next time just stick with the 2. j/k
I made a kid cry last night.
- Thread starter ~Rocco~
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I cried once almost. I paid $60 smacks for a "stylists" to fondle my hair, fluff it, flip it, snip it and finally after all said and done he said "how do you like it?" I said honestly you need to go to barber school. Paid the bill and got a haircut across the street for $13. I felt violated.
Glad I go to a barber now There are two in my area so old school they don't even have phones!
Had me rolling!
- Thread starter
- #24
Yes....."Really".
His very reddened eyes & tears were clearly from his anger & frustration of not being able to get his faux hawk.
He wasn't crying audibly though.
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Being 'child friendly' is a particular skill that has a lot to do with getting down to their level, without the connotation of getting "down" to their level. But take a few minutes to find out what they want ... not in terms of labels or standard haircut names, but find out from the young lad what he wants his hair to look like when you are done.
Boy, I'm glad I'm not the only one that wants the flat top w/fenders...
First, I will say you did what the customer asked you to do. But, It is a shame the boy did not speak up in the beginning. He obviously knew what kind of hair cut he wanted and it seems like the dad did not understand and told you the wrong thing.
Doc has some good advice. Growing up I always liked the barbers best who asked me how I wanted my hair cut instead of relying on what my dad said(even though he did understand what I wanted) They may not be able to give you technical terms all of the time(most adults wont either I am thinking), but an 11 year old should be able to explain how he wants it to look. The younger the kid, the tougher it is to get details and descriptions. Take an extra minute to talk to the young kids. They have a bigger sense of self then many adults give them credit for.
The small portfolio is not a bad idea, so if a client is having a tough time explaining or you a tough time understanding you have some pictures you both can reference.
Doc has some good advice. Growing up I always liked the barbers best who asked me how I wanted my hair cut instead of relying on what my dad said(even though he did understand what I wanted) They may not be able to give you technical terms all of the time(most adults wont either I am thinking), but an 11 year old should be able to explain how he wants it to look. The younger the kid, the tougher it is to get details and descriptions. Take an extra minute to talk to the young kids. They have a bigger sense of self then many adults give them credit for.
The small portfolio is not a bad idea, so if a client is having a tough time explaining or you a tough time understanding you have some pictures you both can reference.
Well said. Although the "young lad" agreed to the haircut, you did give him and his father what they asked for. It can be harder to give people what they really want, not necessarily what they are asking for. I still view this as a learning experience not only for you, but also the "young lad", and don't beat yourself up over it because you are obviously trying never to have this happen again. BTW, what did the trainer say?
- Thread starter
- #29
Both of my instructors stated that I should not worry too much about this one particular incident. They also said that once in a while there are going to be some customers who may think that they know the proper names/terms of a haircut that they want, when in fact they really do not know the proper names/terms for a haircut. (Heck, I still don't know all of the proper names/terms).
Therefore, going forward I should always try and refer these types of unfamiliar customers to the 'men's haircut posters' to get a more accurate idea of what they are truly looking for.
In conclusion I'm guessing that any day I can learn something new should be considered to be a good day. =-)
I think you did the right thing, but I would ask the kid again, and use your hand gestures to show where it's short and long at. "You mean short through here and long through here, right?" One kid or Dad might have the wrong idea of a Faux look. There was miscommunication. That's all it was. I also think the kid's hair is unique in school now, and he'll get compliments from his friends for a "rad" look.
You did the world a great service. One less faux hawk in the world.
- Thread starter
- #32
It's a tough lesson to learn at 11 but, you get what you ask for - even if your father is doing the asking for you.
you did fine , the father gave you the instructions & you complied ; through the years most barbers that i went to, hated when mom came along ; feel lucky that it was dad , many moms will stand right next to the chair & give instructions each clip of the way so i am told - you'll have good days and bad just like the rest of us 
Everything is different now. When I was about 6 or 7, my mother gave my older brother, who was 12 or 13, money to pay for our hair cuts. We would walk (and I'm not trying to impress) about 1.5 miles to the barber, without our Mom, and tell the barber what we wanted. It's a shame that a kids can't go anywhere unsupervised these days.
Did the same thing..and my mother was horrified once when I got home. I told the very old school barber I wanted a "short back and sides". I got it. (What I really meant was I wanted my hair a bit shorter on the back and the sides). This was when everyone wore their hair long.
The hair cut by your self as a kid was awesome until I cut off my mullet and my mom yelled at me. True story. It was a glorious mullet by the way.
I would suggest learning Spanish if you are going to be in the service industry, especially in Texas. Expanding your client base is going to be important particularly if you want to open your own shop.
I would suggest learning Spanish if you are going to be in the service industry, especially in Texas. Expanding your client base is going to be important particularly if you want to open your own shop.
we use to call that "white walls" if it was very short on back & sides , in fact we'd say to the barber , no "white walls" - do you remember or had you heard that expression ?
Did the same walk - Halloween is another one that reflects the changed times , we usually went out in small to large groups & took apple cider at some homes, my personal flavorite , without a worry & never checked the candy for foreign bodies - that's why they were "the good ole days"
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I wonder when "white walls" will be back in style?
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