Other nail salons are sending their base customers to our nail salon so they can spy on our shop.
Example, a customer walks into our shop and asks for a pedicure. The customer then observes what we do and report back the infos they have to their "masters" in other nail shops.
What is the best way to deal with this?
Anonymous
Favorite Answer
I say you sashay your a$$ over to those rival salons, waltz in like you own the place, and when they look at you incredulously just ask in your sweetest voice and with the widest smile for a pedicure. And say that you would like it personally from them.
Taken aback by your sheer gall they will meekly comply with your request. Hold your head high and arch your back in good posture as they sullenly work away at your hands. Watch over every move they make with a co@ked eyebrow as if you can't believe the utter unprofessionalism on display in front of you. Occasionally chuckle to yourself as if you in on some private joke they will never understand.
When they are done, look at your hand with pursed lips and a disappointed look in your eyes, tip them $10, and walk out.
This will be out of business in 2 months. You can thank me then.
?
You can ban these people from your shop if you think they're spying on you. However, good luck with discerning curious customers from these "spies". You'll end up alienating more customers than you would lose from them "stealing" your techniques.
Protip: In the end, nobody actually cares about how you do a pedicure. It's not rocket science. Stop being so paranoid.
Lynn Bodoni
So what's the problem here? Doing nails is pretty standardized. There are certain health code requirements that you must follow, which can't be secret. And really, what sort of things could someone learn from your salon that are secret? About the only thing that you'd have to worry about is if you're violating some health code.
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Why do you care what your competition is doing? Are you proud of your work? If so, then there's no need to change what you do.
Do what you do, better, cheaper, and more efficiently than your competition.
Don't lower your standards or get involved in any kind of 'war'. Simply said, be better at the business than any competition can be.
This is a great opportunity to 'beat' them. Offer good pricing, and excellent, friendly service.
Unless of course these spies are behaving badly, in which case you can simply refuse service to them. It's your business, and I believe any private business can refuse to work with whomever they please, for whatever reason. Check with your local Chamber of Commerce before you take that as law, though.
All the best.
Anonymous
Umm, you mean that they're sending paying customers to your business and providing you with revenue? I'd do everything I could to keep this war going for as long as you can.
You're not building F-35 advanced fighter jets here, you're cutting toenails. What kind of information do you suppose they could even be gathering?