Reader question: should I add a holiday surcharge in December?
A groomer asks whether a December surcharge is fair or just drives clients away. When it makes sense, how to word it, and the better option most shops miss.
The question: "Every December I work six-day weeks and still turn people away. My regulars all want the same two weeks before Christmas. Another groomer in town adds $10 per dog in December. Should I? I'm worried my clients will be annoyed."
Short answer: you can, and plenty of shops do. But a surcharge is the blunt version of a better idea. The problem you are describing is not that your prices are too low. It is that everyone wants the same ten days. A surcharge charges for that. A better system spreads the demand out and charges for it only where it is truly scarce.
Why it feels fair, and why it bothers clients
From your side, the logic is simple. December means longer days, more staff hours, more dogs in worse coat condition because owners put off grooming until the holidays. Charging more for harder, scarcer work is normal in almost every service trade.
From the client's side, a surcharge reads like a penalty for being a loyal customer who wants the dog clean for Christmas. The client who comes every six weeks all year gets the same extra fee as the one who shows up once a year with a matted doodle. That is the part that annoys people.
So if you do it, aim it at the right clients and the right days.
Option one: a surcharge with an exemption for regulars
The cleanest version: a flat holiday fee on December appointments, waived for clients who have a standing rebook schedule. Something like this on your booking page and at the counter:
"From December 15 to December 24, holiday appointments include a $10 holiday fee. Clients on a regular rebooking schedule are exempt."
This does three things. It rewards the clients who keep you busy all year. It charges the once-a-year holiday groom, which is usually the hardest dog of the week. And it gives the people in between a reason to get on a schedule. Our pricing guide covers rebook discounts and how to word policies so they hold up.
Option two: peak-day pricing instead of a December fee
Instead of charging all month, charge for the days that actually sell out. In most shops that is roughly the week before Christmas. Early December is often only a little busier than November.
Leave early December at normal price and say so:
"Want to avoid the holiday rush? Book December 1 to 12 at regular prices. Appointments December 15 to 24 include a $10 peak fee."
This moves some clients earlier, which frees up the days you were turning people away. A lot of owners do not care whether the dog is groomed on the 10th or the 20th. They just need a reason to pick.
Option three: no surcharge, book December in October
The quiet option many shops miss. Text your regulars now and let them pick December slots before anyone else:
"Hi [name], it's [your name] at [shop]. Holiday spots are opening to regular clients first. Want me to save [dog's name] a December appointment? I have the 9th, 13th and 17th."
No surcharge needed, because you are filling the calendar early and with the clients you want. By the time the once-a-year callers phone in, you are full or close to it, and you can offer them January with a clear conscience.
You can combine this with option one or two. Book regulars first at normal price, then let the remaining peak days carry the fee.
How to announce any change
Whatever you choose, do not spring it at checkout. Say it in three places at least a month ahead:
- A sign at the counter and a line on your booking page.
- A text to your client list in early November with the dates and the fee or exemption.
- A Google post with your holiday hours and booking dates. The Google Business Profile guide shows where posts and special hours live.
Written policy, given early, is what keeps a fee from turning into a one-star review. Our earlier reader question about a bad review after a shave-down covers how much harder it is to explain a surprise afterward.
What about losing clients?
Some will grumble. In our experience few leave over $10 if they knew in advance and had a way to avoid it. The clients you might lose are mostly the once-a-year ones, and you were turning those away anyway.
The bigger risk is the opposite: being so full in December that you cannot answer the phone, and missing the new client who would have booked every six weeks in the new year. In our data the median grooming business has 38 Google reviews, and only 18.3% list Sunday hours. December is when a lot of people try a new groomer for the first time. A missed call then can cost you a client for years. The missed calls guide covers a text-back that catches them, and the calculator puts a number on it.
Our take
If you add a surcharge, keep it small, make it clear, aim it at peak days, and exempt your regulars. Better still, book your regulars into December now and save the fee for the days that are truly scarce. The goal is not more money per dog in December. It is a full December that does not burn out your team or your best clients.
If you want help sending the regular-client booking texts, try any one service free for 14 days, no card. Text or call (385) 386-6239.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, pet groomers among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor