My day at the hairdresser

[COMINATCHA]

So I decided to change my dark brown locks to blonde. Don't know why, since everyone says I suit brown hair better, but meh, I want a change. Plus, getting blonde re-growth all the time is annoying.

So I go to the hairdresser I always go to - it's cheap because they are in a remote location compared to other places, but they do a great job.

I walk in and notice that the 2 girls working there I havent seen before.
I feel just a little anxious, but give them the benefit of the doubt.

I have to sit and wait for 18 minutes until she is ready for me. That's okay though, because it is my day off work and I am not in a hurry.
She calls me over to the chair and I tell her about my big plan to go blonde. She tooks at my hair and says
"You've been blonde then brown then blonde a few times haven't you?"
I look at her in awe "Yea I have...how did you know?"
She laughed and said she can just tell. She then tries to convince me to go even darker than what I am, and i'm like
"Umm...no, I still want to go blonde. It's too high maintenence to have such dark hair when I'm naturally blonde."

So then she proceeds to colour my hair. She is chatting away about how her boss is having a baby (which I knew, as she was the one I liked to have cut my hair), and that she went into labour that morning. Her phone then beeps and she leaves me to go check her message. She is gone for a good couple of minutes, then comes back and carries on where she left off, without apologising.

This happened 4 more times during the colouring of my hair, and it was annoying me. Shouldn't they have their phones switched off when working?

She then finished with the colour, and her and the other girl wen into the backroom and were chatting away. My throat was getting really dry, and I wanted a glass of water (which they didn't offer me, like they usually do when I go there) but I didn't exactly want to yell out to them that I wanted water. I was the only customer there, so it was eerily quiet. I got up, grabbed a magazine, and started reading. The hairdressers were gone for 30 minutes without once checking on me or my hair.

As I went to put the magazine back, one of the foils in my hair came loose and fell over my eye. Some of the dye must have got in my eye, cause it started stinging really bad. I still didn't want to yell out to them, although yes I know I should have, but I just couldn't bring myself to yell out. I didn't want to look stupid and annoying, so I went and got a towel from above the sink, wet it, and wiped my eye. It stopped stinging, so I went and sat down.

It seemed like AGES until they finally came out and checked on me, but they did, and the foils were taken and and my hair rinsed.

My hair looks a little orange, but going really blonde is a gradual process, and I have to go back there in a week to get my hair lighter. It looks okay though.

Were the hairdressers sucky, or am I making something out of nothing...is it okay to run and check your phone because you want to know the goss on your boss having a baby, even when you are at work? Or is that really just a bit rude?

[Melxb]

My theory is that they knew the boss was out and they were just "playing" so to speak. As in, not really working.
I bet if the boss WAS there they'd be zipping around and working very nicely.
If you're happy with the results then go back. If not, then absolutely tell the owner what was going on in her business when she was giving birth. It's her business these employees are affecting by essentially ignoring their customer.

[ShoresKoC]

I dunno.. I think its excusable to be checking the phone since the boss was in labor at THAT moment. I mean, if one of your friends was in labor, wouldnt you want updates? As you said, hair looked fine, and we dont really know if they were unwilling to bring you water since, as you said, you didnt ask. Perhaps, being new as they were, they didnt know to offer it? And we certainly cant blame them for a foil falling, or the subsequent stinging since you didnt tell them it happened.

Sounds like the visit wasnt quite up to par, but it certainly doesnt sound all that horrible. As long as your hair looks good and the boss' baby is healthy, sounds like it'll be ok.

[Rapscallion]

I don't think their boss would have been in any fit state to text them, so unless they were waiting on a call from someone else who was with her, they were being sucky. Could depend.

Rapscallion

[COMINATCHA]

I dunno.. I think its excusable to be checking the phone since the boss was in labor at THAT moment. I mean, if one of your friends was in labor, wouldnt you want updates?

Yea I guess you have a good point there. But I think it would have seemed less rude if she had of at least told me that she was checking the phone for that reason, and maybe apologised or excused herself or something. Maybe I expect too much, but simply dropping what she was doing with my hair each time, and running off, seemed a bit rude...

[Ree]

You are right, Cominatcha, and those girls behaved like sucky employees.

Regardless of whether their boss was in labour, they were being paid to do their job, and they weren't doing it.

A woman usually goes to a salon to be pampered. A good salon will make a customer feel as if they are the most important customer that day. That's how they stay in business.

It's not their fault that the foil fell out, but if they had seen to your needs by offering a glass of water and a magazine, you wouldn't have had to move around. Also, if they were doing their job, and looking after their customer, they would have noticed that the foil was coming undone and fixed it.

That could have damaged your eye permanently.

You were much too timid.

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a certain level and quality of service, and you wouldn't have been out of line to ask for it.

[powerboy]

No, they were being rude. She should have said that she was sorry for each time, or just wait, til she was done, to check her mesages. 2) She should have checked , and made sure everything was fine.

[BunnyJas]

I also think they were rude. It wouldn't bother me if they said, "Excuse me, I'll be right back. I'm expecting an important call." But they did not have the courtesy to do that. Despite having got the job done, they really should have been more attentive. I think they were just being lazy since you were the only customer in the salon at the time, not to mention the boss was out.

[chainedbarista]

they were rude and sucky; she was there to dye/cut hair, not conduct personal business. if the calls were about her boss, she should have mentioned something about that, rather than just assume (like most do) that answering the phone while working is acceptable.

your hair could have taken serious damage if she'd been negligent; bleaches can actually cause hair to fall out in some cases, if left on too long.

no, i think maybe having a chat with the boss might put her back on the road to understanding that she's there to work, not to socialize.

[One-Fang]

Any departure from the client in the chair should be explained and apologised for. They don't have to go all suck-up-tacular in an apology, but just a "Sorry, I have to answer that, I'll be back in a second" would at least even acknowledge that they're leaving you but will be back. Just to walk off? That's rude.

I think the owner may have other priorities right now than whether the staff were 100% up to par that day or not. New babies take up lots of attention. But perhaps mention it next time you're in.