As the winter months start rolling in and temperatures begin to drop, the bills start to creep up. As an owner of a salon in Cupar Scotland, Alex Thaddeus, owner of Alex Thaddeus Hairdressing, gives some of her top tips for managing and keeping your barbershop bills down this winter.
Heating the Shop
The shop may feel chilly when you first arrive in the morning, so Alex normally puts it on for her team arriving and first clients. She says there is nothing worse than feeling cold when you are paying for a service. However, with all the hot tools, hair dryers and team rushing around, the shop soon heats up so don’t use more than is needed. Even turning the temperature down by a few degrees will reduce the bills without you feeling much heat difference. If you are not there, make sure your team are aware of how to switch it off.
Hot Tools
The hot tools that you may just place down between clients are also culprits of running the bills up. Alex reinforces that if you are not using them, switch them off – it helps more than you know!
Check your Contracts
Alex suggests you check your contracts for gas, electricity and Wi-Fi. Make sure you are paying a reasonable amount, or could you be paying less? Have a look around and see if you can get a cheaper contract that works for your shop. Lots of companies do a switching window where electricity is cheaper, so she encourages you to make sure you’re aware of this and make the most of it.
Upgrade your Lighting
Lights are on all day in barbershops, and they make up a huge part of your bill. Upgrading lights to Eco Led bulbs can really help to reduce your bill. Alex says you could also invest in automatic lighting for spaces like staff rooms, toilets and cupboards so they will only go on when someone is in the room. This saves the worry of lights being left on by accident.
Alex explains how she understands how hard these cold months can be for barbershops, so perhaps take on her tips to save on your bills. Talk to your barbershop friends to compare prices and look out for each other – we are all in this together!
The National Hair & Beauty Federation’s (NHBF) July State of the Industry Survey revealed that energy costs were at the top of business concerns. Find out what else is negatively impacting businesses here.