Barber Shop Blues

 

I lived above a Barber's Shop for several years and always went to one to have my hair cut until my late 20s. Then I switched to a trendy fashionable chain of hairdressing salons in which there were stylists. To this day, nearly all the male population visit Barber's Shops and decide where to go on the basis mainly of the cost of the haircut.

 

In fact, getting your haircut for '31 by salon stylist is better value for money than spending '10 in a barber's shop. There are many reasons for this- in the salon you get your hair washed and conditioned, you get an initial consultation with the stylist, you get a much trendier cut that lasts a lot longer and looks a lot better over time, you receive complimentary drinks and get to spend your time in a salon full of great looking women and (mostly obviously homosexual) men. (For some reason the men working in salons are often openly gay). The salon cut takes around an hour and involves cutting then drying and then finishing the cut.

 

You also can book an appointment at a salon rather than the first come first served principle that applies at most barber shops, meaning that you may have to wait for half an hour or so- or go and come back- wasting time. To me, the wait is almost as wasteful as the poor cut- although I must admit I have spent many a happy time reading through the ample 'lad's mags' at the barbers- much more interesting than the girly mags that populate the salons.

 

At a barber's shop you tend to get a 15 minute cut from a stylist who has probably not been professionally trained in a place full of other young men after the same. The cut may look good for a week or two but as the hair grows it starts to look bad- meaning you ending up getting it cut sooner and therefore spend more money.

 

Of course most people tend to go to the barber shop despite these differences because they look merely at the costs and not the benefits. They don't realise the better overall value of a salon cut because even I the economist spent years looking for a better barber rather than looking for a better grade of cut. Many people simply compare a cut for '5 and '6 and select the cheaper one- end of story.

 

In summary, despite what many men think (or more accurately don't think at all), barber's shops are often false economy compared to salon cuts when all the total direct and indirect costs are taken into account.

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Author: Simon Buckingham

What do you think?

To make a comment to the author, send e-mail to simon@unorgan.com