The religious and hair salons

[Joods]

I'd guess 99.9% of what I tell the guy who does my haircuts goes in one of his ears and out the other.  I would expect the same thing in a woman's salon.

Probably better off worrying about not cutting an ear off.

Heh..quite the opposite. You'd be surprised at the amount of talking that happens.

[The Valkyrie]

Just don't cut the hair of anyone in furs named Samson!

[brewer]

I'd try to steer clear of politics and religion. If they get on either subject try to redirect. Weather, kids, grand kids, spouse, pets, sports, news, vacation plans, rest of the day plans, where they like to eat, clothes, shoes, .............

If they ask direct questions like what do you (think, believe, your opinion) and you think they will be offended with honesty I'd say, I'm not sure, I haven't made up my mind, I need to think about that some more, .............

My parents favorite for religious or political discussions they were uncomfortable with was "I/We don't discuss that outside the family".

[BrokenQuill92]

Stick to books or wear headphones

[ignoramus]

Judi, the first rule of business is the customer's always right.

Learn to bullshit back for your own sake.
You speak from the heart to those you care about and love.

To every other Schmuck, tell them what they want to hear.
Subtely change the subject. Always talk about them, that's why they're there.
You need to pamper their ego while styling their hair.
Happy content customers will always come back.

It's an art form, master it.
Read some Carnegie.

[The Valkyrie]

Judi, the first rule of business is the customer's always right.

Learn to bullshit back for your own sake.
You speak from the heart to those you care about and love.

To every other Schmuck, tell them what they want to hear.
Subtely change the subject. Always talk about them, that's why they're there.
You need to pamper their ego while styling their hair.
Happy content customers will always come back.

It's an art form, master it.
Read some Carnegie.

And if this doesn't work, remember you have scissors in your hand or in easy reach.

I'm sure I'm feeling more homicidal than normal these past few days...

[rexbeccarox]

I have two former roommates who are hairstylists and own their own salons. I lived with one of them through beauty school.They're both extremely social by nature, but neither one of them is particularly chatty with their clients. My one former roommate actually asks her clients just to relax and enjoy their champagne/beer/wine/coffee while the work gets done and she won't really respond if the client starts talking. She also has a waiting list pages and pages long because people mostly just want to talk; they don't necessarily need to have an actual conversation. I was so nervous for my first bartending shift, but then I learned that lesson. Just nod and smile and life should be just fine.

[vorlon13]

LOL, a BF a long time ago treated me to a visit to his hair salon.

It was a high end, pamper the client kinda place.

With a bar.

Oofda. Anyhow, I asked for coffee, and enjoyed an excellent cup of Joe while getting trimmed. Dodged another one !

[Cephus]

Personally, I prefer that the person who cuts my hair does it with a minimum of chitchat.  I suspect I'm in the minority but I never really saw the point.

Nope, I agree  with you completely.  When I'm getting my hair cut, I don't talk at all.  I'm there to get something done so I can get on with my busy day. The less chatter, the faster it goes.

[Joods]

Very true that there are people who just want to get it done, but there are also people who want to sit and chit chat the entire time. To each their own. The school's salon atmosphere is one where the students are being instructed. They have to do a consult with each guest, regardless of how regular or how many times the guest has been there because this is the way we are being taught. Once the consultation is done, we check in with the floor instructor who comes over and verifies with the guest the service and type of hairstyle (or cut) they want. The student then gets to work. Once done, they get the instructor who goes over what was done to make sure it was done correctly. So, there has got to be talking involved because it is part of the learning process. Students also take longer to do the service, as they don't have the years of experience under their belt. With time, I will get faster, I know this, but right now, a 15 minute haircut is going to take me 45 minutes.

The 90 degree cut I gave my mannequin last night would take the experienced stylist 20 minutes from start to finish. It took me all night, considering we were learning it in baby steps due to the complications of the cut.