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social media marketing grooming

What the f*ck am I supposed to charge per dog!?

Daisy Lee·
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“What the fuck should I charge?” price

This is one of the most common questions to be heard in the online grooming community. Surprisingly, one of the most difficult questions to find an answer to.

I think we’d all agree, pricing is a minefield, especially for the new groomer just starting up business. AND, considering most newly qualified groomers do set up their own business, as opposed to going and working for a company, there is very little support out there to help with working out pricing.

Who Knows what the fuck to charge!?

money. What to charge. Whippet Media
money. What to charge. Whippet Media

I’m fed up with hearing “I’m so annoyed at groomers not charging their worth, and undercutting my prices”

Let’s help them out rather than lambasting them about their prices! When I was newly qualified I didn’t know what to charge, I asked a couple of the groomers local to me what they were charging and didn’t get a reply. That didn’t help me know what the fuck the charge.

The customers don’t have a clue what they should be paying. Some tell you you’re really cheap and other’s tell you you’re having a laugh and put the phone down. 

Put yourself in the shoes of the newbie loan-groomer: you have a lack of experience but the burning desire to get new clients. price

You have no colleagues/manager/support to bounce ideas off. You are told your quote is expensive by a potential client, what do you do? It seems logical to lower the price for the next quote.

money. What to charge. Whippet Media
money. What to charge. Whippet Media

As a newly qualified groomer, I was 100% focused on being a good groomer. Turning out a smart dog safely, AND getting a returning customer, I didn’t stop to think about how to actually make sure I was turning a profit. And even when I did (or thought I did), I didn’t take into account holiday pay, sick pay, pension, emergency rainy day fund, tax etc. etc.

Yes we all know… NOW!

Work out your overheads.

Wand then make sure you have an hourly rate that covers all these overheads plus pays you enough live,  yes…Simples…for us now! After a couple of years of living through it.  But why can’t a bit of this be taught as part of the grooming courses? Given that as we know, it is so common for groomers to get qualified and start up on their own?

A price list?   “Fuck off, no way!”

money. What to charge. Whippet Media
money. What to charge. Whippet Media

Yes, I know a universal / national price list is not going to be to everyone’s taste! but what about a price range? where we could agree on a cheap, middle and expensive price for a typical breed that came in regularly? If a newly qualified groomer was shown this, then they could make a better informed decision to place their own prices where they want, without unknowingly putting themselves at the bottom of the cheapest of cheap groomers like I did.

Help out? Or just moan about? Let’s make a choice!

Have your say. Share this on The Groomer Group lets talk.

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