Due to virus closures, I had to call several hairstylists before someone anywhere picked up the…read morephone. Luckily, G2 ended up being a few blocks away from me. Though it's much more expensive than my usual haircut places, I figured I could justify the "$39 Buzz" cost since the virus buzzcut would be my last for a while.
One of my maxims is that you should never let your guard down when getting a haircut from a new person. Unfortunately, I let my guard down and was taken advantage of at G2.
On entry, I had to step over a dog gate since the shop doubles as a dog daycare. "I hope you like dogs" I was told as dogs jumped all over me, including on my lap. In the midst of a global pandemic, but, of course, pets are above reproach.
Soon after my stylist entered the shop, actually carrying her dog, we got down to business. I doubt she washed her hands as, remember, personal animals don't count, but I ignored this and made my intentions clear. Most other shops are closed, you're going to be shut down by Friday, give me a buzz cut. I was kindly asked if I knew how short a buzz cut was, and I replied affirmatively.
I then opted for the hot towel thing, knowing that this was definitely included in the $39. I was really stressed out and was looking forward to relaxing for at least one full minute. Unfortunately, as soon as I tilted back, dogs started sticking their wet noses around the cuffs of my pants. This went on continuously. The music playing overhead in the shop, which was actually quite nice, clashed with a totally different channel played in close proximity to my right ear. At some point, the miniature dogs stopped nosing me, and instead had a brawl in the center of the shop floor. I was happy when the haircut started.
I had requested a buzz and the stylist suggested that I should fade it. Sure, I said. Of course a $39 buzzcut should be faded--this requires no further explanation. Ten minutes later, I was all done and the cut was totally acceptable (though no razor edging, which I realized later). I was kind of preoccupied with the fact that this was the first time I had clearly seen my hairline since 2014 and my 401k is down by 30% but I snapped out of it and shuffled over to the cash register.
When I was rung up she told me that the cut would cost $59--the most expensive haircut I had ever received. I replied that the website said the buzz was $39. She replied, matter-of-factly, that that was without a fade. It was delivered in a way that she genuinely seemed to believe that the way things had transpired was normal.
When a new customer comes into your shop looking for a buzz, this isn't a sneaky upsell you should try to make. You should be honest and say "a buzz with the fade I'm suggesting will cost $20 extra, is that okay?" Simply, the shop atmosphere was stress-inducing, I wasn't treated properly, and I ended up paying three times as much as a buzz cut should cost. But at least they sanitized the pens.
