Many restaurants and retailers will thank veterans with free or discounted services on Veterans Day, and Great Clips has added a new twist to this growing national trend.
Yes, the chain of salons will give away free haircuts to veterans and active duty military personnel on Veterans Day. But Great Clips is also enlisting the help of its non-military customers to reach more members of the military community.
Great Clips, which has about 4,000 locations in North America, is calling the promotion the “Thank a Veteran” initiative. The salons have given away over 10 million free haircuts in the 11 years they have run this promotion. That comes out to over 200,000 free haircuts to veterans each year. They look forward to serving more in 2024.
Great Clips is one of many companies offering Veterans Day discounts on products and services to thankful vets this November.
We are working on validating Veterans Day discounts for 2024. Below is last year’s Veterans Day discount.
Great Clips Military Discount
Most Great Clips franchises support military members and first responders with a daily discount. The discount at most locations ranges from $2-$5. Be sure to ask about available discounts when paying for your haircut. And, as always, be sure to tip on the full value of the service provided!
Great Clips Free Haircut on Veterans Day
Great Clips also gives veterans and current military members a free haircut on Veterans Day:
- Visit a U.S. Great Clips salon on Nov. 11 receive either a free haircut that day or the free haircut card to use at a later date.
Non-military customers who purchase a service at a U.S. Great Clips salon on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) will receive a coupon for a free haircut card to give to a veteran you know. The veteran can redeem their haircut between Nov. 12, 2023 – Dec. 1, 2023.
How Can You ‘Thank a Veteran?’
Here’s how it works: Any non-military member who visits a Great Clips location on Wednesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day, can pick up a free haircut card (valid until Dec. 1, 2023).
Just get your haircut, pay your stylist as usual, and pick up a “Thank a Veteran” card before you leave. You won’t use the card yourself. Instead, you can give it to any veteran or military member you’d like to thank for their sacrifice.
It can be a family member, someone you know from work, or even someone you meet after picking up the card; someone you see on the bus or in line at the DMV, for example.
The veteran or military member you thank can present the card at any participating Great Clips location and redeem it for a free haircut. To find a Great Clips near you, check their locations here on their homepage.
How Can a Veteran Redeem the Card?
If you’re a veteran or currently serving in the military and someone gives you a free haircut card, you can redeem it at any Great Clips location.
Bring the free haircut card you received, of course, but also be sure to bring some proof of military service.
Some typically accepted forms of proof include:
- Military ID Card
- Veterans ID Card
- Driver’s License with Veterans Designation
- DD 214
- Veterans Service Organization Card
Be sure to present the card and verification to your stylist before sitting in the chair. You will not need to make a purchase of any kind to use your free coupon, though additional services or products you add will cost full price.
What’s the Timing for the Deal?
Some retailers and restaurants offer deals all weekend or on the Monday following Veterans Day, which is when the federal government observes the holiday.
Great Clips will make its “Thank a Veteran” free haircut cards available only on Monday, Nov. 11.
While the cards will be available for only one day, they can be redeemed on any day through Dec. 1, 2023, which makes a lot of sense because not everyone needs a haircut on the same day.
Most Great Clips salons open every weekday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., though there are exceptions in some markets. Weekend hours may also vary. Check your location’s hours online or by calling before arriving, especially if you’re going early in the morning, late in the evening, or on a weekend.
Are There Conditions or Restrictions?
You can expect a little fine print like any free service or promotion. Great Clips’ offer is pretty straightforward, though. The person who gave you the card already made the purchase that’s connected to your free haircut.
With your free haircut card, and after showing proof of your status as a veteran, you’re entitled to a free, regular-priced haircut from a Great Clips stylist between Nov. 12 and Dec. 1, 2023.
As indicated above, the card covers only the haircut, not additional services such as dyes or styles or any of the salon’s retail products such as shampoo or conditioner.
What to Expect at Your Local Great Clips on Veterans Day
Haircuts can be personal. Great Clips specializes in welcoming new clients and making them feel comfortable. Most stores have a small waiting area up front. Depending on how busy the location is when you arrive, you may need to wait a few minutes before a staff member can help you.
You’ll check in, then have a seat and wait your turn. Your Great Clips stylist will call you back and ask what kind of cut you’d like.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, reservations are recommended. Many stores may also require masks. Be sure to call ahead.
Checking In Online Can Save Time
Most Great Clips locations now encourage clients to check in online before arriving. You’ll need to share your name and phone number on the site to get checked in. However, many Great Clips salons don’t open the online check-in until several minutes after the store opens, allowing their stylists to check in customers who were waiting in person for the store to open.
By checking in online, you’ll already be officially “in line” before arriving, which means you won’t have to wait as long.
If you check in online as a new customer, take note of the phone number you used because Great Clips will save the number and associate it with your account.
In the future, when you arrive for a haircut, the staff will use your phone number to find “Clip Notes” from your last haircut so the next stylist will know how you want it cut.
Where to Find a Great Clips (and Other Info)
With more than 4,000 locations in North America, Great Clips is one of the busiest salon chains in the world. In 2013, its sales topped $1 billion.
Stores tend to be in busy shopping centers near grocery stores or department stores. The company’s website lets you find (and check-in at) locations nearest you.
The very first Great Clips opened on the campus of the University of Minnesota in 1982. The idea was to create a no-frills salon where customers could get a haircut quickly from a qualified staff member without needing to make an appointment.
The owners discovered they’d hit upon a successful business model right away and started expanding. Within three months, the company already had three locations.
By 1988, the company reached 250 locations; in 1997, it surpassed the 1,000-franchise mark. Since then expansion has continued steadily.
Go Ahead and ‘Thank a Veteran’
If you need a haircut without a lot of fuss, head to Great Clips on Nov. 11. Pick up a ‘Thank a Veteran’ card.
You never know when you may meet a veteran or active duty military member. They’ve earned our respect and gratitude, and Veterans Day offers a great time to let them know that.
Giving a veteran a free haircut is pretty cool, too. And if you are a veteran, you could receive the generous gift of a free haircut from a friend, family member, or a stranger on the street. Military discounts bring veterans and businesses together in a beautiful way.
Thanks to the generosity of businesses looking to say thank you, you can get free meals this Veterans Day and find discounts on attractions and events as well, right after you get your free haircut at Great Clips.
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Jane says
We literally dread this every year because NO ONE tips you and we have to work. It’s a charity service my company offers at my expense, no questions asked- and the fact that that has to do with me wishing to decline someone a free service, that I am in loan debt for (with no assistance because I’m not first responder, or military) does not fall deaf on me. Please, go get your free haircut, but also please tip your stylist accordingly..
if you can not tip, you can not afford it at any price point.
It’s absurd that i have to thank someone for their service that doesn’t thank me for mine.
(Also 3 dollars is not a tip is an insult)
Ryan Guina says
Jane, thank you for bringing up such an important topic. We always encourage our readers to tip on the value of the service provided, not the purchase price. And I always encourage tipping more when you receive a free product or service. It’s the right thing to do!
James Miller says
My local great clips told me they no longer offer the Veteran’s discount.