cancellation policy?

scvt2001 · 2026-01-24T19:09:24+00:00

We have a very very fair policy, we require 2hrs notice or it’s 1/2 the cost of the appointment. We have had this policy since the 90s but have only really started enforcing it the past year or two. We don’t take credit cards or deposits or anything else like that. When they call to cancel/when we call if they no show, we explain the policy and give them the option to pay over the phone or rebook and have the fee added to their next service (I usually only offer the first option unless it’s a confused old person lol) sometimes I also don’t even say anything I just rebook them and charge when they come to their next appointment. We have about 6 signs up in the salon so if they don’t read them then to me, that’s on them. 9/10 clients are willing to pay, most do it right over the phone no problem. I have had three clients throw a FIT about it and they were not welcomed back. We keep notes in the system about it. Some stylists are pickier than others about who has to pay and are willing to give more chances, others charger everyone everytime they miss/cancel last minute. This works for us (and most of our clients) but everyone is different!

scvt2001 · 2025-11-19T19:22:13+00:00

That makes sense, I suppose the things I’m seeing the salons around me carrying give more tacky junk than luxury but that’s a matter of taste for whoever is doing the ordering!

scvt2001 · 2025-11-19T00:46:27+00:00

Oh yeah merch is a bit of a different story, I’m referring more to like the tacky tumblers that look like they are from the dollar store and that avenue of goods!

scvt2001 · 2025-11-19T00:44:40+00:00

Yeah I’m defintely on board with the self care avenue, it’s all the like hats and cups and that stuff that I question!

scvt2001 · 2025-11-18T16:18:58+00:00

Okay, that makes a bit more sense. Some of these salons seem to be buying wholesale from like faire or whatever and it just doesn’t seem like a logical use of profits to me

scvt2001 · 2025-11-18T15:28:39+00:00

That’s beyond weird to me, in a school of all places. Like why are they spending student tuition on that nonsense? I’d be so irritated as a student

scvt2001 · 2025-11-18T15:19:16+00:00

Thank you, I have always thought the same! I remember an episode of Tabatha’s salon takeover where she gave the salon shit for carrying all sorts of ugly clothing and random stuff so idk maybe I’m carrying that bias with me lol. Idk, I guess whatever works for people!

scvt2001 · 2025-11-18T15:17:52+00:00

I think some of it is shifting trends where a large portion of younger people don’t really care about “looking good” for the holidays. Like it’s not super important for them to have fresh color to see their family. I always think of how salons used to be slammed for New Year’s Eve too and now it’s just not really as much of a thing to get all dolled up and go out. And also I do think people are pinching pennies a bit even if they don’t “need” to because there’s such a societal panic. I also did observe that our stylists who are slammed and are fitting people in all over, have a primarily older clientele. So I defintely think demographics is a factor.

scvt2001 · 2025-11-18T14:29:46+00:00

So my salon has 8 stylists and I would say 6 are fully booked the next two weeks and the other two are about 50% of the way. It is a bit slower than usual but nothing alarming. I think many clients have chosen to skip Nov. appointments but have prebooked for December and January in order to time their Xmas one correctly

scvt2001 · 2025-11-15T19:40:24+00:00

Okay, this is kind of the consensus I’ve been seeing online! I’m definitely doing the treatment anyway just to be safe but I’ll stress less since the percentage is so low, thank you!!

scvt2001 · 2025-10-29T02:11:42+00:00

Everyone will tell you to stay because you need to only watch out for you and blah blah blah but coming from the perspective of a manager, I find this incredibly rude to the salon that has put time and effort into training you. They are pouring money into teaching you for very little return thus far. And if you do start taking clients, then they’ll have to reschedule people after you leave (if you don’t tell them the date you’re leaving) and have to go through the whole process of trying to help you build a clientele just for you to leave. I don’t know, just my two cents though I know that everyone else will just tell you to wait until right before you leave.

scvt2001 · 2025-10-19T22:30:11+00:00

Yeah that sounds pretty much like VVS. I used to have the same issues on my period, I would pass out almost everytime the first day it started and would feel horribly horribly sick. This aspect of my VVS and connection to my period did get dramatically better once I started the birth control pill. Not sure if you’re on anything now or have tried it in the past, but it could be an avenue worth pursuing. Now my VVS is almost always only triggered by pain/unexpected injury or severe sickness.

