From funeral homes to a Swedish castle to the great outdoors — those are just some of the places you’ve done nails for your clients. We asked readers to tell us the most unusual place they did nails.
I’m an employee working on commission. My salon has us pay for the product that we use. If, say, we charge $25 for a fill, they deduct $3. Then we get 50% commission on $22 instead of $25. So pretty much we only get 40% in total since 10% is taken off the top to begin with. On a busy day my product costs can be more than $25, so basically I am not getting paid for an hour I worked and one service I did. Is this a common practice and do you think it’s fair?
As an independent contractor getting a 1099, do I have to stay in the salon for five to six hours when there are no walk-ins or appointments and I’m not getting a salary? I work on a 50/50 commission split.
The sun may be shining outside, but sometimes a client’s mood is decidedly gloomy — and it has nothing to do with you or your services. We asked readers: Do you have any tips or techniques you use to turn around a client’s mood if she is really negative or in a bad mood?
Nail techs are a fastidious bunch — at least when it comes to nail care. But does this extend to your record-keeping duties? And how much do you let the latest technologies lend you a hand? We asked readers to share how they track their sales and other records throughout the year.
I am a booth renter in a small town. There are several other salons here that do nails. I am fresh out of school and am being told that I don’t have enough experience or good enough equipment to charge $30 for a pedicure. There is a new nail salon here that charges $20, but I’ve been told it is unsanitary and doesn’t do anything but basic nail care and polish. I give a 10-minute massage and a sugar scrub as well as basic nail care and polish. I don’t think it’s right for me to be told I can’t charge that much just because I can’t afford an expensive pedicure chair yet. But I need to build clientele while making my rent and buying supplies. All of the well-established salons in my area charge $30 to $35 for pedicures and some of them use the same type of equipment I use. Should I really lower my prices to meet other people’s standards or am I right to charge more because I give better service?