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Barbershop - Raising Prices As They Re-Open (1 Viewer)

What do you think of the Barbershop starting haircut auction bids at twice regular price when they r

  • Totally Fine

    Votes: 69 37.7%

  • Mostly Fine

    Votes: 28 15.3%

  • Barely Fine

    Votes: 8 4.4%

  • On The Fence

    Votes: 15 8.2%

  • Kind of Not Cool

    Votes: 20 10.9%

  • Not Cool

    Votes: 23 12.6%

  • Totally Not Cool

    Votes: 20 10.9%
  • Total voters
    183
Joe Bryant

Joe Bryant

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Staff member
Another, "Check what I think against a bigger group of folks" question. Thanks for letting me ask here.

I had this discussion with a few people in real life and wanted to get opinion from the folks here.

Tennessee, where I live, looks like it will be allowing barbers shops to open soon.

PLEASE - Don't turn this into whether Barber Shops should or should not be allowed to open yet. There's a ton of discussion on that already. 

For the sake of this poll and thread, please assume they will follow the guidelines set and keep the discussion only to what the Barbershop is doing here. 

Obviously lots of people need a haircut.

There's a popular local barbershop in town that is auctioning off haircut appointments for when the shops are allowed to open up.

Starting bid is twice the normal price of their haircut price Pre-Covid 19.

What do you think of the Barbershop doing that?

Again - my question is about how the Barber is pricing the haircuts. NOT about whether shops should open or not. 

I'm not saying what I think either way yet. I want to hear what you guys think. 

Also to add - there are several barbers at this shop and they said the money generated over what would have been normal prices would be shared among the barbers. 

 
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On the fence. I don't begrudge them doing what they need to do after losing a lot of revenue. But my pay got cut too so I'm not exactly looking to blow tons of $$ on haircuts once this thing is over.... that said my new clippers are supposed to get delivered next week. We'll see how good a job my wife does. I may end up bidding aggressively. 

 
Totally fine. It is their business and they are free to do what they feel is best for them.   

If people don't want to pay that much now, they are free to wait and/or find another barbershop. 

 
Completely not price gouging.  They are auctioning off early appointments.  This is not a necessity at all.  I'm totally cool with it. They've lost a ton of business, it's a very inexpensive service (that frankly can be done at home if necessary).  If you don't want to pay for an early hair appointment, no one is putting a gun to your head - find another barber, wait, or do it yourself.

 
No complaints from me. The fact they are using an auction system makes it more palatable for me - those who value the service more can pay accordingly to get what they need. Those for whom the need is less urgent can wait and will likely pay less. 
 

 
On the fence.  It depends if they own the shop or are leasing for starters.  Personally I wouldn’t raise prices and hope to make it up in tips.  

 
FairWarning said:
On the fence.  It depends if they own the shop or are leasing for starters.  Personally I wouldn’t raise prices and hope to make it up in tips.  
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There are several barbers at the shop and they said the revenue generated that is over the regular prices would be shared among the barbers. 

 
Joe Bryant said:
There are several barbers at the shop and they said the revenue generated that is over the regular prices would be shared among the barbers. 
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Tough call (and I bartend in the side).  If it were a salon for women, I would say yes as women will pay anything.  It’s a little trickier for men. How much of a jump?  Is it a one time deal or is the price jump permanent?

 
To me, this is no different than movie theaters saying the first two weeks, Avenger and Disney movies are $25 a ticket. Of course you dont have to go, but its a BS thing to do. 

 
FairWarning said:
Tough call (and I bartend in the side).  If it were a salon for women, I would say yes as women will pay anything.  It’s a little trickier for men. How much of a jump?  Is it a one time deal or is the price jump permanent?
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Undetermined. Its an auction that starts at double the regular price. 

 
I voted Kind of Not Cool but I guess I would change to On The Fence.

I like that they are distributing the excess. 

I don't mind them raising rates since they lost money and I assume business will be curtailed with new distancing regulations. 

I just think the auction part is over the top. Big question to me is how long does this last ? Okay if a week or two that people can wait out.  Anything longer than that is lame.

 
If I’m reading correctly this is just for some early appointments and not their regular practice going forward.  If someone really needs a haircut that bad and is willing to pay 2X+ for it sure why not 

 
FairWarning said:
Tough call (and I bartend in the side).  If it were a salon for women, I would say yes as women will pay anything.  It’s a little trickier for men. How much of a jump?  Is it a one time deal or is the price jump permanent?
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Minimum jump is twice normal price of a hair cut. 

