Beauty, Business, Fashion, Hair Care, That girl in the red coat, Uncategorized

Taking a Tour

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On June 2nd., yours truly took a little tour to The Cambridge Mill in Cambridge Ontario to attend the Spring Trend Tour show sponsored by Joico and Piidea Direct.  Inspiration was promised and inspiration was delivered…from the choice of venue to the artistry displayed on stage.

I arrived to warm hospitality from the staff at the Cambridge Mill, hot coffee and a glorious view while waiting for the show to start.

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20140602_093508 The view from The Cambridge Mill

Once at my table the music pumping, the lights flashing, I knew I was in  for a treat. The show began with a student competition and let me tell you, these students GOT IT! Great styles and structure to the cuts and creations and color. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for these young stylists and their clients.

IMG_20140602_103820    20140602_102620  Yep! Created by students!

After the student competition we were treated to some great cutting and color techniques using Joico and ISO color from Marc Galati and Darci Armstrong. True professionals and artists, who touched on all aspects of having a client in your chair, from foil placement, understanding your client, helping your client achieve their desired look and in my opinion the most important, making sure that you sell your client the proper products to protect their investment in themselves.

20140602_112340    Marc Galati

20140602_103214    Darci Armstrong

After a scrumptious lunch that included the best ever beet salad I ever had, wraps, sandwiches and tasty treats for dessert we were in for a real treat. Monika Lombardi took the stage with her creations for the gents of all ages. It was a wonderful addition to the show as, for those of you who follow my Salon Tales, our gents do not get enough attention and they are a huge market that needs more attention. Great barbering techniques were displayed and taught by Monika, as were styling techniques. Monika gave a step by step walk through of each technique she was utilizing. Another true professional and artist. I cannot wait to see what the next trend show will bring!

IMG_20140602_160233 Monika Lombardi

IMG_20140602_160044  All the creations

For those of you looking to change it up at your Salon, or are thinking of dabbling in more vibrant colors and creations, I recommend Piidea Direct and Joico. To be clear, I am not receiving any type of stipend. The reason for the recommendation? I am a manager of a Salon and retail shop which means I am also a customer. I am a customer that needs product, color and support and I receive all three from Piidea and Joico. Free education, support 24/7, samples for our back bar and our clients, even complimentary retail bags for our clients and customers…and awesome Sales Reps., like mine.

IMG_20140602_160557  Melodie Hergott – Sales Rep Extraordinaire! …and yours truly.

 

 

 

Beauty, Business, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, That girl in the red coat, Uncategorized, Women, writing

Tales of Truth Part 11

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That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, gather ’round for another installment of Tales of Truth. Last week was the week of the full moon and Friday the 13th., so you can imagine what yours truly got to hear and got to see. As always, the following tales are based on real events…sigh.

– I hear the chirp of the Salon’s door chime. A regular customer comes up to the counter and says she needs my opinion. I say “Sure! What can I help you with?”. She proceeds to come behind the counter, lifting her skirt as she walks. I stopped her dead in her tracks, put my hand up and said “You can keep your skirt down. Let me guess…you want to ask me if red bumps after waxing is normal” to which she looked at me like I was Dionne Warwick and I was her new psychic bff. “YES! How did you know without seeing?”. ….double sigh

– A woman came in to buy her hairspray and she was concerned about leaving the hairspray in the car as she ran errands because it was such a hot day. I reassured her that if she put it in the trunk, it should be fine. She was quite relieved. As we were waiting for the debit machine to connect, she became a little anxious. “Can you hurry this up? I left my dog in the car!”. …wait for it…there you go.

– We carry products that are vegan and certified organic. I had a customer ask me if they were packaged on a farm. I let her know that they weren’t packaged on a farm, they were packaged in a factory. She then began to tell me that there was no way the products could be organic because they weren’t packaged on a farm.

– I have a dish of candies at our front desk for our customers and clients, to add a little sweetness to their day. A woman asked me if the candies were free of charge. I let her know that they were and to help herself. She couldn’t believe that I would just give away candy so she left a quarter on the counter “just in case I was trying to pull one over on her”.

– Later that same day I had a woman ask if the candies were free, I let her know that they were and to please help herself. She dug through the bowl and took all the red candies, 10 in total. How do I know it was 10? She counted out loud…people, I shit you not…this really happens.

