Please stop undercutting yourself. You're harming others

[missjenjen18]

For context:
I have run a few different salons at this point and every time I come into a new salon I always have a problem with groomers under charging for services for x,y,z reason. When you do this, owners become accustomed to these prices... Then you leave and they expect me to charge them the same damn price.

I SPENT 5 FUCKING HOURS on a husky/malamute today, 3 and 1/2 of which were dematting and undercoat removal.
Granted this is a once a year dog that lives outside 24/7.
I was aware that the pet parent was going to be hugely shocked for the price that they was about to get, so I even undercut my fucking self. The ticket was only $160... and I gave her a $10 off coupon.
Guess what happened?? She ended up getting another $50 off. She only paid $100 because other groomers failed to charge correctly.
make people pay you your fucking worth.
End rant.

 

[seothietkekientruc]

@missjenjen18 Absolutely this. I left my first salon partly because of this exact reason. The owner was so afraid of raising her prices, and never charged people for anything extra. I ended up averaging less than minimum wage and she wouldn't let me take more dogs in a day to try and make up for it. (She was a horrible boss for many other reasons, too, but this was a biggie)

 

[joyincite]

@missjenjen18 This is why I love mobile. they don’t complain at $160 for a doodle. Almost every mobile on the area charges 150-200 for a doodle. We are kinda the cheapest. But I’ll slap dematting fees with zero remorse.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@joyincite Damn we're like 100$-120$ for mobile doodle

 

[preng]

@imagebeastmarkbeast I just started last year with $100 for my doodles, and I’ve been moving them all to the 150-160 range. I told them it’s what I had to do for my business to run. Almost all of them stayed with me.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@joyincite Hello! Another mobile here, what area are you located in?

 

[joyincite]

@imagebeastmarkbeast California San Diego county

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@missjenjen18 i’m so glad i work in a “higher end” salon, prices are high and for good reason. all big dogs are charged by the hour!

 

[christinak]

@missjenjen18 I make sure I get paid $30/hr.

 

[skn]

@missjenjen18 I work for corporate rn and I’m trying to get better about not undercharging I have been only grooming for 3months now and the people who come to corporate salons aren’t usually the best it’s hard but I know it’s very important

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@missjenjen18 I'm trying very hard to get my boss to raise her prices. I love her but she rather do 12 dogs a day herself and charge everyone under 80 dollars. I've finally pushes most doodles up to 75 dollars. Small dogs? Typically 40 to 45. I'm trying to push rose up to 50.

Like I don't get why I should push myself to do more than 5 to 7 dogs a day who are full grooms. We're good groomers, everything is included in the price.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

Chihuahuas and small smooth coat dogs are always at least $55 at my shop and I feel that’s a fair price for everything that’s included

 

[pythagon]

@imagebeastmarkbeast We start at $40 for a full groom on a dog like a Yorkie. And yet, I can do a bath, nails, and ear cleaning for a medium sized short haired dog for $60 in half the time. It's backwards.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@missjenjen18 I’m the ‘overcharger’ and feel no shame. Your dog was matted? +$10-15 matting fee. Your dog was extremely difficult to groom? Add on another $10 for the special handling fee. I don’t slave away for nothing and people deserve to be charged extra if they aren’t willing to maintain the dogs coat between grooming by themselves (a simple brush costs less than the matting fee at our shop)

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@missjenjen18 I hate this. we set our final price. So if a dog is 60-70$ price range. Others will charge 60$. I fucking hate this. Because when I do the dog I'll charge 70$ and I'll either lose the client to my co worker who charges less or they complain. AND WE'RE MOBILE.

 

[seeknsearchtorah]

@missjenjen18 I am long retired. But I worked at this shop where the owner where not grooms and would not let me set my price. I had the woman who figure out if she complained she would get half off her last price. So a 60 dollar groomer she complained I cut the the tail to short. Down to 30 I spoke to her about the tail and we agreed I would brush it nothing else. Complained again cause now it was to long paid 15. I cant remeber what the last one was but I think did it for like 8$ full groom. I worked on commission and had to maintain my own equipment and pay for soap.

I only ever found out about these discount after the owner left. The shop owner said they had to give the discount or we would not have customers. They close 6 months after I left.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@missjenjen18

 

[pythagon]

@missjenjen18 I can relate to this WAY too much. I work in a tiny shop attached to another pet business. It is only me and one other groomer and I have another main role there that is not grooming. Well here I am, busting my butt but still taking 4 hours on a 20lb dog (including bathing and drying) and only charging $50. I did a shavedown on a completely matted dog today and figured this was really a fluke with these particular clients so I told the front to charge the same as usual. Later I saw it was only $50. Our desheds are also $50-60, and I did a 50lb poodle for less than $60 recently. I haven't seen anybody pay more then $65, and that "much" is rare. Any new clients that I groom first, I charge a bit more, but I can only go up so much because our confirmation email says or prices start at $40.

She is generally very competent but insists on keeping these prices because she thinks it will keep people coming back more often. But it doesn't, and other places in the area start at $100, which she thinks is ridiculous. We live in an expensive area though. Even the manager and everyone else agrees that our prices are insanely low, but they don't have the guts to force a change. Luckily I get paid hourly but it's not much above minimum wage... And I'm not making the company any money. Sometimes my pay even exceeds the price of a groom. And honestly it's just frustrating knowing that we could be charging so much more.