$1.00 Haircuts
Dollar stores remain all the rage. People love buying stuff for $1.00 even though many items are overpriced and undervalued. But at a buck, how wrong can you go?
So you might wonder about $1.00 haircuts. Chains such as Great Clips are doing $2.99, $3.99, and $7.99 cuts. Great Clips business is booming.
This story reminds me of a hotel with 400 rooms. The room rate is $199.00 per night. Competition has rooms for $149.00; $99.00 and so forth. The hotel has a choice: leave the rooms empty or make enough revenue to cover costs. Once the night turns into day, the rooms have lost all value.
How many hairdressers are newly graduated? Or just finished apprenticeship? Of these, how many would love the opportunity to learn on real people, real customers? I bet all.
Here’s the thing: If there aren’t any clients coming in, these hairdressers are sweeping, cleaning, talking and waiting. Every hour that passes by is an hour without revenue and without experience gained.
In tough times like these, why not charge $1.00? Clients will love the opportunity, they will tip generously and perhaps even buy some retail products. And what does anyone have to lose?
One tanning salon owner I spoke too recently told me he is opening 6 new locations. His friends tell him business is down 20-30%. He tells them to get busy promoting or get busy to close. He goes on to tell me that the business is out there. If you have to give 2 weeks free tanning, who cares–the cost is minimal and they will buy products to generate revenue.
Perhaps $1.00 is too low for some salons, think about $5.00. The story ends simply by keeping your mind open to new things and remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Happy Thursday!
P.S. I will return next Wednesday.
May 15th, 2009 at 8:21 am
I, personally, wouldn’t pay $1 for a haircut unless it was with my regular guy (shout out to Paul at Number 6 Salon) who was running a promotion. I would tip him very generously.
My son, on the other had, would totally pay $1 for a haircut. He is not loyal to any one cutting his hair. Whom ever is the cheapest is where he goes.
May 15th, 2009 at 8:44 am
I normally have my hairdresser come to my house but sometimes things come up and we have to reschedule.
Happy Friday all!
I wouldn’t mind trying out other places for a hair cut…to me, I am not all that worried…I have a lot of hair and don’t mind if they want to cut it/style it in a new fashion.
I am the type of person that would walk into a salon and say: “If you have this hair, what would you do with it? What style would you wear? What color would you have”? And then I let them do whatever. If you don’t venture out of your safety zone, you miss so much! Hair will grow back…sooner or later!
May 15th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Just to go anywhere for a dollar haicut would not do. To be able to go to your favorite stylist and get the service for a reasonable amount less would be a real deal though.
I think we sometimes price ourselves out of business.
It would only make sense to me that some income is better than no income at all.
May 15th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Or Salons could do a deal that after so many Hair colors, then you can your hair colored for $1? Or you can switch it up and have so many hair cuts and then the 5th or 10th for 1$. And it would be from your favorite salon that you always go to!
Now that would be a bargain!
May 15th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
It might just be me, but I don’t know any stylist who would work for $1 a cut…would anyone be willing to take a paycut for $1 an hour? Seems kinda ridiculous to me. Sorry.
May 15th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
If this experienced someone is willing to charge me $1.00 for a haircut, great I will abide, but I would still tip for the full price of course. And I think that is the concept here to bring in more people, and if they (the customer) are a sane individual they will tip the full price amount, that is what I would do! I always tip more if the cut is good anyways.
It is not ridiculous unless the clientel isn’t willing to pay full price tip. If you have great clientel then they would tip you regular price tip. If not you are working at the wrong place, and your customers don’t really like you.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
With the national aveage for profit at only 4% on services most salons make little to no profit on Haircuts anyways or because stylist love to pump the shampoo – lose money on that service so why no do it for 1$.
If that client buys 1 bottle of shampoo and a styling aid the salon stands to earn as much as 20%. Works for me.
June 26th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
I dunno…. I tried doing full sets of nails at a steal – $12. The response I got was minimal. On average clients would pay $12 but wouldn’t tip or wouldn’t come because the cheap price “made them feel” like I was inexperienced and would ruin their nails. I have since increased my prices and have tried combinig services to increase cash flow… Since retail items don’t really do well in my business