Pricing is based on supply and demand. On average, the demographic of people who identify as “men” have a substantially lower demand for pedicures. This dictates that the price be lower. In...
Pricing is based on supply and demand. On average, the demographic of people who identify as “men” have a substantially lower demand for pedicures. This dictates that the price be lower.
In economic terms, this is price discrimination. Despite the scary name, it is usually considered a good thing. Another example is educational pricing, where companies recognize that students have lower income and therefore lower demand.
Another is happy hour, where bars recognize that people have lower demand for alcohol at certain hours.
Edit: to elaborate a bit, imagine the counter factual where the prices were the same; what would happen. For one, the shop would make less money, because for men the price of optimal profitability is lower than the list price.
And, there would be less men with fabulous nails. A lose-lose situation.
A similar take is that this is a marketing cost. Trying to appeal to that side of the market ends up costing them 25% off of list price. Sexist yes, if that's the criteria. But functionally not...
A similar take is that this is a marketing cost. Trying to appeal to that side of the market ends up costing them 25% off of list price. Sexist yes, if that's the criteria. But functionally not very different than having an employee standing outside offering male passers-by a 25% off coupon.
That said, this is a few people speculating on the internet. Easiest way to find out why is to ask a manager.
Going off your happy hour example, this is also why some (mostly dive) bars have a "ladies night." You take some losses to try to even out your clientele, in hopes of expanding the total business base wider.
The "men's" services probably assume you don't want colored polish. Quite a few places near me charge less if you don't want polish (and charge more for gel), albeit without referencing gender....
The "men's" services probably assume you don't want colored polish. Quite a few places near me charge less if you don't want polish (and charge more for gel), albeit without referencing gender. While there's a degree of sexism in making assumptions about what men will want from a manicure or pedicure (which definitely would lead me to prefer gender-neutral language in this context), it probably is genuinely much more common for men to get the desired service than anything else, and it's probably relatively rare for women to request it. They likely want to draw in male customers by making this explicit (rather than just listing an extra charge for a mani or pedi that comes with polish).
It seems very similar to having different prices for men's vs women's haircuts. I've gone to salons that do this and once I switched to a sufficiently short haircut, I was instructed to switch to booking men's haircuts, which cost less because they take less time. The prices were, in reality, based on hair length rather than gender. But the website still listed it as men's vs women's because this shorthand was the easiest for them and applied to the majority of people. I'd prefer gender-neutral language take over in contexts like this, but it probably will over time anyway as norms change. It's pretty low on my list of things to make a stink over.
This is the most plausible explanation of what's going on imo. It also communicates to potentially insecure men that, yes, pedis are for men and we don't think you are weird for wanting one.
The "men's" services probably assume you don't want colored polish.
This is the most plausible explanation of what's going on imo. It also communicates to potentially insecure men that, yes, pedis are for men and we don't think you are weird for wanting one.
I prefer when salons just say manicure/pedicure vs. manicure/pedicure + polish instead, since I'm not currently perceived as a man but prefer no polish, which I'm more comfortable asking for when...
I prefer when salons just say manicure/pedicure vs. manicure/pedicure + polish instead, since I'm not currently perceived as a man but prefer no polish, which I'm more comfortable asking for when it's not label "men's manicure/pedicure." But at the same time, yeah, there are probably a lot of cis guys who'd enjoy a manicure or pedicure without polish who would be way less comfortable without very explicit "THIS IS FOR MEN" labeling. Hopefully that'll change over time.
Yeah I think it's unfortunately a sort of falsely labeled product, done by a) shop owners that are pricing based on the typical gendered services asked for, much like the haircut example and b)...
Yeah I think it's unfortunately a sort of falsely labeled product, done by a) shop owners that are pricing based on the typical gendered services asked for, much like the haircut example and b) people that don't think outside of a gender binary very often so it hasn't occurred to them that it's a problem.
I struggle to consider this anything other than absolute sexism. Nails are nails. I have never heard of such a pricing system for nails, I would be offended and maybe even take a picture of the...
I struggle to consider this anything other than absolute sexism. Nails are nails. I have never heard of such a pricing system for nails, I would be offended and maybe even take a picture of the service costs to share with others on like Google Maps so they are aware of this. It's straight-up a "pink tax" in my eyes.
I even think the concept of women's haircuts being charged more than men's is sexist, because it operates off the assumption that women's hair is automatically longer and needs more product/effort than men's, when that wouldn't apply to short-haired women for instance. I have heard long-haired men say that when they go to a salon, sometimes the hairstylist would tell them they're going to be charged for a "woman's haircut", and let's cut the bullshit, it's not because it's a "woman's haircut" it's because it's a long hair haircut.
