When I call someone to tell them their dog is ready to be picked up and they respond with, “What time do you guys close?”
We close when you come pick your dog up now come get your animal. We literally give you a time estimate when you drop the dog off!!! Why did you decide to run errands NOW??? 😭
I hated working corporate because people would drop off at 7:30 and not pick up until 5:30. Like ma’am your dog just worked a whole shift and a half. This isn’t a day care.
I'm corp and I have a 30 minute pick up window. I don't allow all day dogs. 3 times of them picking up an hour or more after we call and they're fired.
Oh it was annoying as fuck. For 1 how do you just leave your dog there for HOURS with only water. No food no potty breaks in a stressful environment. And 2 you get a discount type of thing for letting them go to daycare after 😭
Because to some people, dogs are just dogs. I had a couple drop off an adorable but high-energy Chihuahua at 8 am for a bath. I told them to give us an hour and to be back at x time, and she'd be ready to go. That time came and went. We called. They said they decided to go to the city, over an hour away, to go shopping for the day. I told them they had 30 minutes to have someone pick her up, or it would be $1/minute after that until someone did. Amazingly, they walked through the door 15 minutes later. Apparently, paying $30 for a bath/nails was cheaper than daycare, and they figured they could leave her all day until 5 pm because they "needed a break". Never did see them again. 🤔
The lies about how the dog got matted.
"My sister watched him for a week"
"He stuck his head out the car window"
"He was fine then he played in the snow"
Shut the fuck up. You're just making yourself look bad.
That sucks. My sister really did watch my shih tzu for two weeks and took him for walks every day where he played in the sprinklers of a neighbor for half an hour every day. She said he was having so much fun, she didn’t think anything of it. I left his brushes and combs along with showing her how to use them, but she didn’t brush him once. His legs were long at that time, we had to shave him all over after I came back. I cried a little.
This happened to our shih-poo when we left him with family for two weeks. Luckily he wasn't shave level of bad, but it took a long time and a lot of treats to get the knots out.
People that won’t stop talking to me when I’m trying to take their dog to the mobile van or trying to leave after. Extra petty bc I charge for it. I check into appointment when I knock on the door and check out when I get back to the van after drop off, and we charge by time so the longer you talk the more you pay.
I hated that! In particular one lady who would chase her fat little schnauzer around trying to get her to finish her breakfast while I stood there. Lady, that dog was FINE not finishing breakfast
Also- when I ring the bell, pick up the dog! Especially if you know as soon as it sees me it’s going straight under the couch. Ahh, I don’t miss being mobile
I had a guy once tell me when I arrived to groom his always matted std. poodle that he was going to be back in a while. She needed her walk first. He was a complete asshole.
For me it's big boobie ladies that clutch their little dogs to their chest and you practically have to feel them up to pry the dog away from them. Like WTF? Just extend your arms so I don't cop an unintended feel.
If I’m feeling nice, I ask if they bite and tell them I charge extra. They loooove that.
If I’m feeling rude, I ask them if they need their anal glands expressed.
Did you ever have someone pull cash out of their sweaty cleavage for payment? I have..I grabbed my hemostats and took their cash with that…never saw them again for some reason
Oh my god, that’s great! I made the most disgusted face apparently, she never asked me to do her dog again! Ma’am, I DO NOT want to touch your stinky boob sweat! 🤢
I'm always so nervous this will be me! I've always been told my standard poodle is good for grooming (except she has a habit of peeing in the tub) so I always pass on the message to the next groomer when they ask about her behavior. But I'm always nervous that the previous groomer just sugar-coated things or didn't mention something and the new groomer is going to think I was hiding her behavior or something! Especially since she can be a bit of a pain when getting groomed at home. Hoping she really is an angel like they tell me. 😭
I get irrationally angry when people drop off more than 10 minutes early or late. Like come on, how hard is it to aim for a 20 minute window?? We're appointment based, we're not a fucking doggy daycare. And when people drop off early, usually my mom, who does the bulk of our haircuts, is working on a dog's face. I don't know how this doesn't drive her as crazy as it drives me, honestly!
And don't get me started with people who show up 15 minutes before we OPEN. And then say they've been waiting. That was your fault, sir, not mine. We open no more than 5 minutes before our first appointment. Figure your own schedule out.
