Pricing Your Grooms

Pricing!

 I hate it.

I hate when price shoppers call.

I hate it when other groomers call pretending to be a potential customer, just to get some prices.

I hate when I under charge for a dog because I think the customer is going to think I am charging too much, only to have them stand there and say, "Is that all. Wow, your cheaper than the last person I went to."

I hate charging what I think is a fair price for a dog, then find myself defending it to a customer that thinks the price is too high.

And...

I can not stand a customer who thinks that they can tell me what they will pay.

Giving prices over the phone almost always backfires also.

You ask all of the right questions over the phone, but the owner does not always give all of the right answers, and you end up giving the wrong price without seeing the dog.

So give a ballpark price right?

Between 40 beans and 55 beans.

That usually backfires on you also, because the customer only hears, or remembers the lower price that you said of 40 beans.

They conveniently forget that you also said that the price could  also go as high as 55 beans.

I try very hard not give prices over the phone, but that is not always possible.

I understand that some people want to have an idea so that they will know what to expect, and if they can afford it.

We try to make it very clear that the price quoted over the phone is only a rough estimate, and that we need to actually see and feel the dog to give an exact price.

There will always be price surfers and hagglers out there that want to try to find or get the cheapest price they can.

I have learned that it is best to be very direct and firm.

Not rude and nasty.

Use a pleasant, but firm tone of voice that says this is the way we price, your welcome to take it or leave it.

Don't let anyone bully you about your prices.

I do not give discounts.

My Landlord does not give me a discount.

The Gas and Electric Company does not give me a discount.

The phone company does not give me a discount.

Dogs are not a necessity of life.

They are a luxury.

If you can not afford that luxury, you should not get one.

Or they should have gotten a dog that is low maintenance.

It is not your fault that a customer owns more than one dog.

No discount for multiple dogs.

You still have to do the same work on each dog.

You still have to spend the same amount of time on each dog.

You did not tell the owner to get more than one dog.

It is not your fault that the customer bought a high maintenance dog.

They could have gotten a short haired dog.

They could have gotten a small dog.

It is not your fault  that they can't afford to have the dog groomed on a regular bases.

Talk to them about keeping the dog short so that they don't have to have it's hair cut as often.

Charging extra.

My basic grooming and bathing prices includes everything that a dog needs for a good grooming.

I don't like to knit picking my customers with a lot of extras.

My basic prices include bathing the dog in whatever shampoo they need, even if they need a Medicated, Hypo, or a Hot Oil treatment.

It also includes clipping the nails, cleaning and plucking ears, and emptying anal glans, fluff drying, and body clip up to a 4F blade.

There are things that should be charged extra for the extra time and work involved.

It is not your fault that their dog is matted.

You work five days a week.

They could call you anytime.

It is their responsibility to make sure the dog does not get matted.

It is not your fault that the dog is difficult.

More than likely the dog was not born that way, they made it that way.

It will take you extra time and care.

Working on a difficult dog is a hazard to you.

Retail would be so much easier.

You but a product.

You set your prices.

The customer buys the product.

Done.

Pricing service work.

Ugh!

For me pricing is a pain in the a**.

I have tried pricing by the breed, but that does not work because so many dogs, of the same breed, come in so many different sizes and coat types.

Take a Golden for example.

I could set a Breed price at 50 beans. 

Two Goldens come in, one is on the smaller side, with a thin coat and no undercoat.

 Another could be almost 125 pounds, full of undercoat, and extremely long hair.

It would not be fair to charge both of these Goldens the same price.

I could line up 5 Goldens next each other and everyone of them would be a different size and, or coat type.

Not to mention that some of them only get a little trimming and others get a lot of trimming.

Some hardly any comb-out, some a ton of comb-out.

The same can be said about Labs, Bichons, Schnauzers, Cockers, just about any Pure Breed dog.

So setting prices by breeds just does not work.

