My fringe was at that annoying length where it's a general hindrance. I like my fringe shorter but…read moreI'm always leaving cuts till the ends are touching my eyelids, which can be unpleasant. My preferred fringe length is quite a bit above my eyebrows so, by this point a fringe-scissors meeting is overdue. I usually always realise this before I'm headed somewhere and short of time. - Today was no different.
I had a train to catch, and my usual hairdressers wasn't en route. So, instead, I decided to pop in to Narcissus which, conveniently, was on the way. They'd also just recently moved to bigger premises.
I entered to about 10-12 members of staff all standing formally, as if there was a meeting or training session happening. All of them looking directly at me; no warm welcome or friendly smiles. This made me feel unwelcome and a little bit anxious of what was to come. It wasn't long after five o'clock. I asked if they were closed, and was told that they were open for another twenty minutes. So, maybe we got off to a bad start. Maybe we can fix things. After all, I came here instead of Toni & Guy and Rainbow Room along the road because I want to support small, local businesses and giving everywhere a shot. And for all the reluctancy to begin, I can't complain about the haircut. It was quick with minimal chat. And I get it: it was approaching close on a Saturday; they just wanted to go home.
But if you say, 'thank you' and don't direct me to the till before I go, or start with the fact that there'll be a small cost, I will head for the door. Albeit, I'll be awkward and slow and think 'should I have paid?' but I'm clearly new to the salon and this should be made clear. I definitely don't mind paying for a fringe trim at all, but it's awkward when this isn't clear either from the beginning, or directly after the haircut. This isn't something the customer should have to ask and don't make them guess. So I headed for the door. There was a shout; I think from more than one. - 'It's two pounds!' they said and pointed to a tip jar.
I headed back, feeling humiliated; like the butt of a joke for their inner circle; like they had placed a bet beforehand on whether I would try to leave without paying. I only had a ten pound note so apologised and handed it over. She handed me back the change and said 'have you paid the fringe trim charge?' It wasn't in the nicest of tones, and I was confused. Of course I hadn't and I don't possibly see why she would think that I had. - She had given me ten pound coins back and I'd to put the two in myself. Was this punishment? She could have just as easily taken the two from the note I'd given her.
So, I don't have nice things to say for Narcissus. And, in turn, that doesn't feel nice. I do okay socially but I imagine if you had social anxiety or any kind of social barrier, something like this could really have the potential to drag you down, especially after striking up the courage to try somewhere new and unfamiliar.
Whether it's 10am or 5pm, a new customer or an old one, all customers should be treated the same. A great customer experience has the power to really make someone's day, and there are great independent businesses which are testament to this. I think that Narcissus has some growing up to do in this respect.