There are many benefits to being a JCTA salon member, especially cost-savings. Your JCTA insurance discount alone in most cases will cover the cost of an annual membership. Sometimes it is the smallest change that can bring the biggest savings, so here are some more ideas to help salon owners save every month.

Having been a manager of a boutique tanning salon in an area with an ever-changing cultural demographic, I have endured my fair share of slow days, months, and years. And while the product and tanning sales may have been hurting, there was always the salon upkeep and general maintenance to take into account, regardless of our current financial situation. That’s where I decided to be flyer/coupon savvy and learned to move away from my “Name Brands” in favour of the generic alternatives.

The biggest expense I incurred upon taking on the duties of supply shopping was the one item that was guaranteed to be used at least twice a day in the salon without fail…laundry detergent. I know we all love our clientele…for the most part, but we have to remember that these towels that we’ve so graciously provided for our wonderful clients are indeed just that, a provision and not a necessity. Therefore in my humblest opinion, forgo the Downy, Tide, and Fleecy, and swap those out in favor of Kirkland, NoName, and the plethora of other generic alternatives. Your clients won’t care that their towel doesn’t smell like a summer orchard, they’re just happy to have a towel in the first place.

The second biggest item on my shopping list on any given day was always the ever-disappearing toilet paper, and with the incomprehensible varieties to choose of this tush tissue, it was easy to be swayed with the daily changing sales amongst the infinite brands. Now don’t worry, I’m not saying that we should be supplying gas-station-grade toilet paper, but that we should just be more conscious of what we’re actually buying. The real trick with toilet paper is to pay attention to the number of sheets-per-roll, and once you’ve taken notice of this penny saving piece of information, you’ll soon be a master of your (porcelain) throne!

Your Frugal Friend,

Christopher Glubisz

Former Title: Manager, Radiant Tanning Salon, Steveston, BC

Current Title: Sales Representative, Uvalux Tanning & Support, Coquitlam, BC