should also add my ears where only £15 from the tattoo place!).

I pierce ears and I get mine from amazing for about £12 for a pack of 10.

Claireshave ridiculous pricing. The 'solution' is just saline, like what you use for contact lenses..

I wish people would boycott Claire's they are an absolute piss take.

FYI, I first got my ears pierced when I was about 11ish at Claire's, they got really infected and had to be taken out to heal

I went back 10 years later and got them done again and they were fine, however after having my second lobes done at a tattoo place I realise how unclean and unsterile Claire's was. It was like clinically clean in the tattoo shop, definitely recommend going there instead!

Have to say I hate to see children with their ears pierced, and no one should be allowed to pierce a two year olds ears. Awful.

Gloves from a box aren't sterile A shop assistant who watched a video and pierced a teddy bear is in no way fit to piece anyone.

There's a lack of regulation about body mods that allow this kind of pitiful training to be ill advised yet completely legal.

Do not twist them, you’re repeatedly aggravating a wound don’t that. Also don’t clean piercings with anything other than salt water solution. Absolutely don’t go near them with any kind of cream or anything with alcohol

Seriously this is why Claire’s should be banned from piercing, along with most high street shops - Superdrug near my work is doing it too now

Doing that*

I had one lot of ear piercings done in Claire’s as a stupid youth, they’ve got keloid scarring (common with gun piercings) and I can’t wear most earrings in them

DD had her ears pierced at Claire’s 12 years ago before either of us knew any better. She fainted afterwards (outside the shop - the assistants were useless) and one got so infected it had to be drained at the GP surgery.

She’s had several done since, all at a tattoo studio and has had no problems whatsoever.

You cannot sterilise the guns which is why Claire's use pre sterilised packaged earrings.

They can be re-sterilised but Claire's won't have the necessary autoclave so will just bin them. As you'd paid for them they should have let you keep them as a spare pair for your other daughter.

OP, my first 3 sets of lobe piercings were done as as teen, at a Claire's type place. First time, became badly infected, had to take earrings out and let holes close up. 2nd and third time, no infections, but they took a while to heal. I had a final set of lobe piercings last year aged 50, at a reputable tattoist. He pierced really quickly and they healed much faster than previously. I've also had tragus piercings there, also healed quickly.

This thread brought back the horrors of shopping in Accessorise last week. A young girl probably about 12 was having her ears pierced in there with a gun and the gun got stuck on the earring. The girl and her family were remarkably calm whilst various members of staff attempted to extract it. They did it in the end but it took a horribly long time!

Gloves from a box aren't sterile.

Claire's are awful, please go to a proper piercing studio next time, plus it'll be loads cheaper!

I'm a trained piercer, using a gun is blunt force trauma. There is no sharp object to pierce the skin with like there is with a needle.

I have literally just come home from Claire's where they pierced the ears of my admittedly 'old enough to make her own mind up' teen daughter for £25. These were not the cheapest earings but gold plated little cubic zircona studs. We also received cleaning fluid in the price and a voucher for 20% off everything in store today and further discounts for other days.
YABU to not expect to pay when the earings had been opened.
YABU for choosing expensive earings for a young child that may not be able to look after them.
I'm so glad they didnt force the piercing on your child.

FWIW, OP, don't panic. Many people have their ears pierced with guns without any problems, myself included. No, it's not ideal but there's nothing to say that your youngest won't have here heal perfectly well without any problems. It's done now, no point crying over spilled milk.

WRT piercing parlours, I think many of them have age restrictions, so worth calling to check before you go.

I always assumed that the actual piercing in Claire's was free and you just paid for the overpriced earrings exactly so you have to pay if your child refuses.

I assume if your child decides to go back that they will refuse to use the earrings you purchased. As others said research your tattoo palours or some family run jewellery shops near me have actually sent staff on courses to do ear piercing properly.

That happened to me yumscrum but with my nose! I had it done when I was a teenager by an apprentice piercer using a gun. It never healed and a few weeks later it had a huge infected bubble on the outside and I had to remove the stud vomit

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

No they are not.They are not trained.
The gun is also not able to be cleaned completely.

A needle creates a nice clean hole, whereas the gun you are simply forcing a blunt option through skin.
Im terrified that they will be able to do nose piercings
I’ve had my nose pierced with a gun , ( i was vey young, first piercings before i knew the risks!) and then again with a needle.
The needle is the only time i’ve never had a problem. The gun, piercing got infected, body tried to reject it, had a lump behind it...
I can keep my nose stud out for weeks now and simply pop one back in now.
I’ve had ear piercing with guns also, i had multiple problems, resulting in me removing them, but still having problems now.
A gun is cheaper ( and in some cases for some people less painful, my nose the gun was less painful) however i would take the more expensive option and a little more pain over ever using a gun.

and clean with salt water, sea or rock salt.

@cindersrella, don't think all is lost, I had mine done at Claire's 19 years ago and the girl's hand was shaking!
I twisted them, I used the solution and my ears are fine. It's not definite that your daughter will get infected.

boomboom it's a learning curve... and a big one, I thought the earring would have been a separate price to the piercing and solution it's self. I didn't complain in the shop as they had been opened and I get that completely... I just thought the earrings would have been around £20 ish separate...

I wish people would stop saying go to a tattoo studio though...I couldn’t find one anywhere I could get to (central London, west London) that would do under 16s....

I did ask if she could come back another day and have them done again with the same earring and they said no as they were. I longer sterile