Should I avoid "Great Clips"?

I went to Great Clips the other day for a haircut. I was struck by the soul-crushing corporateness of the whole experience.

Every time the door opens, some disheartened employee chirps "Welcome to Great Clips." Each cutting area is designed with corporate flags, large blow-up pictures of smiling models, but no signs of the personal identity of the cutters - no photos, no news clippings, no comics.

The music is on a generic, very white-sounding pop station.

The employees are wearing near-uniforms, all dressed in long-sleeved black.

I tried to make some conversation with my cutter. Her name was Kendra, she looked to be about 20. My haircut was complete in about 15 minutes. I wondered to myself if Kendra had worked at any other salon, and if she had, why she ended up coming here. Maybe Great Clips gave her a chance as a newly trained stylist. All I know is I keep coming back and I hardly ever seem the same stylist twice.

Should I avoid Great Clips because they try to homogenize their employees and suppress their personal identities? Should I go to some old fashioned, mom-and-pop barbershop or some fancy, personal-identity salon? Truth is, I like getting cheap, fast haircuts.

Is the fact that I am even asking this question the sign of hopeless, self-involved navel gazing? Perhaps some choices are not even worth thinking over.

Comments

Obijuan said…
Don't know about Atlanta, but the Great Clips here always does a good job on my hair, while the mom & pop down the street always butchers it.
November 07, 2006
Steven Rowe said…
I have to admit that I didnt even know that there were chain haircut places.
Is Great Clips really cheaper than other barber shops? and certainly 15 minutes isnt short for a haircut - sounds rather normal to me - another 5 -10 minutes more if you are in a long line.

StevenR (who admits with the amount of hair he has left - 5 minutes might be stretching it)
November 08, 2006
Anonymous said…
I am under the impression that it is a place for beginners in the field. When they have a following, they rent a chair in a salon, and get somewhat more money. Then, if they save diligently and get more of a following they can open their own place.
I remember, some time ago, a neighbor cut hair in a chain place that got $6 per haircut, while she got some fraction of that. I tried to give her a "raise" to $8 by giving her extra and she almost didn't take it --no self-esteem.
November 10, 2006
Anonymous said…
I just looked over at our Christmas tree with its lights off. A thought about an old friend drifted across my mind, something about how his family always had a Christmas tree in the window. I googled his name, Louis Merlin, and ended up here. I think you might be him, and I'm Suzanne. We were in grad school together a long time ago.

Last week my whole family went to Great Clips. My youngest daughter, 2 1/2, had never had her hair cut before, and my oldest, 4, had her first haircut there last year. It was the first time Warren had anyone else cut his hair since I've known him... his haircut turned out pretty good. They have special cards for "Baby's First Haircut" and tape a lock of hair to it. They also give out gold star stickers that say, "Great Clips". I think that sometimes they have balloons, but we didn't get any. I don't love any of our haircuts, but it is a lot easier to get everyone's hair brushed in the morning now that it is shorter. I keep wondering if I should avoid "Great Clips" too, but, for now, it works for us.

I want to wish you happy holidays and hope that you are doing well.
December 19, 2006
Louis Merlin said…
I knew someone named Suzanne in graduate school...!

I never imagined in a million years that this would be my most popular posting. Life is full of ironies...
December 27, 2006
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