It turns out that it was a good thing I waited until August to get the haircut I’ve so desperately needed for, oh, about a month. If I’d gone in July and sat through the extended waiting period I endured today, I would have been grinding my teeth and pulling the hairs out of my arms. The only reason I didn’t do that today was that I was so glad to be out of the house and away from the phones.
Since the last time I got my hair cut (and it must have been close to two months ago), something has happened to my favorite Clip Joint. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was a huge sign by the cash register informing me that they don’t accept expired coupons. I can’t imagine why simply pointing out the expiration date wouldn’t be enough, but then I’m not one of those pushy people who demand that every sales person does things my way. I’ve worked in retail, and I know for a fact that the customer isn’t always right.
But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. There was one guy waiting ahead of me, and two customers in the chairs. One of them had three little kids with him, and they were scampering all over the salon and climbing on the other chairs. (But that’s not what I’m here to talk about, either.) I was content to wait, but I didn’t know quite what I was in for.
The hair cutter I eventually got, once she had finished with Daddy Day Care, made a big production of cleaning up around her station. I’ve never seen anyone quite so meticulous about rearranging combs and shears and scissors, blow drying the counter back and forth several times, and then sweeping the floor in ultra slow motion.
She was doing all of this while her co-worker, once she had finished with the other customer, was fiddling around noisily in the back room. Then she came out and walked in a circle before going back into the back room and staying there long enough for the other guy who was waiting to roll his eyes at me. Just to be neighborly, I rolled my eyes back at him. |