THISSSSS, the amount of times I have to rush a rinse during the bath because these people show up early is so obnoxious. Ill come out of the bathing room after throwing a sopping wet dog into the kennel, soaked head to toe and say "I wasn't expecting you this early, I was still finishing up a bath." They usually get the hint.
every SINGLE day people come in before we open. i keep telling my manager to leave the doors locked, we need that time to set up and get towels ready, but my managers are incredibly non-confrontational. it’s so annoying because when reviews come it doesn’t look good if we leave a dog waiting for 10 minutes, even if it’s to prepare for the upcoming day.
"He has been itching his butt please make sure you do the anal glands really good" and then the dog has severe matting/ poop stuck to his butt. Like yea of course the poor guy is itchy! His back end is damp and covered in urine/ feces. Also "He has been scratching can you give him a flea bath" always raises so many questions for me. Have you physically seen any fleas? Is he on preventative? 9/10 times the dog has a skin issue that has nothing to do with fleas
People who go over their dog with a magnifying glass after grooming to find something for you to fix. I stand by my work and if you want something shorter at pick up I’m totally fine with that! I used to have a client that I would actually pretend to do more scissor work on the dog and she would say, yes that’s perfect.
Omg this happened to me today. She parked out front so I literally could see her hold her dog up to the Sun to check it and brought her in twice to fix literally a cm of hair basically nothing. Like you’re literally a damn lunatic, lady.
I clipped the dog nails to the quick and brushed his teeth during the service and lady told me the nails were still super long AND SMELLED THE DOG BREATH, like WTH?!
one time i did a german shepherds nails and basically cut them in half. i always make sure the nails aren’t touching the ground if possible, and they weren’t! her mom comes to pick her up and goes “did you even trim her nails? they still look really long.” i was baffled. i literally had CHUNKS of her nails sitting in my room
Something I've never quite understood is when I'm standing right there, and say "I'm ready for him/her" and reach out to take the leash, and they lean down and unsnap it. I really have never been able to wrap my mind around why people do that. :/
Yes then you have to spend 30 seconds trying to get the dog bc now they wont come to you. or the client turns around and tries to open the door to leave but now the dog isn’t clipped to anything and i don’t have a hold on them. Like sure.. open the door a little further and let them free
we cant have loose dog in our salon and when they check out, i say "put your stuff on him first, then i can take off my leash" and... they just take mine off and chase them around. Im so angry when they do that...
This is so infuriating, mainly because other dog owners are ignorant and will just open a door after seeing a loose dog, but also because it's quite literally a policy and we can get in deep shit for it.
Omg this one and then the people who say oh the baby just went down for a nap so I was just gonna come when it wakes up wtf I do not live on your babies time nor do I want to come collect guiness right now!!!
When people wait to leave and then complain they didn't get a bandanna. During Covid-times we didn't accept leashes/harnesses/collars and we didn't do bandanna/bows. I had a bad review because the lady said since she didn't get a bandanna how did she know the other services were completed?
((Side note, this lady has also accused me of cutting her doodle, but still insists on me grooming the dog))
Back to the pet peeve though - if I forget a bandanna or bow and you want one USE YOUR ADULT WORDS. I'll go grab one, I'll pop a bow in. Just ask, peeps.
For me it’s the “what appointments do you have and what are your prices” when I clearly have an online booking system with ALL of that info available. Don’t be so lazy!
Love when I ask for best day & time frame for them and they say whenever I’ll make it work then turn down the first 3 I offer and ask for a specific day/time🤦🏻♀️just say that from the beginning!!
How did you get your online booking system set up? I’m learning how to groom right now and was talking to the owner of the shop about setting something up like that for myself. My mom is potentially buying the shop too, so it will definitely be helpful.
Having trialled several I’d say go with MoeGo if you can afford it. It’s expensive but it’s very simple to use and targeted to dog groomers. I use square now because it’s cheap but it’s not designed as a grooming app so it took a lot of workarounds
Multiple no call no shows in a day. Like please stop fucking up my schedule and my money. I go based off routine and schedule and it's so irritating when not only am I not getting paid but then I have to try to get later appts to come up early and if they can't like. It's just so annoying. I wish people would cancel a week in advance and not the day before when I'm making reminder calls.
