DUNDEE hairdressing and beauty salons are “tearing their hair out” over women not turning up for appointments.
Pauline Davidson of Partners Hair and Beauty in Broughty Ferry reckons she has lost £800 in business in the first fortnight of December, and Alison Brady of The Retreat at Ballumbie said she writes off £200 a week because of the problem.
“It happens all year round, but it’s bad in the run-up to Christmas,” said Pauline yesterday.
“The other day one of my staff, who had been up all night looking after her cancer-suffering mother, agreed to come in on a day off for a lady who booked but didn’t bother coming and didn’t phone to call off.
“It was to have been a three-hour appointment and we would have charged her £100, but that’s money that we lost.
“When we take bookings we send text messages and emails to remind people to come, but it doesn’t make much difference.”
Alison said: “It’s women who are in full-time jobs who are the worst offenders.
“They think that because they get paid whatever they do, they don’t think about places which need customers who actually turn up to make money and pay their staff.
“These people need to realise that we can only exist if people like them actually turn up for the appointments they make.”