Normal price is $25. Minimum bid for securing a spot when they reopen is $50. 

I have no idea how it's going for them. I just saw it being offered. 

 
Joe Bryant said:
Minimum jump is twice normal price of a hair cut. 

Normal price is $25. Minimum bid for securing a spot when they reopen is $50. 

I have no idea how it's going for them. I just saw it being offered. 
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As someone else mentioned, I'd rather pay something close to normal price and leave a healthy tip.

Say you bid and win a spot with $75, are you supposed to tip on top of that when you're paying 3x?

I understand what the owner is trying to do but I think it leaves regular patrons in an awkward situation.

 
Cjw_55106 said:
Undetermined. Its an auction that starts at double the regular price. 
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I missed that part, too busy with work.
 

Joe, replace barber shop with your favorite restaurant that you and wife go to.  Would you pay double and maybe more, before tip?  If it’s a place you have gone to for a long time, probably so, barring it’s a craze amount.

 
It seems like a reasonable way to handle the issue of super high initial demand. Some may be turned off, but given it's just an initial thing, I doubt it'll matter much.

I would think a lot of the most successful barbers/stylists are probably contacting their best regulars first to get them in. Well, at least for the ones that weren't doing clandestine home appointments.

 
James Daulton said:
They better not if they want customers. We're already getting screwed at $75 a pop.
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When I have heard it come up with my wife and friends, they have said the salons should charge double or triple to get one of the first sets of appointments. Most said they would for sure pay it. I know my MIL would probably pay 4x that to get her color fixed. 

 
oh, and ... no, i have zero problem with JB's original query - dude's gotta start makin' hay once that sun shines again ☀️

 
Ilov80s said:
When I have heard it come up with my wife and friends, they have said the salons should charge double or triple to get one of the first sets of appointments. Most said they would for sure pay it. I know my MIL would probably pay 4x that to get her color fixed. 
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I'm good until the end of May, but after that I'm right there with her. 

 
I wouldn't bid, but I don't mind if they want to do this.

If you were unemployed for a month and had an interview lined up. Would they offer you a free or discounted haircut?

 
In principle, I don't have a problem with barbers upping their prices - it's a free market.  One thing that bothers me, however, is that in many smaller towns the barbershop industry may not be a free market, but rather a monopoly or an oligopoly. Unless there are competing options, they can corner the market and charge what they want.

Compare that to, say, restaurants, where there is typically more competition and upping prices may not be a winning strategy if people take their business elsewhere.  

 
Soulfly3 said:
id head over to the barber shop that appreciates its customers enough to charge regular pricing. 
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I think this is exactly the point of the question.  Those who value the service will pay more according to their need and ability to pay. Those who don’t will wait or go elsewhere.  An auction system is about as fair as it gets as a means of determining market value of a product or service.  

 
zamboni said:
In principle, I don't have a problem with barbers upping their prices - it's a free market.  One thing that bothers me, however, is that in many smaller towns the barbershop industry may not be a free market, but rather a monopoly or an oligopoly. Unless there are competing options, they can corner the market and charge what they want.

Compare that to, say, restaurants, where there is typically more competition and upping prices may not be a winning strategy if people take their business elsewhere.  
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Wouldnt that already be the case? 

 
I guess they can charge whatever the market will pay.  And the consumer can decide to stay or find a alternative.

There are many places and chains like Fantastic Sam's that will still only charge 12-15 for a men`s  haircut.

I have no problem with this practice, but there is a risk as barbers and hair stylists are a personal service business and many clients have been loyal customers for years if not longer and some become close friends.   I would not want to risk alienating my customer base for a one time windfall for a haircut.

 
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CletiusMaximus said:
I think this is exactly the point of the question.  Those who value the service will pay more according to their need and ability to pay. Those who don’t will wait or go elsewhere.  An auction system is about as fair as it gets as a means of determining market value of a product or service.  
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I can afford to pay more for a haircut, but if i knew my barber pulled this stunt, id go elsewhere out of principal

Gouging customers upon reopening? Why not just appreciate the folks that KEPT YOU IN BUSINESS and return to business as usual?

