Hairstylists spend a large number of hours
in the salon and on their feet, working hard to help make their clients look
and feel their best. They politely listen as clients ramble on and on about
their lives and they proudly do it with a smile on their face. You’d think that
there’s nothing that can get to these selfless hair magicians, but that notion is
actually far from true.
To find out what truly irks them, Rosy Salon Software surveyed busy
salon professionals and asked them to come up with their worst client offenses.
Read on to find out if you are guilty of any of these cringe-worthy salon
no-nos.
Late to the Party
The most common issue with surveyed salon
pros involves clients who are always late. We’re not talking a single
unavoidable situation but the habitually late-every-time person who is
oblivious to the issue. That 10-minute tardiness in the beginning of the day
can easily turn into being an hour or more behind by the end of the day.
Taking Their Time
One salon pro explained that they have a
few clients who think it’s acceptable to wander in 10-20 minutes late for their
appointment. Or have ones who take their time as they wander over to the salon
chair, which delays the stylist from getting started on their hair. What’s
worse is when they get upset when the service can’t be finished in what they
feel is a timely manner.
No-Show
The worst
possible offense is to book an appointment and not show up, or to call last
minute to cancel. It can be considered insulting to the stylist and is likely a
financial burden to the salon owner. Most salons schedule their clients based
on specific increments of time and a cancellation or no-show means that they
now have unbookable spots and lost revenue.
Personally Speaking
Clients can sometimes get a little too
personal with their conversations while sitting in the chair. Many have admitted
to torrid affairs, some asked for dates and /or made unwanted advances toward
their stylists, while a few actually wanted to spark up a fling, despite the
fact that their wives were also clients.
Rude ‘Tude
There’s always that one client who feels
that the world revolves around them. They talk too loudly, push their beliefs
and opinions on others, and don’t care if they offend anyone else in the salon.
Don’t be THAT person! The entire salon thanks you!
Get to the Point
While over-explaining what you want can be unnerving,
arriving to your appointment unprepared or having stacks of opposing hairstyle
photos may make your hairstylist’s head explode. Instead, go for a quick,
to-the-point description and just a few photos.
Expect Much?
Some clients can be very unrealistic with
their hair expectations. everybody wants to look like their favorite
celebrities but coming in with overly retouched pictures of thick, perfectly-placed
tresses does not mean that your thin strands can or will look just like the
picture.
In other cases, clients want to remove
years of dark hair color and take their saturated strands to a pure platinum.
What’s worse is that they expect to do it in one sitting with no yellow, or
breakage! Oh my!
One stylist explained that a client was
upset when they realized that root had to be touched up every several weeks and
that the touch up service is not free!
Ewwwww
One salon scenario involves a client coming
in with a sample of hair for the stylist to use to color match, a common
practice for color services. When asked where the clippings in the baggie came
from, the client promptly pointed to her nether regions.
Oh My!
Taking pleasure from a great scalp massage
at the shampoo bowl is one thing but moaning like a porn star is a definite
no-no. It makes the situation very uncomfortable for anyone in earshot.
Overt Control
If you really want to piss off a seasoned
hair pro, tell them how to do their jobs. Things like what tools to use, how to
use them, how to layer hair or cut wispy fringe, etc. Oh, they so love that!
Expressive Encounters
Bouncing like a bobble-head doll or chattering
away on your cell phone while sitting in the salon chair can really irk a
hairstylist. When they are working on your hair, they need for you to remain somewhat
still, otherwise your cut, color, eyebrows, or whatever, may not turn out quite
the way you wanted. Nobody wants that!
No Thanks
Hairstylists thrive on positive feedback
and hope that happy clients will express their satisfaction. Unfortunately, far
too many stay silent or don’t leave a decent tip, or one at all. Just keep in
mind that a hairstylist won’t be too eager to take another booking for you if
you don’t at least say thanks.
Guest Post
