Putting “tanning salon” into the search bar of Google’s news section can sometimes yield some very interesting results. Well, putting anything into that search bar can yield pretty interesting results if you poke around long enough.
Over the past few months we’ve mentioned a few bizarre stories having to do with tanning salons that we thought our readers might be interested in. This is another one of those times.
People sometimes do strange things, which is especially the case in this article, which details the exploits of a young man (likely on some sort of powerful drug) who breaks into a tanning salon in West Virginia, trashes the place, and then smashes his way through a building next door where he ends up strangely trapped in an elevator shaft in his underwear. How this happened, we aren’t sure, and the article doesn’t say much concerning the event.
The whole episode cost the poor salon owners around $100,000 in damages. Luckily unstable people like this end up engaging in behavior that eventually ensures that they are caught by authorities and put to justice. Well, behavior like stripping down to their underwear and then jumping into elevator shafts anyway. It is our hope that the salon owners are able to recover from this unforeseen state of affairs and return to business as usual.
Stories like these really make you sit and scratch your head. The world can be a very strange place!
Amidst all of the shouting and screaming coming from the sunscare crowd as of late, there have been instances of pending legislation and even passed legislation on indoor tanning bed restrictions popping up all over the country.
Definitely hard to tell when all the noise will die down, but in the meantime, many tanning salons and tanners themselves are increasingly turning to spray tanning, which is a tanning salon service that has become more and more popular as time goes on. There’s certainly been a lot of buzz in the media about the service. Definitely a trend to keep in mind.
The weather is gradually growing cooler and the sun’s intensity is diminishing as this summer is coming to a close. Now that more and more people are aware of the importance of Vitamin D, hopefully more people will head to the salon to get their much-needed dosage of Vitamin D. It will be interesting to see how the tanning industry does this winter in the wake of the Tan Tax.
Tanning Salons everywhere have been hurting from the tan tax. Grassroots efforts around the country have pitted local business owners against the unfair legislation passed this June by Congress. Small business owners are complaining that the tax is unfair to the predominantly middle class salon owners, hurting their business and jeopardizing possibly 1000’s of jobs.
Due to the increased concern of getting adequate Vitamin D, and faced with the fact that it is harder to get adequate levels of Vitamin D during the fall and winter seasons, hopefully more and more consumers will frequent tanning salons in the face of the added 10 percent tax. Vitamin D supplements aren’t that expensive either, but it remains to be seen if they are as effective as UV light. We will see if the emerging Vitamin D studies will encourage consumers to opt for indoor tanning to get their dosage of the vitamin.
After all, studies have shown that northern populations that don’t get enough sunlight have Vitamin D deficiencies and increased occurrence of certain cancers. Many people report depression and general sluggishness in the fall and winter seasons as well, suggesting that sunshine could be beneficial in many ways.
Indoor tanning salons are a great way to compensate that lack of sunshine in the fall and winter seasons. Again, it will be interesting to see what people have made of the Vitamin D reports when the fall and winter seasons come around this year, not to mention what the politicians think of their demonization of the tanning industry!
As I write this post, there are various tanning industry groups all over the country campaigning to repeal the tan tax.
Reasons cited for abolishing the tan tax include:
- The tax unfairly targets the tanning industry, playing favoritism to the big money dermatological and cosmetic interests.
- The terms of the tax are confusing and vague. Tanning business owners aren’t sure how to collect the tax.
- The tax won’t bring in nearly as much as originally projected (2.7 billion in 10 years), whereas the original planned tax on cosmetic surgeries was expected to bring in much more.
- The tax will hurt many small businesses.
Tanning industry groups around the country are partaking in “grassroots” campaigns in order to fight the tax. What is a grassroots campaign? A grassroots campaign is a campaign in which members from local communities organize in order to advocate a certain cause.
Grassroots campaigns (or at least the use of the term “grassroots”) have regained popularity recently (the grassroots campaign started to become mentioned in the early 1900’s) due to the democratic ideals they embody. Basically, instead of a movement being orchestrated by a central power, a grassroots movement is orchestrated by the community. The idea is for community members to have more of a say in legislation.
More and more people are realizing that if they band together in their communities and organize effectively, they can get their opinions heard and possibly see more effective legislative action than just simply sitting around, waiting for their representatives to do the work for them. This is why grassroots campaigns are getting popular again.
With the help of organizations like the ITA, tanning salon business owners in states such as Nebraska, New York, Michigan, and New Hampshire are organizing themselves into rallies to get their opinions on the tan tax heard. They are writing to their representatives and senators advocating the abolition of the tan tax. The word is these representatives and senators are listening!
If you are feeling the hurt of the tan tax on your business and want to do something about it, consider organizing with local business owners in your area. Contact the ITA. People like you are rising up all over the country and expressing their opinions. They’re getting their voices heard.
Over the past month I have visited dozens of salons, some of which are busy during all business hours and others who are struggling drive more traffic in. The biggest differences I noticed between these two types of salons are cleanliness and a sense of order. Cleanliness is not just cleaning beds between customers. Having an overall clean and orderly appearance creates comfort and security for your consumer.
Having your front reception area clean is the first thing that your consumer notices. It’s important to not have stacks of paper, food, or any other clutter on the front counter. Regularly-emptied trash cans, clean seats, and clean floors are just the beginning.
Your receptionist or other employees eating at the front reception counter or even bringing food into the salon is an extreme no-no. It’s understandable that people have to eat, but the front desk of your salon is not the place to do it. I’ve walked into a salon that smelled like McDonald’s. It’s great if all of your customers like the smell of McDonald’s, but I can guess they don’t like that smell at their local salon.
Your employees’ attire should be consistent and be branded with your salon name. I have visited many salons that let their employees wear what’s comfortable for them and not what’s best for the business. Having a presentable staff who exhibit professionalism is extremely important. As an employer you have the right and responsibility to dictate what your employees look like and wear. Remember that the reception area is where customers create their first impressions.
If you don’t have enough business, start with the simple things first. Have a regimented schedule of cleaning activities for your staff and don’t eat in the salon. Have your staff dress professionally and brand your company always. There is nothing more important than your customers!
