Groomers Wages

[Dogsfevr]

Yes, people forget how much medical supplies and medical equipment actually cost when you have to pay for it all yourself, and therefore get shocked when they are presented with a bill for these things

There making a good profit on vaccs because we all now it doesnt cost that much.

A client last week boarded there dog whom had the 3 yearly at a cost of $190 Thats a very very good profit for that container

[Poo-Fong]

There making a good profit on vaccs because we all now it doesnt cost that much.

A client last week boarded there dog whom had the 3 yearly at a cost of $190 Thats a very very good profit for that container

Amen to that! We see lots of vacc receipts and they vary greatly in price, although the best vet receipt I have personally seen was a client who came in with two small shih tzu X malts, one male, one female, and for desexing each dog & a booster vax was $800 and some odd amount... that's not together, that's EACH!! I can't see any way to justify that, no matter how expensive supplies are.

Sorry, OT :D

Edited September 9, 2009 by poindexter888

[Dogsfevr]

That didnt include the consult,they also had yearly heartworm so you could imagine that full bill.

As for groomers very few get paid what they deserve because a good groomer is a master of all aspects

[Crisovar]

There making a good profit on vaccs because we all now it doesnt cost that much.

A client last week boarded there dog whom had the 3 yearly at a cost of $190 Thats a very very good profit for that container

Amen to that! We see lots of vacc receipts and they vary greatly in price, although the best vet receipt I have personally seen was a client who came in with two small shih tzu X malts, one male, one female, and for desexing each dog & a booster vax was $800 and some odd amount... that's not together, that's EACH!! I can't see any way to justify that, no matter how expensive supplies are.

Sorry, OT :D

All one ever reads on here is the constant whinging and bitching about how expensive and how crooked the Vets are.

I have never worked for one who ripped off clients, the outrageous prices that get bandied about on here are certainly not the norm, but I guess we live in a world where everyone wants the best for nothing, and Vet bashing is a good sport.

[Dogsfevr]

All one ever reads on here is the constant whinging and bitching about how expensive and how crooked the Vets are.

I have never worked for one who ripped off clients, the outrageous prices that get bandied about on here are certainly not the norm, but I guess we live in a world where everyone wants the best for nothing, and Vet bashing is a good sport.

Good for you but ask any kennel owner who sees clients cards or receipt sheet weekly every year & you will see the greater majority of vets DO rip people off.

What we see is very much the norm & just do a ring around & you will soon learn what is normal.

The last 6 months has seen the most dramatic price rise in vaccs & yes for a product that isnt expensive yet has a massive profit made & why because its the most common thing people go to the vets for.

We get breeder discount & what we pay & what the joe public pays & we save alot of $$$$$$

It isnt about vet bashing but about the fact many vets are very greedy & all you her is the equipment is expensive,that is part of the industry & something you now when opting for that field just like we do with our choice of equipment .

The yearly heartworm also has a pretty price tag & again this has no equipment expense except keeping cool.

I certainly dont want the best for nothing but i expect prices to be off value to what it cost to purchase said product even after adding a product margin.

There is a difference bewteen providing good service with good prices & been plain greedy

[Chocolate]

10 Clauvolox tablets $30 for a 10kg dog - that seemed VERY STEEP to me last vet visit. Sorry off topic.

[Cavalier]

All one ever reads on here is the constant whinging and bitching about how expensive and how crooked the Vets are.

I have never worked for one who ripped off clients, the outrageous prices that get bandied about on here are certainly not the norm, but I guess we live in a world where everyone wants the best for nothing, and Vet bashing is a good sport.

Good for you but ask any kennel owner who sees clients cards or receipt sheet weekly every year & you will see the greater majority of vets DO rip people off.

What we see is very much the norm & just do a ring around & you will soon learn what is normal.

The last 6 months has seen the most dramatic price rise in vaccs & yes for a product that isnt expensive yet has a massive profit made & why because its the most common thing people go to the vets for.

We get breeder discount & what we pay & what the joe public pays & we save alot of $$$$$$

It isnt about vet bashing but about the fact many vets are very greedy & all you her is the equipment is expensive,that is part of the industry & something you now when opting for that field just like we do with our choice of equipment .

The yearly heartworm also has a pretty price tag & again this has no equipment expense except keeping cool.

I certainly dont want the best for nothing but i expect prices to be off value to what it cost to purchase said product even after adding a product margin.

There is a difference bewteen providing good service with good prices & been plain greedy

Its not about being greedy. Its about overheads!! Our clinic runs on a 10% profit margin, once vet and nurses wages, rent, electricity, equipment rental, registration fees, consumables etc are taken out.

The 10% profit is accumulated and used to improve our practice, purchase new equipment (to better serve our clients), update our premises etc.

Do you know how much a bottle of Proheart costs? Last price was $1500....

Our xray machine broke not long ago.......$20 000 for a new one.