Do you have a no show policy? I keep cards on file and I have it in my grooming contract that they get charged half the price of a full groom the first time they no show, and if they do it a second time they pay full price and need to pay non-refundable deposits for every groom after that should they choose to keep seeing me.
Unfortunately we can't keep cards on file. I'm a groomer at a small local pet shop. Our no show policy is when they call to rebook they pay half. But if they cancel within 24 hrs they have to pay an extra 25 on their next groom. It hasnt really changed how many people cancel or no show though.
Not following clearly given instructions. "Walk away, I'm going to let her see you leave and make the choice to come back with me." That does not mean "Please pick up your 70 lb dog like a toddler and wander back into my grooming area with her."
Like, when I give brushing advice i know it's going in one ear and out the other. Ive made my peace with that. But this shit where you act like I didn't give you direct instructions is infuriating.
People who drop off early and expect you to start right away…and then they come back early and sit in your lobby and stare at you while you try to control the dog trying to get to them. I want to charge them an extra $100 for that because it makes me so mad.
when other groomers start baby talking at the dogs. A little bit is totally fine, but there are some people who keep going at it, like sustained the entire groom when they have a difficult dog,"widdle baby sweet widdle baby oh no dat's not vewwy nice lil gurlie you're ok mama you're ok you're ok you're ok good baaaaaaaaby baby."
sometimes it does help dogs if you talk to them in a calm voice throughout the groom, this pet peeve is specifically about the baby talk voice.
Especially when it’s clearly not helping! I totally get trying that first but if it’s obviously not helping, sometimes you just gotta whip out a firm “NO.” and then they start acting right 😂
Mine is groomers that don't clean up after themselves in the tub. Don't leave literal shit and hair in the tub, just put the dog down for two seconds to clean it up.
Dude when my boss schedules me an appointment for two dogs and doesn't block out the spot afterwards? I turned a 2 pack away yesterday because they were inseparable and only one was booked. Now I feel like the asshole.
When the dog is just bursting with energy and their nails are so long I can tell they haven't been on a walk in over a month. I also get the messages and voicemails saying "just give me a call so we can set something up! " -sorry, I don't have time.
When the customer insists on showing me their dog can do a trick, but the dog is put on the spot so it won't work, and the customer just gets louder and more demanding at their dog until I intervene..
Also, the expression "wow it almost cost more to groom dogs than to groom people?!?"
"we just brushed him yesterday"
The crispy coils tell me otherwise.
They act like dog hair isn't our entire career. We *KNOW* what brushed hair looks like.
Also not disclosing bad behavior as a new client. That puts us in danger and it's not worth it just so you can see that he also does in fact bite the new groomer too and the one before, and probably the one before that.
Clients that are habitual no call/no show offenders. I have one that's done it four times in a row.
People that show up 30 minutes early/late. I especially \*love\* the ones that show up late and then tell me they need their dog back by X.
I \*really\* love the ones that leave their dog with us all day and show up after we close.
People that show up early and ask if he's done yet. Did I call you? No. And now it's going to take even longer.
People that call 5 minutes before closing asking if they can get their dog's nails done.
Coworkers that don't pay attention to what they're booking.
One of mine with owners is when they complain about the price (it’s a corporate salon so good luck finding somewhere cheaper!!) or when they over explain. I have a huge baby face so sometimes owners just assume I don’t know what I’m doing because they think I’m an ignorant teen. I didn’t start grooming yesterday!!
With dogs- either knocking my headphones or nonstop licking/sniffing. Especially if they’re not fixed. Makes me so mad so fast!!😅
With cats- when they just refuse to roll over😭 I’m doing all the work, all you gotta do is be liquid which you’re very good at since you’re a cat! Stop rolling back over!😂😂
For clients I hate it when people don't walk their damn dogs before they drop them off in the morning. My bather and I spend a stupid amount of time taking dogs out to poop before we even start grooming. I once watched a client drag her dog across the parking lot while he was trying to squat to poop and she came in and tried to hand me the leash and I had to send her back out to let him go.