– From time to time companies will offer a bonus size hairspray that retails for the same price of the regular size bottle. The bonus size can be up to 300 ml more than the regular retail size bottle – it’s like getting two for the price of one. I had a woman get down right angry that all I had in stock were the bonus size cans. She didn’t like them and thought they looked tacky. I let her know that although she may not like the look of the bottle it was a great savings. Her exact words to me were “Who are they to decide that I want to save money?”.

– As I was ringing through a purchase, my customer complimented me on my hair. I thanked her and let her know that our stylists in our Salon do my color for me. “Oh, is that why whenever I come here I hear blow dryers and the chatter?” …I just smiled and handed her a Salon price list. As she was leaving she looked back and said “Thank you! This makes so much sense now.”.

– A woman came in looking for nail polish. I took her over to our OPI and China Glaze displays. When she noticed my sign “please do not try on polishes, please ask for assistance with the swatches” she remarked that she couldn’t believe people would actually open up products and try them out. She chose her polish and said she was just going to look around. Not ten seconds later do I hear “ppffffftttt” – I came around the corner to her trying two different hairsprays, one on each side of her head “Oh…I am just trying them out. I just want to see which one holds better”.

…triple sigh.

 

Dad's laugh

 

Beauty, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, music, parenting, That girl in the red coat, Uncategorized, Women, writing

Hold Factor

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I really was going to tell a tale of hairspray and the difference between the level of hold, or hold factor different sprays have, alas, that will have to be another tale for another time. As I began to write about hold factors, I found myself thinking about the hold factor of people, emotions and thoughts we allow in our lives. …what can I say, I have had 4 cups of coffee and this is how my mind works. As you know, I manage a Retail shop/Salon. The Salon is a place that men and women come to  feel better about themselves, to improve their reflection, to find what was once lost. Some days, ours is a place of refuge from the pushes and pulls of their daily lives. It is their escape from whatever may have a hold on them that day – be it a sick child, an aging parent and more often than not, an escape from what they really think of themselves – or what they think they are supposed to think of themselves.

For those of you familiar with my Salon Tales, you know that I haven’t always been the confident, classy, sassy and a tad smart-assy woman that I am today. I have been the young woman who missed out on trips to the beach because I wasn’t “beach body ready”. I have been the woman who was afraid to leave the house without her make up on. I have been the mother feeling like a failure because I thought it was protocol to drop my child off at the Birthday party, not stay and stand in line for my turn at pin the tail on the donkey. …speaking of which, whatever happened to dropping your kid off at their friends birthday party and picking them up when the party is over?…back to the tale at hand. I have been the woman who was judged because her 3 year old daughter knew the words to Domino by KISS. I have been the woman who put her dreams on the back burner out of fear of judgement from those who told me that “as a mother, to be fulfilled, your children should be enough.”. – now I know that they were drinking their own  kool aid.   …wait for it…there you go.

Today’s tale is aimed at all the Ladies and Gents (yes Gents – men have hold factors too Ladies), to remind you that you are enough, that you are worth what ever you think you are worth – and only your opinion matters.

– For all the mothers out there – we are supposed to be in this together. If you are a stay at home mom or a working mom – we love our kids the same, we have the same worries and hopes for our children, we our mothers – no better, no worse. I stayed home with my daughter until she was 5 – that was a personal choice that worked best for my family. Never once did I shun the working mom – if anything I asked if she needed my help. An additional tale for your viewing pleasure;

Beware of yoga pants & ponytails

– Do you have a dream? Is there something you have always wanted to do, ever since you can remember? Then do it. As parents, the best thing we can do for our children is pursue our passions and chase our dreams. How are our children going to learn to dream if we don’t show them how?

– Go to the beach. Just go. Forget about being “beach body ready” and go and have fun. No matter what your weight or bust size – we all get sand in our suits.

– Unless your name is on the birthday invitation to little Johnny’s birthday party – you do not have to stay at the party. Trust me, the parents that frown when you drop off your child and ask “what time should I pick them up?” are wishing they had the guts to do the same.

– Ladies and Gents – let your spouses/partners choose the hair style they like, that they feel most comfortable with, that makes them feel desirable. It doesn’t matter how good you think a certain cut will look on them if it makes them feel ugly and inadequate.

