Some groomers just chees me off!!!!!!

Today I received a call from a young lady wanting a quote to groom her 12 week old Yorkie. I quoted her $63 ( I am mobile), she then tells me that she had a quote from another groomer who was willing to do it for $30. WTF!!!!!

Why is it that some groomers are happy to work for peanuts??? Is it because they think that they will get more work???? All these people are doing is devaluing our profession. And, at these rates they will probably be out of business in 6 months time anyway!

That's my gripe for today.

I guess it depends on a lot of factors. Location, Experience, Overheads etc.
A 12 week old Yorkie.... I would prob only charge the $30 too, its really not going to take very long and I work from home so no shop overheads. BUT I am 5km out of town ( we live in a small country town). At 12 weeks a Yorkie wont take much work .
I guess as there are no price regulations so the customers decide.
Maybe the other groomer was thinking they can turn it out finished in a short time so trying to keep the customer happy? Maybe the owner is low income? Don't know, that's the prob with pricing your own business I suppose

Working from home and having a shop the only real difference is the rent, all other costs are the same. Me I would charge $65 so $63 is more than reasonable IMO. My minimum for what I call a wash and wear is $45, in and out in half hour.
I cant see $30 covering shampoo, electricity, insurance, water etc IMO

makes you wonder if their was really an offer for $30 or if its just a customer trying to get a lower price.
I had a customer tell me a big box near me charged $10 less for a pom. I knew she was lying and stuck to my guns ended up calling the big box to double check their price and they were actually $10 more expensive then what i am. so next time she calls for a quote it will be higher

Chris, you are exactly right. So, why would a groomer charge less for a groom because they don't have rental overheads??? If they looked at it from a business perspective they would charge the same price for a groom as any salons around - LOWER OVERHEADS = INCREASED PROFIT. This is a concept that every business focuses on surely. Instead, some of them lower the value of their work. It just gets my back up.

That's me done!

Its also Geographical. I WISH I could charge that much for a tiny Yorkie in my area. Regardless of my experience or quality of work , there is no way my clients in a small country town would pay that.

i know what you mean showpony, its hard to charge a reasonable fee in country nsw esp when vet clinics and other salons charge a max $50 -$55 for small dog groom

I know this is an old thread, but talking of groomers charging way less then everyone else... I discovered there actually is a new groomer in my area charging a lot less than average. I've even lost some customers to her!
The problem is she does a rubbish job. I mean, the dogs look like the roughest pre-clip you've ever seen, uneven, shaggy feet, matted tails. Sort of lost a fight with a lawnmower look. I'm amazed that anyone books twice, but she's really busy. Obviously, money talks.

Don't stress to much Puddles.  Stand your ground.  It is becoming a very competitive business with so many people completing courses and becoming "professional qualified groomers".  It does become a little worrying at times as another one pops up here and there. They will come but I can reassure you that as quick as they start they fold.  On the mobile side I've lost count of how many I've seen GO.....Cheaper prices only bring in rubbish clients that think grooming is something anyone can do.  Example:  I have a customer who has been with me for years on a regular basis.  I charge $60 to visit Charlie for a wash and clip.  Sometimes there is less work however I've capped my prices to avoid confusion.  Her neighbour got a cocker spaniel.  She was getting it done for $50 from a girl who had started just up the road.  Her business lasted less than 6 months. She then came to me.  Unhappy with my prices poor Bronte has been through 2 mobiles, a couple of backyarders and is now being seen by another NEW groomer who I'm told by everyone in the area is very cheap.  Good for her....at those prices she'll still be working whilst I'm kicked back at home at the end of my day with a cold one.  I've also noticed recently a trailer for sale.  Nice fit out, custom built for someone who after finishing there course is now working full time in a salon.  Why spend all that money on set up to go work for someone else. 

Tails, I'm not stressed about these cheap groomers (except in the middle of winter when it's super slow), but I'm just amazed. I mean, this person does a really, really bad job, but people still take their dogs to her and then complain the dog looks rough!

I nearly put my foot in it when I saw 2 lawnmower dogs and suggested they bring them to me, and I'd neaten them up, even though they'd done a decent job with their scissors. whoops. They'd just been to a 'pro' groomer.

Not to mention my idea that working less and earning more beats working more to earn the same. Ie, I don't do cheap! I've actually been gradually raising my prices a bit lately.

And, even better, I'm being tough! I told a bloke with 2 huge matted goldies I couldn't do them! They only get groomed every year or two anyway, and I'm not going to hurt myself on them.

I nearly put my foot in it when I saw 2 lawnmower dogs and suggested they bring them to me, and I'd neaten them up, even though they'd done a decent job with their scissors. whoops. They'd just been to a 'pro' groomer.

  

You can't run a business and survive in the long-term by under cutting everyone elses prices.  It's just not sustainable.  Unless of course, you are happy to work 7 days a week just to survive financially.

Some people go into business with NFI.

Best thing I ever did was raise prices to the normal price rather than offering "student prices". I did this when I first started but I found I just attracted crappy clients who wanted to cancel or reschedule often or were the once a year groom types who were shopping around. Knowing how much work and skill is involved in dog grooming I think it is insulting that people would "shop around" for a groomer! All the groomers in my area charge within $5-10 of each other and I think it is more about the groomer and the quality of job they do rather than the $5-10. Clients who don't see it that way who value their $5 are not the type who will value the work of a groomer.

I still charge $5 less than the majority of groomers in my area as I have only been grooming for just under 12 months but I have been told by lots of clients I do an excellent job and many clients tip quite generously anyway. You will always get those clients who "don't get it" and don't appreciate us and we do need to have policies to protect ourselves against such people who just take advantage of our good nature.

Theres a lady in my town who has been grooming for years. She doesn't advertise, but I know she's very busy - she only charges $30 for the full works on a small dog. You get what you pay for though as the amount of clients that have come to me either saying that she is no good and tells me why, or saying that 'the last groomer that groomed him he came home terrified and wasn't normal for days' and when I ask who it was, sure enough its the same lady. I have heard so may bad thing about her. I'd guess that people would try her first but if there decent enough they go else where like a lot of mine have, but the way she must keep in business is she would probably get all the ferral people who hate spending money on their animals and that only do the once a year clips.

If people tell me they get there dog groomed cheaper then me($50 a small dog) then I just say that's fine but there would be a big difference in quality.

How can anyone survive on $30 dogs? There's a limit to how many you can do in a day. No wonder cheap dogs come out looking interesting when you need to run through them like a whirlwind.