Beaverstate

Do you taper as well or just a block cut?
I have been using the same old fashion barber since 1981. I believe his fee is now up to $14. I give him a ten, five and whatever ones I have. Most of his long time customers, in their 80's may or may not tip a buck.

Nutek

# 1. Whole head from the neck up. Makes life nice and simple.

16 bucks.

kodokan

I'm self-taught, so don't know bloke hair cut vocabulary - does taper mean to have different lengths blended together so you can't see the join? If so, then yes - hubby has a No5 all over, then I use a No3 to make the lower back a little shorter, and blend it in at around the level of his ears; I come upwards with the clippers and sort of flick them out a bit beyond that point that the skull changes shape (it's vastly easier to do than explain!). Then I use naked clippers to edge around the back of the neck, and scissors to go around the ears.

My son's gone more complicated in recent years - he now wants hair that's too long to be clippered, in something resembling a style (left a bit longer and floppier on top/ front). But even basic scissor cuts are fairly easy, although a little more demanding than clippering.

Honestly, none of this is hard. I expect the level of hair cutting I can do is taught in the first 2-3 days of a vocational cosmetology course, and easily learned by not very studious 16 year olds not paying that much attention. Decent scissors really help, but a solid pair of hairdressing scissors on Amazon costs less than one hair cut.

Although much of this is convenience now rather than cost-saving like it was in our early days; hubby always seems to suddenly need a haircut on a Sunday before leaving for a week's business trip. And when we lived in Switzerland, it was one less thing he had to try and accomplish in his toddler French.

Owen778

Honestly, it's fine. When I was kid and had longer hair with a parting, my Mum would make a mess of it, and I told her to stop cutting it. Then again, the hairdressers who did it instead kept accidentally putting steps in the back.

These days, I have it clippered all over, something like 6mm on top and 4mm on the back and sides. My wife is perfectly capable of doing that, and is almost certainly better at it than the hairdressers who cut my hair when I was a teenager.

mrken30

I am not sure how those super cut places only charge $10 and still pay their staff minimum wage. They never look that busy.

Owen778

My understanding is that the staff are independent contractors who pay to rent a space from the salon, and your transaction is with the individual hairdresser, so avoiding minimum wage requirements. I could be wrong, though.

tom169

That's how the super cheap places in the UK operated. It's likely similar here.

markonline1

She manages to blend in the 2 lengths ok? Where I found getting your wife to cut your hair shows is the back. I now get the back tapered, there's no way I'd let my missus try and do that LOL

Owen778

Yes, just fine. She does a good job, though it helps that the difference in length isn't that big.

Bob

Aye, that's how it works, they get something like $2 from that $10 and rely on tips though. Well the place in town, person said that's how it worked there.

At the fancy ladies salon, they ladies rent a spot at about $3K but take all the fee's. Wasn't sure if that was the weekly rate though.

Sheepdip

Both my wife and daughter are licensed cosmetologists and it varies from booth renters (who pay a weekly/monthly rent for a 'chair' and basic services but take all the money) up to full time employees (typically on basic wage + commission).

hungryhorace

0.

I just pay what they ask every single time. I say if they don't feel its enough, to up my price as I don't do tipping.

Pulaski

Would you pay more to be fetched from the curb in a wheelchair?

Pulaski

It also depends what the state allows. Pennsylvania, and I believe some other states in that area (north of here) (ETA also NJ), do not allow booth renting, though I do not know whether or how that is enforced.

tom169

Right on cue... A $5.99 hair cut coupon in the mail