How much do I charge for PPF?

Here is lots of feedback on this topic on this thread:

http://www.facepaintforum.com/general-face-painting-f1/how-much-to-charge-question-t2488.htm

Feel free to post other comments as well on this topic.

Do you take the money before you face paint or afterwards?

I take it after - as they are more likely to tip you after they see the work.
But I know if it's really busy and you have a line manager then sometimes they collect it first just to speed the whole process up.

Personally, I don't paint until they pay. But I'm a newbie. There was just too much confusion at our PPF and up to 10 people in the tent at a time and two painters. My husband would get the money, and then as they sat in the chair he would use the key phrase "single" "half" or "full" so that I would know how much they paid and how much time to take on the design.

I was working so fast that I would have a hard time to stop after the fact and ask for the money...and what if they try to micromanage you after you've decided it's done..."those swirls don't match the picture exactly!"...they have the upper hand when they still have the money.

Before, IMHO.

D.

People generally hand me the money as they're sitting down as I work alone (no helper) and like colden says, if I don't take the money up front then I can get lost as to who's paid or just too busy to try to get it from them - I know that's happened in the past.

Oh, as far as how much I charge - in the past it was $3 for a little cheek/hand thing (like a heart/star/rainbow/fish/mermaid etc.) and $5 per face. After reading some of the posts in the forums I may include a half face option for the mask type (which I hadn't offered before) and make that the $5 with the full face at $8. I'll see how it goes as to whether or not I keep that concept.

I don't do PPF BUT if I did it would be cash up front. As you guys have already pointed out there are people who will pick it apart, not have the right amount, want change for $100, etc.

I'm really glad I don't work that way!

I might be old fashioned in this regard but am I the only one who likes to recieve the product before I hand over the money?
With the exception of ordering on the net.
If you think about it imagine getting any service done - like carpet cleaning or a plumber and paying before they have done the work?.... yeah no.
Or a restaraunt that wanted to know what you were going to order and to pay up front?
I know i works for speed and all for us... but they aren't going to pull their wallet out Again after they already paid you before.... so no tips....
my customers regularly over pay me after they see the work.
I have NEVER had anyone leave without paying. I make sure they pay before their kid gets out of the chair.

I take payment afterwards unless they are holding it in their hands waiting for me to take it. Usually there are multiple children and that way I can take all payments at once, plus tipping is better. Never had anyone leave without paying, though I do admit I have problems with the money-holding parent wandering off and not being present when the design is finished.

It just feels less mercenary to take the money after the painting is complete IMHO, plus people seem to expect to pay afterward. I would have to specifically ask for the money up-front, and that is uncomfortable. LOL. This is also true with hourly paid gigs. The hostess or client almost always comes over to pay me at the end of the job when I am packing up to leave. I try to avoid ever mentioning money at all in those situations.

I find some like to pay before and some after. At my market gig they are mostly all regulars so I am happy either way. And sometimes they.ll give me a tip as well. Last week two mums did before I had even started to paint their children

I don't push for it before, I'll take it whenever... I HAVE however had a couple of people leave without paying... usually more with balloons than face painting, where someone got it into their head that the balloons were free or something despite picking off of the banner that has the designs grouped by price.... :S

Happened to me today. I thought they were part of a group I was painting but no, just two who I'm I not sure if they thought it was free or just decided to try their luck. They disapeared pretty quickly.

I've worked events where they were selling tickets or tokens for the activities and I had to take them for the painting... always up front before then sat down. Some kids don't know/understand that they need to pay for it so you need to ask them before they get in the chair.

I rarely see parents with children when I work... probably because of the type of events I generally do.

I registered on this site a while ago but haven't been on for quite a while. Now that I have found my way back I am going to make a concerted effort to post. As a new comer to face painting I have started with pay per face events. However, as a newcomer who paints alone with no little helpers I have struggled to make sure that I have been paid. On several occasions parents have disappeared once the child has been seated and I couldn't say hand on heart that I had been paid. Therefore I TRY to make a point of getting paid as a child is seated and before painting begins. It seems a bit cheeky to ask upfront but until I become more focused and PROFESSIONAL I 'll continue.

Hello, newbie here and yes, I got paid after the painting and at one point in all the confussion money was left on my table and I had no idea who's child it was for and how many or if they even needed change for that matter. They didn't come back for it so I guess I could have been tipped nicely or short changed, whew......was I rattleing?

I did $3, $5 and $8, took the money before they even stepped foot in the tent, put a tip jar on the counter.

Tash wrote:I might be old fashioned in this regard but am I the only one who likes to recieve the product before I hand over the money?
With the exception of ordering on the net.
If you think about it imagine getting any service done - like carpet cleaning or a plumber and paying before they have done the work?.... yeah no.
Or a restaraunt that wanted to know what you were going to order and to pay up front?
I know i works for speed and all for us... but they aren't going to pull their wallet out Again after they already paid you before.... so no tips....
my customers regularly over pay me after they see the work.
I have NEVER had anyone leave without paying. I make sure they pay before their kid gets out of the chair.

