The Tortoise and the Hair

I care about my appearance.  Yeah, I'm a little older, and a little bit out of shape.  I have a few health issues, and my stress level is way too high.  Occasionally, I dress down and don't care.  But I really do care about how I look.  That includes my hair.  It's graying and thinning, but I care about how my hair looks.

I went to get a much needed haircut yesterday afternoon.  I tend to put convenience over quality, and I went to the local hair chain, a place I've been to many times with mixed results.  For the most part, I've gotten decent haircuts.  It all depends on who is doing the cutting.  There are a few regulars who I see every time I go, and I know who does a good job with my hair and who doesn't.  I try to avoid the ones who don't, but since I don't have a regular "guy," I just go with whoever is available.  With ten people working there, the odds of getting a bad haircut are slim.  There is one young lady there who is not very good.  She has been there for years, and has cut my hair about five or six times.  It always results in a bad haircut.  I'm not exaggerating.

So I arrived yesterday afternoon needing a haircut.  She was working, just as she always is.  I don't think she ever takes a day off.  She's always there.  They usually take customers in the order they come in the door, and there were four people ahead of me.  I watched as one of the customers was called back.  Then, the young-lady-who-cuts-hair-badly (or YLWCHB) finished with her customer and came to the front.  I was happy to see this because I knew she would take the next customer, and with at least 2 people in front of me, and with ten other hair stylists working, I knew I was safe.  YLWCHB checked the computer, then called out my name.  I quickly looked over at the other folks waiting, and none looked up or stirred.  I looked back at YLWCHB and she looked at me, and she said, "You're next!"  My heart sank.

I made the long trek from the waiting area to her chair, where she asked what I wanted to have done.  I told her, and she dug in.  Her bedside manner isn't very good.  She asks questions but doesn't listen to my responses.  She interrupts the haircut to talk on the phone (this time it was about her air conditioner), but resumes the haircut before she's finished talking and doesn't pay attention to what she's doing.  Her hair was green.  She appears to be in her early 30s, so I'm not sure what kind of statement she's trying to make.  She finished the haircut in 5 minutes.  She is the only person I know of who finishes a haircut in that short amount of time.  Every other haircut I've received from others takes longer.  Because my hair is completely soaked from her water spray bottle, it is impossible to know what my hair really looks like when she finishes, so it's always after I get home that I find out just how badly she has cut my hair.

I was in and out in 15 minutes even with the wait after I arrived.  I went home, allowing my hair to air dry.  When I got home, I surveyed the damage.  It was horrible.  The length of my hair was completely inconsistent on top (my hair actually forms a point on top of my head now!).  I'm embarrassed.  YLWCHB just doesn't know how to cut hair.

So I'm weighing whether to finally confront the issue and return to the store today and talk to the manager, as well as to see if I can get my hair repaired.  My hair may end up even shorter, but at least it will look normal.  I hope.

There's a lesson to be learned here.  If you don't like something, say it.  You're the customer, and the last I heard, the customer is always right.  Especially when it's your own hair.

Have a great weekend, everyone!