How would you transition from providing eye protection to requiring eye protection?

[baytanningsalon]

I have been purchasing the Eyepodz eyewear and several other varieties to offer when customers buy packages and am going to start requiring customers to "show" their eye protection before tanning. I have already mentioned to several customers (when they ask what the eyepodz are) that I will no longer be providing eye protection and that this was going to be effective January 1 and the comments/feedback have all been negative - somewhere along the lines of, "well, I don't wear them and I will just go somewhere else", or "this is just another way to make money".

I'm not the best at being confronted with negativity and I don't want to lose customers over this, so I would appreciate any serious solutions to my potential problem of "converting" my customers, ifyouknowwhatimean.

Thanks, in advance.

[HARPSGOLD]

Tell your customers that your insurance company wont cover you any more if you continue to offer community goggles. We used to clean goggles and offer them for free and we quit offering loaners and our customers dont mind having there own. people pay twice the cost of a pair of goggles to tan...anyone who says they are going to leave your salon over $4 probably isnt a good customer anyways.

	Insurtec

[mr belvedere]

To answer your question: deal with the "negativity", and the outright insurgency that is sure to follow. Sell your customers a pair of quality eye-goggles, and demand to see them each and every visit or they absolutely DO NOT TAN, period. Also, have some Wink-eze (TM) on hand to sell in "emergencies". Your loyal clientelle (you know, the one's with money that you want to keep) won't have a problem and will stay with you. It will be the single session people (also the highest ROI folks, consequently) that may balk at your new policy and take their $5.00 every few days somewheres else. The world is plumb full of "negativity" - deal with "people", and the "issues" in a rational way and the people will respond. Trust me. * Lying about "insurance requirements" is always a good fallback in this industry, too. * Good luck out there. Hope this helped. -Belvy

	Insurtec

[rjwarner]

I would also like to "transition" my clients into buying/using their own goggles, but a good majority of my customers buy the single sessions religiously....and because the markup is so much better, I don't mind. They seem to be able to pay the $7 every 3 days instead of the package deals. It is these customers that I worry about losing since they keep coming back.

[unity]

How about if they are on a membership they get them for free. Return to desk sanitizer bowl when done sorta thing. But if they are walk-in, they can buy a pair for 50 cents or whatever if they do not have them of buy a pair to keep with them.

[baytanningsalon]

One of my ideas is to give them a pair of the regular ones with a package and they can buy the Eyepodz to keep on their key chains. I do have the winkees for those emergencies. I am hoping that those that come in every two/three days and pay full price per session with realize that I have the better beds in the area as well as customer service and will continue to come back. I just feel that so many young people tanning, we need to educate them! I wish I had known 25 years ago when I started tanning - fortunately I don't have any problems...........yet. Thanks for the ideas.....

[neubie]

We tell customers for sanitary reasons we will not be providing eyewear. We have made that transition 8 yrs ago. Everyone is fine with it.

[neubie]

baytanning, that is xtra money you can be making. Don't give it to them w/a purchase of a pkg.

[mikeytan]

As of March 1, 2008 we did just this. Some complained but we explained it was for 2 reasons. #1 keep tanning cost down because we had a lot of theft of eyewear left in rooms and #2 we couldn't guarantee they were sanitary even though we followed sanitation to the T. If they come in and forget eyewear we loan them pair or recommend wink ease. No one goes to a room without eyewear.

[CrystalSS]

When you move the cheese there is always a small percentage that is unhappy. We started the eyewear change last year and had a few grumbles but after it was in place it was forgotten about. Funny thing about change. We decided to wrap our hand towels we provide in the rooms in the 87% recycled paper bands. We did this because so many people opt to not use the towel and we had no choice but to wash them as you just NEVER knew if they were used. Many people were upset that it "changed" but we save 2-3 loads of laundry a day and the majority think it is classy to have a band showing the towel is clean and unused. I am loving the amount of laundry we save now with a small change and the impact, although small, on the enviroment makes us feel good.