To think hairdressers are CF?

[AuntyBess]

Passing on PPE charge to customers.

Have been going 30 years to this chain.

In the last 10 since going grey, I've visited every 17 days damn you fast growing hair currently £58 per visit. Then hair cut every 3 months at approx another £50.

AIBU to think they should absorb this cost?

Maybe your business can afford to absorb the losses. Most hairdressers are self employed and having to pay for all their own equipment, chair hire etc. I don’t know any rich hairdressers.

YABU clearly you can afford it if you're blowing £58 every fortnight on root touch ups

I'm absorbing the extra costs that my business is facing.
That is your choice.

When you pay for the hairdressers you are paying for their time but also for their equipment- the dye, scissors, shampoo etc. PPE is now necessary equipment. Their equipment cost has gone up so their prices have gone up. I dont see how that is unreasonable

My hairdresser does my hair once or twice a year at most, charges less than the market average, shut up before lock down due to her own medical condition making her vulnerable, has had no income for 4 months and is charging a little extra for PPE, own masks are welcome. She is not being unreasonable.

My hairdressers can now only have two customers in the salon at one time. So they're continuing to lose money. I offered to sit in my car while my colour sets, so they can have an extra customer for that half hours, and the salon owner said my offer made her cry.

It's not just about a mask and some gloves. Some have put screening in between chairs, for instance. So all these costs on top of losing money for three months already, could be the difference between the salon being there for you in the future, and not.

You have made a choice to absorb your costs (maybe because your business may lose custom if you don't). They have made a choice not to, and they are likely to be in great demand so probably won't lose overall custom even if they lose yours.

I'm absorbing the extra costs that my business is facing.

That is your choice to make. Businesses do sometimes absorb extra costs but ultimately passing on the costs of doing business to the customer is pretty much essential, otherwise the business isn't viable. Now if you think they are grossly overcharging for PPE it is then your choice to decide if you want to take your custom elsewhere or not.

We are all going to have to adjust to the new normal. So many businesses are going to have to make changes to their operating model that would have been completely unthinkable just a few months ago. Think of all those (bars, clubs, restaurants, theatres etc etc etc) that are going to have to restrict themselves to a third of their pre-Covid capacity and god knows how much on cleaning and hygiene. They cannot survive without prices taking a significant hike. As consumers we need to get used to that. As a business owner you do too. It's very noble endeavouring to absorb all the new costs yourself but you need to make a profit otherwise what is the point of you being in business?

Go grey

Remove this albatross from around your neck, permanently!

Sorry when I said absorb the costs I really meant recoup the costs ie put the prices up. It’s to be expected imo.

@SimonJT

The only cheeky fuckers are the ones who are too tight to keep their hairdresser safe.

My barber came round this morning and cut mine, my boyfriends and my sons hair. He needed apron, fp3 mask and visor. If we didn’t pay for his PPE my sons haircut would have essentially be free.

Agree!

My ex is a tattoo artist (not yet allowed to open) and he’s decided to absorb the cost, but he only has 2 or 3 customers a day and he already uses most of the PPE necessary, so it’s minimal change.

Whereas a good barber has many customers a day as part of the regular business model and up until now sufficient hygiene was achieved without the need for disposable protection - they have to add the costs on top, there is no other way to make it work.

Hairdressers are usually somewhere between the barber and the tattooer examples, but they have to cut down on the way they seat and stack customers (it’s usual to have a colour on one client whilst cutting and finishing another) so again, expecting them to absorb the extra costs is just unrealistic.

Bet you, your fella and your son are feeling well fresh now, Simon!

I tried google for an answer so expect it is No, but are there not grants for small businesses to cover additional costs for PPE?

I am more than happy to pay. I have been going to the same hairdresser for years because I like the way they do my hair. I have missed out on two haircuts since the lockdown, which they are not going to make up for.

It’s all very well saying they should absorb the cost - what if they simply can’t? And would go out of business?

My brother is a barber, re-opened today. Saturday is the best day of the week usually. They’d have 6 people, and do about 16 people a day each. Today, they’ve booked 8 per barber - extra cleaning time, and more spacing to avoid a waiting area. And only 3 people working to have 2m between chairs. So that’s 24 cuts instead of 96. Same outgoings. 25% of the usual takings on their busiest day! Some will be re-couped, moving clients onto weekdays, but not all.

