Services that are slow in the summer

“Working in winter to feed the summer” is a familiar saying of hair salon and shampoo shop owners. Observation shows that in the recent hot days, hair salons, hair dye shops, and shampoo shops have very few customers. The reason explained by the hair salon and shampoo shop owners is that in the hot season, women often braid their hair or tie it up high to keep cool, so they do not need to curl or straighten their hair to beautify themselves. In addition, in the hot season, families often take their children swimming in the late afternoon to “cool off”, so they do not tend to go to the salon to wash their hair. In the cooler months, women have the need to curl, straighten, and style their hair to let it down, suitable for wearing with autumn and winter outfits.

Ms. Tran Thi Hoa, Chau Cau Ward (Phu Ly City) said: Normally, in other seasons of the year, especially winter, my two daughters and I often go to the salon to wash our hair, on average 2-3 times/week. However, since the summer, my three children and I always tie our hair up and often go to the swimming pool to practice and then come home to take a quick shower, so we no longer have the habit of going to the salon to wash our hair like before.

Faced with the gloomy business situation, many hair salons and shampoo shops have had to reduce their staff to cut losses. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong, owner of a hair salon on Tran Quang Khai Street (Phu Ly City) said: Because the shop is slow in the summer months, there are times when I have to take cosmetics home to do extra work when there are no customers to "kill" time and earn more income. Moreover, my children can also work extra to help their mother during the summer vacation, thereby reducing the time spent watching TV and using the phone. Many days when the shop is quiet, I sit and wait for customers to come "forever", so I am under a lot of financial pressure to pay the staff's salary, and then worry about the monthly electricity and water bills. However, if I cut all the staff, there will be no one to work during the peak months of autumn and winter.

Items such as teddy bears and thermos bottles sell slowly during the hot season.

Not only hair curling, dyeing, and shampooing services are facing difficulties, but also spas, skin care salons, dry cleaning and ironing shops are in a "going out, coming in" situation during the summer months because there are almost no customers all day. In the summer, people rarely go to beauty salons or skin care shops because after the intervention, the face needs to be covered and protected carefully. This is difficult to do well in the harsh hot weather conditions of summer. As for dry cleaning and ironing shops, they often have no customers in the summer because during the summer months, families only use thin clothes and bedding, so they can easily wash them at home without having to take them to the shop to be washed.

Ms. Duong Thuy Trang, owner of a laundry shop in Group 6, Le Hong Phong Ward (Phu Ly City) said: Dry cleaning and steam ironing can only be done in the winter months due to the high demand for washing cotton blankets, down jackets, vests, etc. My shop has to work at full capacity to deliver the goods on the same day as requested by customers. In other months of the year, especially the summer months, the shop has almost no customers. Occasionally, only a few customers come to wash carpets, mattresses, curtains or buy laundry detergent.

People's living and eating habits have changed a lot during the hot season, which is also part of the reason why those who sell processed foods and street food have encountered difficulties, especially fried and grilled foods with a lot of oil. Mr. Tran Van Tuan, the owner of a stall selling duck, chicken, and grilled meat skewers in the Le Hong Phong market area, said: I am from Hanoi , and I have rented a room here to run a grilled meat stall for 5-6 years now. During other months of the year, I sell dozens of grilled ducks every day, not to mention grilled meat skewers, but in the summer I go to work just to make sure customers don't forget my meat stall. In the past few days, I have sold 5-7 ducks a day, but the profit is not enough to pay for the rent and processing costs. I have also considered switching to another job temporarily during the peak months of the hot season, but I am afraid of losing my sales position and regular customers, so I have to try to maintain my job.

If the summer months are the "golden season" for those who sell electrical appliances, beverages, soft drinks, tourism services, equipment, and sunscreen products, on the contrary, this is a difficult time for many people who sell winter products, spas, beauty products, etc. In order to avoid losses due to having to pay high costs for renting premises and employees, many shops are trying to add other products and services to improve income, maintain jobs, and wait until autumn and winter to create a breakthrough in revenue.

Nguyen Oanh

Source: https://baohanam.com.vn/kinh-te/thuong-mai-dich-vu/nhung-dich-vu-e-am-trong-dip-he-166587.html