From A Barber, On Bad Haircuts, How To Avoid Them.

[David2775]

25. Reply

I appreciate your comment.
It has a lot of good ideas, I generally agree with you in so far as I need to ask more questions on how they want they want it.

I am sorry about your last visit.
I sounds like she used a razor to cut your hair, ( it can take a lot off fast.) Stylist that I know use it more to accent the haircut at the end. Sounds like it was a Salon that probably took more than an hour to do. It probably cost up-wards of $100.00

My situation is different in that I live, in a mostly republican town, of 150k. people, I take walk-ins, and not appointments, a haircut is 12.00, its short hair and I have a fraction of the time to do it in. I normally have the added pressure of other people waiting on me. I do not have a lot of time to figure it out.

I don't mean to complain, I just feel like they are never happy with me.
I think what you suggest works on your personality and my personality. Female clients probably enjoy talking about what they want a little more, which is a good and helpful thing.

My clients seem very reluctant to participate.
I have had men tell me that they don't want to answer my questions. When I ask beyond 2 or 3 things. I can hear suspicion raise in there voice, ( like may be Ive never held a pair of scissors before). I had one old guy about 45 yrs old rise up out of the chair, turn and look at me and say ( Well you are the barber, don't you know?) Like I am an all knowing, supreme, mind reading, being.

Or Ive had them say something like I was in here a once before, two months ago, ( do you remember me?) and they act hurt and offended that I can not remember them. ( which is not humanly possible)

I have attempted to solve this problem, my taking there contact information and having them tell me there phone number every time that come in, ( I paid money for a computer system) to store it, and pull up there details of the last cut, so I would know what I did for them last time. I got about half of the people to do it. They were convinced that I was going to ( sell there information to other people, or the government.) whatever that means. They are white, born here, so I have no idea why there hiding form the government, republicans I guess.

So, I don't know, I have never been good with people, I am not good at reading them. In my mind I equate it with placing an order at burger king. If I wanted a Milkshake, I would tell them, I wanted a Milkshake, they really cant anticipate me wanting one. .

And then there are other times, I don't think that its about the hair at all. Sometimes I think that they just want me to flatter them with compliments, honeyed words and invite them to a backyard BBQ, and that they want to me to make them a local celebrity, and will be a pain to me until they get what they want.
I don't know if there is always logic for what they are doing.