the fresh perspective...

Excuse me, how much??

We've all been there.  You go somewhere and you know how much you always pay.  That coffee shop that has that latte you love, that breakfast spot that makes you weekly cheese denvers...  You know how much it is.  Then one day, the price goes up.  What?!  Do you feel like you've been taken off guard?  Do you feel a little silly when you have to dig in your wallet for more change cause you thought you had the exact amount?  It's weird.

Well we're raising some prices at the shop and even with our best intentions of signs and posts, we're sure to not have informed everyone.  I know that someone will slip through the cracks and be a little taken off guard by the change.

Why do prices go up anyways?  There's always the obvious 'inflation'.  Business expenses go up so the price goes up.  Product prices go up so the service price goes up.  Employees get raises and, oop, prices go up.  I can say for our shop that when we do increase prices in services it's for a myriad of things.  I would like our loyal clients to know that when prices go up at Freshair, we want to make sure that you are not feeling at all that it's for nothing.  We aim to increase customer services, product selection, and overall experience for anyone who does choose to spend their hard-earned money in our business.  We value your opinions and support, and because of you, we aim to be better, always.

I have been styling hair for almost 15 years and have a license and a lovely clientele and I always make sure that I keep up with training and educating myself.  This year, for the first time ever, I will be changing my schedule to accommodate my growing family.  My prices will be going up in June and I anticipate that I may lose some clients because of less availability and higher prices.  I urge anyone who is struggling with higher prices to chat with your stylist about it.  It's okay to ask why.  It's your money and you should feel comfortable when you have to part with it.  If your stylist is becoming too expensive but you love the shop you go to you can discuss it with your stylist.  They may be able to refer you to someone else who does great work at a lower rate.  Think of it as paying for experience.  Someone who has had their hands in many heads of hair for over 20 years has probably seen it all and may have a solution to most hair issues, adversely, someone who has had their hands in heads for 5 years may do a great job as well.  The clincher is the experience and the expertise.

Just because I have been cutting hair for over 14 years doesn't mean I've NEVER had someone call back and complain, or tell me their cut was crooked, or thought I was bunk.  It happens.  I'm human.  My skin has gotten very thick over the years and I've learned not to sweat the small stuff...but I'm still raising my prices! :)

That's the fresh perspective...

What do you do?

When you're feeling down and out or even just depressed or sad, what do you do?  Do you have a sure-fire cure or way to feel better?  Do you find that when you're feeling low, you have a way to beat it?  What's your go-to strategy, if you have one?  If you don't, how do you find yourself in a better place?  Does it just happen and all of a sudden you're happy, in a good mood, and positive?  I wonder...

Lately I've been having a hard time trying to focus on the positive things in my life.  I feel like the 'bad' just keeps piling up.  The things I usually do to cheer myself up just aren't working like they used to.  Nothing seems to be working like it used to...  I guess that's what 'life' is and that's the point of it.  Time to change.

Well if anyone has any great suggestions, I'd love to hear 'em.  Really.  Feel free because I'm sure things won't be getting better as fast as I'd like them to.

Peace

the fresh perspective...

Winnipeg is the greatest place to live.  Check out this image.  If you live here, you'll know what this is all about.  If you don't, well, thank God you don't... We love spring!  That's the fresh perspective...

the fresh perspective...

A DAY FOR MOTHERS Mother's day is tomorrow.  What have you got planned?  You doing something fun your mother?  Are you getting pampered if you're a mother?

I'm a mom, and what I would like for Mother's day is- all my meals prepared for me (from scratch), all the mess associated with said meals cleaned up, the fridge cleaned out, ALL my laundry done, and a foot rub accompanied with a vanilla milk shake as I watch Game of Thrones.  Is that too much to ask?  Am I being a titch ridiculous?  It's my day...it's not like any of what I'm hoping for will actually happen as my children are under 3 feet tall and my husband is, well...the best! ;)

Why do you think we celebrate these days?  It's just like Valentine's or birthdays I guess.  It gives all of us a reason to acknowledge each other.  I mean, we should anyways, but acknowledgment always seems easier when a specific day is set aside for it.

I asked one of my male clients once what he wanted for Father's day and he said,"I just want to be left alone.  Everyone leave the house for 24 hours.  Just leave me by myself to do whatever I want."  I thought, wow, that sucks for him.  He would love peace and quiet and no fan fare, or tie, or lame mug, or 'best dad' anything.  He just wants to be left alone but he'll probably be subjected to doing something he doesn't want to do.

Just like my Mother's day wish, it won't happen and I'm okay with that.  I'll send my mom a card (she likes that).  Well actually I'm not even sure she does like that.  I've never really asked.  That's what I'm going to do.  I'm going to find out what they (mother/father) would really like on that day and try to make it happen.  As long as it doesn't cost a fortune.

That's all I got and that's the fresh perspective...

Believe me.

Easter long weekend is now in the books.  What did you do these past few days?  Did you celebrate Easter?  You go to church with your family like I did, or did you just enjoy the time off work?  Do you in believe in Easter and what it means?  Are you one that has no beliefs? While I was in church yesterday I began thinking about beliefs.  Some people believe in God, others in Buddha, some in science.  Many people believe in nothing at all, and in my opinion, isn't that a belief?  Why do we have to believe?  Why can't we just live and carry on?  Why do we need to have to look to something to make sense of our lives?

Being human is just that.  We need to be able to make sense of the life we lead and use believing to help us.  I guess religions or spirituality of any kind does that.  It helps us focus on something that we can't really understand so we spend time attempting to better our lives in the hopes of attaining 'something'.  If you believe in nothing then the 'attaining' is pointless and you make your life decisions on the now and how you want to live, now.

I'm not saying I have all the answers or that I even know what I'm talking about, but I do know that 30 years ago religion/spirituality was more entwined with our daily lives.  Believing in things seemed to be so much easier then, than now.  I wonder why that is?  It's probably the internet... I blame the internet for many things, but that's for another time, believe me.

Peace

the fresh perspective...

Blah, blah, blah... It's official, we are expanding!  If you haven't been in the shop for a while, you should get in here before the summer ends.  We're going to be giving our shop a complete over haul.  It's funny, all I do (apart from making folks look good) is talk, talk, talk.  Sometimes I tell the same story to some clients cause I'm not sure who has heard what yet.  It's crazy.  On a busy day, I probably am talking for at least six hours!!

I find that talking about stuff helps me stay accountable and keeps me on my toes.  It's been so long that we have been talking about expanding and now that we are, I want to shout it from the roof tops!  I know I've been on here thanking everyone for all their support, and this, and that, and what-not, but I really need everyone to know that I am so grateful and happy that we are still around.  I'm so happy that we are still able to give everyone the service and care that we provide whenever our doors are open.

We want to be better and know that there are ways to grow and keep growing, but it's the support from all our family, friends, staff and most importantly the folks that patronize us on a daily basis.  Thanks to you clients that trust us with your hairs, and your colors.  Thanks for trusting our opinions on products.  Thanks for giving us a part of your hard-earned wages.  I know that some of our services and products are on the higher end, but thanks for understanding that phrase, 'you get what you pay for'.  We really want to go to the next level with our new expansion and we want all of you that walk in our shop to experience the new changes with us.

We were good before, but we are going to be better!  Clients: any advice you want to give us?  Please do!  We are here for you, and want you to enjoy yourselves.  I've said enough, I've said it all. Danke...

That's the fresh perspective...