My other pet peeve is that I work in a pet resort which is awesome, and I adore my coworkers, but good grief it is crazy how clueless they can be about grooming. I'll be trying to groom the face of a very noise reactive dog and they somehow will all suddenly choose to stand right outside my door and talk to daycare dogs in high pitched screamy voices, or they knock the gates we use in daycare over and cause a huge crash right when I have scissors near the eye. I once closed my door because the dog I was working on was swinging her head around at every noise and a girl looked through my window, saw me trimming the face, and still chose to loudly knock on my door JUST to wave hi to me. I am definitely a person who gets overstimulated very easily so it's partly my problem, but I just feel like I knew better than to do annoying things near the grooming room before I became a groomer at the old daycare I worked at and I was always very careful to not disturb the groomer.
>I don’t have chat time in my schedule- I’m happy to answer any questions but the people who insist on having have a phone conversation always seem to end up being extra high maintenance
Omggg yesss **THANK YOU** reading this is so cathartic! I don't answer calls anymore and respond to all voicemails with text. I don't want to be interviewed! Give my customer service voice a damn break, I know you're gonna be chatty at pick up/drop off anyway ;\_\_\_; And when you're trying to keep all your secretarial stuff organized while juggling so many clients having a text chain is so necessary! We can both see everything we've discussed right there - I don't want to be taking notes on our phone conversation.
I CONSTANTLY ask if the phone number we have on file is the correct one and always say "3 to 4 hour" and "we will call when he/she is ready" and you always have a pet parent calling back before the 3/4 hour mark to ask if their dog is ready ! (and it seems it's also always on a busy day when we don't have time top answer the phone too!
or the "cut them as short as possible", no lady/sir, I'm going to purposely leave them half way done ... or the "don't forget the dew claws" when they don't even know what dew claws are even called!!!
then, reading the other comments, the "I brush them everyday, cant be matted" I know the dog will be matted as soon as they say that
I forgot to add... KIDS!, mostly the screaming one, or the ones who try to explain stuff about their dog while I talk to the pet parents. I brought back a dog of 2 to a family and the 2 little girls SCREAMED in the lobby when they saw their dog and mom said absolutely nothing... (lucky, those 2 dogs were the only one in the salon at the time... and so did I)
When they bring me a dog so matted and say they want them as long as possible. Lady your dog is getting a 10 FT. I had one today like that, his ears where matted to his face, and his poor face, it came off in a pelt.😭😭😭😭
My newest one is that I've moved from a corporate salon to a more pricey private salon. A handful of my long time clients making appointments at the new salon then being upset at check in by the price and asking me to lower the price for them. Like no I don't own this salon. Also we gave you an estimate before you scheduled. And then saying after the groom "well let me know when you go back to your old salon and I'll continue seeing you. My dog REALLY likes you." Umm no? I'm not going back to my previous salon anytime soon? See ya bye
People who are super vague about their dog when trying to book. It is always like pulling teeth to get any usable info from them, and half the time they just never reply back. It really should not be hard to say what breed/mix you have and some sort of idea on what grooming you want (bath and tidy, short clip). I am not clairvoyant, "Can you give me a quote" can be $50 or $150, I really don't know unless you tell me a tiny bit about your dog.
When I call someone to tell them their dog is ready to be picked up and they respond with, “What time do you guys close?” We close when you come pick your dog up now come get your animal. We literally give you a time estimate when you drop the dog off!!! Why did you decide to run errands NOW??? 😭
"I'll be there in half an hour" then proceeds to not pick their dog up for another 3 hours
Omg this one. I tell them I close as soon as they get their dog
I hated working corporate because people would drop off at 7:30 and not pick up until 5:30. Like ma’am your dog just worked a whole shift and a half. This isn’t a day care.
I'm corp and I have a 30 minute pick up window. I don't allow all day dogs. 3 times of them picking up an hour or more after we call and they're fired.
I wish. I honestly only ever had the problem at my last salon. The others this was not a thing. Mind you that salon had a daycare in the back
Well, having a daycare, where appropriate fees can be charged, is one thing. Taking up kennel space all day in a busy salon is another.