– The above goes for stylists as well. Never let a stylist tell you what cut you should have. It is a stylist’s job to help you find the look you want, not tell you the look you want. If you aren’t sure about making a drastic change with your hair, don’t do it.

– I once read that “worrying is praying for what you don’t want” – remember that the next time you worry about the opinions of others.

– If you want to change your hair color – go for it.*at the Salon. Becoming a blonde was the best thing I ever did. It hides my gray’s and I do have a lot of fun …proving that blondes are NOT dumb.

– Introduce your children to music, from Mozart to Metallica. Music will open their minds and lift their spirits, no matter what the genre.

In the wee small hours of the morning, all that matters is what you think. All that matters is you have done your best and that you will continue to strive for better. All that matters is that you are kind. All that should be important is what you deem to be so. The only hold factor you should be concerned about is the hold factor of your favorite styling product.

Beauty, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, That girl in the red coat, Uncategorized, Women, writing

Not your usual Top Ten list

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Everywhere you look, on facebook, on twitter, on Pinterest, even on the cover of the magazine’s at the express check out, everyone seems to have the newest idea or the newest “how to” for your “best hair day EVER!”. Granted, some of these idea’s are quite useful and helpful. Many, sadly are not. There are no miracle cures for split ends, there isn’t a 10 minute technique to make a brunette a platinum blonde, and sorry to burst your bubble – your hair will not grow 2 inches in 2 weeks – no matter what product you put on your scalp. Over the past weeks many customers have wandered into the shop with the same question “Do you have something that will fix this?”, as they point to their head…or hat depending on the damage done. I have seen women with hair that looked and felt like straw. I have seen women who’s hair felt like wet cotton – although their hair was dry. I have seen women with patches of singed hair. I have seen women, that their hair had so many shades of gold and orange their head looked like a paint swatch. As always, my aim is to educate and enlighten, so, being me, I have compiled a list. A “Top Ten of what not to do” list. You’re welcome.

1 – If you want to be the blonde bombshell that you have always known was inside you, do not attempt this at home. I know the box shows you that a brunette became a platinum blonde – trust me, it’s not gonna happen. Save yourself an evening locked in the bathroom and go to the Salon.

2 – Coconut oil smells terrific and has many health benefits. One thing it is not is a thermal protectant. *Unless the package states it is a thermal protectant and meant to be used with a flat iron, DO NOT use any oil on dry hair and then proceed to use your flat iron. I want you to picture a hot frying pan…what happens when you add oil to it? Exactly. See my previous post –

You should hear sizzle at the stove….not at the vanity

3 – Split ends are a result of damage – from being too aggressive with the brush while trying to rid yourself of tangles to over processing your lovely locks. The best way to keep those pesky splits at bay? Go for a trim every few weeks. Before you faint – get out your smelling salts – I am not saying get inches chopped off. Ask for a baby trim – literally millimeters trimmed off…or 1/8″ for my non metric beauties.

4 – There isn’t any product on the market that will make your hair grow inches in weeks. There are some products out there that state you will notice 1 – 2 inches of growth in 6 weeks…that is the usual amount of growth for anyone in good health.

5 – Toner is not a magic potion found in a magic bottle.

6 – Purple Shampoo/ Blue Shampoo will rid your lovely blonde or silver locks of the yellow/brassy tones that blondes/silvers pick up due to product build up, pollution and nicotine. Purple/Blue Shampoo will not make you more blonde. If you have colored your hair and you now look like the great pumpkin, no amount of shampoo will make you blonde. Time to call the Salon.

7 – Plastering your teen daughter’s head with hairspray will not stop her oily scalp. I don’t know who thought this one up. Oily scalp is common for teens, boys and girls alike. It is hormonal. Senscience Specialty Shampoo, Joico’s Daily Care Treatment Shampoo, RUSK Sensories Purify Shampoo and AG Peppermint Wash are terrific shampoo’s to help oily scalp conditions.

8 – A professional stylist would never tell you how to color your hair. Until the color is applied, there is no way of knowing how that color is going to process on your hair – something to remember the next time you are told “oh yeah…just use this and that and you’ll be fine”. …I know it happens, the stylists in my Salon are booking color corrections because of so called “professional” advice.

9 – Unless you have natural wave or curl in your hair, you need to use a curling iron or get a perm to achieve tight, bouncy curls. No amount of curl activating cream will make your poker straight hair curly. You may achieve a slight kinky wave from the product build up, but if ringlets are what you desire, you will need some mechanical (curling iron/wand) or chemical help (perm).

