Pricing Specials That Make No Sense
Jason Moore
As I sat in the waiting area to be called for my haircut yesterday it occurred to me that the owners and certainly NOT the stylists came up with the idea that kid's haircuts are cheaper than adults.
One poor stylists had a real winner in her seat for about 30 minutes. She was kicked 3 times in the stomach while the mother passively corrected him. So instead of the stylist being compensated at her normal rate, she had to give this charm of a child a 30% discount.
The kid has just as much hair as an adult. The task is much harder. The seat is occupied for longer. But the stylist makes less money.
What are some other examples where a policy may have made sense in theory ("kids are smaller; their haircut should be cheaper"), but in practice it certainly is not to the long-term benefit of anyone?
I am in complete disagreement with this example.
While I do see the validity of the increased stress level on the stylist, I am looking at this from the point of view of the true customer (the parent paying for the service).
As the parent of a small child - I have even taken my son to one of those "kid friendly" barber shops (which is even HIGHER priced than a regular adult cut) complete with the motorcycle or airplane that he can sit in while watching Scooby Doo or Sponge Bob on his own little flat screen - all in an attempt to give a quality haircut by distracting the child.
The result? ... a few moments of peace as he settles into his show ... until the child realizes that someone is chopping away with scissors or clippers ... then the usual panic sets in ... and everyone is just as miserable as if sitting in any other barber shop.
However, because of the special "kid friendly" environment, I (the customer) am now especially miserable - shelling out $20 (and driving an extra 20 miles at $3.xx /gallon) for my 3-year-old son's sub-par haircut (that I could have given him at home while he screamed in front of my TV).
While I am sure that the stylist no doubt gets compensated in some fashion based on the total income brought in by providing haircuts, coloring, etc – I also know that they receive tips. In most cases, the parent in a situation such as this feels ashamed at their child's behavior and gives the stylist an extra big tip (even though the haircut does not warrant it) ... even in the situation that I have described above, my wife somehow convinces me to fork over a big tip in addition to the gouging that has already taken place on my wallet.
My final thought: kids are going to be miserable getting a haircut - do your wallet a favor and go the cheaper route.
"Joe"
Thanks for the comment. I think we are discussing two separate ideas, though, when you introduce the increased cost for the specialized shop geared for children. In my opinion (and as you mentioned), you are not paying an increased fee for the haircut. The increase in fee for your child's haircut is more than likely going to all of the theme-based toys and such.
The bottom line (which you alluded to) is that the responsibility is in the parents' hands to teach their children to act correctly. My position is that the stylist is put into a position by her employer to be compensated by the customer correctly. And we both know that many people do not think in those terms. They look at the finished product regardless of reason and pay the requested amount.
The shop gets more business based upon their employees being paid less. This is not a good long-term approach overall. Does the stylist's monthly fee to the shop go down when she works on more discounted children's haircuts? If so, then my point is invalid.
Thanks again for the response.
Jason