A gender-neutral barbershop/hair salon near me charges cuts by hair length, not sex. That is what I think is fair.
If this salon wants to charge more for long nails or something, that's fair. But to automatically upcharge all women just because the salon decided to massively stereotype the nails of women is sexist.
Not the person you asked, but I think that definitely changes things. It raises the question can I, as a woman, ask for a 45 minute men's pedicure and pay that price? What is it that a "men's"...
Not the person you asked, but I think that definitely changes things. It raises the question can I, as a woman, ask for a 45 minute men's pedicure and pay that price? What is it that a "men's" pedicure is skipping that a "women's" includes? If I were running the salon I would list them as "basic" and "deluxe" or "bargain" and "standard" or something to avoid the sexism, but I don't know the manager's thought process.
Again, why is this being turned into a gendered issue? The initial post says "The description of the services for both are the same," so how is it possible that women are getting an extra 15...
Again, why is this being turned into a gendered issue? The initial post says "The description of the services for both are the same," so how is it possible that women are getting an extra 15 minutes? Why aren't the pedicures priced per time taken then? Why can't women get the 45 minute pedicure? Why can't men get the 60 minute pedicure? In no way does this change my view that this is a sexist "pink tax"; there are no significant differences between men's nails and women's nails that justifies an upcharge on "women's nail" services.
I noted elsewhere that I suspect the service offered is in fact different and that this is being offered by folks in states that don't ban gendered price differences by people who are thinking...
I noted elsewhere that I suspect the service offered is in fact different and that this is being offered by folks in states that don't ban gendered price differences by people who are thinking about marketing and pretty much only think in the gender binary. Much like men's and women's haircuts (vs cut+style and just cut).
I could be wrong, in which case yes, this is just sexist pricing. But descriptions are sometimes short and not all inclusive.
I say all that because I looked through the offerings near me, and while they offer sport pedicure and classic pedicure (the sport does not have polish), or basic, classic and deluxe, they don't do men's and women's. Because it's not legal to use gendered pricing in my state.
I think it's most likely theyre offering that "sport" service with either no polish or clear polish only. It is the sort of thing they shouldn't do with the gendered labels, but I don't feel there's enough info to be sure theit intent matches the impact they're having.
Where I am, the men’s manicure varies in relative price a bit, and some places don’t split by gender (just levels like express/standard/treat-yo-self), but the men’s pedicures are always explicit...
Where I am, the men’s manicure varies in relative price a bit, and some places don’t split by gender (just levels like express/standard/treat-yo-self), but the men’s pedicures are always explicit and more expensive than the women’s service. When I asked, they told me it was because men’s toenails are thicker, feet are hairier, and callouses bigger and tougher on average.
I think I would check around to see what prices are elsewhere that meet my criteria. If the women's prices at the place you are looking at are equivalent to the others, then I'd go to whatever...
I think I would check around to see what prices are elsewhere that meet my criteria. If the women's prices at the place you are looking at are equivalent to the others, then I'd go to whatever place is most convenient or had the best vibe or whatever.
On the face of it the gender-specific pricing feels kind of icky, especially as it makes all customers declare a gender. That would count as a negative vibe for me.
Pricing is based on supply and demand. On average, the demographic of people who identify as “men” have a substantially lower demand for pedicures. This dictates that the price be lower.
In economic terms, this is price discrimination. Despite the scary name, it is usually considered a good thing. Another example is educational pricing, where companies recognize that students have lower income and therefore lower demand.
Another is happy hour, where bars recognize that people have lower demand for alcohol at certain hours.
Edit: to elaborate a bit, imagine the counter factual where the prices were the same; what would happen. For one, the shop would make less money, because for men the price of optimal profitability is lower than the list price.
And, there would be less men with fabulous nails. A lose-lose situation.
A similar take is that this is a marketing cost. Trying to appeal to that side of the market ends up costing them 25% off of list price. Sexist yes, if that's the criteria. But functionally not very different than having an employee standing outside offering male passers-by a 25% off coupon.
That said, this is a few people speculating on the internet. Easiest way to find out why is to ask a manager.
Going off your happy hour example, this is also why some (mostly dive) bars have a "ladies night." You take some losses to try to even out your clientele, in hopes of expanding the total business base wider.
The "men's" services probably assume you don't want colored polish. Quite a few places near me charge less if you don't want polish (and charge more for gel), albeit without referencing gender. While there's a degree of sexism in making assumptions about what men will want from a manicure or pedicure (which definitely would lead me to prefer gender-neutral language in this context), it probably is genuinely much more common for men to get the desired service than anything else, and it's probably relatively rare for women to request it. They likely want to draw in male customers by making this explicit (rather than just listing an extra charge for a mani or pedi that comes with polish).