10 – Most conditioning treatments have done all they can do in 20 minutes. Leaving them on overnight has no added benefits.

I know I said this was a Top Ten list, I do have one more very important addition…throwing the flat iron is never a solution.

Beauty, communication, That girl in the red coat, Uncategorized, Women, writing

Tales of Truth – Part 10

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Wow! Part 10. When I began my Tales of Truth series I thought I would run out of material. I thought I would write four, maybe five installments. I am beginning to have a sneaking suspicion that the public at large has heard of my Tales of Truth and are trying to see if I will write about them…at least, that is what I am hoping.

One evening, after my shift had ended, the phone rang and my ptg (part time girl) answered. She asked the customer to “please hold”, put the call on hold and turned to our owner/head stylist with a look of fear on her face. The call was about a brow wax, the customer on the phone wanted to book an appointment for her daughter, her daughter was a toddler. Yes, a toddler. – enough said.

Anyone who lives in North America know that this winter, Mother Nature has showed us what she is made of. We have been under the thumb of the Polar Vortex. Safe to say, we have had a lot of snow. I had a woman get mad at me about all the snow in the parking lot and couldn’t understand why I wasn’t doing anything about clearing it away. I let her know we had been shoveling a walk way to and from the door and clearing the sidewalk in front of the shop. She still had an issue with my lack of parking lot snow removal. FYI…our shop is in a strip mall that has over 250 parking spaces.

The phone rings and I answer with my standard greeting. “Are you open?” to which I answer “Yes, we are here until 6 p.m. today”. “Are you sure you are open?”. Again, I let the customer know we are open. “Okay, just checking. I will be in tomorrow”. – people, I shit you not. This actually happens.

From time to time, there are price increases on product. A fact that no one really enjoys. A customer came up to the counter and said “This used to cost $17.95. Now it is $19.95.”, to which I agreed “Yes, there has been a cost increase and a price increase on this product line.”. She scowled at me and said “I know! The price is higher!”, to which I answered “Yes it is higher. You are correct”. Then she looked at me and said “I know I’m right! I wanted to be sure you knew there was a price increase.”. ….sigh.

A woman told me I had poor customer service skills and was too abrupt. LONG story short – Poor customer service skills = I wouldn’t tell her how to color her own hair. (she had 3 colors in her hair and had used box dye in the past year). Abrupt = I explained that no matter what salon she went to or what color line she used, in 2-4 weeks she would still have regrowth and that the gray roots would return.

We offer complimentary coffee at our Salon and it smells wonderful. We have been using flavored creamers lately that make the Salon smell heavenly. (…a perk to the new flavors – yours truly gets to taste test them). I was at the front desk updating our Facebook page when I hear the familiar chirp of the shop’s door. Before I can get out my “Good Morning!”, all I hear is “What is that smell? …cough. ..cough…It smells so good! Do you sell those candles?”. To which I smile, hold up my mug and let the customer know that it is the flavored creamer in my coffee that she smells. “No it isn’t! cough…sniff…cough..You must have a candle burning in here!”. I reassure her that it really is my coffee. “No way! I don’t believe it! Give me your cup and let me smell it!”….needless to say, I didn’t finish my coffee that day.

A woman came in looking for KMS Molding Paste. I let her know that the packaging had changed but the product was the same. “How do you know?” she asked. I let her know that the line had been revamped over a  year ago and that I had the spec. sheet from KMS California on what products were discontinued and what products had been replaced and what products stayed the same. She looked at me and said “Yes, but how do you really know?”     …see link below

The Replacements

In Ontario, in February, we have a provincial holiday – Family Day. A holiday the provincial government created for a little break in the dull days of winter, and to offer an extra holiday in between New Years and Easter. Retailers and most businesses close for the day. I had posted a sign in our window letting our customers/clients know that we too would be closed for Family Day. A woman came in the shop and as she was paying for her products looked at me and said “Must be nice to make up something like “Family Day” just so you can close the store”. …thank goodness she wasn’t a mind reader.

Beauty, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, That girl in the red coat, Uncategorized, Women, writing

It’s been awhile

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First and foremost, I gotta thank you all for your patience and your support over the past weeks. It has been over 3 weeks since my newest tale, yet you all kept reading my tales from the archives and sharing my tales, and for this I must thank you. On to the tale at hand.

