So as usual I got stuck at the office late tonight. It wasn’t due to Microsoft Office upgrades; today the head of a trading desk had his PC blow up. So I had to get it up and running.
After I finished, around 8:30 or so, I decided I wanted to cut off this mop that I have been experimenting with growing. I simply don’t have the patience to keep growing it past this “in between stage.” I can’t take it anymore! Plus, I did a quick length survey on Facebook and Twitter and all replies said “short.” I hope they meant my haircut. Ahem, ahem. Okay!
Being from NYC, I know that in the downtown area one of the more reliable places for a quick, decent haircut is Astor Cuts. I’ve gone here several times over the years, and as far as the haircut itself goes, I’ve mostly not been disappointed.
Upon entering the shop, I was greeted by an older gentleman who asked if I wanted a haircut. I said yes and asked my usual question: “Do you know how to do a proper fade, sir?” I observed body language, eyes, and overall reaction as they answered. It was apparent quickly that this gentleman would not know how to give me a proper fade. After he confirmed this, he asked one of the other guys to trade customers.
Marcello was tired and wanted to go home. Initially, he tried to pass me off to another barber, but after a moment he agreed to cut my hair. I said if he needed to go, he should. According to them, a fade takes longer and it’s harder to do; in his defense, he started at 8:30 a.m. He said it was okay and that he would do it. Fine, let’s move on.
I told him what I wanted, and he got to work. While he worked, I noticed that he cuts “the Old Spice guy’s” hair. Cool! Does that make me the man your man wishes he was?
We didn’t talk much; he was mostly business. About 20 minutes later, I had an okay fade and was looking fresh. I gave him a tip and thanked him for staying late to cut my hair. We shook hands, and I moved to the front to pay.
At the front, a large gentleman with his back to the greeting area was speaking with a woman about how some people are happy with the service and some are not: “When you see 100 people a day, some are bound to be unhappy with something.”
I stood there for a few moments without being acknowledged. I wondered if I had walked out without paying, would he have spoken to me then? Personally, I found this a bit rude. While they were discussing customer satisfaction, another customer was waiting to pay.
After a few more moments, I interrupted their conversation and asked, “Sorry guys, is this where we pay? Seems like it, but based on what’s happening, I’m not sure.”
He reached for the charge paper, still not turning around, and continued talking to the woman. He looked at the paper, then put it down, holding out his hand. I fished in my wallet for the fifteen dollars they charge for the haircut. He continued talking and moved his hand as if waiting for me. I put the money down on the counter and walked out. I didn’t say thank you or wait for him to pick up the cash. At that point, I just wanted to leave.
The haircut experience was okay, except for the feeling like I was a burden when paying and during the customer shuffle early on. Now that I am home and looking closely, I found several stray hairs in visible areas, so I found myself in front of the mirror clipping away. After showering, I noticed the front of my head is uneven, which is troubling because now I’ll have to go to my local spot and have them fix it. So essentially, I’ll be paying twice for one haircut. This is not ideal. I wonder if there are more strays or issues in the areas I cannot see?
This place costs a bit more than my local spot in Jamaica, Queens, and the quality is less. Going forward, unless I need an emergency haircut immediately during the week, I’ll continue going to my spot in Jamaica.
http://www.yelp.com/bi…
The less than ideal exit experience and slightly less than great haircut don’t make paying extra money worth it. Maybe if the overall experience had been great, I’d feel it was worth paying a bit more.
As he said, “You can’t please everyone, right?” Truer words have never been spoken. I kept it at 2 stars because in the past, with different barbers and exit staff, the experience wasn’t this bad.
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