You'd think that after my last experience with a low-cost haircut that I'd learn my lesson. But no....
I recently took a big gamble and booked an appointment at the Greenwood Academy of Hair -- a stylist training school that's on my afternoon busline. The $5.95 Tuesday special lured me in. Penuriousness trumps vanity every time.
The student who was assigned to me was very sweet -- an older woman with grandkids who was about 4 days away from completing the program. I settled into my hydraulic barber chair and placed my head into the hands of this experienced individual. Heck, she was practically a licensed stylist!
I found it a bit unusual when she started trimming up the sides and back with shears instead of the clippers. But I relaxed and figured she knew what she was doing. After a short while, she declared me "done" and asked me what I thought. I told her I liked the sides and back a bit shorter and asked her to please use clippers.
You'd think I'd asked her to do some blood-letting or leeching or something that old barbers used to do. She looked horrified and went off to get her supervisor. In his presence, she then rooted around for parts, fumbled with the extensions, and then forgot to plug the device in. It looked like she had never before held clippers in her hand. I got very worried.
Finally, the instructor stepped in and trimmed up my back and sides as she watched. When it was all over, I hastened out of the chair, paid my $5.95, and high-tailed it home. The haircut wasn't so much bad as it was incomplete. The top and sides looked OK, but the back had barely been touched. If it got any longer, it'd be treading into mullet territory.
A few days later, I decided I needed a fix. I called them back and made an emergency appointment. My new stylist was quite adroit with the clippers and got me all squared-away. I related the clipper incident to him and his supervisor. His supervisor grinned and nodded his head as I spoke.
"You must have had Carol," he said. "She's always been afraid of clippers."
He then confirmed that she was, indeed, graduating in a couple days. They didn't change charge me for the visit.
The fix-it job of a haircut lasted another couple weeks before everything got out of whack, so I booked myself into a proper salon here on campus yesterday and got myself a professional haircut to the outrageous tune of $20.
Hey, I got my hair cut at the local beauty school on Tuesday! Tuesday's are half off (the price, that is), which equates to $3.95. My girl was obviously a newer student, but I always like the adventure of never knowing what is going to actually happen to my head. This time I got a really short cut, sort of like my 4th year of college (Amy may recall). At our school, you can also request a "senior" if you are nervous about it. I never do. Living on the edge!
I can't imagine why there isn't a discount line for all services, it makes sense. Wait a minute, perhaps a bit of dentistry on the cheap isn't such a great idea?
In your post toward the end, you said: They didn’t change me for the visit.
Glad to hear it!
I wasn't trying to be a smartass, I just am one. Sorry about that.