Charging clients an overtime fee, do or don't?

[tnngyn]

Hi everyone. Im fairly new to the site but i have a topic that i would really like opinions on from fellow nail techs and beauty stylists.

I work at a salon in which we have 6 full time techs and 3 part time. Everyone usually leaves 7 or earlier. Unless there are late clients then the owners or managers like myself will stay after and work.

The thing is, we are open 7 days a week. Monday through Saturday 9am to 7pm and Sunday 11am to 4 pm.

My question is, considering our hours and all week business availability, would you charge the client an extra fee for having to stay after hours?

I know this industry isnt a regular 9 to 5 job and that we need to be flexible to cater to clients and build clientele, which we have always done, but i just dont understand how you cant find a single day of the week to put out an hour to get your stuff done if you really want your nails done that bad that you need to make someone stay over time! And even then, sometimes they dont even tip well! Sorry, rant. But what are your thoughts? Put up with it fickle clients or charge extra for the overtime service?

 

[pure]

No you can't charge extra I don't think. What you do is have set working hours and you stick to them! If those hours aren't suitable for a particular client then quite frankly its their problem, they either work around your hours or they go elsewhere.

For no-shows you can have a cancellation policy whereby you still charge them a percentage of the missed appointment or for habitual appointment misses you can charge them a deposit at the time if booking.

 

[Trinity]

Pure sums it up for me, but in addition my view is the longer hours you offer the later someone will ask for, you know the old saying 'give an inch and they'll take a mile'

 

[user 111574]

Good advice above.
You can run a flexitime system for your staff so if clients take them over their set hours they can take the time back elsewhere in the week.

But no, you can't charge the client extra.

 

[AcidPerm]

No, I don't thinks it's reasonable to charge extra for the same service just because it's near closing time. I do think you should be able to turn them away instead.

I think it's also partly a cultural matter. Thing is, you're in the States sadly, where employment laws are much less stringent and the customer is king.

Here, if a client arrives half an hour before closing for a service that is likely to take 45 minutes, you can reasonably turn them away. Staff are not obliged to work longer than their contracted hours, otherwise, the salon could be breaking the law.

Also, staff here do not rely on tips to make up their wages as we have minimum wage laws to ensure staff earn enough money to live on. Some salons actively discourage tipping.

 

[asteropi]

I'm guessing that this thing isn't just a one-time occassion. Sounds more like a custom at the local market.

I would charge a bit extra for overtime work.
If your schedule says 9-7 and a client wants to come at 8pm I would either charge a late-night fee or increase the price by a certain percentage, say 10-20%.
It's not just that you're giving up your personal time to assist them, it's also extra salon costs that need to be covered, so why not add that in the bill?

My time is precious, I wouldn't just give it away like that. Tell them there is a fee for a late appointment, and half of them will somehow magically find some time to come during your regular hours!

 

[Sparrow23]

Hi everyone. Im fairly new to the site but i have a topic that i would really like opinions on from fellow nail techs and beauty stylists.

I work at a salon in which we have 6 full time techs and 3 part time. Everyone usually leaves 7 or earlier. Unless there are late clients then the owners or managers like myself will stay after and work.

The thing is, we are open 7 days a week. Monday through Saturday 9am to 7pm and Sunday 11am to 4 pm.

My question is, considering our hours and all week business availability, would you charge the client an extra fee for having to stay after hours?

I know this industry isnt a regular 9 to 5 job and that we need to be flexible to cater to clients and build clientele, which we have always done, but i just dont understand how you cant find a single day of the week to put out an hour to get your stuff done if you really want your nails done that bad that you need to make someone stay over time! And even then, sometimes they dont even tip well! Sorry, rant. But what are your thoughts? Put up with it fickle clients or charge extra for the overtime service?

Only book for services that fit within your hours. If you only have 30 minutes till closing and some one wants a delux pedi that takes 60 min you should tell them all you have time for is a basic. Or ask them to come another day. I had a problem with one of my slower techs always running over closing hours resulting in the manager on duty having to stay late too for closing. To stop that from happening I increased her service times and now she can not be booked that close to closing. She is working on her speed and getting better but in the mean time we don't have disgruntled coworkers sitting around waiting for her to finish.