Yes. This.

And this is why a line manager/two person booth is so awesome. I don't worry about the money when it's busy. We hang our tip "bucket" (it's a little, clear paint bucket) from the top of the tent with a sign about liking us on FB. I find that while I'm painting, my hub takes the money and fields questions from everyone, a tip gets put in before I'm even done. They can tell by the progress whether or not they will like it.

I take money after...and occasionally I've missed someone...but they remind me!! And really...if someone is 'that' kind of person, to short change me...well, there are enough good, considerate, paying customers...I don't sweat it. I've never had anyone to my knowledge walk off, and if they did...well, it will come back to them in the future somehow. I think I've only had one time where someone didn;t realize it wasn't free...and they happily paid when they found out. To me, missing one is a small risk...I prefer to be paid after.

I loath PPF jobs. We've done a few, the exposure is nice, but the money handling was a pain. Pretty sure I've been ripped off. Both painters would be painting for the same family, and there were times when I assumed they paid her, and she assumed they paid me! Get a system down, and stick to it, if you like to do PPF gigs. Also, we just did a board of $5 faces, then there is little to no change to deal with. The slightly more elaborate designs balance out with the quick rainbows and pirates:)

Hello - another "newbie" to this forum but I've been painting for the last 3 months and also painted for 3 years previously (took a 5 year hiatus for another job). I work mostly at an amusement park inside of a mall (look at my location I bet you know where ) Payment there can be hairy since we are contractors and do not accept either the ride passes or credit cards (LOTS of people assume we do) so I make sure that when a child picks a design I recite to the ADULT with them how much it will cost. People usually ask up front if it is cash but definitely not always and we don't have a sign unfortunately. Due to this I have had a few people need to run to a cash machine which has lead to not getting paid - maybe twice this summer to me and another painter. Generally they come back or even leave their kid there or get it while I am painting (then I go slowly...). It stinks when they do this but since I am working on commission only I know I need to be responsible for my payment. We tend to take payment after the service and the point has been made about tipping. Many days I make enough in tips to make up for a would be "paint and run" but again it happens so infrequently that when it does I just let it go. I think if I had my own booth or business I would make sure to include a sign that reads cash only and one that says small bills appreciated. I have it happen often too where people want change for a 50 or 100 bill and I generally don't carry that much in my bank nor do I like accepting these large bills.

At my company's events we start at $4 and up for cheek designs and $10 and up for full faces. Seems to be a reasonable price since the painter only keeps 45-60% of the total and since parents are still quite willing to pay that. If I had my own booth - again I might price things a little differently but you do have to account your costs like if you are renting the space or splitting totals with other painters, etc. And of course the paint.

Gosh money is such a little stinker!

I charge $3, $5, $10, and $15

It depends on how slow or what's going on for when I take money. Most of the time, people expect to pay while its being done, especially since my board is made of pictures of work they can expect. If it is a kid by themselves, I make sure they have money or that they know it costs money then I secure with the parents how they want to spend. On busy days, I have a booth manager and he handles it all.

I've never had someone walk away without paying and many times, they come back later to give me a tip! That part always surprises me.

AmberMarie wrote:I charge $3, $5, $10, and $15

What do you charge 15 for? Full faces?

I try to keep it as simple as I can - $5 and $10 - I take the money after.

I find this difficult also, I have my mum come with me as my helper, she helps take the money, even changes my water for me (she's a darl) anyway though, I would RATHER take the money afterwards, but since the parents always disappear I have to unfortunately be the big bad monster asking the kids to get the money up front, well thats what I try anyway....

I also had an issue one market, where i wrote on my sign, CHEEK & ARM ART $5, so they thought they could get both for $5.... unfortunately that didn't go well...I had to do it....

So I am also looking for any tips here, what do you do in market situations when the parent leaves? I've never ever paid for any of my daughters face paints up front - before I started painting....but I've always known its my obligation to pay , but it doesn't seem to be standard with everyone .... does that make sense? Or am i rambling now?

We have several full faces that are $15. As I said I work in a mall kiosk so things tend to be expensive there. Where I doing this on my own I would probably try to keep around $10 range. But I am surprised by the amount of people that are still willing to pay $15 so if you have something you think warrants it - why not?

Hi. I'm just starting FP and still nowhere near the level where I could charge
Just curious, how long would a typical full face for $10-$15 take? (with me practice is taking about 30+mins painting on my own face)
15 mins, thats max $60 an hour, nice if you can get it but 30mins drops you to $30 if business is good.........
Other threads suggest $120 an hour, presumably for parties so quite a big dif.