Salon Accused of 'Black Hair' Surcharge [charge black people more than whites]

Washington Post ^ | Sunday, May 29, 2005

[TheOtherOne]

Do you feel that it's an un-American practice for women to be charged more than men to have their hair cut, even though it may take considerably longer to cut a woman's hair?

What do you charge a woman for a butch lesbian cut?

[TheOtherOne]

By the way, I am just teasing and make fun of the whole situation.

[Paul Atreides]

Why is it un-American? Many service-related industries charge different rates for the time expended and the complexity of the task performed.

Some barber shops charge ten bucks for a haircut. They get 'em in and out as fast as possible. Would you want your hair cut there? If I had to stand on my feet all day, you better believe I'm going to get paid for it.

[Vote 4 Nixon]

One of the weirdest things I have ever seen happened in a local barbershop. I was sitting in the chair one morning getting a trim, there were a few other fellas in the room we were sitting around talking politics and such when through the door walks this butch lesbian. She stood next to the barber and asked him how much for a trim, The poor old feller just stood there for a few seconds thunderstruck till finally he found his voice enough to tell her that he only cuts mens hair. She stood there for a few seconds with him trying to talk him into cutting her hair. It was pathetic.

[foolscap]

My wife (who is black) has been told by numerous hairdressers that they can't do her hair not because she's black but because they do not have enough experience to do it correctly

When I attended Beauty School working with black hair was not even part of the course of study. Black hair is very different from other ethnic groups. Most hair dresser have to get advanced training in order to work within that market. Those that do make more money because the work is usually more labor intensive and takes longer.

[roylene]

Correct. Most saloons in my neighbor hood charge for hair cuts / styles / color based on the type of hair. My family does not hail from Africa but my daughter has thick extremely curly hair .. she is always charged more than me (thick but straight) because her hair is more difficult to work with - bfd .. its just the way it is.
These women really to get over themselves.

[beelzepug]

"... working with black hair was not even part of the course of study."

You're right. My wife had to get extra traing to learn to work on black women's hair. More time and money out of her pocket, more time in the chair for the customer, higher total on the bill. That's the free enterprize system. Otherwise, I'm going to expect to get my V8 rebuilt for the same price as a four cylinder.

[DameAutour]

Stores DO charge more for larger sizes!

In most stores, your petite wife would NOT be charged the same as someone 10 sizes larger.

[DameAutour]

I think the quoted line reveals the problem with what Dillard's is doing.

NOT ALL BLACK HAIR IS THE SAME!

A lot of the posters in this thread are saying this practice is sensible because if you have thicker, longer, coarser hair, you will naturally be charged more than someone with easier hair.

But according to this article, Dillard's is charging higher rates just because the customer is perceived to be black, regardless of that individual person's actual hair.

My mother has soft, very manageable, easy hair to deal with. She can be in and out of the salon. If they charge my mother more money than a white woman it is not fair at all! Some white women have oily, damaged hair, why should they pay less than my mother just because they are white and she is black?

You can say that Dillard's should have the right to charge whatever they want, and if a customer doesn't like it they should go somewhere else. I know there are a number of people on this website who think businesses should be able to discriminate on the basis of race, and I am not going to argue with that viewpoint.

I am saying that just because they MAY have the right, that doesn't make it right to do so. It's not right to charge someone more money because of their race, just because some OTHER people of the same race had "difficult" hair.

[Asphalt]

You might be freakin kidding, but you're also not very observant. Most stores I go in sell plus sizes for a few bucks more. It wouldn't make sense not to. If a pair of pants is 16 bucks, plus sizes might be 18 or 19

[brwnsuga]

I have never let a white person do my hair. ever.... I have let my husband wash my hair in the shower and thats as close as it gets. But to have a white stylist relax and style my hair...... ummm no... I know it sounds awful but its true. It seems to me that allot more Black stylist are able to do white hair than the other way around.

[TheOtherOne]

You might be freakin kidding, but you're also not very observant. Most stores I go in sell plus sizes for a few bucks more. It wouldn't make sense not to. If a pair of pants is 16 bucks, plus sizes might be 18 or 19

I am very observant. They charge the same price for size XS, S, M, L, XL....I am not sure about plus sizes.

[TheOtherOne]

see post 72, I meant to ping you.

[TheOtherOne]

Oh yeah, I want to make a new size for people like me. I am not a medium and I am not a large. I want to me an XM, Extra Medium!

[freespirited]

Tell you what, my kid just started a dog grooming business in our back yard and she'll do any breed for $5 in under 15 minutes.

Five bucks? Won't be six months before the adult dog groomers are trying to put her out of business.

If you are willing to post where you are, I suspect she could pick up some bizness right here on FR.

[cyborg]

I wash my own hair at home. I had two bad experiences at black beauty salons and never went back. I went to a dominican place and find that the Dominican girls are really good at hair styling all kinds of hair for the same price. When I used to straigten my hair for the summer, I would have be very particular about the kind of straighten they used because most of the clientele were black women with really coarse hair. I don't need industrial strength fabulaxer along with a hot comb press. I used to get my brows waxed at a 'white salon' and loved it. It wasn't crowded with everyone's kids running around and no hostile looks *lol* I got my hair done and they even gave me a discount. Now I take care of my big hair at home with a wash,condition and mild blowdry. All natural. All beautiful.

[Asphalt]

*shrug* donno. Nothing I can do about it, and it doesn't apply to me as I am neither small nor large.

[TheOtherOne]

I am neither small nor large.

Then you are a candidate for my new size in post 74

[Starwolf]

At the risk of being slapped, may I assert the Ann Coulter rule here (pictures mandatory)?

Seriously, as the only male in our household, I have always seen that longer hair or more complex styling cost more. Getting #1's waist length thick and heavy hair done for prom cost a whole lot more that #2's (who has a longish bob). Only place I have ever seen flat rate is for your basic cut at strip mall places or barbershops. Wife has also found that different stylist charged differently, even in the same shop.

[TheOtherOne]

I hope as a guitarist son, you appreciate Hendrix?