Andrea Masseau, assistant manager of Great Clips, 2843 E. Grand River Ave., talks about how she decided to become a hairstylist, the different hair services Great Clips provides and her experiences as a stylist.
—Editor’s note: This story has been changed to accurately reflect the cost of a haircut at East Lansing’s Douglas J Aveda Salon.
Students will have a new place to get their hair cut when Great Clips opens a new store on the corner of Grand River Avenue and M.A.C. Avenue in February.
The new store will add to the company’s approximately 3,000 salons in the U.S. and Canada, including their 2843 E. Grand River Ave. location in East Oak Square, which opened in 2003.
“We’re definitely expecting business to go very well,” Great Clips General Manager Cristy Lake said. “We’re already so well-known in this area — a lot of students come over here to get haircuts, and we’ve gotten a very good response from them.”
Great Clips specializes in quick haircuts to cater to students’ busy lifestyles. To accommodate students’ schedules, Great Clips is open evenings and weekends, and no appointment is required.
Lake said the new location — near Potbelly Sandwich Shop, 233 E. Grand River Ave. — will help boost sales.
“I think it will be an awesome location because it’s a fast-paced little spot,” Lake said. “It’s easy (for students) to just stop in, grab a quick appointment and be in and out in time to make it to their next class. It’s something on a budget that looks amazing when you walk out.”
Lansing Community College junior Ryan Barker said he probably will go to Great Clips when it opens because it’s closer to campus than his current salon BoRics, 300 N. Clippert St., in Lansing.
He also said when he visited Great Clips before, employees were welcoming to him.
“I think what makes our store unique is the customer service,” Lake said. “You’re going to get a great smile when you walk in the door, and you’re going to get great service in the back (of the salon). We focus on our customers.”
The new store will feature a modern look but will have the same services as the East Oak Square location, Lake said. Great Clips offers a variety of hair services including haircuts, styles, up-dos and beard and neck trims.
The location will offer special deals on opening day, which tentatively is scheduled for the second week of February.
“We will be giving away free T-shirts and 50 free haircuts for our grand opening,” Lake said.
Great Clips also will offer $4.99 haircuts the first three weeks after opening, and $6.99 haircuts the fourth and fifth weeks.
Lake expects the prices at Great Clips to draw in many customers because compared to other East Lansing salons, the price of a haircut relatively is inexpensive.
The price of a haircut is $13 and about $11 with student ID.
A haircut at Nogginz Hair Shop, 545 E. Grand River Ave., is $17 for men and $20 for women, while haircuts at the Douglas J Aveda Salon, 333 Albert St., begin at $34.
Although the prices at Great Clips are cheaper than some other salons in the area, Lezlee Ongena, the manager at Nogginz Hair Shop, said she’s not concerned about Great Clips affecting their business.
“Great Clips doesn’t have a great reputation,” Ongena said. “It’s just a generic place to go. They don’t really have the best men’s haircuts.”
Political science senior Thomas Murdock, who gets his hair cut at the other East Lansing Great Clips location, said Great Clips will continue to attract people looking for the cheapest place to get their hair cut.
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“I think students will go to Great Clips,” Murdock said. “It’s quick, cheap and they do a great job for the price.”
