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Why do bridal boutiques charge for appointments?

Posted by Elevens Global Collaborator on
Why do bridal boutiques charge for appointments?

Let's talk money. I know - we're British, it's a sensitive subject. I also know that brides-to-be quite often wonder why some (most) bridal boutiques charge for appointments. 

wedding boutique Stockport

Like other bridal boutiques, here at Rock The Frock, we started charging for appointments back in 2015, after having always offered them free before. Why? Simply because bridal boutiques do not operate like other shops. It's not the same as breezing in and out of any other high street shop. During your appointment, you have a personal stylist with you at all times. You are guaranteed one-to-one attention, the exclusive use of an area of the boutique (in some of our stores, the WHOLE boutique) and refreshments for you & your party.

Now, imagine it's a busy Saturday, with several brides booked in. Our sales assistants all excitedly turn up to work to help our customers and what happens? No shows. 

why do bridal boutiques charge for appointments

Sadly, as much as we'd like to believe that people would phone ahead to cancel an appointment or let us know they no longer need it, many don't. I've lost count of the number of times I would drive to work, sit around for half an hour waiting for a bride, just for them not to turn up. 

Not only is this really annoying, crucially it means our business has just made a loss. Shop rents and staff need paying regardless of whether your customers turn up or not. This means, a whole 60 or 90 minutes where we can't see brides who DO want to come and see us has been wasted. Commercially, it's just not viable for us to have whole days where our boutiques are empty due to no-shows.

boho bridal boutique Sussex

Charging for appointments wasn't a route we wanted to go down but does mean we can ensure our times is paid for. We don't feel that it's an unreasonable request - that for 60 or 90 minutes of undivided attention, assistance and advice brides pay a deposit. The £10 or £20 paid is then redeemable against any dress purchased, meaning the appointment fee is taken off the total cost.

We hope our lovely customers agree that this is money well spent. Rock The Frock isn't your everyday boutique. We proudly stock beautiful designer dresses that simply can't be found anywhere else. We will ALWAYS provide the highest quality of customer service and give our brides our all. We know our brides our worth it. And we think we're worth it too.

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