It’s a new year. (Yes, I realize it’s February). I am not one to make New Year’s resolutions. I tend to make up my mind and go forward, no matter the date. This year, as I was sitting in the emergency room with my hubby (no worries – not his heart – he broke his ankle on New Years Day),both of us were joking and giggling with each other. One – of the absurdity of his luck, and two – it was the first time in 2 years we were at the hospital in the early morning instead of the wee small hours of the morning and he was waiting to be fitted for an air cast, not hooked up to monitors and being poked and prodded. It was then and there I realized it’s been awhile since I gave over and was just grateful. I resolved to myself to go forward with love from now on. Decided that whatever got in my way, negative or positive, I would thank it, and give it love. When push comes to shove, we have no control of what will happen, we only have control of what we think and how we deal. I will admit, I have had a few moments of weakness, like the day I told the 5 foot snow drift to fuck off because the snow kept blowing back in my face. – hey – hubby broke his ankle the same month Mother Nature decided to show us what she was really made of. Back to the tale at hand.

The weather in my neck of the woods has been cold, snowy and not very sunny. So, I understand why some people are grumpy, but at the end of the day, we can’t control Mother Nature, we can only control our nature. I have heard, over and over about how unfair it is that dinner plans had to be changed because of bad weather. I have heard about how unfair it was to come back from a sunny vacation to a snowy mess. I have heard how unfair it is that now your hair is dry and frizzy because of the weather. All of these things are worth a pout or two, and then it’s time to move on.Think about it, these are all things you have control over. You do. Dinner plans may have been changed, remember –  dinner will still be eaten. You miss the sun & surf of your vacation, remember – you got to go on vacation.Your hair is dry and frizzy, remember – with the proper products, your dryness and frizz will be a thing of the past. Over the past weeks dear friends have endured things they have no control over. They have lost both parents, have lost their friends to illness and addiction, have lost their beloved pets, have broken their wrists (and ankles) – these are things that are deserving of more than a pout or two…your frizz…not so much.

I do believe it’s time to be thankful. It’s time to give it some love, what ever it may be. Frustrated at the wind chill factors? Be thankful you have a home – many are hoping they get to the shelter on time for a bed. Pissed off that your hat made your hair frizzy? Be thankful for the frizz, then go through your closets and donate the coats and hats you no longer wear to your local women’s shelter. Ticked at the traffic jam? Be thankful you are not in the accident that caused the traffic jam and send some love to those who were. Frustrated that you are always shoveling? Be thankful that it was a broken ankle and his heart is on the mend.

Beauty, communication, health and wellness, That girl in the red coat, Uncategorized, Women, writing

Christmas Presence

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As I sit here, snow is falling, Christmas carols are playing on the radio, lights are twinkling on the tree and my loved ones are safe and snuggled under warm blankets watching a movie. I am relishing the peace for it is the middle of December, which for any of us in the service industry/retail sector, we know is the beginning of the craziest, busiest time of the year. I have been working the Holiday/Christmas season for over 20 years, and have seen it all, from mothers beginning to cry because the antlers that their child needed for the Christmas pageant broke and are now out of stock to husbands panicking that the KMS gift pack their wife wanted is no longer available and he can’t go home without it. I have seen grown women lose it over the fact the newest red holiday shade of polish is sold out and have had a grown man throw a flat iron at me because I wouldn’t return it for him because he didn’t have a receipt, or the box for that matter. One commonality I have always found – too many people are concerned about their Christmas presents instead of their Christmas presence.

Last year I wrote of the pressure women (and gents…mostly the ladies) put on themselves over the holidays (see link below)

https://thatgirlintheredcoat.com/2012/12/03/its-time-to-paint-your-own-picture/ .

I told a tale of letting go and easing up on yourself and your loved ones. This year, my tale will be one of presence. Too many of us are not present, in our own lives, in the lives of our loved ones, in our conversations, hell, even in our driving. We are getting so caught up in the idea of the perfect gift and the perfect dinner that we aren’t even able to keep up with who got who what gift and cannot even remember what that perfect dinner tasted like. Being me, I have compiled a little list, a how to for the holidays if you will.

