Running a salon in North Carolina is a labor of love, but it’s also a balancing act. Between managing stylists, keeping clients happy, and navigating the ups and downs of the local economy, your profit margins are precious.
At Merchant Match, we talk to business owners across the state every day - from bustling shops in downtown Raleigh to boutique spas in Wilmington. We often find that hardworking salon owners are "leaking" money in places they aren't even looking.
If you feel like you’re bringing in plenty of revenue but not seeing enough of it land in your bank account, here are three common reasons why your salon might be losing money.
In the salon industry, inventory is cash sitting on a shelf. One of the biggest silent killers of profit is simply how products are tracked and used.
The Fix: Audit your inventory quarterly. If a product hasn't sold in 90 days, discount it to move it, and look into color management software to track usage.
In a service business, time is literally money. A client who books a two-hour color correction and doesn't show up hasn't just cost you that appointment—they’ve prevented another paying client from taking that spot. Many NC salons are too "nice" to enforce cancellation policies, fearing they will upset regulars.
The Fix: Automated reminders and a firm 24-hour cancellation policy are standard industry practice now. Your time is valuable—protect it.
This is the one that shocks most business owners.
You work hard to provide a service. You pay for rent, utilities, lights, and labor. Then, when it’s time to get paid, a credit card processor takes a slice of your earnings just for the privilege of swiping a card.
Many processors lock salons into "tiered" pricing structures where you pay significantly higher rates for rewards cards (which most of your high-end clients use). You might think you are paying 2.5%, but after hidden fees, compliance charges, and "non-qualified" surcharges, you could be paying upwards of 3.5% or 4%.
Let’s look at a theoretical example of a successful North Carolina salon.
Imagine your salon processes $500,000 a year in credit card payments. If you are on a standard, outdated processing plan paying an average effective rate of 3.5%, you are paying $17,500 a year just in fees.
That is $17,500 that could have gone toward:
With compliant surcharge or dual-pricing programs (where the small cost of processing is passed to the customer or incentivized via cash discounts), you could theoretically eliminate almost that entire bill.
Imagine saving $15,000+ next year just by switching systems.
We are not just another payment processor; we are your neighbors. Based right here in North Carolina, Merchant Matchspecializes in helping service-based businesses like yours stop the bleeding.
We believe in a simple, honest approach: If we can’t save you money, we won’t take your business.
Here is our promise to you:
You deserve to keep the money you earn. Let us give you a free, no-obligation audit to see if we can help your bottom line.
Email us today to schedule your free payment processing audit and see if Merchant Match can save you money!
Merchant Match is dedicated to giving its customers the best pricing plans for them, every single day.
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