To think that beauticians & hairdressers shouldn’t be hiking prices?

[Anon778833]

I’m a therapist myself. But we have all felt the pinch of covid 19. Why should clients be expected to make up for the fact that we couldn’t work for 4 months?

My salon (which I finally went to TODAY ) put their prices up 10% from £60 to £66 but I could really see where that was going. Less chairs and stylists so we were at least 2m, probably more from other clients, disposable towels and aprons, masks and full face visors for the staff, hand sanitiser everywhere, 15 minute cleaning check-list in between every customer, screen over the payment counter. I hate to see it look like that but I felt safe and looked after and the staff (my stylist, anyway) said she felt safe so totally worth it IMO.

On the other hand, we’re talking £6. Would I pay £40 extra... no. So I think it depends on how much money we’re talking about and also if you feel like the extra £ is being well-spent on staff and customers safety.

@victoriashleigh

My salon (which I finally went to TODAY ) put their prices up 10% from £60 to £66 but I could really see where that was going. Less chairs and stylists so we were at least 2m, probably more from other clients, disposable towels and aprons, masks and full face visors for the staff, hand sanitiser everywhere, 15 minute cleaning check-list in between every customer, screen over the payment counter. I hate to see it look like that but I felt safe and looked after and the staff (my stylist, anyway) said she felt safe so totally worth it IMO.

On the other hand, we’re talking £6. Would I pay £40 extra... no. So I think it depends on how much money we’re talking about and also if you feel like the extra £ is being well-spent on staff and customers safety.

A great read and completely agree. When people can see the demonstrable change, then it's easy to take a 10-20% hike in price.

I think however there will be salons near where i live that will make a bit of a cash grab - their prices for "consultations" and "colour correction" or whatever are seriously high as it is, so they'll just almost add a demand tax due to the interruption of the coronavirus and the waiting list.

Will people pay it? You bet they will, and I doubt they'd be much of a row about it either.

There'd be, even!

Not if they only announce AFTER the treatment that the price has risen by £40

That wasn't what you asked.

Oh come on. Every hairdresser, stylist and whatever that is allowed to reopen has got their new prices clearly on the door, along with the new rules for booking appointments.

There is no way there is a forum of multiple hairdressers who sprang the increase in price on their customers after doing the cut.

Perfectly reasonable for them to charge more. They have had an increase in their costs and their income will be reduced due to extra time for extra cleaning /no overlaps etc.
If you can run a salon without this I'd love to know how.

Well my hairdresser used to have two clients at a time and is now only having one so she's halved her income. I think she's justified in putting her prices up. People can choose to pay them, or not.

Small increases have to be expected, if there are huge hikes they risk loosing custom longer term. If the hikes are high I'll be trying colouring from home and going less frequently.

Remember a lot of their clients have had substantial loses too.

I had this discussion with my nail lady on Tuesday. She was shocked that some people are choosing to put their prices up and says she has absorbed the cost of PPE and the like as she sees those as just another responsibility if you run your own business, especially in beauty where you are touching people all day (even before covid). That said, if a few pounds extra meant the difference between my hairdresser, who has done my hair for over 15 years, who I care for dearly and has now got a newborn after many losses, keeping and losing her salon - I would absolutely pay.

YABU I had my hair cut last week and feel its very justified for the price increase and will carry on going regardless of the cost

A lot of things are going to go back to being rarer, more expensive, more of a special occasion or special treat. Hair and beauty appointments, meals out, travel. The mass economies of scale based on throughput just aren’t going to be applicable any more.

I think if hairdressers add on an extra £40 people will simply go to someone who doesn’t

They will if they've got any sense

I got mine done for the first time since lockdown today - yaaayyyy!! - and what was £40 has become just £42, with the stylist explaining that they're passing on only what it costs them instead of profiteering

I was gobstruck to find my hairdresser was still charging the same on Monday. Equally I was perfectly happy to pay extra for PPE when I had my nails done today. Both made me really happy, I look like myself again. It was well worth the extra money.

Well they are not essential are they, so if people are willing to pay whatever price the provider sets, and the provider still gets custom, good luck to them I say!

I think hairdressers are essential really. But anyway, thanks for replies. It looks as if I’m generally being unreasonable. And I guess it’s probably better for them to put prices up than close. And with that I agree.

It makes you wonder where this will end though.

@ZazieRosa beauty treatments are one of those things that you have to keep on doing for there to be any point to them.

Especially these days, with the cutting edge treatments like 3D Lipo which require commitment of 12 weeks. And so on...

@SugarbabyMilly Not really. Or rather, at at higher price point, people will see it as preferable not to start or re-start things that have to be continuously done for their to be any point to them.

Some people will have had a break from those “essentials” over lockdown and have found they don’t miss them as much as they expected. Some people will be desperate to get back, some won’t. Some won’t have the money to go back.

So it’s pretty easy just to choose to not do them at all. There are plenty of beauty treatments that are fine as occasional things and don’t require a minimum commitment.

I sense you’ve a vested interest in 3D Lipo though, so you’re bound to see it differently.

@ZasieRosa That’s true actually. But you’re wrong that I have a ‘vested interest’ in 3D lipo. It’s quite simply a treatment that I have been trained in that I know how it works. Same with Caci. They are just examples of treatments that people need to keep going back for.

My hairdresser has dropped her prices. I wouldn’t have minded paying more.

Not if they only announce AFTER the treatment that the price has risen by £40.

That isn't what you said in your OP. That is a different matter altogether. Of course customers should be told of all charges upfront, especially if there has been a change.

I am completely fine with the principle of hairdressers charging extra to cover increased costs. If it makes the price too expensive for me, I will go elsewhere or learn to cut my own hair.

Hair dressers are not essential, neither is a nail bar or other beauty treatment and I think this sector will struggle as when money is tight as it will be for a lot of families as people are laid off and furlong ends then less people will have a spare £25 for their nails or £60 for a hair cut.

My hairdresser did not charge for PPE. The price has gone up marginally as it always does in April. She said it was difficult trying to balance additional costs and the fact that some clients were going to struggle financially. She also is worried that those who coloured their hair during lockdown might continue to do so if prices rose too dramatically.

I have been really surprised at how easy it is to get appointments at my regular places. I wasn't organised enough to be on waiting lists but still got appointments within the first week. DS phoned his barber yesterday afternoon and was given an appointment today.

I suspect the price increases are something to do with this. I was OK with paying it this time while they find their feet but I won't be rushing back if they don't put it back to normal for my next visits.

We've learned we can manage longer between visits than we thought, I think those who get greedy might regret it.

Most who previously reported their income properly will have had some government support to cover the closure period and they need to remember that many of their clients will be facing financial hardship too.

It's not really a question of whether it's "right" to increase prices, more whether people will be willing or able to pay it.

My hairdresser has increased prices by 25% (which amounts to £12) for a cut and blow dry and DS's barber by about 50% (£7). We are asked to take our own masks or buy one there, on top of the increased cost of the haircut. So their additional costs are for their own PPE, a plastic apron, disposable gloves and a visor that they wear all day (I.e. they only need one). How can that possibly amount to £12 (or £7) per person?

They said they needed to increase the price becuae they must allow hour long appointments, yet I was there less than 25 minutes. That's a lot of cleaning!

It's up to them where they set their prices but they mustn't be surprised if people decide not to pay them.

Increased costs. Cleaning time. PPE. Fewer clients. Can't make extra from facials, eyebrows, lashes or massages. And possibly, higher demand.

Fundamental business sense. None of them are doing it for fun, it's their living.