Snow Day

Snow days are a hard thing to deal with in any kind of service industry. Depending on the field, it could make or break your day. Not a lot of people look outside on the day we had on Sunday and think, "Whoa buddy! Its haircut time!"

The fun part of having the shop close is that you get to stay home, but some days its a little more exciting. I work full time in a chain haircutting shop in the Boulder area, and as part of a much larger entity, snow days are a bit of an anomaly. Since I live in the town I work, its become less of an issue, but side effects are common... especially when the weather gets, well, a little more interesting?

Take my Sunday, for example:
         8am monthly meeting, which I was almost late for, because of the blizzard conditions between my house and the salon. Not to mention the foot of snow that had accumulated on my car. Naturally, I came to the meeting in jeans and snow boots on my lower half since I didn't want to get my work clothes sopping wet. I also didn't brave the snow with any mascara or makeup, but I did have all of my supplies to go into hairdresser mode, including dress slacks and some heels.
        The meeting was quick and my boss sent me home to be "on call" until later in the afternoon, since they probably wouldn't need me for my 10am shift after all. After fishtailing at 25mph back to my house and cleaning for about two and a half hours, I finally got the call. "Don't come in until 2pm. If anything changes, we'll give you another call."
         Thats cool, I thought. More time to do house work and my odd projects, and then I can still pull out a few hours at work. Which is what I ended up doing, actually. Took my time getting ready, made a grocery list of things including the hardware I would need to hang the shelves from IKEA that I had purchased last week. All in all, not a bad day.
         I cleaned off my car again and made my way back to the shop on much better road conditions. It was still snowing, but not nearly as heavy. By the time I got to the light before our shop's shopping center, I got another call from my boss. "I just got the call from corporate. We're closing at 3. I'll give you the option of coming in for an hour or not coming in." We both laughed a bit and I told her that I'd opt to stay home. She agreed that it would have been pretty silly to only come in for an hour.
        So, go home I did, after fulfilling the shopping list that my husband and I had written out before I left. Screws and groceries in hand, I got back home and made a huge pot of chicken noodle soup and hung some shelving in our kitchen.
      It was a good day, just strange. Snow days are like that, some times. But, if you're ever on the fence about whether its going to be busy at the salon on a snowy day? The answer is probably no, but if you want your favorite stylist, you should probably call ahead to make sure they're there and that the shop is open. Because you never really know... :D

Sickness and work ethic

   The service industry is fraught with illness and the risk of infection. As per any food service job, its pretty frowned upon for your health or beauty practitioner to be sick while trying to help you.

  Allergies are not something that one can help, but major sickness is something else. Head colds, fever, flu or food poisoning, for example, are not something that should be allowed to be worked through in a service industry job.

   It is, however, common courtesy to inform your clients of these health impediments before their scheduled appointments. When working in a walk-in environment, it is customary to get your shift covered. For this, I apologize profusely for my absence on Tuesday. It was not acceptable behavior, and for as much as I proselytize about professional behavior, I fell short of the mark to which I hold others. I am so sorry that I missed work on Tuesday. Food poisoning is not something that I wish upon anyone. Had I been able to get out of bed, I would have. But unfortunately, I was unable to function in any useful manner until around 11am today.

  I am so sorry.

Client vs. Buddy

I suppose that this could also be titled "professionalism" or, if you have a theater background, how to avoid breaking the fourth wall.

Whenever a person works with the public, there is, by necessity, a distancing that occurs. A service person needs to be clean, prompt, knowledgable and friendly. This does not mean going out with or putting the moves on your clientele. A little flirting is alright, as long as its kept at a low, ambiguous level.

They are not there to learn about your divorces or political ambitions or the details of your last surgery. They are there for you to make them feel better about themselves. If that means you have to listen to them rant about their dog, do it. But, this does not mean going out with them after work.

One of the best analogies I've heard from this is crude, but appropriate. "Don't shit where you eat."

This means that you don't pick fights, ask out or try and humiliate your clients. While we're at this, don't bash your peers, either. It's cheap and it makes people uncomfortable. Instead, try and alleviate their fears by being even more confident, and above all, professional.an

Sola, pt 2

Alright... Here are my options: 

1. Stay full time at gc, while my color skills slip and keep the sporadic schedule.

2. Find a position that pays less but has full service options and a set schedule.

3. #2 as a booth renter.

4. Stay at gc part time and rent a sola salon that I would have to share with a friend... (Also full service, but also financial responsibility)

Before I commit to anything, I'll have to seriously weight my options. Also, I probably should speak with Sean... It's not just me now. He'd be affected too. *shakes head* being an adult is hard...

To sola or not to sola...

Recently, I received some information about a new sola salon location opening in longmont...  Should I so it? I just don't know...

www.solasalons.com

Could be amazing, but it could put me in major debt. But, to be perfectly honest, I feel like I've been going the safe route for a long time, and that really hasn't gotten me very far. Plus, then I could make my own schedule and I'd be able to do music again.

Of course, there is also the option of sticking this out a little longer and then maybe looking for a better fit, too... Oh, decisions decisions...

Wedg-a-licious

Ah, the age-old question... Wedge, bob or a-line? 

Okay, this might be a silly hairdresser kind of thing, but its still a valid question. When someone comes in asking for a new hairstyle and it has to be short, there are a few questions I usually ask.

1. How much time do they spend on their hair? (Of course this also depends on their hairtype.) Not a lot of time in the morning usually means the a-line is out. Unless they have super straight hair that's a little coarse.

2. Are they more sassy or more conservative? Playfull or demure? Usually, and this should go without saying, these are not things to ask your client... Just ask yourself these questions and maybe ask about their lifestyle.

3. Have they ever had hair that short before? Sounds silly, but its a necessary question! A layered bob is a less dramatic option than an a-line or a wedge.

4. What's prompting the change? Breakup, funeral, friend's or ex's wedding? Emotionally driven drastic change is a BAD idea...

Coffee fueled cleaning

House cleaning is a misnomer in my home. With a little bit of imagination and a little bit of coffee, I can organize and pile and, in some unfortunate cases, horde with the best of them.

Trying to find a healthy balance between things that I actually need and perceive that I might need in the future has been one of the things that I've struggled with my entire life. How does one put a value on future use?

There is something to be said for the spartan lifestyle. Actually, its one of the things that I admire in my fiance, Sean. He has the ability to put things in a bag and throw them away. I have a collection of small bric-a-brak from my life that I cannot seem to bear even the thought of letting go.

Sure, things happen. New jobs, new venues, new opportunities, births, deaths, mortages, loans, sculptures, stories, capers and more... but for some reason, I have trouble throwing away things that really aren't important. Why do I need to keep certain things and can live without calling the important people in my life?

Maybe things don't let you down? There is no way for a book to break your heart, is there? At least, not by sitting on the shelf collecting dust. There is always the possibility for heartbreak or distrust or horrible catastrophe with people.

I think that the same reason I enjoy doing hair and the whole cosmetology thing is because, in small doses and for short periods of time, I can be a positive influence on how a person feels about the world and their place in it. I can make people feel beautiful, if even for a moment, and I don't have to worry about them hurting me.