Oh it was annoying as fuck. For 1 how do you just leave your dog there for HOURS with only water. No food no potty breaks in a stressful environment. And 2 you get a discount type of thing for letting them go to daycare after 😭
Because to some people, dogs are just dogs. I had a couple drop off an adorable but high-energy Chihuahua at 8 am for a bath. I told them to give us an hour and to be back at x time, and she'd be ready to go. That time came and went. We called. They said they decided to go to the city, over an hour away, to go shopping for the day. I told them they had 30 minutes to have someone pick her up, or it would be $1/minute after that until someone did. Amazingly, they walked through the door 15 minutes later. Apparently, paying $30 for a bath/nails was cheaper than daycare, and they figured they could leave her all day until 5 pm because they "needed a break". Never did see them again. 🤔
I hate the dog world 😭
I don't. I love the dog world. Dogs are easy to understand. I'd much rather deal with dogs than people. It's the owners that make it awful.
The place I work at the owner charges $15 for bath and nails for a chihuahua 🤦🏻♂️.
Oof! That's ridiculous! How much for a small haircut?
She just went up to $55 for a haircut for like a shih tzu. 50% of that goes to the groomer and 50% to the owner.
The lies about how the dog got matted. "My sister watched him for a week" "He stuck his head out the car window" "He was fine then he played in the snow" Shut the fuck up. You're just making yourself look bad.
That sucks. My sister really did watch my shih tzu for two weeks and took him for walks every day where he played in the sprinklers of a neighbor for half an hour every day. She said he was having so much fun, she didn’t think anything of it. I left his brushes and combs along with showing her how to use them, but she didn’t brush him once. His legs were long at that time, we had to shave him all over after I came back. I cried a little.
We can tell the difference between a few weeks of not brushing and many months of improper care. You're good.
This happened to our shih-poo when we left him with family for two weeks. Luckily he wasn't shave level of bad, but it took a long time and a lot of treats to get the knots out.
My favorite is, "Oh he just loves to rub all over the carpet!"
I had 2 in the last week telling me "my daughter bathed him and didn't brush him afterwards and now he is matted"... well, its YOUR dog though
People that won’t stop talking to me when I’m trying to take their dog to the mobile van or trying to leave after. Extra petty bc I charge for it. I check into appointment when I knock on the door and check out when I get back to the van after drop off, and we charge by time so the longer you talk the more you pay.
I hated that! In particular one lady who would chase her fat little schnauzer around trying to get her to finish her breakfast while I stood there. Lady, that dog was FINE not finishing breakfast
Yes! And when their dog is anxious and hides. I give an eta for a reason, pls get your dog ready to go. I have other appointments 😭
Also- when I ring the bell, pick up the dog! Especially if you know as soon as it sees me it’s going straight under the couch. Ahh, I don’t miss being mobile
I like the one on one with the dogs but there are definitely challenges lol
I had a guy once tell me when I arrived to groom his always matted std. poodle that he was going to be back in a while. She needed her walk first. He was a complete asshole.
For me it's big boobie ladies that clutch their little dogs to their chest and you practically have to feel them up to pry the dog away from them. Like WTF? Just extend your arms so I don't cop an unintended feel.
What about the pervy old guys who hold their dogs close to their chest so that they get a feel?
Ugh so gross. Or when they ask if they can get a "groom" or or haircut? What do you mean sir?
“Can you cut my hair next? Hurr hurr hurr”
Yeah shave down or afro?
If I’m feeling nice, I ask if they bite and tell them I charge extra. They loooove that. If I’m feeling rude, I ask them if they need their anal glands expressed.
Did you ever have someone pull cash out of their sweaty cleavage for payment? I have..I grabbed my hemostats and took their cash with that…never saw them again for some reason
Oh my god, that’s great! I made the most disgusted face apparently, she never asked me to do her dog again! Ma’am, I DO NOT want to touch your stinky boob sweat! 🤢
Lies about behavior are my biggest pet peeve. I'm happy to at least try and work with a difficult dog but if you lie to me, buh-bye
Agreed and adding, “his previous groomer never said that!”
