Salon Spotlight: Sugar Plum’s Grooming
Shattering the Price Ceiling in the Rural South
Written By: Jessica Clark. Former groomer and salon owner. Now-sharpener! I just want to see everyone succeed!
Have you ever worked in a salon with low prices and low standards? Did that boost low morale and burnout? These are things that typically go hand in hand. As a former salon owner, I chat a lot with the shops I visit for sharpening stops. Typically, salon owners are looking for groomers. Groomers are upset at salon owners. Groomers talk to me about being burnt out and considering new occupations. No one can afford to look at new tools. This is not the case in every salon, but it is always the case in the salons with lower pricing.
I know, I am the sharpener, and it is not my business what these salons are charging, but I see a bad pattern that needs to be properly discussed. If you are doing a full groom on a small breed dog for less than $50, this is a disservice to your salon. Every salon price scale I have researched and scrutinized, the highest profit is made on small dogs. Typically, the salons charging $35-$50 for a small dog are only charging $65-$80 for doodles and extra-large breeds. When you consider the time involved to do those grooms nicely, you are either sacrificing income or quality. What does that even mean? Let’s say you are keeping 50% of the groom price. A doodle costs $75 and takes you 2.5 hours to complete. That means you have made $15 an hour to groom a doodle straight through. Maybe you choose to sacrifice quality, and quickly bathe and kennel dry 6 doodles to get them quickly shaved one by one and send them home as fast as possible to still make decent money. On this scenario, if you finish in 8 hours, you will make about 28.13 an hour, and the grooms more than likely will not be finish pictures you post to social media grooming groups. That wage will now be divided between your personal bills, personal care, new tools, vacations, expos, holiday gifts for family, and sharpening. To find a shop paying 50% is not easy these days. Many salons are turning to hourly rates with incentives or percentages closer to 35-40%. So, in that same scenario, at a 35% commission, grooming the doodle straight through in 2.5 hours, you would make $10.50 an hour, or on the 6 doodles in 8 hours scenario, you would make $19.69 an hour.
I am sure someone is reading this right now saying 6 doodles for about $20 an hour is fine. That is less than an hour and a half per dog. That means that you are doing the bare minimum to say the work is done and collect a check. Believe it or not, that, “do what it takes to get paid,” mentality gets old. It breeds burn out. Taking the time to do everything right and not get paid properly also breeds burn out. Grooming faster to make ends meet yields low quality, but grooming at a pace to get nice finished grooms, you go broke. The only viable option is to increase prices. So why is this not happening?
Salon owners always have their list of reasons why they simply cannot raise their prices. They all always mention their handful of clients on a fixed income. Then they mention the tight economy or their demographic’s mean income (very crudely like, “folks do not have a lot of money around here.”). The fact is pet ownership has never been designed to be affordable for everyone. In medieval times, pet ownership was mostly just common amongst wealth and aristocracy. Today, pet ownership is at an all-time high, and many groomers have been guilted into meeting unrealistic client budgets instead of running a proper business model to satisfy their personal and professional needs. This means charging less so others can afford grooming, so the groomers are sacrificing their budget for trade shows. This means grooming fixed income dogs and sacrificing that day off to spend with your children because you cannot afford a day off and meet their budget needs.
Sugar Plum’s Grooming may just be a new salon in Slidell, Louisiana to some, but to me it is so much more. The owners, Ashton and Hannah, left the privately-owned salon they were at to finally charge their worth. What is even more awesome, and satisfying is they were transparent with other local salons. They called and asked what the salons were charging, and then said what prices they would be charging in their new salon. Other salon owners scoffed and said they would never make it. They were told, “No one will be able to afford those prices!” or, “No one would pay that down here!” Seeing Hannah and Ashton both smiling ear to ear every time I arrive at their booming location is such a buzz. Not only are they “making” it; for the first time in their grooming careers, they are experiencing reduced stress, financial security, and unsullied joy in what they do. No more dread of a dog that is, “not worth what the owners pay”. No more sacrificed time off to make ends meet so bills can be paid. They buy new tools and products every time I visit their salon, and even confidently boast, “We will make it worth your time if you can come by.” I absolutely love seeing them shattering the price ceilings others in their area had placed on dog grooming.
In an effort to ask the right questions and inspire others to venture out or increase their current prices, I sent a list of interview questions to Hannah and Ashton. This is my first interview, and I am not a formally trained investigative journalist, but I do have passion for this industry. Hopefully you can find worth, relatability, and motivation in the following interview. 2024 is fast upon us, and a new year is a perfect time for new prices.
Jess: “What made you decide to open your own salon?”
Hannah & Ashton: “’If you want it done right, do it yourself.’ We were so bitter about how we were living, but now we make all the decisions. If I’m upset with how something is, the only person I have to blame is myself.”
Jess: “Your prices are much higher than salons around you. They said you wouldn’t succeed with your higher rates. Please give some price comparisons to illustrate your prices vs. theirs. (No salon names needed.)”