Medical costs are expensive - to get a ovariohysterectomy done at a human hospital would set you back (in real money terms - ie what medicare pays) a good $15000-20000. Vets are expected to do it for $200, and we still get called a rip off.

Your average small animal vet with 5-10 years experience gets paid about 60-70K per annum - the award rate is $50K for the highest level. I believe this is a reasonable wage, but is certainly not huge and not deservig of all the flack which vets cop out there.

[Crisovar]

Actually I see the paperwork from other Vet Clinics all the time because we run a boarding kennel and sight the vaccine certs and invoices that are often attached.

The prices quoted on here are not something we see every day.

Maybe for some elite parts of the country but considering the number of tourists we get boarding their animals, no it certainly is not normal.

[jerojath]

If you have taken a wage from your own business, that should give you a guideling of what you can earn as a groomer and a starting point to negotiate - also keeping in mind your own living expenses.

(wonder if we pay better vet wages over here as there are a lot of aussie vets, unless they are just touring the world and working as they go?)

Lots of Aussie post-grads go working in the UK for the better pay. They come back to Oz and find work with higher salary as they are then more experienced.

[Staranais]

If you have taken a wage from your own business, that should give you a guideling of what you can earn as a groomer and a starting point to negotiate - also keeping in mind your own living expenses.

(wonder if we pay better vet wages over here as there are a lot of aussie vets, unless they are just touring the world and working as they go?)

Lots of Aussie post-grads go working in the UK for the better pay. They come back to Oz and find work with higher salary as they are then more experienced.

Yes, kiwi ones do this too. I will probably do it myself, in a few years, since you can earn lots more in America or the UK as a new grad than you can in NZ or Australia. Will help pay off my student loan faster!

[witheverythingiam]

Why do people complain about the cost of products mark up?

How exactly are Vets supposed to make money if they don't mark up the price of products? The Vets I worked at had a limit of 2 surgeries/day - just 1 Vet on at a time, so just appts in morning & arvo, and surgery during the middle of the day. There has to be some way to make enough money each day to pay the Vet, and 2 nurses on, and the consultation & operations alone won't pay that so of course there will be more than 10% (GST) price rise in the products too.

-WithEverythingIAm

[Cavandra]

To get back on topic........I have just taken a new job Grooming at a Vet clinic, I am getting half the price of the dog, and they provide all equipment, products, water, electricity etc.....It is not as much as I would get self employed, but there are advantages

[Koemi]

I have been grooming for 2 years. I can do all breeds (except one, le tear), and hand strip. I practice show clips whenever I can but am not very good at them as yet, since it's very hard to find owners who want a show clip. I can't groom Bedlingtons because our salon hasn't had one in while I've been there :c

I get paid $18 p/h + $2 commission for every dog I groom + $50 if we meet certain cash targets each day (we sell retail and food as well as groom). When I started I was paid $12 p/h, but could barely handle my clippers. My friend who has been grooming for 10 years works at a place that are currently paying her $50 p/h but she can easily groom 3/4 dogs an hour and at $60+ a pop, they can well afford to pay her that much! The other groomer at our salon gets $15 p/h flat, but she's still in training.

Perhaps ask how much they charge per groom and how much you are going to be expected to do (I would haggle for more money if they wanted me to bath/dry and do serious dematting) before offering a price. It would really depend on how long you've been grooming and how much experience you've had. Oh, and how lovely your clips are, of course!

Hope this helps. x

[shmoo]

but she can easily groom 3/4 dogs an hour

wow how does she do it so fast?!

[BlenheimBoy]

$20 an hour seems an average wage.

For an adult with no skills, maybe.

I say aim high and be prepared to negotiate down.

They are obviously aware of your talent and want you on board.

But a few things, what guarantee is there that 'full time' is actually full time?

How would it be perceived if you were to take on your own clients in your own time if your 'employed' work slows down?

Might it be better to be a contractor rather than an employee?

[Clyde]

My friend who has been grooming for 10 years works at a place that are currently paying her $50 p/h but she can easily groom 3/4 dogs an hour and at $60+ a pop, they can well afford to pay her that much!

15 minutes to groom a dog? I must be doing something terribly, terribly wrong. She is getting paid more than me and I own my business. : (

Edited September 12, 2009 by Clyde

[Crisovar]

You, Me and so many others Clyde

[Koemi]

LOL I know, it depresses me too.

Firstly, she doesn't do any of the prep work, only the actual groom. Secondly, I am talking about pet grooms, basic malt clips and the like. Thirdly, she's been grooming since she was a teenager and she's in her early 30s now, so she's had a LOT of practice! She owned her own salon and grooms at home, too. She gets paid that much in the Hawthorn area, which is a fairly rich area, so keep that in mind. Obviously if she was grooming in the country her pay would take a major cut, but the people that own the salon can afford to keep her and she is very, very good at what she does. And she does groom probably 2 days a week, I'm not sure if the pay would be different if she worked 5 days a week.

I'd be happy with half of what she gets ;A;