Memo to my former nail salon and to my former hair salon: It's 2012. Time to accept credit cards.

[Anonymous]

Both places have told me for the very last time that, why, I'm free to walk down the street in the rain and withdraw CASH from an ATM that isn't my bank. So I can incur $7 worth of fees for the privilege of paying cash for a $28 pedicure.

No, hon, I'm not going to take you up on that suggestion. Here's what I'm going to do instead: Now I'm going to go to your competitor (also a minority small business owner, FWIW) who accepts credit cards and bakes the .03% Visa fee right into the cost of service, by golly.

[Anonymous]

They don't care about the visa fee, they are pocketing your $ and only reporting 1/3 of thier sales. They will not miss your business because they make more keeping one cusotmer than they do accepting your credit card and it goes into their pocket.

[Anonymous]

I thought those fees were 1-5%?
And what ATM charges $7 for withdrawal? Wow.

Personally, I'd rather the money go to the employees than the credit card companies, but that's me.

[Anonymous]

15:50, that makes sense.

Do you think that's also the reason why a salon would allow a customer to charge for the service (say, $100) but NOT put the tip on the charge?

That one, I cannot figure out.

[Anonymous]

Also, PARKING LOTS!!!! Bad enough that I need to pay for parking at the suburban pediatrician's office (Capital Medical) but then they don't take my card... GRRR.

I wound up paying with a check a few weeks ago.

[Anonymous]

And what ATM charges $7 for withdrawal? Wow.

It's 3.00 from one bank (aka, the hosting ATM) and then my bank slaps me with another $3.50 for using a competitor's ATM. So $6.50, sorry I rounded up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:50, that makes sense.

Do you think that's also the reason why a salon would allow a customer to charge for the service (say, $100) but NOT put the tip on the charge?

That one, I cannot figure out.

the no tip on the charge is simple. Tips are taken home at the end of the night/day. If tips are charged than salons need to hand that cash to the employees at the end of the night. Most places don't have enough cash lying around for that.

When I use to waitress it worked that way. People paid in cash and credit. at the end of the night the credit card tips came out of the cash I has. So Say I had $200 in cash that people paid to me for food and I had $50 in credit card tips I would give owe the restaurant $150 in cash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:15:50, that makes sense.

Do you think that's also the reason why a salon would allow a customer to charge for the service (say, $100) but NOT put the tip on the charge?

That one, I cannot figure out.

the no tip on the charge is simple. Tips are taken home at the end of the night/day. If tips are charged than salons need to hand that cash to the employees at the end of the night. Most places don't have enough cash lying around for that.

When I use to waitress it worked that way. People paid in cash and credit. at the end of the night the credit card tips came out of the cash I has. So Say I had $200 in cash that people paid to me for food and I had $50 in credit card tips I would give owe the restaurant $150 in cash.

NP here - To add to this, I assumed it was also because it's hard to keep track of what amount was tip and what amount was sales - makes it messy for accounting purposes.

[Anonymous]

To add to this, I assumed it was also because it's hard to keep track of what amount was tip and what amount was sales - makes it messy for accounting purposes.

To this I say, tough shit. You are a business, in the service industry, and your mission is to serve ME, not the other way around.

Figure out an accounting work-around like your competitors have.

[Anonymous]

Could you cc my previous dry cleaner on that memo? Hopefully they'll figure out why they aren't my current dry cleaner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

To add to this, I assumed it was also because it's hard to keep track of what amount was tip and what amount was sales - makes it messy for accounting purposes.

To this I say, tough shit. You are a business, in the service industry, and your mission is to serve ME, not the other way around.

Figure out an accounting work-around like your competitors have.

ITA

So at my salon, I can use a credit card for the service, but, they only accept tips in cash or on debit card. Makes no sense. Total PITA to have to make sure I have enough cash for the tip as this is basically the only thing I use cash for ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

To add to this, I assumed it was also because it's hard to keep track of what amount was tip and what amount was sales - makes it messy for accounting purposes.

To this I say, tough shit. You are a business, in the service industry, and your mission is to serve ME, not the other way around.

Figure out an accounting work-around like your competitors have.

ITA

So at my salon, I can use a credit card for the service, but, they only accept tips in cash or on debit card. Makes no sense. Total PITA to have to make sure I have enough cash for the tip as this is basically the only thing I use cash for ever.

Same with my salon. They keep an ATM machine in the back for "client convenience."

[Anonymous]

Totally agree, I'm talking to you Sandi Nails, it's really easy for me to walk 10 feet down the street to go see Tammy!

[Anonymous]

I had my hair cut last week and the girl who cut it said they only pay taxes on the credit card tips, not the cadh tips, so that could explain part of the cash tips policy. Also i don't think a lot of people realize how expensive it really is for businesses to take credit cards. They pay a per swipe fee....so you spend $100, they pay 4% to visa, plus another fee to their bank, then you forgot you wanted gum so you swipe you card for .99 cents, when the fee is $1 just for you to swipe your card so now they lost a penny, then you realize you got xx product by mistake (your mistake not theirs) so you return it and they have to pay 4% again o,us the fee to their bank. Seriously people, you're killing small businesses when you use a card instead of cash. Big businesses can absorb that cost because they buy product in larger quanities and get better prices as a result. Small busineses can't compete with that so you go to the cheaper chain store and main street goes out of business.

[Anonymous]

Credit card processors charge about $.50 plus a percent of the transaction. Tips are run separately. So, if you got a $15 mani and tipped $3, then the tech would take home less than $2.50. It's a huge percent of the tip.