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Original poster

Ear piercing?!

76 replies

fancyfrank1 · 23/12/2021 18:05

My little girl has just asked for her ears pierced as a present from Father Christmas I explained that she can have that but it will be after Christmas now and she's happy with that! Does anyone know how much roughly Claire's charge? Christmas has hit the finances hard 🤣 x

OP posts:
Hotpinkangel19 · 23/12/2021 18:07

Don't go to Claire's! Take her to a proper, reputable piercing place. Not Claire's!

TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 23/12/2021 18:07

Please don’t go to Claire’s.

Find a local trained piecer.

girlmom21 · 23/12/2021 18:09

Claire's will probably be more expensive than a good local piercer.

Daisy829 · 23/12/2021 18:09

Claires is expensive. I don’t think you would get it done for less than £60ish. My DD got hers done there in October & we had a good experience but I paid more for some of the higher priced earrings. A local salon would be more like £30.

LaBelleSausage · 23/12/2021 18:10

To answer your question, I think the absolute cheapest studs they will use are around £20, so that's as low as it could be.

To reiterate the other posters though, please go to a proper piercer and not them. Needles are infinitely better than the guns they use.

lonsdaleshorts · 23/12/2021 18:10

Please don’t use Claire’s. Go to a proper piercing studio where it is done properly.

BeLessMe · 23/12/2021 18:11

Depends on the earrings you choose. There are only a few that are included in the basic fee I believe but, on the basis that they are happy to have parents pin screaming kids on the floor to be pierced, YABU to go there!

This woman got a shock at the price.
www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/8889725/claires-piercing-update/

LivingOnTheVeg · 23/12/2021 18:12

Please don’t go to Claire’s. Find a proper piercing shop with actual trained piercers. Not sure if things have changed (I doubt it) but in the early 2000s the Claire’s piercing training was being sent home with a VHS, piercing gun, and a teddy bear to practice on. Then being allowed to pierce little girls’ ears the week after. The guns can cause terrible damage and infections because you’re stapling a blunt needle into the cartilage at high speed. It’s not careful at all. And it actually hurts more than a needle. Don’t do it!!

thickthighs73 · 23/12/2021 18:16

Yes definitely go to a specialist piercer as others have said.

Agadorsparticus · 23/12/2021 18:16

I went to a piercer at a local tattoo parlor for DD, it was about £20. It's fairly pointless as school insists on plastic earrings so DD has let hers heal up until she's left school.

lonsdaleshorts · 23/12/2021 18:18

About 8-10 years ago, I was in the Bull Ring to get my niece gifts from Claire’s. I walked in to a baby, around 6 months old being pinned down to have her ears pierced with the staff member roaring to keep her still. It was the most horrific thing I’ve seen and I told them. that as I walked out. I also reported it to their head office. Didn’t get a reply.

DiamondBright · 23/12/2021 18:24

I paid £25 for DD at a piercing studio recently, just plain studs.

WouldIBeATwat · 23/12/2021 18:27

Most proper piercing studios won’t pierce under 10s. I made DD wait.

SockFluffInTheBath · 23/12/2021 18:36

Please don’t go anywhere that uses a plastic piercing gun. Go to a proper piercer who uses needles. It sounds horrific but it hurts less and heals faster. My local lady charges £40 for a pair of lobe piercings.

Newbabynewhouse · 23/12/2021 18:49

The workers in Claires aren't actually trained properly and there have been a few mistakes made .. google it... also they don't use proepr equipment...

Go to a piercing place..probably be about £20

CombatBarbie · 23/12/2021 18:49

Don't go to Claires.... Both mine went to a tattooist.

CombatBarbie · 23/12/2021 18:51

@WouldIBeATwat

Most proper piercing studios won’t pierce under 10s. I made DD wait.
I didn't come across that with either of mine. They were both 8 when they had theirs done. One in Scotland, one on England.
CombatBarbie · 23/12/2021 18:52

Tell I lie, youngest was 6....no problems whatsoever.

DeckTheHallsWithGin · 23/12/2021 18:54

Don’t go to Claire’s, get it done by a proper needle piercer but be aware that most won’t do under 10s as they can’t consent. And if so make her wait- don’t get it done by a teenager with a stapler.

Ahhhhhbisto · 23/12/2021 18:54

Don't go to Claire's!
I paid £25 in September at a local piercer. She was fantastic, had a wide range of studs to choose from and the aftercare was great.

Twizbe · 23/12/2021 19:00

@LivingOnTheVeg

Please don’t go to Claire’s. Find a proper piercing shop with actual trained piercers. Not sure if things have changed (I doubt it) but in the early 2000s the Claire’s piercing training was being sent home with a VHS, piercing gun, and a teddy bear to practice on. Then being allowed to pierce little girls’ ears the week after. The guns can cause terrible damage and infections because you’re stapling a blunt needle into the cartilage at high speed. It’s not careful at all. And it actually hurts more than a needle. Don’t do it!!
I trained with Claire's in the early 00s that is NOT how I was trained!

It was several weeks of cardboard ears and a full work book for the theory and legalities.

Then the first few were on other members of staff (willingly - I've got tons of holes because I was always up for being someone's first)

There were 2 types of gun. The traditional fire it through type and another which was essentially the earring as a needle (they had sharp points) those ones were all solid gold or surgical steel.

Each gun was cleaned between uses about 10 times, gloves worn, surfaces cleaned etc. We were inspected by the council at regular intervals like any piercer or tattooist.

I personally took it very seriously and it was my favourite part of the job. I took care and time with the clients to ensure they got a good result.

Oh and had I been at that shopping centre I would have read the riot act at the piercer who thought holding down a screaming child was ok!!!

TeaStory · 23/12/2021 19:12

“There were 2 types of gun. The traditional fire it through type and another which was essentially the earring as a needle (they had sharp points) those ones were all solid gold or surgical steel.”

Those earrings aren’t sharp enough, so gun piercings cause a crushing injury instead of parting the flesh. Also, “surgical steel” is a blanket term, so it’s meaningless.

“Each gun was cleaned between uses about 10 times”

Autoclaved? I doubt it.

OP, please don’t go to Claire’s. Gun piercings are bad, ask any professional piercer. Plus the aftercare advice is poor. See a professional piercer at a piercing studio.

SingaporeSlinky · 23/12/2021 19:19

I’m sure you’re exaggerating but why on earth would it need to be cleaned ‘10 times’? Surely if it’s cleaned properly, once is enough?

Twizbe · 23/12/2021 19:21

@SingaporeSlinky

I’m sure you’re exaggerating but why on earth would it need to be cleaned ‘10 times’? Surely if it’s cleaned properly, once is enough?
I just meant it was cleaned properly. They were cleaned before and after each use. It's a figure of speech

Gosh some people really do love to jump on anything

LivingOnTheVeg · 23/12/2021 19:25

@Twizbe yours must have been ran far better than our local store then!