KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The cost of everyday life continues to rise. Inflation is at a 40-year high, leading service-based industries to continue increasing prices.
Rusty Phillips, the owner of Belle Epoque salon, said product prices have gone up 20% in recent years.
“We have to stay in business, and to do that, we have to charge what we need to charge,” Phillips said. “Otherwise, we’d be shutting the doors a long time ago.”
Loyal customers like Kelly Bay said she sees her trips to the salon as a monthly expense she can’t cut.
“My hair is important, it’s a necessity,” Bay said. “I look better as a blonde, and you have to maintain blonde and it’s fun to see him.”
Those with a bit more hair have seen significant increases in care too. Prices for veterinary care have gone up 10%.
“What we’ve seen more is supply chain issues. We’ve had to change where we get the items we get,” said Kat McIntyre, practice manager at FMA Animal Hospital. “If we were usually using the generic, and we have to go with the name brand stuff, it’s just a huge price increase.”
McIntyre said the biggest price increase they’ve seen is special diet foods for cats and dogs. They try their best to keep costs reasonable.
“It’s definitely been a balancing act,” she said. “But trying to make sure that our clients can still afford the care they need for their pets is a top priority.”
FMA continues to push pet insurance to lower the cost of big medical bills for their clients.
A monthly cost you can budget into your spending is less of a surprise than a big medical bill after your pet gets into something they shouldn’t.
“That’s kind of our focus, making sure that we are encouraging our clients to keep up with their annual wellness,” she said. “Their basic things month to month to make sure that their pet stays healthy longer.”
—
