Visitors....

So, I get into work yesterday to hear that someone from corporate headquarters is supposed to show up.  Whooptie doo.....I've dealt with so many of these people over the years, they just don't phase me any longer.  Some of my co-workers, Rita in particular, got all worked up about it (not in a productive way, though, just worked up) and I reminded her that whoever this person is (turned out to be a woman named Dana), they put their pants on the same way you do, one leg at a time.  I don't fawn all over these people.  I'm respectful, I'll introduce myself, talk to them.  But, I don't see them as the demi-gods they think they are.  Which will probably get me into trouble.  Oh, well...

However, that meant that both Becky and Tammy were supposed to be around.  And, eventually, they did show up.  Around 4pm.  And promptly went on a cleaning tear.  Is there clutter in the dispensary??  Sure...it's the smallest dispensary I've ever experienced..there's no provision for our purses/bags, our coats, food, nothing.  The wall cabinets are HUGE...the height isn't a big deal, but the depth is...entirely too deep for the stuff that's sitting on the shelves.  And, the spare chair we have usually winds up in the break room, because Rita can't handle standing on her feet all day long.  Then, we have a 33 gallon silver trash can..which, really, we don't need.  A smaller one would be more ideal.  Maybe I'll ask later this morning...

The girls all had beverages out on the floor, too.  (not me, I know better...I was never comfortable with that when I worked at my old salon)  Which prompted Tammy to comment that the salon was the dirtiest she'd ever seen.  I almost spoke up at that one.  It was hard not to say anything.

Here's what I wanted to say:  The entire time we've all been here, none of us has been trained in the Regis way of doing things.  There is no reference book available, beyond the starting packet, to turn to to find out about x, y, or z when we have a question.  Half the time, when we call Becky with a question, we don't get a call back.  We've been left here, to our own devices, to figure things out on our own.  No one has bothered to clearly explain how we're supposed to be charging for services, so, we're charging whatever, and managing to piss off quite a few people.  No one has bothered to explain to the stylists that they need to talk to the PARENT when they're dealing with a teenager in regards to how much the service is going to cost.  No one has bothered to explain to the stylist that when you're doing chemical services, you need to explain the cost BEFORE the chemicals are applied, not after (which means you need to read the waiver after the client signs it, to check things out).  We've had no time set aside to watch the training videos, so, we're flying by the seat of our pants.  And you're going to come in here and criticize what we're doing??

But, I wisely shut my mouth.  I know, as it's common sense, not to have food & drink on the floor, in front of the clients.  I've actually worked in a salon before...two of them, as a matter of fact.  One with rules, one with none.  And, most of the time, I'm blessed with common sense.  So, there are a lot of things I just don't do.  However, out of the 4 of us, I'm the only one who has worked full time in a "real" salon.  Tina worked in a salon, but part time, and she's quite young.  Rita worked in a barbershop, so she was exposed to a different atmosphere.  And, her time in an actual hair salon was very short, with no guidance, either.  And Lindsay has had no exposure, at all.  She's a go-getter, and all about up selling to make her ticket bigger, but she doesn't get with the money behind the appointment.  Just last night, she had a teenage girl in her chair, got the kid's permission to do all kinds of things, but didn't run it by the parent funding the appointment.  So, when the time came to pay, and she called out "$26.95"  instead of "$7.00", he flipped out, and rightly so.  He paid it, but I guarantee he won't be back.  And neither Lindsay nor Becky apologized or offered to make it "better"...I was watching because him shouting out "$26.95!?!?!"  caught my attention.

Do I regret moving here??  No.  I'm making more money, I'm working full time, I'm entitled to benefits...all of which I didn't have at my old salon.  I just wish they'd actually train us in how things are supposed to be, to make the mucky mucks at Regis happy....

First paycheck

So, I got my first paycheck this past Friday.  It was on par with what I was making at my old salon, for 4 days worth of work.  What made the difference was the tips!!  I just about doubled what I made in tips in those 4 days.  Add my last paycheck to my new paycheck and it makes a very nice paycheck compared to what I usually did!!

Becky is back today after 4 days off....and boy, have I got questions for her!!!  For all of us, the way we charge people for their services wasn't really explained very well, so we're all a bit confused.  Also, handling the request clients was never really explained, either, so, clarification is needed.  I'm the only one with clients who may be looking for me from my old job, since Rita was a barber, hers is easier to accommodate.  However, I had color clients and perm clients, so I need to know how I'm supposed to accommodate them without pissing off the other clients that have been waiting for us to cut their hair!

