12/15/2022
This week and next, groomers all over the country are preparing for the busiest week of the year. Your groomer will have been working extra hours since the beginning of last month at least to fit as many of their valued clients in for their festive hair ādos as they humanly can.
Humanly. This is an important word here, and something that everyone needs to consider. A groomer does not have a machine that they put a dog into one end and it comes out the other end perfectly floofed and smelling gorgeous. This work is done with human hands, human hearts and human abilities.
Every single dog owner needs a Christmas appointment. There is no magic that creates extra hours in the fortnight leading up to the 25th of December, so your groomer is s**t outta luck in the miracle department and they suddenly have triple the amount of dogs booked in.
What sort of Christmas magic can you gift your groomer while they're battling through the madness of the festive season? Here are a few ideas that will cost you very little:
1. PATIENCE: Your groomer may need your dog to stay in the salon for a longer period of time than usually allocated for. They've probably hired extra staff, bathers, assistants, receptionists to serve as many clients as possible and working with living creatures requires a certain amount of flexibility with time. Don't give your groomer a hard time because fluffy won't be ready in an hour like you thought they would be.
2. KINDNESS: Your groomer is hot, sweaty, tired, hungry, needs to p*e or a combination of all of the above. There's likely to be a matted mess snuck into the daily bookings, the phone won't stop ringing and the dog on their table has just remembered they were Cujo in a past life. The last thing this groomer needs is any nastiness from a client. Just be nice ā¤ļø
3. PERSPECTIVE: We all love a freshly groomed doggo at Christmas time, especially if they're going to be hanging around the Christmas table. But if you've left it too late to book them in, it's not the end of the world. Your dog won't care, Xmas lunch will still go ahead as planned and life will continue as normal until you can get your dog a booking in the new year. Don't be like one of my friend's salon āclientsā who got her nose out of joint last week when she couldn't book her large, hairy dog in for a Christmas appointment, despite everyone being told from September that they should book their festive season appointments in advance to avoid disappointment. She decided to write a s**tty review online about it instead of learning her lesson and knowing that she'll need to book more than a week out from Christmas. Don't be like her, that sort of behaviour sucks. She won't get in anywhere next year... groomers remember... and share.
Finally, if you're noticing your groomer is low in the Christmas spirit, plenty of good top-ups are available in the Wine aisle. Gift cards, cash$$$, Chocolate, cookies, coffee and doughnuts are also acceptable too š
Merry Christmas everyone, stay safe, stay calm, and stay cool š