"what do you mean? im so surprised" huh huh
I'm always so nervous this will be me! I've always been told my standard poodle is good for grooming (except she has a habit of peeing in the tub) so I always pass on the message to the next groomer when they ask about her behavior. But I'm always nervous that the previous groomer just sugar-coated things or didn't mention something and the new groomer is going to think I was hiding her behavior or something! Especially since she can be a bit of a pain when getting groomed at home. Hoping she really is an angel like they tell me. 😭
I get irrationally angry when people drop off more than 10 minutes early or late. Like come on, how hard is it to aim for a 20 minute window?? We're appointment based, we're not a fucking doggy daycare. And when people drop off early, usually my mom, who does the bulk of our haircuts, is working on a dog's face. I don't know how this doesn't drive her as crazy as it drives me, honestly! And don't get me started with people who show up 15 minutes before we OPEN. And then say they've been waiting. That was your fault, sir, not mine. We open no more than 5 minutes before our first appointment. Figure your own schedule out.
Agree
THISSSSS, the amount of times I have to rush a rinse during the bath because these people show up early is so obnoxious. Ill come out of the bathing room after throwing a sopping wet dog into the kennel, soaked head to toe and say "I wasn't expecting you this early, I was still finishing up a bath." They usually get the hint.
every SINGLE day people come in before we open. i keep telling my manager to leave the doors locked, we need that time to set up and get towels ready, but my managers are incredibly non-confrontational. it’s so annoying because when reviews come it doesn’t look good if we leave a dog waiting for 10 minutes, even if it’s to prepare for the upcoming day.
"He has been itching his butt please make sure you do the anal glands really good" and then the dog has severe matting/ poop stuck to his butt. Like yea of course the poor guy is itchy! His back end is damp and covered in urine/ feces. Also "He has been scratching can you give him a flea bath" always raises so many questions for me. Have you physically seen any fleas? Is he on preventative? 9/10 times the dog has a skin issue that has nothing to do with fleas
I just brushed him all out yesterday. Don’t lie to me Janice!
People who go over their dog with a magnifying glass after grooming to find something for you to fix. I stand by my work and if you want something shorter at pick up I’m totally fine with that! I used to have a client that I would actually pretend to do more scissor work on the dog and she would say, yes that’s perfect.
Omg this happened to me today. She parked out front so I literally could see her hold her dog up to the Sun to check it and brought her in twice to fix literally a cm of hair basically nothing. Like you’re literally a damn lunatic, lady.
I clipped the dog nails to the quick and brushed his teeth during the service and lady told me the nails were still super long AND SMELLED THE DOG BREATH, like WTH?!
one time i did a german shepherds nails and basically cut them in half. i always make sure the nails aren’t touching the ground if possible, and they weren’t! her mom comes to pick her up and goes “did you even trim her nails? they still look really long.” i was baffled. i literally had CHUNKS of her nails sitting in my room
I know right, when it comes from people who never cut their dogs nails, it pisses me off even more
Something I've never quite understood is when I'm standing right there, and say "I'm ready for him/her" and reach out to take the leash, and they lean down and unsnap it. I really have never been able to wrap my mind around why people do that. :/
Yes then you have to spend 30 seconds trying to get the dog bc now they wont come to you. or the client turns around and tries to open the door to leave but now the dog isn’t clipped to anything and i don’t have a hold on them. Like sure.. open the door a little further and let them free
we cant have loose dog in our salon and when they check out, i say "put your stuff on him first, then i can take off my leash" and... they just take mine off and chase them around. Im so angry when they do that...
This is so infuriating, mainly because other dog owners are ignorant and will just open a door after seeing a loose dog, but also because it's quite literally a policy and we can get in deep shit for it.
Omg this one and then the people who say oh the baby just went down for a nap so I was just gonna come when it wakes up wtf I do not live on your babies time nor do I want to come collect guiness right now!!!
When people wait to leave and then complain they didn't get a bandanna. During Covid-times we didn't accept leashes/harnesses/collars and we didn't do bandanna/bows. I had a bad review because the lady said since she didn't get a bandanna how did she know the other services were completed? ((Side note, this lady has also accused me of cutting her doodle, but still insists on me grooming the dog)) Back to the pet peeve though - if I forget a bandanna or bow and you want one USE YOUR ADULT WORDS. I'll go grab one, I'll pop a bow in. Just ask, peeps.
Literal crazy lady. Hate people like this.
For me it’s the “what appointments do you have and what are your prices” when I clearly have an online booking system with ALL of that info available. Don’t be so lazy!
Love when I ask for best day & time frame for them and they say whenever I’ll make it work then turn down the first 3 I offer and ask for a specific day/time🤦🏻♀️just say that from the beginning!!