– When you are out shopping with your child and they stop at the big tree in the mall exclaiming “WOW!!! It’s so pretty!” instead of yanking their little arm and scowling “yeah, yeah…lets go!” stand with them for a minute and agree with them. Take the few seconds, take a breath and make a memory.

– We all have those friends/family members that need a Santa picture. Here’s the deal, if your child doesn’t want to sit on Santa’s lap, don’t make them. Stand beside Santa holding your child, or forgo the picture all together. Your loved ones will survive a Christmas without a Santa photo. I know mine have. *Think about it…all year we scold “don’t talk to strangers” then force our kids to talk to  a stranger AND sit on his lap…no wonder there are so many tears.

– When you are shopping and a sales person asks if you need a hand, let us help you.  Let yourself be helped, it will ease the stress that you can’t find what you are looking for, and if by chance it is out of stock, we can let you know when the product is arriving and can call you when it arrives. …oh, for me, please do not say “already got two!” when we ask if you need a hand – trust me, we have heard it.

– Be kind to the cashier. She has been standing there for hours, has 5 more hours left of her shift and only gets a 30 minute break during an 8 hour shift, having to deal with people yelling at her for things she has no control over, like the debit being down, or a product being out of stock, or being yelled  at by a manager because she said “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays”. – the latter happened to yours truly…I kept saying Merry Christmas.

– If your family doesn’t like turkey, you do not have to have it for Christmas dinner. It’s okay. The ghost of Christmas past, present and future will not haunt you. Make a meal that everyone enjoys, that you enjoy making. Trust me, I know of what I speak. I tried to do the “Christmas dinner with all the trimmings” and the whole day with every dish I prepared all I thought was who wasn’t going to like what and that I was disappointing Martha Stewart. This year I am making quesadilla’s. They are always a hit, everyone loves them and I spend less time in the kitchen and more time in the living room with my family.

– When you are getting your groceries, give to your local food bank. Many grocery store already have prepacked bags of food ready to give. Most packs cost $4.99 (the cost of your two morning coffees on your way to work)  and can give a family more than one meal. It’s a win/win, a mother will be able to make a meal for her child, and your child got to see their mother help her.

– Always give to the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army does more than you can imagine.

– Try not to complain so much about having to go to your Mother’s/Father’s house…again. Many have lost a parent, or both parents and wish that they had to sit through another conversation about how “easy we have it these days”.

This season, take it easy on yourself. Take it easy on your loved ones, for it is not their fault you are stressed that what you wanted to buy them is no longer available. Take a breath. Take a friend a coffee. Give to your local food bank. Make your hubby his favorite treat. Teach your child how to make cookies. Send a Christmas card or a text out of the blue. Smile as you pass people on the street or in the grocery aisle. Your Christmas presence will mean more to many than your Christmas presents will mean to one.

 

Beauty, Business, communication, entertainment, Hair Care, health and wellness, That girl in the red coat, Uncategorized, Women, writing

Tales of truth – Part 9

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Yes ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is time for that girl in the red coat’s tales of truth. A few months back I decided to change my “tales of truth” series to “full moon monthly” but with the holiday retail season in full swing, I have decided to bring back my original title, since full moon daily, well, doesn’t make sense and may disappoint certain internet users…wait for it…there you go. On with my tales of truth.

“Do you work here?” – a question posed to me as I am pricing and setting up our Christmas display of nail polishes and hand creams, while wearing my shirt with the Salon’s logo. “Yes, I do. I am the manager. Can I help you?” to which she answers “How do I know you are the manager?”…..sigh

A woman comes in asking if I carry Nioxin. I let her know that I do and that I carry the complete line. ( *a GREAT hair care line for anyone suffering from hair loss – check out http://www.nioxin.com – Mario Lopez is the new spokesperson – he is nice to look at…) As I show her my Nioxin display she tells me she just saw it at a department store for $10 less. “That sounds like a great deal, be careful though. When you see professional salon products at the department store it is diverted stock, so you cannot be guaranteed you are getting the real deal. We don’t know what is in those bottles or where they came from.”, to which she said “Oh yeah! Well….how do I know where your product came from huh?!”. – still find it amazing that a 50 year old woman reverts back to school yard tactics. I took a breath and told her I deal directly with the company that supplies Nioxin and I have the invoices to prove it to which she said “Well, I’m going to call Nioxin to find out if you are telling the truth!”, so I gave her their number.