I have tried pricing by the hour. ( actual hands on time)

That is not fair either, because everyone grooms at different speeds.

As of January I will be raising my prices for my regular customers.

Most will only be going up 1 to 2 beans, except for my large dogs that are grossly undercharged.

They will be going up 5 to 7 beans.

I know that some of my large dog owners will have something to say about this, but it can't be helped.

Actually, I would be very happy to see them call around and see that they are already getting their dog groomed for a great price.

My large dog prices are not low on purpose.

I stopped grooming large dogs for a while, and when I started taking them again...

Oh, I don't know what the heck I was thinking.

I have no excuse other than being temporarily insane.

Or being too chicken to ask for the price I should have.

So now, I find myself trying to play catch-up with my prices for large dogs.

And the large dog owners being upset with me.

I am starting with a new slate with my new customers.

I have decided to write down a list of  basic ballpark prices for the most common breeds of dogs that I see in my shop.

This price list would be for my husbands eyes only since he is the one who answers most of the calls.

The ballpark prices will be on the higher side, for customers who insist on getting a price over the phone.

This will also keep my husband from coming back to ask me a price, and I have to quickly come up with one off of the top of my head.

I usually end up regretting the price I quoted, once I have time to think about it.

I have done the math to find out what my lowest price for a dog should be.

Warning:

I am by no means a math expert.

It could get really confusing here for the next few minutes.

This is how I figure up the lowest basic price to meet my overhead.

First, add all of your overhead (bills) for the year, this includes your salary.

Divide that by 12 months.

Now take that new total and divide it by 4 weeks. (I know that there are 5 weeks in a few months, but we will pretend that they are vacations)

Take the weekly total and divide it by the number of days you are open a week.

Now you will have the total amount that you need to make a day.

If you only want to groom 7 dogs a day, divide 7 into the total that you need to make a day.

That is the basic, or lowest price that you should be charging a dog.

Yearly overhead  80,000

Months 12/80,000 = 6666.61 dollars a month needed.

Weeks  4/6666.61 = 1666.66 dollars needed a week.

Days    5/1666.66 = 333.33 dollars needed a day.

Dogs   8/333.33 =  41.66 dollars per dog.

So if you were running a shop, and the overhead was 80,000 a year, you would need to groom 8 dogs a day, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year, at 41.66 beans a dog.

Round it up to 42 beans.

That would be the lowest groom price that you would charge, per dog, in your shop.

If you are a groomer, who's boss allows you to make your own prices, use the same math.

There is only one difference.

If you are paid by commission, figure out what you need to make a year to pay your bills.

Say 40,000.

If you are paid 50%, double the 40,000 = 80,000

Then do the math the same as above.

In this case if you wanted to make 40,000 a year, you would need to groom 8 dogs a day at 41.66 a day.

Remember this is the base price for your smallest dog grooming.

Your prices will be higher for larger dogs, difficult dogs and matted dogs.

The base price is a price that helps you make sure you are making at least enough money to cover your overhead for the year.

Are you still there?

Tap, Tap, Tap

Is your head spinning yet?

Just reading it again made my head spin, and I wrote it!  :)

I can not write exact prices on my blog, but this is how my price list will be broken down for new customers. 

All of the numbers shown are just examples.

Grooming prices will vary around the country, depending on the economy in your area.

Bathing & Brush: Short Hair  (no clipping or trimming)
Basic Price Includes: Bath, Brushout, nails, ear cleaning, anal glans
Small               Medium            Medium/Large            Large            Extra Large
30 beans          35 beans            40 - 45 beans            50 beans          60 beans
Chihuahua,  Jack Russel (smooth),  Dachshund (smooth),  Pug,  Pointer,  Doberman, Great Dane,  ect.

