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 ?

I wonder if it's management discretion to charge for the full earring, solution, piercing procedure as it was fully intended although she was to scared in the end?

Bloody hell. When I was a teen we used to go down the local market and get piercings for £2. Could get anything you wanted done that the gun would fit around. I had 8 done that way in my ears. Some are wonky, some are fine, one got really infected, most didn't.
Even with that said, no way would I ever let my child get his ears pierced with a gun. Now I know better. I had my nose, belly button, nipple, septum, tragus and rook pierced with needles and they explained to me how I was so lucky with my ears.

OP, see if you can find somewhere where will do it with a needle and put your DDs mind at ease. The scariest bit is the anticipation. Perhaps let her buy a really jazzy pair of earrings just before hand so she has something to look forward to?

At least you respected your DD's decision not to go through with it. Wasn't there a thread a while ago about their policy (may have been in Canada?) to go through with it even if the child says no, if the parents want it?

I think Id be tempted to email Claire's with a complaint and ask for an explanation of their billing/refund. Kids must back out of getting their ears pierced all the time. I wouldnt have been happy with their attitude either.

Ive never met a proper piercer who didnt curse Claire's to hell and back!

To heal your LO's ears

Use a home made saltwater solution. Nothing else will do a better job.

Mix:

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt (NOT table salt)
1 cup of cooled boiled water

Wash your hands and once it's cooled down use solution soaked cotton wool or cotton buds to clean the piercing twice a day

Even if they seem a bit swollen and red carry on with the solution it will get better over a few days

Doubt it. It’s probably just another way for them to maximise profits. Large organisations just don’t care unfortunately. I bet most people (like you & I) are more concerned about their child so didn’t really bother to challenge it.

@Yourostar 9yo is a fairly average age to get your ears pierced... certainly most every child in my class had their ears pierced by year 5?

Couldn't get any proper piercers round here to do ears under 14, even with parental permission/presence and I phoned round loads of places.

I’m astonished that people still go to Claire’s. If you cannot find a decent tattooist or body piercer then your child waits simple.

Claire’s tried to get me to get my toddlers done there I asked if they used a gun she said no we used a people powered devise I told her to get away and my tattooist would do my daughters ears when she was old enough to ask an understand.

Poor you and your girl. I admit the pricing wasnt entirely clear with prices not displayed so I did ask the price of various earings before we chose.
Basically the earrings are overpriced but that's because they are specially packed for the 'guns' although they arent really guns. The ear prep looked good and clean to me.
Luckily my daughter was happy with relatively cheap earings and I thought £25 was a good price.
Tis the season for ear piercing!

Please don't attack me...I was a Claire's piercer. This was getting on for 20 years ago mind, when I was a student, needed a job and didn't know what I know now.

PP is right when they said cardboard ears, then you had to do so many of your colleagues ears (or you could get friends and family to volunteer for a discount) before you were allowed to do it on customers.

They had 2 types of gun, one basically you pulled back and when you pulled the trigger the earring went right through quite forcefully which I was not a fan of. The other one which was for the more expensive gold or silver earrings (typical!) was where the only force to push the earring through was the force you applied to the gun yourself. Though now I understand it's still forcing an object which is not good.

I remember we did have some training around keloid scarring, how to spot it and not to pierce through it. At the store I worked in if a child was on a parents lap they could put a hand on their forehead gently to prevent last second twitching but any forcing them down and we could refuse to do it. Also having 2 piercers do an ear at the same time was a draw for a lot of parents. I wouldn't have thought you'd be charged, but like I said nearly 20 years so it might have changed.

All that being said, would I take DC there? No, I would go to a proper piercing studio.

Also I had no idea you weren't supposed to turn them! I was told to do it when I had mine done at 12 down the local jewellers!

If the tattoo/piercing studio says no, then it's no. God knows why you would go somewhere that forces a blunt earring into your child's ears just because you don't want to make them wait.

We paid £12.50 at a local salon same style of equipment and a lovely room and time spent making sure the piercings were in the best position .

Let's not be too harsh on OP. Not everyone knows about the reputation of Claire's ear piercing service. Obviously people are still going to them since they are still running the service after all these years.

FWIW I got my ears pierced at Claire's as a child. No infections, no issues, wore earrings everyday for years quite happily. I don't anymore, but thats because I got bored of them. Holes still open though. It doesn't always end in tears.

I shudder when I walk past Claire’s and see them piercing ears with a gun. Piercing guns should be banned.

If a tattoo studio won’t pierce her ears then she just needs to wait.

Yes to what everyone has said. But also, if you want to have a speedy cleaning option then you can buy a very good saline spray (amazon do it). I used it on recommendation on here for a piercing. It’s called prontolind. I know salt water is cheaper but for a very convenient alternative this was brilliant and helped my piercing heal very quickly.

£75? Good lord they saw you coming

If the tattoo/piercing studio says no, then it's no. God knows why you would go somewhere that forces a blunt earring into your child's ears just because you don't want to make them wait.

Have you read this thread? I haven't forced either to have it done... nor did I consult in a tattoo artist before hand... where do you get your info from as it's not accurate !

@pigsDOfly the Caflon cartridges that they use in places like Claire’s can’t be made sterile again, they’re a sealed sterile unit, that the shop would have no choice but to bin them.

Why did you get yours ears pierced instead OP? Wouldn’t have been such a waste of money then!

Woman from what I can gather they see a lot of people come

Queen they did offer but I have mine done three times already but only wear one. I'd rather not have anymore holes in my body 😀

I've seen a video of a gun being put through an autoclave machine and it destroyed it. They're definitely not hygienic.

sorry you had this experience. I took my 9 year old daughter for her ears to be pierced today at a tattoo parlour. Cost £20 and he made the point of telling us not to buy ear rings from Claire's or Primark.

Mummbra, same experience for me. I couldn't believe that they would actually pay a muppet like me to go around puncturing holes in to the paying public.

I only had one that I know of go wrong when I went through the end of my latex glove attaching it to the new piercing. The lady took it very well.
There was one that I refused to do due to scarring as an old piercing had been torn and the only place suitable was a good way round her ear. Fortunately the manager agreed with me.
I was relieved to never to be asked to do a particularly young or distressed child.
20 years ago it cost about £16-30 depending on the earrings chosen.

The worst bit about working there was listening to the cassette of the month loop around every 40 minutes. Not good for one's nerves.

Sudo funnily enough the piercing chair was right under the speaker and I actually said to the ladies in there does that thing now drive you mad as it was blaring out some awful noise. The manager said yes and turned it off. The whole experience was pretty shit as I sit here and reflect.

My daughter cam in earlier and said mommy I didn't like that one lady who was going to pierce my ears, she wasn't kind at all...