We also need to ask if the tv monitor and dvd player can be moved into the dispensary so we can watch the required dvd's off the service floor...clients don't need to watch what we're watching.  And that way, when it's not busy, and there's two of us, we can get at least a couple of dvd's out of the way!!!

We were crazy busy on Saturday....last day of school vacation plus the day before Easter....But, from what a cashier friend of mine told me, Rita did a fair amount of wandering in the evening...I'll be interested if Amanda says anything about it to Becky....Look at me, taking control and acting all manager-ish...whoops...

It's all about control

Last night, during the course of a conversation with my friend, Tod, on Facebook (you may remember him from my post about dipping my toe into the dating pool), He accused me of being a control freak and if I didn't like it, oh well. (Oh, well was not what he actually said, I cleaned it up for the sake of propriety) The whole conversation was quite odd, even though I will admit to starting it up by saying something to him that was mildly flirtatious in nature.

The lesson I learned with him, back in January, is to be careful how I respond to his complimentary remarks.  Back in January, I responded in kind, and he, eventually, wound up "hooking up" with someone on the eve of our first date, effectively ending everything before it began.  So, the end result is that I take his compliments with a grain of salt, because they're just words.  He may very well mean them, but that's all they are to me.  Especially when they're not said to my face, but typed on a page.

However, back to this control thing.  He told me that I can and do control the room.  Let's see.  In my job, my client's trust me to be in control of the situation, whether it's in understanding how they want their hair cut, or in how they want their hair chemically processed.  My professional opinion is highly valued.  So, whether I feel confident or not (and 99% of the time, I do), I have to project that I do.  Clients who are wishy washy on what they want expect me to take control of the situation and figure out what they want.  It's my job.  I'm also being looked at as a possible Salon Manager, who, ironically enough, also has to be in control of the room.  I kind of need to know what's going on around me so I can pitch in and help out with whatever is necessary.  Learning how to keep my big, fat beak out of things until asked is a separate issue and I'm working on that.

And then, there's my personal life.  I'm a single parent, as those of you who read this already know.  Therefore, I'm in control of things, ALL THE TIME.  I get to make all the decisions regarding everything, although, at times, Katie is a part of this process (it's all about teaching her to be in control, too, so I can let go when the time comes).

So, I guess you could say, I'm a control freak.  I'm the dominant, alpha dog.  Queen Bee.  Aggressive.  A bitch.  I could probably tone it down, to some extent, but, it's who I am.  I got comfortable in my skin a long time ago.  I guess some people envy that.  I really don't have any interest in completely changing who I am, just so others are comfortable around me.

Back in the saddle....

Of course, now I have Aerosmith stuck in my head!  I managed to crank out two colors last night, back to back.  What an interesting experience that was!!

The first, started out as just a haircut.  Gail works for Walmart, and I've been dying to get my hands in her hair for YEARS...she has long, crazy wavy hair that she's been coloring at home forever.  She used to be a darker auburn (brownish red) and switched to a light, almost strawberry blonde color, which works great with her complexion.  She's also on a ridiculous amount of medications (for what, she still won't tell, except it's not fibromyalgia), so it's wreaking havoc with her hair...it falls out in massive amounts.  However, the upside is that it also grows back in massive amounts, so it's an irritating side effect.

Anyway...her color was coming out relatively okay, except for the spots she was consistently missing, which happens when you color your hair yourself.  However, I had suggested to her, years ago, to not drag the color through to the ends of her hair, and she really hadn't done that a whole lot.  Her hair was a bit rough, but it's her natural texture, plus her medical condition/medications that are making the most of the mess.

We chose the color carefully...permanent color, regrowth only,mostly 9N (she's got a lot of grey/white), 9G with a titch of 9CG for that coppery tone she already had going on.  A PERFECT MATCH!!  Then, since her ends already had the pinkish tone that copper leaves behind, I used demi permanent on her ends, 9N (had to make it out of 10N & 8N) + 10G...I'm looking for tone, not color change, and wanted the underlying tones to do their job as well.  And, it did!!  WOO HOO!!!

The other color, well....always a work in progress.  We matched up the color as best as I could, using what's already on her ends as a guide.  She had gotten color and highlights from another salon, so I wound up creating a formula from scratch...not bad, but not quite right.  Really, should have pulled some of the color through (as much as I hate doing that) so it would blend better...you can see the new color, the faded color, then the color on the ends, which weren't faded so much...luckily, it will fade and match quite nicely.

