Part three? It seems like I banged out part one a heckuva long time ago. Let’s see, there was the attempted haircut at Supercuts. Or was it Great Clips? Doesn’t matter which corporate joint it was, they’re all the same. The employees were rude and nasty.
Part two involved a satisfying fantasy in which I slugged it out with the rude and nasty low level representatives of everything that’s wrong with the corporations of the world.
Part three goes something like this…
The following Saturday, I found myself with a raggedy head of hair and a couple of free hours. It was time to get old school. I got in my car and searched for an old time, mom and pop operated barbershop. I must have driven past a dozen Supercuts, Great Clips, and Super Clips before a spotted an honest to goodness barber shop pole.
It was a small place. There were three barbers and four chairs. The football game was on the television. Two guys were cutting hair. The third barber looked like an old-guy version of Steve McQueen. None of these guys wore eye make-up or metal in their faces.
When the barber asked how he could help me, I fought back the urge to order pastrami on rye, asking instead for a haircut. Come to think of it, the guy sounded a little like Steve McQueen. He took his time, stopping to watch the football game often. I had almost forgotten the pleasure of an old fashioned haircut, complete with hot shaving cream and a straight razor. Yeah, it was a relaxing experience, not a lot of conversation, and that was ok.
I paid up and was on my way. The price was fifteen bucks, three dollars more than at the corporate owned joint. The guy gave me a pretty good hair cut, considering what he was working with. As a matter of fact, it’s the best haircut I’ve had in a long time, well worth the extra three bucks.
I stuck it to the man and you know what? I’m going to keep on sticking it to him! No more soulless, sociopathic corporate owned haircutting joints for this guy.
Oh, there’s one more thing; I distinctly heard one of the other guys call my barber Steve. Makes you wonder…
6 comments:
Fifteen bucks? That's what I spent on haircuts lifetime. In the part of my youth in the Bronx I never talk about, if you asked a barber for a haircut, he just said, "We deal in lead friend."
What, no hair pulling or fist fights?!
Oh well, all's good that ends well. Enjoy your new haircut.
Fun few posts :)
Your experience sounds so familiar! Glad you found a mom and pop shop. I now have my hubby cut my hair. The first couple of years my hair didn't look so great. But now, that guy can cut some hair!
Enjoyed the story.
My husband always gets excited when he sees a real barber shop. Glad you got a nice haircut and stuck it to the man at the same time!
BTW, thanks for visiting my blog recently. Look forward to reading more of your stuff!
LOL. I love your writing.
Yeah, I hate having to find a new hairdressers. But it's the same at my local - everytime I turn-up I get a different hairdresser! It seems the staff at these hair chains only last six weeks to two months or something!
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