As I am sitting at the front desk merrily humming along to the Christmas tunes echoing from the radio and making up some festive display signs, I hear the chirp of the shop’s door and before I can raise my eyes a woman is leaning over the counter and is about 5 inches from my face “CALL ME A CAB WOULD YA?”. I roll back on my chair – my savior from the close talker. “Pardon me?” I ask. “I need a cab. I just got out of a cab and I need another one.”. Alrighty. So I ask if there is a cab company she prefers to which she says “any one but the one I just used.”. I ask which one she used and she said “the one with the white signs”. …in my town, all 3 companies have white signs. So, I flip through the yellow pages, say a prayer and hope I choose the right cab company. As we are waiting for her cab to arrive, as she darts from my counter to the front door every 10 seconds awaiting her new cab, I was fortunate enough to get to hear all her lovely views on humanity, from cab drivers being lazy to her landlord being an ass to not giving to the Salvation Army because it’s not her fault that people are homeless. I went to correct her, then I remembered, you can’t fix stupid.

The phone rings. I answer with my standard cheery greeting.”Umm,,,yeah…like do you have anything that with help my friend’s hair?”. So, I ask what seems to be the issue with her “friends” hair. “Well….I…I mean she dyed it and it kind of looks funny.”. So, I let her know that I can’t give out color advice, especially over the phone and that I can’t see her “friends” hair. She offers to explain the color to me. I let her know it is best to come into the shop and I can introduce her to one of my stylists and we can go from there, to which she replies “How about I text you a picture of my hair…I mean my friends hair, ‘cuz thats what I did last time and you guys told me what to do”. This is how I found out, and then she found out, she had called the wrong place. ***IMPORTANT TIP*** Never, I mean EVER, take color advice over the phone. Until a stylist is applying color onto your hair, there is no way possible to know what is going to happen to your hair or how that color is going to process. Sure , in theory someone can guess at what will happen, but until it is being applied, there is no sure way of knowing.

A woman, whom I have never met, came into the shop and actually said “I need to pop into the grocery store…can I leave my son here with you? It’ll only be a minute.” …there are no words.

I have a bowl of candies at the front desk for our customers and clients. It is usually filled with Jolly Ranchers and Starburst. One day I didn’t have time for my usual stop for my candy pick up so while I was getting supplies for the shop I grabbed some flavored Tootsie Rolls since the store I was at didn’t carry Starburst. Later that morning as I was ringing through a customer, she made sure I knew that she was quite disappointed in me and my service because I no longer had Starburst in my candy dish and she was looking forward to one. Note to self – always have Starburst.

With that holiday season in full swing I am sure I will have many more festive tales coming your way.

Beauty, Business, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, That girl in the red coat, Uncategorized, Women

It’s time to be a little more social

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Everywhere you look, you see someone with a cellphone. The majority of us, after our morning greeting and good morning smooch to our loved ones (…and I hope your loved ones come first), grab our coffee and our cell phone, find a comfy spot and sit down to see what’s going on in the world. Facebook – check. Twitter – check. Instagram – check. Pinterest – check….you get the idea. Social media is our morning paper and our evening news. It is. It is also a key ingredient to any successful Salon. It is. Today’s tale is for my beloved Salon owners and Stylists. It’s time to become a little more social.

I know of what I speak. I see the results of using social media everyday. It works, plain and simple. Everyday I see the results of making sure our shop’s Facebook page is updated. (Twitter is an awesome tool as well, but more people tend to use Facebook, in my experience). I hear you now “what results could she possibly see?”. Well, how about an increase in our retail sales and revenue, and more client retention because of the tips about products shared on our Facebook page. Every day, at least 100 people see our posts. Some days my posts on the shop’s Facebook page have reached over 500 people. Yep…500 potential customers and clients. On any given day, I will receive a message from a customer or client about a product I have posted to our Facebook page. Many times the message ends with “hold one for me – I will be there after work!”. I have sold many products from hairspray to flat irons to holiday packs this way. Using social media has helped me acquire new customers and in turn new “likes” to our Facebook page. (psssst…more likes = more views and shares of your page and your posts = more clients and customers).

*It’s a great tool to introduce a new stylist to your customers and clients. Also, to alert your clients when a stylist has returned from a maternity leave.