Now, I get to go in (in a bit) and finish cleaning up my mess in the sink and writing out my color cards...even with these two ladies, back to back, with some sit time in between, I still got home before 10pm!!  WOO HOO!!

Poor Katie is feeling it, though...she goes to Gram's when I have to work late and Gram brings her home around 8pm, so I don't keep her up trying to get home from work (Gram has to work at 5am 4 days a week!!), and Katie was curled up in the chair, bundled up, sleeping, when I came home....this is after I spoke to her on the phone and suggested she go to bed, as she didnt' feel very well.  Durn kid....

I've also run into quite a few clients from my old salon since I've left....and some have made the comment that they "heard" about me leaving...I can only imagine what's being said...I've been good, I haven't asked what was being said, just made the comments that I'm making more money, I'm busier, and this job offers benefits, something Ginger just can't really offer, by virtue of being a small, family owned business.  It just is what it is.  I didn't bash anyone, because I don't need to.

Stay tuned!!

Rita

I worked with Rita yesterday.  It was an interesting day.  I discovered the bizarre way she cuts hair (doesn't palm the shears to hold the comb, which causes her to take extra movements, wasting time, really, while cutting hair) is because she's left handed, and was taught to cut right handed, which seems to slow her down, a lot.  I might do some investigating into getting her taught to cut left handed....it may work better for her in the end!!  Yes, I realize it's none of my @@##$$! business, but, we're all about productivity, and Becky won't always be there to feed clients to us.  And that will show up, pretty fast.  I discovered I was on my 4th client when Rita took her second one....and I'm not always the fastest cutter, either.

While Rita is a very sweet, funny person, she's also a walking train wreck....she managed to convey to me that she doesn't have a bank account of any kind because she owes her previous bank for bounced checks.  Oh,boy.   ( we were talking about direct deposit)  She's also approximately 4'11 tall and about 5' wide...no lie there.  While it's certainly not my place to say much, as I'm no slenderella myself, OMG...she's a big girl.  And, I watched, oh so briefly, her hork down a fruit platter she bought yesterday.  You know, the pre-made kind with the caramel dip in the middle.  And she was scooping up that dip like she'd never seen food before.  It's no wonder she's as big as she is....sigh....makes me turned off from food, I can tell you that...

Really, I shouldn't be talking about her like that...it's not nice, and mom always said "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all", but, much like a car accident, it's just too fascinating not to watch or comment.  And yet, she's got this skinny, tiny boyfriend that she's had for 11 years and 3 kids, to boot.

Anyway....we also had two ladies come in yesterday, wanting the complete works for a haircut:  shampoo, cut, and style.  Which is 8.95 more than the haircut special that's going on right now.  They both picked out the same haircut, short in the back, long in the front.  My client had wavy hair, her client had curly, over processed hair.  So, we set to cutting.  Before I go any further, let me add that neither of these ladies chose to speak English...they were speaking Spanish.  Some of it was on purpose, because the teenagers with them spoke English and "translated", while omitting a lot.  You could tell because the youngest of the teenagers had a hard time not telling everything they were saying, which told me she was being told the whole story, but to shut up at the same time.  The end result, my client was okay with her haircut, I explained to her (because I knew she understood what I was saying) that the layers around her face would need to grow out in order for the haircut to look the way she wanted.  Her daughter, on the other hand, gave Rita a hard time.  She told Rita to go ahead and cut after Rita tried to explain the issues with the cut versus the texture of her hair.  The moment Rita was done, the client instantly didn't like the cut.  She made all the dramatic faces and started spewing in Spanish about how she didn't like it.  Becky stepped in to try to save the day, but the end result is neither of them paid for their haircuts.  The extra people they had with them were creating a lot of noise and chaos, which is a shoplifting trick...I'm betting they're quite good at that, too....

Rita was not amused when the whole thing was done.  I just looked at her and said "Don't take that stuff personally...they were looking for a free haircut".  And told Becky the same thing.  There's not a whole lot you can do when that crap happens.  Yes, we're in this business to make money, no doubt about that.  However, sometimes, you've got to cut your losses and call it a day.  And that's what we did.

My new co-workers

I'm working on day 4 at Smart Styles.  Phew!!  Am I tired!!  And I've still got two more days after this until I'm off for two days!!  Katie is on vacation this week, so I won't have to get up early either of those days, nor on my 1-9 days...I'm going to get spoiled this summer...I can already see it..