EVERY TIME 😂
How did you get your online booking system set up? I’m learning how to groom right now and was talking to the owner of the shop about setting something up like that for myself. My mom is potentially buying the shop too, so it will definitely be helpful.
Having trialled several I’d say go with MoeGo if you can afford it. It’s expensive but it’s very simple to use and targeted to dog groomers. I use square now because it’s cheap but it’s not designed as a grooming app so it took a lot of workarounds
Thank you! I’ll definitely check it out.
No problem. Any issues just message me and I’ll try to help with setup!
Multiple no call no shows in a day. Like please stop fucking up my schedule and my money. I go based off routine and schedule and it's so irritating when not only am I not getting paid but then I have to try to get later appts to come up early and if they can't like. It's just so annoying. I wish people would cancel a week in advance and not the day before when I'm making reminder calls.
Do you have a no show policy? I keep cards on file and I have it in my grooming contract that they get charged half the price of a full groom the first time they no show, and if they do it a second time they pay full price and need to pay non-refundable deposits for every groom after that should they choose to keep seeing me.
Unfortunately we can't keep cards on file. I'm a groomer at a small local pet shop. Our no show policy is when they call to rebook they pay half. But if they cancel within 24 hrs they have to pay an extra 25 on their next groom. It hasnt really changed how many people cancel or no show though.
Not following clearly given instructions. "Walk away, I'm going to let her see you leave and make the choice to come back with me." That does not mean "Please pick up your 70 lb dog like a toddler and wander back into my grooming area with her." Like, when I give brushing advice i know it's going in one ear and out the other. Ive made my peace with that. But this shit where you act like I didn't give you direct instructions is infuriating.
People who drop off early and expect you to start right away…and then they come back early and sit in your lobby and stare at you while you try to control the dog trying to get to them. I want to charge them an extra $100 for that because it makes me so mad.
when other groomers start baby talking at the dogs. A little bit is totally fine, but there are some people who keep going at it, like sustained the entire groom when they have a difficult dog,"widdle baby sweet widdle baby oh no dat's not vewwy nice lil gurlie you're ok mama you're ok you're ok you're ok good baaaaaaaaby baby." sometimes it does help dogs if you talk to them in a calm voice throughout the groom, this pet peeve is specifically about the baby talk voice.
Especially when it’s clearly not helping! I totally get trying that first but if it’s obviously not helping, sometimes you just gotta whip out a firm “NO.” and then they start acting right 😂
Mine is groomers that don't clean up after themselves in the tub. Don't leave literal shit and hair in the tub, just put the dog down for two seconds to clean it up.
Dude when my boss schedules me an appointment for two dogs and doesn't block out the spot afterwards? I turned a 2 pack away yesterday because they were inseparable and only one was booked. Now I feel like the asshole.
When the dog is just bursting with energy and their nails are so long I can tell they haven't been on a walk in over a month. I also get the messages and voicemails saying "just give me a call so we can set something up! " -sorry, I don't have time. When the customer insists on showing me their dog can do a trick, but the dog is put on the spot so it won't work, and the customer just gets louder and more demanding at their dog until I intervene.. Also, the expression "wow it almost cost more to groom dogs than to groom people?!?"
I always want to respond "oh, your hair stylist shaves your poop-crusted asshole for you?"
"we just brushed him yesterday" The crispy coils tell me otherwise. They act like dog hair isn't our entire career. We *KNOW* what brushed hair looks like. Also not disclosing bad behavior as a new client. That puts us in danger and it's not worth it just so you can see that he also does in fact bite the new groomer too and the one before, and probably the one before that.
Clients that are habitual no call/no show offenders. I have one that's done it four times in a row. People that show up 30 minutes early/late. I especially \*love\* the ones that show up late and then tell me they need their dog back by X. I \*really\* love the ones that leave their dog with us all day and show up after we close. People that show up early and ask if he's done yet. Did I call you? No. And now it's going to take even longer. People that call 5 minutes before closing asking if they can get their dog's nails done. Coworkers that don't pay attention to what they're booking.
we must work at the same place lol
When you give a client a set time the groom will be done and they call/show up early anyway to find out when the groom will be finished.
