An actual Barbershop story (odd)

So I go to one of my local barbershops for a trim. Not a chain, just 3 or 4 guys cutting hair, lots of sports flags. Raiders vs Niners. Each station does have a TV playing a sports channel, but that's as highbrow as this place gets. We're talking $15 cuts.

I'm in the chair about halfway through and facing the mirror. Guy comes in (I didn't take any notice of him) and asks my barber how many ahead of him. My guy says 3. He says, "What would it take to make me next?" My guy says bring money.

Out he goes and comes right back in and hands my guy a crisp c note (which I see in his drawer). My barber then points to the next 3 customers and says, "your haircut is free" (he did apologize to me and said since I was already in the chair, I wasn't included).

When I'm finished, I get out of the chair and see the guy, and he looks Indian and maybe 6'2" and built big.

I walk out of the shop and see a Rolls Royce "muscle car" parked out front with big RR rims. It was a two tone Wraith. If there's an "urban" Rolls, this is it. I'm assuming it was his.

Would you have been cranky if someone bought their way to the head of the line?

Yes.

Not if I got a free haircut out of it.

My cut is free? I'm G2G!

Sounds as much social club as barber. Wander in, i've got all the time in the world, see if anyone's available to cut my hair, hang with the guys, watch some TV, hang with the guys, wait my turn, someone comes in buys me a haircut, gives me more time to hang with the guys, watch TV, hmmm... should i be tipping the big guy with the Rolls?

I book an appointment show up 5 minutes before and he's usually waiting, the next half hour's mine, never been bumped in the twenty years he's been cutting me.
dave

6'2" muscle man who paid for my haircut? I wouldn't get cranky in that situation. I would invest my savings in beer.

So the barber gets a huge tip and I gotta wait another 20 minutes? I would have made that guy pay ME to take my place.

A few months ago I was at my barber and this gent was lounging around, playing on his phone, playing on the guys computer, talking up a storm with the barber. He acted like he was in no hurry at all. And when the barber called him up he let me go ahead of him.
I wasn't in much of a hurry either but I paid for his haircut too before I left.

Would I be annoyed that some guy paid his way to jump the line...but got a free haircut in the process? Probably not. And besides, there's eventually an interesting story to tell afterwards.

If I weren't in a hurry, I probably would not care too much. Too much. I would have been liked to be asked, whether by the barber or the customer.

If time were tight, I would have said something. If the barber had a problem, he probably wouldn't be my barber after that. Let him live off the big spender.

I would have been upset for sure. But I'm happy the barber bought everybody's haircut. It makes up for the lack of customer care.

I'm wondering why a guy with a RR Muscle Car and the ability to toss around C-notes is so anxious to get a $15 haircut?

I don't know why he was in such a hurry. He might have a court appearance that day, or was getting ready for a hot date, but still, I think that both he and the barber were being rude.

T.Orso said:

6'2" muscle man who paid for my haircut? I wouldn't get cranky in that situation. I would invest my savings in beer.

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+1. Fine by me.

I would have burned the place to the ground.

But that's me...Mr. Unstable.

And if I had time to wait. Barber should have asked those in line before accepting the Franklin.

MicBaldy said:

Not if I got a free haircut out of it.

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If time is at a premium why use a service that has no predictable length of time needed to get the job done?

I used to have an amazing barber in the small town where I live.

Then he retired and sold the building and the business to a young lady and it quickly went to hell in a handbasket. I am not big on sports but I disliked being forced to watch Oprah.

Now we have two barbershops on either edge of town. They are both owned and operated by Bible Thumpers. I want a haircut not a sermon!

So I have chosen the lesser of the evils (the other guy sells books on religion that he self publishes) and go in when I notice there are no cars in the parking lot so I can get in and get out quick.

So yes, I would have been pissed.

That reminds me of when I was a kid. In the late 60s early 70s I lived in NJ. My Mom used to bring me to a little barbershop -- you know, the kind with two old Italian barbers from the Old Country running it. I remember a couple of times, a long black Caddy would pull up in front and this little Italian Mafia-looking guy would come in. Short guy -- maybe 5'2", but built like a tank. Black suit, Homberg hat, sunglasses.
He'd walk in and the the two barbers would excuse themselves from their customers and follow they guy into the back room. About two minutes later, they'd all come back out -- the barbers would return to their customer's cuts, and the little guy would get back in the long black car and drive off.

I've always wondered if they were paying the guy for protection, or laundering money through the business....

IF I still got my hair cut and had to wait an extra 20-30 minutes and have a free cut out of it? I guess thats not horrible. Granted, IF I still got my haircut at a barber, I would likely do it on a weekday in the AM when there is practically NO ONE there (local place).

But I cut my own hair and that $20 clipper set I bought 5+ years ago is still going strong Granted because of my thinning hair, I do a #2 buzzcut. If I still had thick, full hair, I would still be styling it and going to a barber.

I went in to a barbershop to get a haircut just before leaving town for my daughter's wedding: one very old barber and one comfortable chair. We discussed all sorts of veteran stuff; he was in the Navy during WWII. He talked about retiring soon because of the strain of standing on his feet for long periods of time. He finished up... I paid and gave him a nice tip... and he turned the "Open" sign on the door around as I left.

When I returned to town after the weekend, the barbershop was closed... and a couple weeks later another business moved in.

He had been cutting hair for over 65 years, and I was his last head!

Yes, I would. And I wouldn't go back to that barbershop.