So, here are the cast of characters at my new salon:  *most names have been changed to protect my sorry hide*  Becky is the Area Supervisor.  She floats from store to store, has 12 stores in her district, and 6 of them don't have salon managers.  She's particular about who she hires.  I'm starting to appreciate that about her!!

Rita:  she did primarily barbering at her old job...meaning strictly haircuts.  She went to the same school that I did, which means she got primary training, and that's it.  And, at her barbering job, she didn't get any kind of additional training by her boss.  So, her cutting skills are exactly the same as they were when she got out of school.  She asked me to step in last night and save her on a haircut (which I wound up getting credit for) because she had no clue.  She tried to pass it to me at first, but I said "Nope...time to learn!!"  then wound up doing it anyway....She's eager to learn, which is a good thing, and she's not afraid to ask for help.  The only thing she needs to work on is to not convey her fears in front of her client....last night her client expressed she felt afraid while Rita was cutting her hair....never a good sign.  She'll get there.

Lindsey:  She's young, tall, and cute.  She's got the whole hairdresser thing going on, and is taking her state boards on Monday!!  She's a hard worker and will do well.  Great personality, too!

Tina:  She and I went  to cosmetology school together, although I was ahead of her.  She's fearless, which works....unfortunately, she's a tiny little thing, so she looks about 12 years old.  Eventually, she'll learn to drop the cutesy way she's talking so she'll be taken seriously.

Over all, we have a good crew.  No divas, no attitudes.  We all get along really well, and we're all genuinely happy to be there.

Stay tuned!!

Smart Styles

So, I went to work on Tuesday, and didn't get a chance to talk to Ginger until 1:45...we were both booked solid, and running around like crazy people.  Needless to say, I might as well have dropped an anvil on her head.  She was totally not expecting me to look for another job, nor give my notice.  So, when she asked me when my last day was, I told her "I'd like it to be the 23rd, I've got clients on the books, I'd like to say goodbye, let them know where I'm going.  I'd also like to take the time, HERE, in front of you, to call my other clients and let them know where I'm going"---that was a mistake.  She looked at me and said "No, I need to think about that...I don't want to lose any clients".

So, I went home at my usual time, said good night to everyone, see you tomorrow.  Ginger barely spoke to me.  I know I whomped her a good one, and she was thinking of how to handle this.  See, when Michelle left, it was handled very poorly.  They just shifted clients over to whoever had the time and let the stylists deal with the fall out from it.  And, trust me, that fall out lasted a LONG time.  Ginger called me that night, at 8pm (after the last client left) and let me go.  Said she understood my decision, as I have to do what's best for Katie & me, but she couldn't afford to keep me on for the next two weeks.  So, poof.  Just like that, I was done.

So, in between when I left work and when Ginger called me, I went to Smart Styles to meet and greet with the regional manager, because they're thinking, based on talking to me and by my multiple resumes, that they want me for Salon Manager (I don't know that I'm quite ready for that, but it won't be for a while, anyway, since I have a 90 day probationary period, like every one else).  So, I did that, and they both warned me that my boss could very well let me go, very soon.  So, Becky, the Area Supervisor (district manager) gave me her card to contact her if and when that happens.  After it happened, I called her and left a voicemail for her.  Which she didn't get, I was to find out Wednesday morning.

After a sleepless night of panic, I called Becky in the morning to let her know what had happened.  Her response was "are you okay??", then, "What would you like to do?" and I said "come to work!".  So, that's what I did, after I went over to Ginger's salon and got my stuff.

Which was interesting...when I walked in, some of my stuff was already unplugged, and waiting for me.  Ginger did speak to me, but not like she normally did, because she was ANGRY.  So, I packed my bag (stuffed it to the gills, actually), and circled the salon a couple of times, to make sure I didn't leave anything laying around.  I picked up my stuff, and waited to speak to Ginger about my last paycheck, which, of course, wasn't ready for me when I walked in the door.  Ginger had Frannie in her chair, who was talking up a storm.  I told Ginger since I didn't know when I was working the rest of this week, and I had to go into work that day, it would be better if she just mailed my check.  When she turned to face me, oh boy...it's a good thing looks can't kill, because I would have been a grease spot, RIGHT THERE. 

As I was walking away, Frannie speaks up and says "Hey!  You're not working today??"  "Nope, I'm not working today"  "Where you going??  To work at the new Walmart??", laughing while she said it "As a matter of fact, yes, I am".  Then, I caught the eye of the sales rep who was sitting, waiting for Ginger, winked at her, and left.  I had talked to the sales rep the night before on Facebook (we're "friends") and told her what happened.  Then, I went home, and frantically pulled myself together to go to work at my new job!!

