10/08/2026
*This is a copy and paste from another groomer. She compared shampoo prices. iGroom is what I use everyday and is the shampoo I posted about previously. I still have not received the shampoo I ordered in place of this one. It took 2 weeks to ship so it may not be a viable option. It's never fun raising prices for anyone.
🐾 A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE ON GROOMING PRICE INCREASES 🐾
This post is for everyone.
It’s for the groomers I see every single day stressing over how to tell their clients they need to raise their prices.
And it’s also for the dog parents who are wondering why their groom suddenly went up $5, $10, or sometimes more.
Because I’m a groomer and business owner too, and I can promise you: price increases are dreaded.
We don’t enjoy doing them. They’re awkward. We know there will be questions. We know there may be backlash. We know some clients may even get upset enough to leave and find another grooming shop.
Nobody is sitting behind the grooming table excited to send out a price increase.
But groomers everywhere are being forced to adjust — and this is one small example of why.
I took a few minutes this morning and compared shampoo pricing from 2024 to 2026. I pulled examples from three major grooming brands at different price points — not just the most expensive luxury products.
And across the board, prices have gone up.
In some cases, dramatically.
And please remember:
THIS IS JUST SHAMPOO.
This doesn’t include conditioner.
Brushes.
Combs.
Clippers.
Blades.
Shears.
Bows.
Bandanas.
Cologne.
Ear cleaner.
Nail supplies.
Dryers.
Grooming tables.
Tubs.
Equipment repairs.
Utilities.
Insurance.
Software.
Towels.
Laundry.
Cleaning products.
The list goes on and on.
Groomers aren’t getting hit with a little $2 or $5 increase here and there anymore. Some of the professional products we depend on have climbed $15, $30, $40+ per container in only a couple of years.
And these aren’t optional purchases.
If we want to continue providing your dogs with safe, professional grooming and quality products, we have to buy them.
That’s the part I think sometimes gets missed.
When we reorder shampoo, we may notice it costs more than last time, sigh a little, and hit “buy” because… what else are we going to do? We need it to work.
But when that happens over and over again, on product after product, month after month, while our grooming prices stay exactly the same for years, something eventually has to give.
Our bills go up.
Our supplies go up.
Our equipment goes up.
And if our prices never move, our actual income goes down.
So to the groomers who feel guilty about raising your prices: look at the numbers. You still have to make a living. You still have bills to pay. You still deserve to run a healthy, sustainable business while providing the level of care you’re proud of.
And to the clients who see a $5 or $10 increase and wonder why:
This is why.
Most groomers aren’t raising prices because they suddenly decided they want to charge more just because they can.
They’re doing it because keeping a grooming business open in today’s economy costs significantly more than it did even two years ago.
We love your dogs. We love what we do. And we want to keep doing it.
But in order to continue giving your pups the quality care, products, time, equipment, and attention they deserve, our pricing sometimes has to grow right along with the cost of providing that care. ❤️🐾
A price increase isn’t always greed. Sometimes it’s simply what allows a small business to keep its doors open.
