Fifteen Dollar. We Make Nail Nice. No Probrem.

Getting my nails done on the road is always a challenge; not so much in finding a place to have them done, since nail salons are like air, but in finding a place that does decent work. At least when you're in your hometown, you can become a regular at a shop, and if you're lucky, you can even get the same person to do them each time you go in.

Once I do find a place, I have a problem deciding between cost and quality. I have had my nails done at both expensive and cheap places, and price doesn't always guarantee a good job. On the other hand, I do often go to the predominately Asian owned salons and find they don't always produce quality work. Of course there are people who will disagree vehemently, and I would agree in part, since I have had my nails done in these shops over the years and walked away ecstatic.

What the problem becomes for me is telling the nail tech how I want the job done. One of my many jobs in my life has been one of a nail tech, and I was good; but trying to communicate with these people is near impossible. They nod furiously, saying "uh huh. uh huh. uh huh. yes. yes. okay. no plobrem" and then I don't get what I asked for anyway. It's bad enough you get the bums rush when you're there, as customer turnover is incredibly profitable for them, but then you are shooed out with nails that are less than perfect.

Every time I walk out of a salon, Ed says, "How'd they do?" I always respond with, "Eh" and wind up fixing them myself the next day.

If I didn't also have the "eh" experience at expensive salons, I might walk away from these discount nail places saying "you get what you pay for," but instead, I just add the experience to the Poor Customer Service file I store in my head. It bothers me that I always pay for something I don't like the result of, but I don't see any alternative because I don't like to do my own nails.

So I guess I will just fork out my fifteen dollar and have them make nice nail.