Wednesday was a chaotic day, all the way around.  I went in at 10, and hit the ground running.  I got to have a 1/2 hour lunch break, and that was IT...10 haircuts in 6.5 hours.  I might have done that once at my old salon, and definitely not that many haircuts in that much time!!  My first two days at Smart Styles, I've done almost $300 in services, and $85 in retail....That's an average week for me at my old salon....I need to tell Becky that...

My body feels beat up, like I've spent the whole week at the gym, Biggest Loser style.  I've made as many tips in two days that I used to make in a week, also.  The new schedule is going to take a bit to get used to, both with the fact that I'm working 40 hours now instead of 24, and that I'm working 2 nights a week instead of just one.  But, I'm liking the money in my pocket, I'm liking the fact that my clients are finding me, and I'm having a helluva good time doing this!!

Job offer

So, I went to my interview yesterday.  It took about 2 hours, total.  Both of my models were present for a majority of the interview, which I thought was a tad odd, but, hey, what do I know??

Over all, it went really well.  Once I started talking to her, then started cutting hair, I totally relaxed and got into the groove.  She liked what I did, she liked how I did it, she read the novel that are my 3 resumes (hairdressing, school, and my entire job history), and watched everything I was doing.

Initially, as I had told her, I went in there just as an exploratory thing...wanted to know what Smart Styles is all about, the pay structure, etc., because I certainly don't want to jump ship without knowing what I'm getting into.

Couple of things I'm not fond of, currently: Starting rate of pay:  Minimum wage...Yuck.  However, the commission off services starts at 40%, which actually matches my pay right now.  So, okay.  Plus, the salon has guaranteed traffic being located in the front of the store.  Then, there's the schedule.  It fluctuates, so no one has a set schedule, except by how many hours they are working.  The days change.  And, there's no booking ahead, either, beyond 3 weeks.  On the upside, most of my clients call in, anyway.  The only one affected by that is my nice lady on Saturdays.  But, we'll work it out.

The commission on retail is pretty cut and dried:  8%  off each item you sell.  If you are on the desk, and a customer comes in to purchase retail only, you get the retail.  End of story.  There are no grey areas.  I LOVE IT!!  There's contests with prizes (which I don't really care about) based on your sales, product of the month, Style of the month, stuff like that.  Dress code, I'm fine with, except with not being allowed to wear my smock all the time.  I wear the smock for multiple reasons:  A) to keep the hair in my clothes down to a minimum, B) to prevent chemicals from getting all over my clothes, C) to discourage unwanted attention from clients.  So, that part stinks...no security blanket.

Becky asked me a bunch of questions, like what made you want to be a hairdresser?  I've wanted to be one since I was 5 years old, and that the opportunity never presented itself until 4 years ago.  What's your favorite service?  Color.  What would you do to pull clients into the salon on down time??  Hang out in the hair color aisle and start talking to people, luring them into the salon.  She perked right up when I said that!!  She also asked me how I felt about advancement in the company.  I let her know I wasn't opposed to it, as long as it didn't require me to travel.  I've done my share, I don't mind helping out once in a while, but not all the time, as I'm the only parent.

So, the end result was that I was offered a job, with the possibility of being salon manager before all is said and done.  So, now I get to go to work, talk to Ginger, make up a small white lie about the whole interview thing (I'll just tell her they had stuff out at the open house for walmart that interested me and I went in to talk about it, with two models I scrounged up, as requested), give my notice, and tell my clients.  I'm hoping she won't get upset about it and let me contact my clients from the salon.  I've got some clients already booking for next month that I'll need to take care of.  I've also got all my pedicure clients that I'll need to tell I won't be taking care of them any longer, which isn't going to be fun.  I know they'll all be understanding, but it won't be fun.  I'm hoping I can get Chrissy to take them all and get over her issues with their feet...at least it will help build her book.

Stay tuned!!

Nervous Energy

So, the phone call I was waiting for came last Monday---"They" called.  I have an interview tomorrow---one, since the grand opening is Wednesday, that is 2 interviews condensed into one---the verbal interview & the "interactive" one...with two models for me to demonstrate haircuts on.