*Changing your hours to Holiday Hours? Post ’em on your page

*Having a monthly draw? Post the picture on your page

*Follow the pages of the products you sell & share their tips and tricks – a HUGE retail aid!

*Bringing in a new line? Post it on your page

Something I hear far too often from Salon owners, Managers and Stylists is “I don’t have the time to do that.”. Okay, if you don’t have time to do it, get someone in your Salon to do it for you. I’m sure you have someone in your Salon that has their cell phone in arms reach. The owner at our shop is also our head stylist, and is booked 2 months ahead, all the time. She really doesn’t have the time, so that is why I was given administration rights to our Facebook page and I take care of the Facebook page, because I do have the time. Honestly, it takes 10 – 30 minutes of your day. I add it into my daily duties, so it isn’t missed. Orders made – check. Inventory counted – check. Schedule done – check. Facebook page updated – check. It really is that easy.

Social media can be a great marketing tool for your Salon, if used properly. I stress the word properly. We have all seen the sassy limericks – save those for your personal pages, this is a business and needs to be seen as such. Watch the language and the content. Put it this way – if you wouldn’t want your clients and customers hearing those words coming out of your mouth…then don’t put it on your Facebook page.

Social media works and can be a huge addition to your Salon’s client retention and retail revenue. It’s time to make it work for you.

Beauty, Business, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, That girl in the red coat, Uncategorized

Step away from the scissors and listen for a minute

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“This is not what we discussed. Look at my hair! What am I going to do? I can’t go to work looking like this!”. – you are picturing a woman right now, aren’t you? Yes, most people picture a woman uttering these phrases when she has received a bad hair cut…and that is the first problem. Women are not the only ones that suffer from bad hair days and bad hair cuts. Our lovely gents do as well. Actually, in my experience, men seem to be the victim of bad a hair cut/style more often than women. For some reason, many stylists seem to think for their male clientele. A gentleman comes in looking for a new style and ends up walking out with the same cut his father gave him sitting in the kitchen with the #1 guide…when he was 4 years old.

As you know, I manage a retail shop/salon. I have many men come into the shop for their hair products, from KMS HAIRPLAY Molding Paste to d:fi molding cream. Some of my lovely gents like to spike up their hair with Joico Ice Spiker and some like to slick it back with American Crew Firm Gel. Some gents like a bit of shine – SOMA Prism spray is a great choice -no hold, just lovely shine, and some like a matte finish – AG STUCCO is great and a big seller. What all my lovely gents have in common is they want to look good. They want to look professional and creditable in their profession – from Welder to Physician. What they don’t want is the “Charlie Brown” head, or as mentioned above, the cut they had from dear old Dad.

Many times, unfortunately, men come into the shop asking me “Do you sell clippers?” – they ask this because they feel their only option is to shave their head because they just cannot face another bad cut, or having another stylist not listen to them when they tell them what they don’t want their hair to look like. I know, believe me, I know that clients/customers do not always explain themselves very well. It is our job, as managers, owners and stylists to take the time to be sure we understand what it is our clients/customers want. When the gentleman in your chair says he wants it short – ask him how short. Place your fingers on his head as a point of reference if need be – every stylist has had a client that when they said take a few inches off, they really meant half an inch. What the client pictures as short may not be what you, as the stylist, pictures as short. You need to clarify. You need to be clear. You need to stop thinking for your client. If you are not sure of how to cut men’s hair, or you only know 3 cuts for our gents – pick up a copy of Canadian Hairdresser, or Salon magazine or hop on Google and go to http://www.behindthechair.com and check out the images and tutorials.

Think about this for a minute, I mean really think about it – what would happen if a woman sat in your chair with shoulder length hair and said she wanted something shorter and you gave her a pixie cut, because that’s what you thought she wanted and you thought that would be best…what would happen? A meltdown of Nuclear proportions, that’s what. When a woman is sitting in your chair looking for a change or something shorter, as a stylist, you may spend up to 20 minutes on a consultation, to be sure you know exactly what it is she wants, how she styles her hair at home, what products she likes to use on her hair and what she has done with her hair in the past. I believe our Gents are worth the time as well. Men are a key component to a successful Salon and retail business – they deserve our attention.

In my 20 years of customer service and in my 10 plus years in our beloved biz of Beauty, I know one thing with absolute certainty. Women may give you a second chance. Men will not, and honestly, when they aren’t being listened to…who can blame them?