Price increase letter to barbershop clients
Copy it, replace the bracketed bits, send it. Below the letter: the text-message version, how much notice to give, and what to say when they push back.
Hey [NAME], From [DATE] a cut is [NEW PRICE] (was [OLD PRICE]) and a skin fade is [NEW PRICE]. First change since [YEAR]. Rent and the booking app's fees both went up, and I'd rather change the price than rush your cut. Book before [DATE] and you are on the old price for that one. See you in the chair. [YOUR NAME] [BUSINESS NAME]
How many customers can this price rise lose?
10% ÷ (40% + 10%) = 20%
Open the full calculator, with your prices and customer count →two weeks — updated on the booking app and a sign at the mirror, not a surprise at the till
a round step on each cut, usually 8–15%
The text-message version
For the customers whose entire relationship with you lives in a phone. Send it before the visit, never on the invoice.
Yo [NAME] — prices go up [DATE]: cut [NEW PRICE], fade [NEW PRICE]. First change since [YEAR]. Book before then and it's the old price. Cheers, [YOUR NAME]
Why it is going up, in words you can use
“Rising costs” persuades nobody because everyone says it. Name the actual driver in barbering instead:
- chair rent or shop rent
- blades, clippers and products wear out faster than people think
- booking app and card fees, taken from every cut
- the price was set as a round number when the shop opened and has not moved since
When they push back
You will hear these within a week. Having the answer ready is the difference between holding the price and folding on the phone.
- "It's just a quick fade, bro."
- Laugh, don't lecture. "Quick because I've done a thousand of them." Then move on. Arguing over a small increase with a regular makes it bigger than it is.
- "Can I keep the old price, I come every two weeks?"
- Reward frequency without an off-menu price: a regular slot every [N] weeks booked in advance, at [SMALL DISCOUNT]. That locks in the visits, which matter more to the chair than the amount on the cut.
- They start going longer between cuts.
- This is the real cost of a rise in barbering. Make rebooking easy: book the next one before they leave the chair. A client who has already booked comes back on time.
Is a price rise even the right move for you?
Sometimes it is not. Sometimes the money is in a service plan for customers you already have, or in the job you are quoting below cost without realising. Describe your business in one sentence and you will get three specific moves back — priced per month, with the arithmetic written out so you can put your own numbers in.
Free, no signup, about thirty seconds. If one of them is a price rise, you will get the number to put in the brackets above.
Give me three movesMore letters: hair and beauty
Other trades
A template, not legal advice. If you have a written contract with these regulars, check what it says about notice periods and price changes before you send anything — the contract wins over any template, including this one.