The only charge they’ve passed on is to say, you have to wear a mask - if you haven’t got one, you can buy from them AT COST.

This is on top of not working for 3 months, with rents etc still to pay. They had the wages covered by government, and the small business grant. So they’ve lost money, but thank goodness the relief has meant they can still re-open.

I don’t think any business should be profiteering, but increasing prices:

• to cover PPE
• to cover lose trade going forward due to additional measures (cleaning, spacing)
• to cover trade lost in previous months

All this is fine by me.

£5 per customer is a lot but maybe they are trying to recoup money lost over the past few months and also the gap in appointments I guess they have now due to cleaning in between etc. I got charged £2 the other day for me and DS to have mask each when he was getting his hair cut I thought that was fair enough.

I agree ,
If my hairdresser does this then less or no tip sorry .
Also I may even carry on dyeing my own hair and save even more money .
I'm all for keeping my hairdressers going but if they add extra charges I'd be going less and less I'm not made of money , it's tough times for us all at the minute.

It's your choice to go. If it wasn't for you and others, they could stay at home and be safe to be fair. And ppe costs a lot, which needs to be changed regularly.

If you don't like it, dye your hair at home. Will cost you a lot less too.

£5 isn't unreasonable, and it won't last forever. better than adding it to the prices 'temporarily' which may not stay 'temporary'.

Hopefully, a lot of hairdressers were able to apply for government support during the 3 months they weren't able to work. It won't cover what a lot of them would have made had they actually been able to keep working, but hopefully it helped enough so that their businesses didn't go under and they're all back in action.

I can't wait for my appointment next week! Made it weeks ago!

Why on earth would you expect them to absorb the cost? New ppe for every customer isn’t going to be cheap and they’ve done no business and had no income for nearly four months. It’s not hairdressers who are cheeky fuckers.

If you don't like it, dye your hair at home. Will cost you a lot less too.
But then If everyone did that they would go out of business .
Seams to me it would put some off it would me isn't that the opposite of what they want .?
For the first appointment people may pay because they are desperate for a hair cut but after that nah .

I'm sat in the hairdressers now. No PPE at all.

Another hidden cost for my barber brother... Saturdays, they’re usually fully booked - but they get a number of no-shows. Usually, they make up some of that business with walk ins - they have to sit it the waiting area. Now they have said booked appointments only, and they have no waiting area. So even more business lost.

Ours is charging a £5 PPE one off fee. Sounds reasonable to me.

We walked past 2 barbers, a cafe & a bike shop today. The cafe had workmen in sorting out the counters, the bike shop was closed & the barbers had screens up.

I said to DD how the hell do they manage the rent & rates & pay for all this new equiptment. I find it upsetting. I really feel for them

I feel so sorry for my hairdresser, she has worked so hard to get ready for re-opening and now we are back in lock down. they are planning full PPE, she has worked hard to have her upstairs turned into an extra part of the salon so that people are better spaced out. She tried to book all her regulars in as soon a she thought they would re-open and now can't. If she doesn't charge extra for the PPE I shall give her a big tip to cover the cost as she has gone above and beyond to put us customers first.

I don’t think this is a problem, they have to get their coats back some how.

What does bother me is how expensive women’s haircuts are in comparisons to men’s. My DH has a much more complicated haircut than me and he pays £10. I have an inch off the bottom of mine and a fringe trim and everywhere it seems to be £25+. I don’t have tea or coffee, I don’t read mags, I don’t have it washed/blow dried/styled/straightened, so why the extra cost? I find it really unfair and sexist how cheap men’s hair is to cut in comparison to women’s! Tried to go to his barbers but they only do men!

Sorry off topic there!

OP I find hairdresser 's prices extortionate and only go for a cut 2-3 times a year. I have stopped colouring my hair ages ago and happy to go grey, even though I still don't have many grey hairs. If I have to go for a cut I have my own PPE. Would this be an option for you? It's worth noting that I absolutely hate going to the hairdressers and never feel happy with their work. Maybe things would be different if I found a good one.