A dive into Redemption
How paying more was still a bargain for me?
In March, my sister finalized her wedding date. The big day was at the end of October 2020. We were calling it a ‘quarantine wedding’. Very few people attending, nothing too extravagant, given whatever was happening as the Pandemic struck the world and we fell on our faces.
News Flash: August 2020, my country ‘Pakistan’ successfully defeated coronavirus.
The nation was ecstatic. So was my sister, as it meant she could have a grandeur wedding that she always wanted. Our shopping spree begun as soon as the quarantine was lifted. As we begin to plan for the big day, the question I dread the most arose. “Where are we going to get our makeup and hair done from?”
Flashback to 2018. My wedding.
The bride looking like a complete disarray. Hair disheveled, pins poking out and the makeup… The makeup *sighs*. The bride is not supposed to be the least good-looking person at her own wedding.
This was the doing of myself. In Pakistan there is no cap, whatsoever, in the beauty industry. Anyone can charge whatever price they please and no one would bat an eye. e.g. you can get a decent haircut for $4 and if you are ready to splurge the price can go up to $50 at some places, which is quite expensive.
Beauty does not have to break the bank.
My 21-year-old self with no previous experience with makeup artists, was not ready to be a victim of price gouging. I started doing my research, asked a few friends, researched on good old Instagram and narrowed down to one MUA with good repute and fair charges. (We will address her as “the terrible MUA” for this post). I booked a package for $190 a day.
Mistakes were made…
Fast forward to August 2020.
I warned my sister not to repeat the same mistake I made and we booked bridal and party services at a high end salon. They offered me two choices for my party makeup, I without any hesitation opted for the higher price. And paid 50% more than the cheaper options, elsewhere. For someone who abhors Apple products for their value vs price disparity, this was a moment of realization.
Why people pay the amount they pay, when a more affordable option is present? To avoid repeating mistakes, to prevent lifelong regrets!
I wanted to redeem myself from a rookie mistake I made 2 years ago. And save myself from the regret I feel whenever I look at my wedding pictures, which by the way, are present EVERYWHERE!
Though I did consider price as a signal here, signal for superior service. That wasn’t the only factor. The brand I chose this time was high-end, famous for doing exceptional work, had an attractive social media presence (good reviews, good content and customer testimonials), had no unhappy customers in terms of the makeup and some brides I happened to see live for myself. The ability of the artist (the good MUA) to do makeup that enhances the person’s features rather than the “ terrible MUA” doing the same template on every face and relying on the stroke of luck.
Prestige Pricing is common in beauty industry in my country. Big brands charging ungodly amounts for something that hardly takes an hour, was something I was never able to wrap my head around. Rationalizing in retrospect, the price was a reflection of the “good MUA” being trained at esteemed makeup institutions, having well trained hairstylists and located in a posh area. But this experience made me realize that price is not always the function of just the commodity but the value received as a whole.
The value being- a happy customer (me), no regrets, no sour memories. And the long awaited REDEMPTION.
Concluding my sob story by quoting Seth Godin:
“If you need to charge a lot to pull it off, it’s still a bargain.”
By all means. Because to me the value provided was a 100 times greater than the price I paid. A bargain INDEED!
Read more about the psychology behind price is the function of quality
An interesting blog on Prestige Pricing