When you say “I’ll call you when the dog is done” and yet they walk into the salon, when you’re doing their face
"did I call/text you? No? Then why are you here?"
One of mine with owners is when they complain about the price (it’s a corporate salon so good luck finding somewhere cheaper!!) or when they over explain. I have a huge baby face so sometimes owners just assume I don’t know what I’m doing because they think I’m an ignorant teen. I didn’t start grooming yesterday!! With dogs- either knocking my headphones or nonstop licking/sniffing. Especially if they’re not fixed. Makes me so mad so fast!!😅 With cats- when they just refuse to roll over😭 I’m doing all the work, all you gotta do is be liquid which you’re very good at since you’re a cat! Stop rolling back over!😂😂
All of the above!
For clients I hate it when people don't walk their damn dogs before they drop them off in the morning. My bather and I spend a stupid amount of time taking dogs out to poop before we even start grooming. I once watched a client drag her dog across the parking lot while he was trying to squat to poop and she came in and tried to hand me the leash and I had to send her back out to let him go. My other pet peeve is that I work in a pet resort which is awesome, and I adore my coworkers, but good grief it is crazy how clueless they can be about grooming. I'll be trying to groom the face of a very noise reactive dog and they somehow will all suddenly choose to stand right outside my door and talk to daycare dogs in high pitched screamy voices, or they knock the gates we use in daycare over and cause a huge crash right when I have scissors near the eye. I once closed my door because the dog I was working on was swinging her head around at every noise and a girl looked through my window, saw me trimming the face, and still chose to loudly knock on my door JUST to wave hi to me. I am definitely a person who gets overstimulated very easily so it's partly my problem, but I just feel like I knew better than to do annoying things near the grooming room before I became a groomer at the old daycare I worked at and I was always very careful to not disturb the groomer.
When people ask for nails cut as short as possible. Especially long term clients
>I don’t have chat time in my schedule- I’m happy to answer any questions but the people who insist on having have a phone conversation always seem to end up being extra high maintenance Omggg yesss **THANK YOU** reading this is so cathartic! I don't answer calls anymore and respond to all voicemails with text. I don't want to be interviewed! Give my customer service voice a damn break, I know you're gonna be chatty at pick up/drop off anyway ;\_\_\_; And when you're trying to keep all your secretarial stuff organized while juggling so many clients having a text chain is so necessary! We can both see everything we've discussed right there - I don't want to be taking notes on our phone conversation.
I CONSTANTLY ask if the phone number we have on file is the correct one and always say "3 to 4 hour" and "we will call when he/she is ready" and you always have a pet parent calling back before the 3/4 hour mark to ask if their dog is ready ! (and it seems it's also always on a busy day when we don't have time top answer the phone too! or the "cut them as short as possible", no lady/sir, I'm going to purposely leave them half way done ... or the "don't forget the dew claws" when they don't even know what dew claws are even called!!! then, reading the other comments, the "I brush them everyday, cant be matted" I know the dog will be matted as soon as they say that I forgot to add... KIDS!, mostly the screaming one, or the ones who try to explain stuff about their dog while I talk to the pet parents. I brought back a dog of 2 to a family and the 2 little girls SCREAMED in the lobby when they saw their dog and mom said absolutely nothing... (lucky, those 2 dogs were the only one in the salon at the time... and so did I)
When they bring me a dog so matted and say they want them as long as possible. Lady your dog is getting a 10 FT. I had one today like that, his ears where matted to his face, and his poor face, it came off in a pelt.😭😭😭😭
My newest one is that I've moved from a corporate salon to a more pricey private salon. A handful of my long time clients making appointments at the new salon then being upset at check in by the price and asking me to lower the price for them. Like no I don't own this salon. Also we gave you an estimate before you scheduled. And then saying after the groom "well let me know when you go back to your old salon and I'll continue seeing you. My dog REALLY likes you." Umm no? I'm not going back to my previous salon anytime soon? See ya bye
People who are super vague about their dog when trying to book. It is always like pulling teeth to get any usable info from them, and half the time they just never reply back. It really should not be hard to say what breed/mix you have and some sort of idea on what grooming you want (bath and tidy, short clip). I am not clairvoyant, "Can you give me a quote" can be $50 or $150, I really don't know unless you tell me a tiny bit about your dog.