Hannah & Ashton: “Local shops and corporate charge no more that $90 for a giant shnauzer, Alaskan malamute, large doodles, etc for a full groom. My bath and tidy for such large breeds starts at a minimum of $120-$140, full groom starting at $150 no add ons(teeth brushing, nail grinding, deshed if needed, glands, ears, bandana and perfume all included)”
Jess: “Price for a full groom yorkie?”
Hannah & Ashton: “$70-75. If it’s the size of a shih tzu, it’s $75 lol.”
Jess: “As far as how customers have accepted your rates, what has that been like?”
Hannah & Ashton: “We have had no problems with our rates. Every once in a while, someone will say ‘well I’m used to paying $45’, but it’s few and far between, and then the next person who calls doesn’t even ask a price. We were pretty nervous, but people pay for a smiling face and a job well done. They want the best for their pets and paying $15-20 more for what you offer is worth it. Charge your worth.”
Jess: “If you were to explain your worth to an inquiring client/groomer, what would you say factors into higher expense? Process, products, experience, environment?”
Hannah & Ashton: “ The way we book only one appointment at a time and you can have your dog back in an hour to 2 hours. No kennels- free roam but stalls for antisocial babies. We don’t do add ons so everyone gets teeth brushed, nails grinded, ears, glands et cetera. If it’s a double coat, the price includes a deshed. We have a backyard area and a clean salon. Everyone gets a Bandana or bow, perfume, and picture in front of our current backdrop. Charging worth also includes your skill level. Not everyone can shave a paw pad pretty, give a nice clean sani, shave the eye corners, the lips, inside of ears. It’s the little things like drying a dog and brushing them correctly that elevates your grooming.”
Jess: “What advice would you offer to others wanting to raise prices who are too scared? Rebranding? Marketing tips? Service enhancements?”
Hannah & Ashton: “My advice is to learn, learn, learn. And mostly take accountability. Ask yourself ‘is this groom worth what I’m charging?’. Put the dog on the ground, and watch it walk around. Do you think to yourself, “Damn that dog looks so good! I’d love to have that walking around my house!”? Understand you’re allowed to charge for your time. It’s important; you don’t get this time back, and this is hard work. If you have something to offer people will pay. Revamp your salon if it needs. Keep it clean and smelling nice. People eat up a photo shoot. Take all the pictures of them relaxing on your salon floor or a cute rubber ducky photo in that bath. Perception is reality.”
Jess: “It seems like higher prices would make your services seem more exclusive or sought by wealthier clients. Has your client quality improved since opening your new salon with higher prices?”
Hannah & Ashton: “Absolutely. I always think back to working for corporate with cheap pricing and only seeing dogs a few times a year. That is no longer the case whatsoever. I don’t see matted dogs. I don’t see nails growing into paw pads. I simply don’t see much neglect anymore, and my clients stay on a reoccurring schedule. Now most of my dogs are ‘prepared’ for services I offer. They know grooming is a part of life. To take less dogs for more money -my clients are happy and I’m happy. I really get to know the pets and the dogs are eager to come. The clients can see that.”
Jess: “Being able to pick your own products, booking/scheduling, procedures, etc, what are you happy to be doing/using in your salon NOW that you couldnt do/use before?”
Hannah & Ashton: “I’m happy to have things set up that keep our salon clean. We have a net to catch husky hair. We have a strict cleaning procedure that makes a deep cleaning every week even easier. Being free roam really just feels like a field day every day. We don’t over-book so we really are just big chilling and bathing dogs.”
Jess: “Favorite products? Products with shown results that keep clients coming back?”
Hannah & Ashton: “Couldn’t go without Ultra Max shampoo & conditioner, and the Maxx. Close open close, and with the last close add a few drops of the maxx. After bath, spray with Hydra dematting/ finish spray and dry. Perfect bath every time!”
Jess: “What services are top hits? Which are most profitable? Like, If anything makes you seem to stand out against other local salons or rack in revenue quickly..”
Hannah & Ashton: “The backdrop photos are the number one thing that keeps us active on social and getting people to look at us. And we’ve been getting a lot of requests for hair dye lately. Number one thing we’ve got is Ashton for the best deshed and outline trim on double coated pets. We live in the south and there’s lots of labs, retrievers, and huskies that shed. With good products and procedure, she gets them looking beautiful. With their grooming being $95-$120 it can add up quick.”
Jess: “Anything else notable? I’m struggling to ask things haha. Super proud of y’all confidently going in with higher prices and being so successful. I’m hoping to encourage more salons to raise prices. Any recommendations for groomers who love what they do, but can’t seem to earn what they need to survive?”
Hannah & Ashton: “Get better so you can charge your worth to avoid groomer’s burnout. Find a salon to work for that is serious about pet welfare and serious about the way the pets look when they leave the salon. I think you can love it so and still be unhappy when you aren’t getting a payout. It’s hard work. Your body, skill, and time is valuable.”
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