It seems very similar to having different prices for men's vs women's haircuts. I've gone to salons that do this and once I switched to a sufficiently short haircut, I was instructed to switch to booking men's haircuts, which cost less because they take less time. The prices were, in reality, based on hair length rather than gender. But the website still listed it as men's vs women's because this shorthand was the easiest for them and applied to the majority of people. I'd prefer gender-neutral language take over in contexts like this, but it probably will over time anyway as norms change. It's pretty low on my list of things to make a stink over.
This is the most plausible explanation of what's going on imo. It also communicates to potentially insecure men that, yes, pedis are for men and we don't think you are weird for wanting one.
I prefer when salons just say manicure/pedicure vs. manicure/pedicure + polish instead, since I'm not currently perceived as a man but prefer no polish, which I'm more comfortable asking for when it's not label "men's manicure/pedicure." But at the same time, yeah, there are probably a lot of cis guys who'd enjoy a manicure or pedicure without polish who would be way less comfortable without very explicit "THIS IS FOR MEN" labeling. Hopefully that'll change over time.
Yeah I think it's unfortunately a sort of falsely labeled product, done by a) shop owners that are pricing based on the typical gendered services asked for, much like the haircut example and b) people that don't think outside of a gender binary very often so it hasn't occurred to them that it's a problem.
I struggle to consider this anything other than absolute sexism. Nails are nails. I have never heard of such a pricing system for nails, I would be offended and maybe even take a picture of the service costs to share with others on like Google Maps so they are aware of this. It's straight-up a "pink tax" in my eyes.
I even think the concept of women's haircuts being charged more than men's is sexist, because it operates off the assumption that women's hair is automatically longer and needs more product/effort than men's, when that wouldn't apply to short-haired women for instance. I have heard long-haired men say that when they go to a salon, sometimes the hairstylist would tell them they're going to be charged for a "woman's haircut", and let's cut the bullshit, it's not because it's a "woman's haircut" it's because it's a long hair haircut.
A gender-neutral barbershop/hair salon near me charges cuts by hair length, not sex. That is what I think is fair.
If this salon wants to charge more for long nails or something, that's fair. But to automatically upcharge all women just because the salon decided to massively stereotype the nails of women is sexist.
Not the person you asked, but I think that definitely changes things. It raises the question can I, as a woman, ask for a 45 minute men's pedicure and pay that price? What is it that a "men's" pedicure is skipping that a "women's" includes? If I were running the salon I would list them as "basic" and "deluxe" or "bargain" and "standard" or something to avoid the sexism, but I don't know the manager's thought process.
Again, why is this being turned into a gendered issue? The initial post says "The description of the services for both are the same," so how is it possible that women are getting an extra 15 minutes? Why aren't the pedicures priced per time taken then? Why can't women get the 45 minute pedicure? Why can't men get the 60 minute pedicure? In no way does this change my view that this is a sexist "pink tax"; there are no significant differences between men's nails and women's nails that justifies an upcharge on "women's nail" services.
I noted elsewhere that I suspect the service offered is in fact different and that this is being offered by folks in states that don't ban gendered price differences by people who are thinking about marketing and pretty much only think in the gender binary. Much like men's and women's haircuts (vs cut+style and just cut).
I could be wrong, in which case yes, this is just sexist pricing. But descriptions are sometimes short and not all inclusive.
I say all that because I looked through the offerings near me, and while they offer sport pedicure and classic pedicure (the sport does not have polish), or basic, classic and deluxe, they don't do men's and women's. Because it's not legal to use gendered pricing in my state.
I think it's most likely theyre offering that "sport" service with either no polish or clear polish only. It is the sort of thing they shouldn't do with the gendered labels, but I don't feel there's enough info to be sure theit intent matches the impact they're having.
Where I am, the men’s manicure varies in relative price a bit, and some places don’t split by gender (just levels like express/standard/treat-yo-self), but the men’s pedicures are always explicit and more expensive than the women’s service. When I asked, they told me it was because men’s toenails are thicker, feet are hairier, and callouses bigger and tougher on average.
I think I would check around to see what prices are elsewhere that meet my criteria. If the women's prices at the place you are looking at are equivalent to the others, then I'd go to whatever place is most convenient or had the best vibe or whatever.
On the face of it the gender-specific pricing feels kind of icky, especially as it makes all customers declare a gender. That would count as a negative vibe for me.
I wonder how ~life.men would respond to the same question. Don't you?