Haircut Argh!

For the last two days I've tried to get into Supercuts for a haircut. Argh!!!! I know, it's a quick bad haircut but I'm not as picky with a haircut like I am with my shaving soaps or razors. The first day had two guys in front of me with a third in the chair. No problem...I waited and waited and waited. 20 minutes later she was still working on the original guy in the chair. And she was the only hairstylist in the store. I left to return this morning with the same deal. Difference being there was two hairstylist, only three guys in the shop but was told an hour wait. An hour wait????? These guys getting cuts aren't women!! Zip those guys up and git r done. 10 minutes tops.

Not going there again even if I have a coupon.

I hated all the hassle of getting a haircut so much I bought clippers and cut my own for a while but the sub par results sent me back to the barber. I don't like all the chain places because the staff seems to rotate a lot and it's hard to get your hair cut by the same person that did it the last time. I'm not too vain but I like to know how it's going to look at the end.
I like small barber shops where the owner is doing the cutting. Had one close to me at my last address who I used for a long time and now I go to one a couple of doors down from my gym so it's pretty convenient.

Friends don't let friends go to Supercuts.

I stopped going to places like Supercuts because I couldn't get consistent results. I've been using Floyds which is a chain, but seems to employ slightly higher skilled folks. You can call ahead and get on the wait list, so there's that.

I also learned how to cut my own hair - so I only really need to get into a chair once every six or eight months. I became proficient at tapering the sides & back, and trim the top when necessary. Something to consider.

I book a time for my bi-annuals, the half hour's mine. Show up at the designated moment, into the chair and down to business. Half hour later and i'm good for another six months, sorta the limit of my wife's tolerance.

dave

I was going to Bird's Barbershop on South Lamar here in Austin...a real quirky place with a very cute owner. Good cut, but not as convenient. Still, it maybe worth it to know that a cut can be completed in a day.

Edit: Just found a Bird's about a mile from my house. YeePee!! And they serve a complimentary Shiner Bock beer.


http://birdsbarbershop.com/locations/slaughter/

I had been going to a Great Clips for about five years to the same stylist. My hair is thinning out on top now, and I was having a hard time getting her to cut it right. Anyway, after I returned to wet shaving, and after a particularly bad haircut, I found an old time barber shop that is on the way from work to home. Now I go in every 3-4 weeks to get a great haircut from whomever is available. For $17, I get the haircut, a hot towel and lather on my neck and around the ears, then a nice barber razor cleanup. It ends with some Stephans Bay Rum on the shaved places and a trip home feeling and smelling good. I plan to go in someday soon for a full shave. I'll never go back to the darkside (chains) again.

I haven't had a store bought haircut in years. My barber moved away when I was 19 so I grew my hair out and pulled it back into a pony tail. It started getting thin in my mid 20s so I bought a pair of clippers and just started buzzing it off. Once it really started to get thin I started shaving it off.

[MENTION=104921]Doug57[/MENTION] Sounds like a really nice place.
[MENTION=102704]troy[/MENTION] I'm headed that way myself Troy.

Those chain salons suck. One thing I have noticed throughout the years is that there is a difference between a barber and a stylist. It seems like most stylists don't know how to fade, line up, or even shave the backs of necks properly. The barbershop I go to is great at all of those things I mentioned. It's a Hispanic barbershop with a real laid back atmosphere and barbers who pay attention to detail and take pride in their work.

Yeah, chain salons can be hit or miss. You can never get consistent results and for men's styles, they only seem to be proficient at the latest looks (i.e., quiffs and the like, or those overpriced men's cuts you see on barbershop videos on Youtube). I'm lucky that I have a barbershop close to me and there's a Korean woman in there that can give me a perfect side-taper cut, shave the back of my neck, and do a hot towel all in about 10 or 15 minutes.

August West said:

Friends don't let friends go to Supercuts.

Click to expand...

+10

This too goes for any chain hair shop in my experience. I have found it is worth the extra effort to find a good local barber and develop a relationship with them. Sometimes you can't put a price on customer service or the traditional barbershop experience. Additionally local barbers usually have much more invested in their business and go the extra mile. YMMV though.

I much prefer the experience of a smaller barber shop as opposed to the likes of Supercuts. I did use them once, and was put off for life. The 'stylist' couldn't translate "short (no1) back and sides, with about an inch and a half on top, blended in to the sides" at all.

My recent wanderings to find a decent local barber have lead me to a chap who didn't know a Scumbag Boogie if it hit him in the beard, but once he'd taken a look at one, he knocked it out of the park...I'll be going back time and again.

Supercuts is half responsible for the way I do my hair today. I used to get it trimmed just long enough to slick it back & gel into an immobile shell. One day, I accidentally gave the wrong measurements & when I washed it out, my hair was so short I couldn't get it to stay down. Well, half wanted to go down, the other half wanted to stick up. Lead me to start trimming it back myself, short enough to not have to do anything but towel dry & let it do its thing. About a year later, I was getting help buzzing my neck & my "helpful" assistant notices a bit I missed towards the front & goes to fix it, not bothering to put a blade guard on, & takes a chunk out of my hair. Had to shave everything off to make it even. Been shaving my head ~1.75-2 months ever since.

TLDR, some good does come out of Supercuts.

I let SWMBO cut my hair today...


I'm probably going to have to pay to have it fixed, but it was her first try.

I know the frustration. I am currently going to a Great Clips but the lady who cuts my hair is a BARBER, not a 'stylist'. She carries a Kansas barber's license which still requires a LOT more schooling and training than a cosmetologist or whatever the other license is called. Yes, most of her clientele are women and the ladies cuts and perms cost much more than ours do. And yes, you get the rather quick in/out pace of the cut. But at least she understands it and does her very best. If she ever quits, moves, retires or whatever else, the first thing I will look for is hone of these new-yet-old barbershops. You know the stereotype; Tats, rockabilly music, etc. I don't care about that. Most of these young guys are actually very passionate about their trades and I am willing to pay up for the quality of cut and products they sell.

I hate when my stylist/barber stops my haircut to answer the dang phone. I'm money in the bank for them not a person that's ringing the phone. I worked in retail with my dad. He always told me never, ever, never answer the phone when you are working with a customer. It would be like me answering my cell phone in the middle of an interview for a job.

I go to a place here called sport clips and they do ok but it is like supercuts. For the last year or so they have had the same staff so I have that going for me. There is a guy there that cuts my hair on occasion and he is very good but I never know when he is working and it is hit or miss. If any of those people move on I am so screwed.

My barber shop story is I went and tried two different places several years ago. They both butchered me (how is that possible at a barber shop anyways Now I am very skittish about doing any more local joints.

My super cuts story: Last time I went to one was about 15yrs ago. I went it to "sign in" and was told it was a two hour wait. I thought, but isn't this like a burger king or fast food joint where it is supposed to be fast. Come to find out that they were booking people like a regular "salon". I am confused about many things in life but when a speedy hair cut place is something else then I know the apocalypse has already started.

If you are local to the Rochester NY area avoid places like hairzoo. Major turnover. One haircut I had there took over 1hr, normal time should be < 15mins or so.

I am so tempted to go bald just so that I don't have to stress about bad haircuts.

Its a sad state of affairs, but the small barber's shops are going away. When we get to the soviet of all going to just one chain store for whatever (would you like fries with that mullet sahib?) , I've enough razors to safely shave my head. Tried the chemo, hair came right back, so that doesn't solve it either

Save the hassle, the time, and the money..... Just cut it yourself. That's what I do.