“Oh, what about you hairstylists!” you ask. “Shouldn’t you check yourselves, too?”
Don’t worry, child. You know I'm going to cover it all! Clients talking on cell phones- Only if President Obama is calling should you answer. We all have emergencies, so exceptions must be made. But do you really need to talk on the phone when getting your hair washed? I don't think so.
Consistently late for appointments- You know who you are. We all do too. Showing up late affects the appointment of the next clients throughout the day. If you are half an hour late when its’ a busy day for the hairstylist, you should be encouraged to come another day. This way you also get your full service (and so does everyone else).
Always asking for a discount- Do you ask your doctor for a discount? Or how about your dentist? This is not the flea market. However, when close clients started loosing their jobs because of the recession it was normal for me to give clients a break in price. We are a family after all!
Calling four weeks later to say your color is not right- Four weeks is a very long time. If your color is not to your liking, you should notice something in the first week. I believe two weeks is more than enough time for you to notice if the coverage was not to your liking or if unwanted color tones are present. As soon as you notice, call the salon and most professionals will be willing to correct your hair color if necessary.
Keep in mind if you wanted a single process and feel you want some lighter pieces, that's a separate process at a separate cost.
Dogs in the salon- When I last checked there were no laws against dogs in salons. If your dog is well behaved, big or small, it should not be a problem. Please keep in mind the size of the salon may not accommodate a big dog and it may be difficult for stylists and clients to move around freely.
Now it's the stylists’ turn to face the music. Always late- If a stylist is always late, chances are they did not get to work on time. This is a sign of unprofessionalism. It may also be that the stylist is overbooked. Honestly, the client should not have to suffer in order for the stylist to make more money.
Juggling too many clients- This is coming from someone who for years did 3 clients at a time, having assistants finish my work. Today, I understand the value of my doing all the work myself. It's mostly beneficial to the client, giving them their money’s worth and a quality of work that no assistant can give. This type of service is an advantage to the stylist and a disadvantage to the client.
A hairstylist that gets upset when their client tries to see another hairstylist- A client is allowed to go to anyone they wish to. Sometimes we the stylists get stuck in ruts and the client wants something new or a new pair of ears to talk to. It could even be that the client may have seen another stylist’s work and wants some of what he or she has to offer. But whatever the case, the moral of the story is, let's celebrate the client’s wants.
The “diva” hairstylist- If you are considered the diva of the salon, it generally is not a compliment – it’s a sign of insecurity. Who else would walk around the salon making demands, bullying assistants and clients, and expressing major entitlement? Only the diva hairstylist.
Hairstylists talking too much- How annoying is it to have a hairstylist that only talks about him or herself? I once heard a client say to a hairstylist, that she was having a bad day because of a sick loved one. Then to hear the hairstylist respond by saying "Oh my God, I saw a great movie recently!" Really? Loud-mouthed stylists (and you know who you are), learn when to keep your mouths shut and listen once in a while!
This is a short look at the areas in which we as clients and hairstylists can improve. At the end of the day, we should all be able to smile and laugh at ourselves a bit as we decide to improve our salon etiquette for next time. ;)
The editing of this blog was done by Camile Lamb of the Perfect Words,Ink.
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