Talked to a client who's been coming to me since 2008, and she said something about waxing that made me pause.

She's in her 60s now, and I was prepping for her usual brow and lip. She just looked at me and said, 'You know, I think this is the last time. I'm tired of chasing a line that isn't there anymore.' We just sat for a second. I've been doing this for fifteen years, and I remember when the goal was always hairless, super defined, no matter what. Her saying that out loud... it felt like a shift. Not just for her, but for what we're even doing sometimes. How do you guys handle those conversations when a long-time client's needs or feelings about a service just... change?

3 comments

3 Comments

wade_kelly7710h ago

Wait, she's been going to you since 2008? That's like sixteen years. That's a long time to just stop.

richard_young808h ago

My barber told me he had a guy come in every two weeks for a haircut for twelve years, then he just vanished. Never found out why. @wade_kelly77 is right, sixteen years is a serious chunk of someone's life. You stop being just a service and become part of their normal world. When that stops, it usually means something big broke in their routine, like a move, a death, or they just finally decided to face something they were avoiding. It's weird how you can mark time by the people who quietly disappear from the chair next to you.

nina_taylor10h ago

Man that's heavy. Did it feel like she was letting go of more than just the waxing? I had a regular for gutter cleaning who just stopped calling, and when I finally checked in he said looking at clean gutters just reminded him his wife was gone. Sometimes the service isn't about the thing anymore, it's about the habit.