Salon Woes!

Hello Everybody it's your girl back at it again!
    
         Well the other day I was talking to my friend and she seemed quite upset with her hairstylist.She went on to say that she has been calling her stylist for the past week and she haven't returned her calls. See with some people they are really quick to bash black owned businesses; no one really talks about the black clientele or clientele period!
      I understand that Americans always stress that "The customer is ALWAYS right". The problem with that slogan is that clients use it to abuse the Service provider. Now back to the story I was telling ,you see every hairstylist has a D.N.R list, no not do not resuscitate but Do Not REBOOK.
     There are two criterias to get on this list one is that you are a D.D and two you are a Dollar Menu Client.
So your asking what does this all mean? Let's start with D.D. D.D stands for Demanding Diva. People like this often think they are Beyonce or Paris Hilton twin sister. They come into the salon and during their consultation they all this unrealistic demands. As a stylist you survive the consultation, but the minute you start cutting a small strand of hair the client starts complaining and criticizing everything. They don't like this and that. Sometimes it get so bad that basic sew-in that is suppose to take four hours tops can take up to twelve!! Now if your complaining like that your not expressing discontent your being unnecessarily difficult and hard to manage.
     What you have to realize is that hair is a business. No stylist wants to spend twelve hours on a job that could be done in a third of time. See most stylist get paid per client and not per hour. Therefore your stylist just lost three potential clients that could her brought her income. Now my mom usually says to me "Not everything is about money". I have to agree and disagree with her, because you don't pay your bills with no money. Those three clients that your stylist lost is the money that she could have used for  rent, tuition or child care and you cheat her out of it.
     A part from the money aspect this is what causes most stylist appointment books run LATE! In return the stylist will have a bad reputation in city. Everybody talks about how black women NEVER stick to time. Or they take to long to do your hair, but how can you with clients like that?
     Now on to the Dollar Menu Client. Dollar Menu Clients are the people who want to look like Beyonce, but for pennies on the dollar. Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with being on a BUDGET! The problem is you cant walk into a salon thinking that your stylist will do Box Braids at waist-length for fifty dollars! That is ridiculous and it is an insult! The reason being is that Box Braids take up to twelve hours to do. So roughly your client is paying you 4.80 an hour. You cant want to look like Beyonce and be on a dollar menu budget. The two doesn't match. FYI if you wanna act like Beyonce just know that Beyonce stylist Kim Kimble charges $650 for a sew-in plus travel expenses.
     Please note you do not have to look like a celebrity in order to look great. There are styles that look great like cornrows and they don't cost that much. You would quit your job if your boss pays you below standard, so why should your stylist work below the standard?
 
 But in all, there is hope here are some helpful tips to make sure that both parties are happy:

1) Always call ahead for pricing. Knowing how much something cost will save you time and embarrassment.

2) Only ask for a discount on certain conditions such as; If I refer three clients can I get a 25% discount for my next service. Stylist love this because referrals save alot of time and money on Marketing.

3) Bring a picture of the exact style you want and stick with it if your not sure about what you want then wait until are

4) Wait till the end to express discontent. You never really know what your stylist's work looks like until its done.

5) Come to your appointments on time. Time is Everything

With that being said I'm currently accepting new clients for more information please call 330-459-5860
This is your one and only Chinonso Nkwocha