After the prices were posted to the H A i R Salon Facebook page yesterday afternoon, the post has been shared 93 times, with more than 400 comments and 500 reactions.
We have increased our kids prices 🤗
As of this month (October 2018)
All kids prices are the same cost as an adult....
Posted by H A i R salon on Tuesday, 2 October 2018
Reactions to the announcement were mixed, with some backing the salon and its stance on children, and others saying it had gone too far.
Salon owners Ritchyrd and Jess Hirst said the announcement had garnered "an interesting reaction" but they were sticking with their decision.
"Some comments have been really nasty like 'the owners of that salon need a bullet' and lots of threatening things like 'we are going to bring our kids in and crap all over the floor and rub it in'," Jess Hirst said
"We've had a lot of positive comments as well, but the way we feel about the negative ones is it's a little bit hurtful but it hasn't rocked us at all.
"We know at the end of the day we treat everyone fairly and we are just here to do a good job."
Ritchyrd Hirst said a lot of positive feedback had come from fellow hairdressers.
"We've also had lots of hairdressers respond and actually agree with us because they know what we are going through. As hairdressers we think we are speaking up for everyone," he said.
Jess Hirst said the decision was made after 24 years of hairdressing and having to cover the costs of damage done by children in the salon.
"We have had our scissors dropped and they are worth about $600, straightening irons dropped and cracked, magazines ripped, covers on the chairs with snot rubbed in, finger marks on the mirrors, and wheels on the chairs broken," she said.
"We felt that we spend just as much time on children, if not a little bit more with the extra cleanup at the end, and the damage they do around the salon.
"So we thought it was time to charge the same price for the children that we do the adults that are in the salon."
However, the Hirsts said the prices weren't a reflection of a dislike of children or younger clientele.
"We have children ourselves so we know what it is like, but we just wish parents would monitor their children more – especially in quite an adult environment," Ritchyrd Hirst said.
"It is the parents that are at fault - the parents sitting there on their phones and just not paying attention to their children.
"It's so awkward when we have to ask them to discipline their children, and you can't win these days because if we say something to the child then the parent gets defensive."
Jess Hirst said it was a shame that parents no longer take an interest in their child's haircut.
"It's a real shame because back in the day when we started hairdressing, parents used to get involved and would be standing next to the chair talking to us and talking to the child, and it would be a really good environment.
"Now the child is left to us and the parent is on their phone. It's a bit sad because you miss out on the interaction. It's not the children's fault."
Consumer NZ adviser Maggie Edwards said the salon was well within its rights as there is nothing that says hairdressers need to provide a discount for children.
Edwards said parents could pick up the bill for destructive children if they didn't take reasonable care.
"The shop can recover all its direct losses for damaged stock if you didn't take reasonable care or adequately supervise your children," she said.
"The amount is usually the retail price of the product including any loss of profit from the shop now being unable to sell it. You may also have to pay for any damage to shop fittings caused by your actions."
However, you were not liable to pay if an event outside your control led to or contributed to the damage.
Edwards suggested a trip card for children to encourage good behaviour.
"Nine cuts, get one free or maybe when parents go to pay, they could offer a 50 per cent discount if the kids have been well behaved."