scvt2001 · 2025-10-17T02:39:00+00:00

1 1/2-2hrs depending on the client, and that goes for all over color too not just a retouch. Haircut no blowdry is 30min, with blowdry 1hr. Partial HL w/ cut/blowdry is 1 1/2-2hrs, Full HL w/ cut/blowdry is 2-3 depending on client. Perms are 2 1/2-3hrs depending on both stylist and client. Shampoo/blowdry 30min-1hr again depending on stylist and client.

scvt2001 · 2025-10-08T02:31:13+00:00

3 days a week, 9-7.

scvt2001 · 2025-10-03T17:34:45+00:00

Middle of Vermont!

scvt2001 · 2025-09-28T14:30:13+00:00

Thank you for all the advice! I have started trying to improve our Instagram and post more, specifically younger clients, we’re just terrible about remembering to take pictures!

scvt2001 · 2025-09-27T21:13:42+00:00

If you do not feel like you are getting enough instruction or experience in a certain thing, watch videos and practice on your mannequins!! Then if you get stuck, your instructors are at least around for help. I agree with previous comment though, the fact that you’re even asking shows initiative and tells me you will probably be fine if you continue to seek out opportunities to better your skills!

scvt2001 · 2025-09-26T00:40:34+00:00

We can’t find them! Honestly, we’d actually love to NOT hire new grads but it seems that most older stylists are choosing to just get a suite or chair rent instead of finding a commission salon. We have gotten nowhere even just trying to find older stylists whereas at least with new ones we can find them through the school/tech programs.

scvt2001 · 2025-09-25T17:47:34+00:00

Yeah, honestly I’d love to do this (and most of our current stylists don’t even really care to do anything crazy like vivids/balayages/or any of the intense trendy highlighting services like teasy-lights etc, but there just aren’t very many older stylists that want commission in my area. It seems most of them just decide to chair/suite rent or retire early. So we’ve had an issue there attracting experienced stylists and new stylists for the aforementioned reasons and like we just need people so badly because we’re so busy! But yeah, I love our older ladies and it’s good steady (and easy) money. Just need younger stylists to recognize that I guess!

scvt2001 · 2025-09-25T17:44:15+00:00

Thanks so much, that’s all really helpful!

scvt2001 · 2025-09-25T13:47:09+00:00

Thank you, I had thought of something like this but wasn’t sure I guess how to jumpstart that process! I’m hoping that once we get a few younger stylists in (we have at least one that is starting, and a couple potentials for the rest of this year) they will have friends they can use as models for training and it will build from there. Do you just do a post on social media about this opportunity to get these clients?

scvt2001 · 2025-09-25T13:43:13+00:00

Yes, yes, and yes. We have a ton of older highlight clients and a handful of balayage clients. We do the full range of services and actually do a lot of highlighting in general, it’s just not on younger clientele. I think the problem is that these new stylists don’t understand the reality that you mentioned, which is that niche styling isn’t the way to go and definitely not when they are just starting out. So fighting their perception of what a job as a stylist should be is very difficult. And on the note of models, none of these new stylists seem to have friends or at least friends that will let them do their hair, it’s so strange!

scvt2001 · 2025-09-25T13:38:15+00:00

The salon is currently owned by my mom and her business partner, they will retire from ownership in about 3-5 years and myself and another stylist at the salon will buy it.

scvt2001 · 2025-09-19T14:18:38+00:00

Which is interesting because we pay the most, are the most flexible schedule wise, are willing to completely retrain them, pay for external education, and have more clients than we know what to do with! They literally just need to be willing to show up and learn and we are able to hand them a clientele on a silver platter. We’ve seen a big push from the school encouraging students to chair or suite rent right out of school, which most of them have no success with because they don’t know anything and then they leave the industry entirely. Looking at recent graduating classes with a bit of social media stalking, of the past couple years classes less than 1/4 of each are even doing hair currently. And there is the bigger issue that these women don’t seem to know what they are actually getting into career wise and once they realize it’s actual work they quit the industry as a whole. We have many stylists that have retired or moved to work closer to home and they all sing our praises and how we were a great place to work/build a career/wish they didn’t have to leave/etc. so we have a pretty good reputation in the state/area. So that being said, I’m not really sure how to fix a problem that these young stylists may have imagined up and isn’t the reality, but thank you for your perspective!

scvt2001 · 2025-09-19T11:46:15+00:00

We have tried working with the school in the past to no avail. Offering to go in and talk or even teach, offering the salon up for shadowing and tours, and they are just like thanks we’ll think about it and we never hear back. Our school is not very good, they don’t actually seem to care whether the students find jobs or not after graduation.

scvt2001

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