By yesterday morning, I was feeling pretty desperate---I had my female model--Mom always wants a free haircut.  However, the male model was being elusive.  So, I reached out, a tad desperately, to the guy I went to breakfast with back in January. (really, he owes me, and he knows it.)  And, he agreed to be my model.  So, all I've got left to do is pull my stuff together for tomorrow.  A friend of mine is going over my "professional" resume later this evening, to see if we can edit for content.  It's the standard, basic resume, but it's long (2 pages), and repetitive, because I've done the same work for a long time at different places of employment.

Needless to say, I'm a nervous wreck.  I know that I'll do fine through the whole thing, over all.  I'm confident in my skills, and it's clear that I love what I do.  I'm not worried about that part.  I'm worried about the decision making part.  If I get the actual job offer, and I decide, with all the information in front of me, to go with "Them", then I get to sit and have a long chat with Ginger about it.  THAT'S what I'm worried about.

I'm finally starting to fill in at work--It's still not consistent, but it's getting there.  Part of it is totally my fault because I don't insist my clients reschedule before they leave.  If I switch jobs, and my clients come with me (which would be IDEAL), I will need to INSIST they pre-book--otherwise, they won't get what they need and all the walk-ins will take over my schedule.

I just don't even know what I'm going to say to Ginger.  I've got somewhat of a plan as far as contacting my clients goes--I've got quite a few booked this week and next, then it's empty until the last Saturday, so I can tell all of them in person, and let them decide what they want to do.  Hopefully, I'll have some generic kind of business card to give out with the correct contact info on it that I can give to my clients.

Then, I'll need to contact my clients that are booked for the next month.  Tricky, tricky, tricky.  I'd like to send them a note, explaining what's going on and their options, all done AT WORK, so Ginger doesn't think I'm being sneaky about anything (even though, right now, everything is a covert operation).

That's the part that is going to be the worst--I've worked SO hard for the last two years to gain Ginger's trust--I've got the keys, for crying out loud!!  And, now, I might be doing this--Talk about feeling guilty!!

I shouldn't feel guilty--trusting me never should have been an issue.  I'm not Michelle (the woman I replaced)--she should have seen that from the start.  And, if I leave, I won't do it like Michelle did, leaving them high and dry.  What's funny, is that when I briefly talked to Chrissy about it, she commented she was thinking about doing the same thing, for many of the same reasons, plus a few extra---she hasn't had an easy time of it, either.

Now, if I don't get a job offer (she had TONS of interviews, and as of last Monday, had only hired one person), all of this worry is for nothing.  In the mean time, I'm going to try hard NOT to eat too much junk, bite Katie's head off for breathing, and use this nervous energy to do something constructive:   Clean house, blog, walk 4.1 miles.....

Stay tuned!!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes???

We have a Walmart Supercenter about to open in my hometown. Attached to it is a SmartStyles Family Salon (just like SuperCuts...owned by the Regis Corporation). I am seriously considering filling out an application & sending in my resume along with it. Why, you might ask?? Knowing these types of salons attract some serious traffic, that's appealing, even if it is all walk-ins, all day long. Knowing that since this branch of franchised salons is a part of a HUGE corporation, they offer BENEFITS, such as health/dental insurance, 401K, 529 for college---all the things my current employer does NOT offer, and really can't offer because of the expense. Oh, and paid vacations, which my employer DOES offer. They also pay by the hour (which is how I get paid now), so what is appealing here is the opportunity for FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT. They also offer commission on services (not sure of the exact structure), as well as commission on the product you sell. AND, they offer EDUCATION. Exactly what, I don't have the particulars on. But, again, being a major corporation, they have the funding to offer a lot. Specifically, REDKEN education--I've worked a little bit with Redken color and I like it. They also have a master colorist program (Redken does), which interests me, A LOT. There's also the money issue in general. While things at the salon are going much better, and Ginger is reaching out to me more, trusting me more, etc., etc., etc., I will never be as much to her as Evelyn is. Which bothers me a lot, because I still feel she's put her money on the wrong horse. I'm not saying she needs to leave the salon to me when the time comes (as she has done with Evelyn), because inheriting someone else's mess is not my idea of a good time, but just as much faith in me as she has in Evelyn would be nice. But, she's molded Evelyn into the hairdresser she wanted her to be...I'm a bit more resistant to that, since I'm considerably older than Evelyn was when she started out. So, it is what it is. Those that read my blog know I haven't always been happy at or with my current employer. So, wanting to go elsewhere isn't really a surprise to those that know me well. However, it's going to be a HUGE surprise (particularly if I actually do it) to my boss/co-workers. Especially since things are starting to turn around a bit. So, yet again, stay tuned.......