 
Soulfly3 said:
CletiusMaximus said:
I think this is exactly the point of the question.  Those who value the service will pay more according to their need and ability to pay. Those who don’t will wait or go elsewhere.  An auction system is about as fair as it gets as a means of determining market value of a product or service.  
Click to expand...
I can afford to pay more for a haircut, but if i knew my barber pulled this stunt, id go elsewhere out of principal

Gouging customers upon reopening? Why not just appreciate the folks that KEPT YOU IN BUSINESS and return to business as usual?
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Exactly 

 
Joe Bryant said:
Minimum jump is twice normal price of a hair cut. 

Normal price is $25. Minimum bid for securing a spot when they reopen is $50. 

I have no idea how it's going for them. I just saw it being offered. 
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Holy crap - men pay $25 to get their hair cut at a barber?  I haven't paid for a haircut in 10 years so I'm a little clueless on what it costs.  I've probably spent $50 on my hair in those 10 years buying two sets of clippers.

 
Soulfly3 said:
I can afford to pay more for a haircut, but if i knew my barber pulled this stunt, id go elsewhere out of principal

Gouging customers upon reopening? Why not just appreciate the folks that KEPT YOU IN BUSINESS and return to business as usual?
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Because they can only have half their business open at a time due to social distancing so they have to charge more to make ends meet? 

 
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Reactions: jwb
Skipdog77 said:
Totally fine. It is their business and they are free to do what they feel is best for them.   

If people don't want to pay that much now, they are free to wait and/or find another barbershop. 
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This is my take as well.

The real pisser for the barbers is that they are bound to be customers who tip less or not at all as a result of the higher prices.  And those people suck.

 
Cjw_55106 said:
Toilet paper is not essential either, but the law cracked down on it. 
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TP is far more "essential" than a hair cut. 

I'm okay with it, fundamentally I believe in the free market and the barbers have greater risk than before. 

But I'd rather they just raise their prices for the first few weeks instead of auctioning. That's a preference thing, they're free to do what they want.

 
Soulfly3 said:
I can afford to pay more for a haircut, but if i knew my barber pulled this stunt, id go elsewhere out of principal

Gouging customers upon reopening? Why not just appreciate the folks that KEPT YOU IN BUSINESS and return to business as usual?
Click to expand...
I understand the sentiment, but it's also a two-way street. For example, I appreciate my clients' money, but I really hope they appreciate my work just as much.

These places lost a ton of revenue, and they are also almost certain to modify their business model - probably limits on how many can be in the shop (so no more 3-4 people waiting for a haircut). That's going to slow things up and make it so there are fewer haircuts in a day. 

Limits on occupancy and similar are going to affect most businesses. Prices are going to rise on almost everything. Haircuts might end up doubling in price everywhere, regardless of auctions/etc.

 
Capella said:
Because they can only have half their business open at a time due to social distancing so they have to charge more to make ends meet? 
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Right. That's why I think raising prices are justifiable. Restaurants too.

I'd just rather not have to bid on it. (I won't, but eventually my wife might need a cut).

 
Capella said:
Because they can only have half their business open at a time due to social distancing so they have to charge more to make ends meet? 
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FWIW, I know all places are different but for this particular shop, the chairs are already far apart. From a what they can handle aspect, I think they should be able to handle capacity that is their normal capacity. 

 
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jwb said:
I understand the sentiment, but it's also a two-way street. For example, I appreciate my clients' money, but I really hope they appreciate my work just as much.

These places lost a ton of revenue, and they are also almost certain to modify their business model - probably limits on how many can be in the shop (so no more 3-4 people waiting for a haircut). That's going to slow things up and make it so there are fewer haircuts in a day. 

Limits on occupancy and similar are going to affect most businesses. Prices are going to rise on almost everything. Haircuts might end up doubling in price everywhere, regardless of auctions/etc.
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If these places are artificially at half strength, doubling prices seems a viable option until they lose business. Then let supply and demand run.

 
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Reactions: jwb
Joe Bryant said:
FWIW, I know all places are different but this particular shop, the chairs are already far apart. From a what they can handle aspect, I think they should be able to handle capacity that is their normal capacity. 
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Never been or seen a shop that doesnt have ppl decently spread apart. 

Sure, they probably exist, but normally barbershops are small scale affairs already, afaik

 
Joe Bryant said:
FWIW, I know all places are different but for this particular shop, the chairs are already far apart. From a what they can handle aspect, I think they should be able to handle capacity that is their normal capacity. 
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The waiting room too?

Might not have as large as impact as the actual barbers or chairs, but if that's a choke point, the throughput will decrease at least some.

 
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