Express grooming...

[PAWS]

I was reading another thread and it got me to thinking...does anyone who has worked in a stationary salon know a range of what is added to the groom fee for an "express" grooming??? I think this would help mobilers learn how to word their specialized form of service.

If this is not acceptable to post, my apologies!

[Raggs]

When I worked with my boss that taught me she would charge and extra $15 for an "express" groom. Plus I applied at a shop and the owner would charge anywhere from $5 to half of the regular price of the dog for an "express". It depended on the dog and the reason they needed it out so fast.

[Gracy Rose]

We have hour rate add -on: I.E. pet within 1 hour is an add on of 15, 2 hours is 10 and 3 hours is 5. We try and have all dogs back out within 4-5 except Saturdays when we average about 40 dogs.

[furrybestjob]

When I worked in a corporate salon it was an additional $10, but it was definitely discouraged.

[Gracy Rose]

Okay, this may appear twice: Yes, we offer Express, we offer 3 different price ranges depending on how fast: $$ for 1 hour. $1/2 for 2 hours and $ for 3 hours. We try and get all dogs out within 4-5 hours except on Saturdays where we average about 40 dogs.

[Helly]

I'd have to say all my grooms are "express" grooms. They're done start to finish, and we try to stick to individual appointments, rather than everyone dropping off at once. Most dogs are completed in an hour or less.

Many of my clients drive a considerable distance, right past other shops, to have me groom their dog. They go get coffee or breakfast, or do some shopping while their dog is being groomed. They're spending extra money for gas, and they're going out of their way to have me groom their dog. I wouldn't think of charging them extra for an "express" groom.

And, IMO, grooming a dog straight through, and having the owner pick up as soon as they're finished, doesn't take me any more time. So why should I charge them extra?

[edderland]

I am set up so that all my dogs come in between 8 and 9:30 for grooming; the first one in is the first one out with a few exceptions. Some owners need to leave them all day as they work. A few regulars and heavy tippers get theirs back early.
I let clients know that if they want the dog done straight thru and back in less than two hours, it is an express groom and is 10.00 extra, and they have to let us know when they book the groom. I only do one express groom a day. The few expresses I do, also tip on top of it.
Deidre

[kari]

Hi I believe in a shop when they offer a exspress groom or a straight thru meaning that the dog is only there for about a hour and a half or so and they usually charge about ten to fifteen bucks more for the services.Most shops are run with the owners dropping off the dog and picking them up about at least five hours later.It's a good idea to run a shop the way Helly exsplained it but it also cuts down on how many dogs you can do per day per groomer.In mobile I always make that point that we are limited on how many dogs we can groom and it's a service where your pet is given one on one attention by the groomer taking a hour or so to groom.At a shop you can only offer a couple of exspress grooms a day because most likely you are working on a numerous amount of dogs.Generally the dogs are washed caged dried somewhat and the groomer works on finishing drying and grooming one by one according to thier thime slot of delivery.

[PAWS]

I get what you mean, Helly. I was asking more for shops that do NOT groom straight through. The reason I even asked, is because it is nice to explain to a mobile client that starts off upset at the higher rate, what they are paying for. I just wanted to see if the additional charge fell in line with what a mobiler would charge on top of a shop rate. I feel it is about the same thing - grooming straight through with the pet being hand dried 100%, etc, etc. But, if a shop did not groom the way you do, I guess the client is paying for them rearranging their order to get the pet in and out more quickly. The groomer that worked at my first vet clinic had all pets dropped off in the am, then picked up in the p.m., no matter if they were done early or not. It was just her way. I don't believe she had an express option. She would start with doing nails, ears and preclipping, then start bathing. Each one would sit in a cage with a dryer while others were worked on, then she would go through the line finish drying and then finish clipping. She had no assistant, just me and other clinic assistants to occasionally hold a pet, or sit with it while she used the potty or answered a phone.

[astrordog]

Explain to your customers that mobile grooming is ALWAYS costlier. I thought that was a given. You are providing a service. I understand some are just uneducated, while others are cheap.
Send the cheap ones on their way and let someone else bother with them. Your prices are your prices, stick to them.
Mobile and stationary grooming are apple and oranges in comparison. You have driving time, set up time,etc.

astrodog

[Helly]

Kari, why would grooming each dog straight through cut down on the number of dogs a groomer can do in a day? Unless you're cage drying all your dogs (which I won't do), it takes the same amount of time to groom the dog, whether you're doing it "express" or not. It takes the same amount of time to check in, check out, clean up between dogs.

I can usually do 6-8 dogs in 5 hours, sometimes more, sometimes less. So I don't see how not doing them straight through could speed things up.

[hairdevil]

I have all dogs in between 8 and 9 am. For an express groom the price is doubled, as usually it means my lunch break gone. I have one lady who pays me 100.00 to groom her shih-tzu...in and out...but wants him to be able to have a few mins of playtime with another animal..thats not always practical, but I do my best..wish I could make that kind of money on each dog! lol

[pamperedpups]

I only charge extra for EMERGENCY grooms such as after-hours deskunking, etc.

[edderland]

I beg to differ; if you bathe three or four dogs, roll them up in towels, put in cages, then go back and blow dry two, bathe a couple more, blow dry two, finish a couple. bathe a couple, blow dry a couple, finish a couple, til you are done, I can do 12 by myself. If I do each one straight through I can do 8.
With a bather/fluffer, I do 14-16.
Deidre

[edderland]

I had someone email me privately asking how I could possibly groom 14-16 dogs/day. I explained that I do not touch a dog until is bathed and blowdried. My bather starts before I get to work. When I get the dog on my table, I shave pads, dremel nails, clip privates, check ears (only pull hair if it needs it), set pattern, scissor, finish, add bandana and cologne. For a shih tzu or schnauzer this takes me about 20-25 minutes per dog. I do no more than 2 large dogs/day(over 50 lbs). The techs lift those on and off the table.
A former professional handler, I finished around a hundred champions, half of those cockers. I will do some detangling, but a matted dog is always stripped. Nearly all my clients come every 2,3,4, or 5 weeks. IF a new dog comes in I offer the owner four choices; they can keep the dog brushed and combed and get the style of their choice, they can bring him in every 3 or 4 weeks and I will keep him brushed and they get the style of their choice; they will get clipped short, or they can go elsewhere. I no longer have people demanding I demat their pets. Ain't gonna do it; takes too much time and too hard on my hands. With the excellent product and tools we have, we can detangle nearly any dog, but a badly matted one, I don't care to try.
Deidre