Years ago, I did what you’re supposed to do when looking for a hairdresser: I turned to the well-turned out lady in my class at the YMCA and asked her where she got her hair done.
My previous guy had suddenly passed on
to that salon in the sky, very likely due to a cocaine habit I learned about
later. (Innocent that I am, I had often wondered why his pinkie nail was so much
longer than the rest)
I ended up at a shop owned by Albert
and Theresa, beginning with the wife and then switching to Albert when Theresa
took a job outside of hairdressing. I went to Albert at his own shop for
possibly five years, followed him to another where he rented a chair, then next
I was at his self-owned shop again, a fairly big operation offering a neighboring spa
for facials. He went from there to his present location, where he and his wife
again both rent chairs. He’s probably been giving me the same haircut for the
past 25 years while we chat about restaurants and our kids.
The two of them not only live in my
town, but only a few streets away, so they feel like neighbors. When he trimmed
my hair in May, we discussed getting new countertops for our kitchens. We’re
both in the midst of decision-making and both realize we’re not spring chickens
and that we’re not building the pyramids, or something that needs to last
through the ages.
But then he said, “Who knows how much longer we’ll be in our house?” and then Theresa joked about the possibility of winning the lottery and heading into the sunset.
A chill ran up my spine.
He texted me today to remind me of my
appointment on Saturday morning but there was a scary paragraph that followed:
“As of August 1st, we will
no long be accepting credit cards or debit cards. Cash or checks only. Sorry
for the inconvenience.”
I’d better start checking out the
ladies at the Y again.
Losing a good hairdresser is always hard. Hope you find another one you like.
ReplyDeleteCash or cheques only? Here in Australia cheques are rare and are being phased out altogether, I haven't seen one in decades. Hope you find a suitable snipper.
ReplyDeleteI always pay cash when I get my hair cut. As for checks, last summer I went in for one of the many procedures I endured and at check in I paid my co-pay with a check. The poor young guy looked like I'd handed him a rattlesnake. Had no idea what to do or what all those numbers at the bottom meant. We had to coach him through it.
ReplyDeleteFunny. When I opened a new checking account earlier this year I asked for checks - probably because I've always had them. I think I've only written one in 6 months.
DeleteGosh, we use checks for everything. Dan put checks in the mail for all our monthly bills. Occasionally, I will pull out my one and only charge card to pay for something and the clerk has to come around the counter to show me how it's done. :) I do expect banks to do away with checks.
ReplyDeleteYes, they're getting pretty rare. And actually, I'm okay with that. It's scary now to know that the account # and routing# numbers are right there on the front, handy information if you're trying to get into someone's bank account.
Delete(As we've learned the hard way.)
They won't take a debit card but they'll take a check? That seems backwards!
ReplyDeleteAs it turns out, the reason for cash is that the service my hairdresser uses to process credit cards is increasing their charges. I agree, the debit card should have been fine.
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