Bath & Brush: Short/Medium Hair Double Coated  (no clipping or trimming)
Basic Price Includes: Bath,  15 minute Brushout, nails, ear cleaning, anal glans 
Extra Charges: 5 beans for every 15 minutes after the first 15 minutes.
Small              Medium           Medium/Large             Large           Extra Large
Shepard,  Huskies,  Labs, Akita, any short hair mix with a double coat, ect

Bath & Brush: Long Hair (trimming feet, rear only)
Basic Price Includes: Bath, 15 minute brushout, nails, ear cleaning, anal glans, trimming of feet and rear.
Extra Charges:  Add 5 beans for every 15 minutes of brushing/dematting after the first 15 minutes.
                            Add 10 beans for extra trimming of outline
Small           Medium          Medium/Large             Large            Extra Large
Brittany Spaniel,  Cavalier, Daushund (wire, long hair),  Clumber Spaniel, English Setter,  ect

Bath & Brush: Long Hair, Double Coated  (trimming feet & rear only) 
Basic Price Includes: Bath, 15 minute brushout, nails, ear cleaning, anal glans, trimming of feet and rear.
Extra Charges:  Add 5 beans for every 15 minutes of brushing after the first 15 minutes.
                            Add 5 for Small/Med. 10 beans for Large/XLarge for extra trimming of outline.
Small           Medium           Medium/Large            Large          Extra Large
American Eskimo,  Collie,  Golden, Samoyed,  Keeshond,  Pomeranian, ect

Full Body Clipping/Scissoring:

Basic Groom Price Includes: Bath, 15 minute Brushout, nails, ears cleaned & plucked, anal glans, full body clip with a blade.
Small             Medium         Medium/Large          Large           Extra Large
42 beans        45 beans          50- 60 beans          80 beans         95 beans

Extra Charges:
Clip Comb& Hand scissor / Style Clip: Add 5 beans for Small/ Med size. Add 10 beans for Large. Add 15 beans for X-Large.
Full Hand Scissor Cut: Add 10 beans for Small/Medium dogs. Add 20 beans for Large dogs. Add 30 beans for X-Large dog.
De-Matting: Add 5 beans for every 15 minutes for Small/ Med. dogs. Add 10 beans for every 15 minutes for Large dogs. Add 20 beans for every 15 minutes for X-Large dogs.  De-Matting not to exceed 30 minutes.
Excessive matting/Overgrown:  Add 10 beans for Small/Medium dogs. Add 20 beans for Large dogs. Add 30 beans for X-Large dogs. (these are your once or twice a year dogs)
Difficulty:  Add 5 - 10 beans depending on time spent and difficulty.

So lets use my chart for a minute.

A small short hair comes in for a bath... 30 beans.

That bath also includes high quality shampoos specifically for that dogs hair and skin, even Medicated and Hypo shampoos.

Next, a Shih- Tzu comes in for a Lamb clip, legs and ears are a little matted.

Basic Price Small/ Medium dog...42 beans

Lamb Style cut for Small/ Medium dog... + 5 beans

De-Mat ears and legs, 10 minutes...+5 beans

Total groom price:  52 beans

Standard Poodle comes in for a Kennel Cut with a Clip Comb& scissor all over.

Basic Price for Large Clip...80 beans

Clip Comb & Scissor...10 beans

Total Groom price: 90 beans

I will admit that I do not charge very often for de-matting because most of my de-matting is done with the creme rinse and the HV dryer, so there is not much left to brush out.

I also believe that customers, who only bring in their overgrown, matted mess to be clipped once a year, should pay more than the customer who faithfully brings in their dog every 4, 6, or 8 weeks.

Well, there it is.

Don't under charge for your skill.

Good, caring groomers can be hard to find.

You are worth your weight in gold if you are good at what you do.

You should not be afraid to charge for all of the work you do on a dog.

At the same time be fair about it.

Charge high where it is deserved.

Remember that your grooming is a skill and an art.

Customers that really care about their dog will pay your prices if they know that you also care about their dog.

Now, I just have to keep reminding myself of this also.

TAP, TAP, TAP

You can wake up now.

I am done.  :)

Happy Grooming, MFF