The surprise at the till
Your price list says a full head tint starts at one price, with an extra charge for long hair. A client with thick hair halfway down her back books online and sees the starting price. The stylist uses more colour and takes longer. At the till, the receptionist adds the long hair charge, and the client, who was never told, is unhappy.
Next time, a different stylist does not bother adding the extra because the last conversation was uncomfortable. Another client with shorter hair gets charged it because the receptionist was not sure. Over a year, the long hair price is applied by feel, and clients compare notes.
Why length pricing is uneven
The client's hair length is not recorded in a way the booking system can use. It sits in a note, or the stylist's memory, or nowhere.
Online booking shows starting prices, so clients book without knowing what they will actually pay. The desk then has to raise the extra at the end, which is the worst moment to do it.
And 'long' means different things to different people. Without clear bands, each stylist draws the line in a different place.
What uneven pricing costs
| Problem | Effect |
|---|---|
| Length extra not applied | Colour and time given away |
| Extra applied at the till | Surprised, unhappy clients |
| Different stylists, different lines | Unfairness between clients |
| Online prices misleading | Complaints and awkward conversations |
| Hair changes not recorded | Wrong band after a big cut |
What you charge, and how, is entirely your decision. We give no pricing advice. We make sure the prices you have chosen are applied the same way for everyone.
How we apply length and density pricing
- You define clear bands for length and, if you use it, density, with a short description and example photos so everyone draws the line in the same place.
- Each client's band is recorded on their record by the stylist at the consultation, and can be changed after a big cut or when hair grows.
- Your colour services have prices for each band, set in your salon software where it supports it, or applied by our layer where it does not.
- When an existing client books online or by phone, the price shown is for her band. New clients are asked to pick their band from the descriptions and photos, and the stylist confirms it on the day.
- The price flows through to the till, so the receptionist is not deciding anything at the end.
- A report shows where bands have changed and where bills differ from the booked price, so you can spot inconsistencies.
If your booking software already supports price variations by client attribute, we set that up rather than building a separate price engine.
After the change
The client with long, thick hair books online and sees the price for her band before she confirms. There is no surprise at the till. The stylist who used to skip the extra no longer has to decide. A client who has had a big chop gets her band changed by her stylist at the end of the appointment, and her next booking shows the lower price.
- Prices known at booking, not at the till
- Clear bands everyone applies the same way
- Band changes recorded when hair changes
- Fewer uncomfortable conversations
Clients tend to accept a clear rule much more easily than a charge that seems to depend on who they saw.
Signs your length pricing needs fixing
- The long hair charge is added at the till.
- Stylists apply the extra differently.
- Online clients see a starting price and pay more.
- Clients have complained about surprise charges.
- Nobody records the client's hair length in a usable way.