Question on Barber Shops - Racial Question. (Charlotte, Mooresville: neighborhood, live in)

[CLT_Lili]

Hello everyone,

I just moved to Charlotte with my husband and we live in the neighborhood Plaza-Midwood.
We were looking for a regular hairdresser for my husband, he doesn't need much, just shorter on the back and on the top of his head. We wanted to walk in the neighborhood, and entered the first barber shop we found on Central Ave.
Not only the barber barely cut my husband's hair (I had to fix it at home), but he made us paid $20 when other customers paid $15 (before us) and the pricing on the wall indicated $15. When I looked at the price board, the barber told me, it was old prices. He was too tall for me to argue, but... Ugh?
Shall I add that I am Caucasian, my husband is Latino, and the barber as well as all other customers were African-American.
Let me know your thoughts and what would be the appropriate answer to my thread:
- barber shops are for African American only and we did offense the barber by walking in (sorry, we were not born in the US and if this is a well known thing, well, we were not aware of that)
- we were treating differently because of our ethnicity - I hope not
- This one was an exception, all other barber shops will welcome you warmly and treat you as any other customers, no matter how you look.

Please don't take offense when reading my thread. I am just describing what happened this weekend. We just wanted to support our community and use the shops in the neighborhood as much as we can. This experience made me a little sad, and I just would like to understand.

Thank you very much!!!

Lili

[darling876]

Lili, I am pretty sure this was just a fluke experience. I suggest trying another barber shop to see how it works out. DH must have tried about 5-6 different shops before he settled for one, however all of them were always very friendly. dh is black, I'm white and I pretty always am with him, since we'll be running errands as well. Ironically his hair is now being cut by a latino barber which he previously would have never done. He likes how quick he can be in and out and is satisfied with the cut.

[Westchestergal]

Originally Posted by CLT_Lili

Hello everyone,

I just moved to Charlotte with my husband and we live in the neighborhood Plaza-Midwood.
We were looking for a regular hairdresser for my husband, he doesn't need much, just shorter on the back and on the top of his head. We wanted to walk in the neighborhood, and entered the first barber shop we found on Central Ave.
Not only the barber barely cut my husband's hair (I had to fix it at home), but he made us paid $20 when other customers paid $15 (before us) and the pricing on the wall indicated $15. When I looked at the price board, the barber told me, it was old prices. He was too tall for me to argue, but... Ugh?
Shall I add that I am Caucasian, my husband is Latino, and the barber as well as all other customers were African-American.
Let me know your thoughts and what would be the appropriate answer to my thread:
- barber shops are for African American only and we did offense the barber by walking in (sorry, we were not born in the US and if this is a well known thing, well, we were not aware of that)
- we were treating differently because of our ethnicity - I hope not
- This one was an exception, all other barber shops will welcome you warmly and treat you as any other customers, no matter how you look.

Please don't take offense when reading my thread. I am just describing what happened this weekend. We just wanted to support our community and use the shops in the neighborhood as much as we can. This experience made me a little sad, and I just would like to understand.

Thank you very much!!!

Lili

Sounds like he just didn't know how to cut your husband's hair!

[baybook]

Since you were not born in this country and may be new to barbershops you may not know. You're overthinking this.

Barber and beauty shops tend to charge by the amount of work they have to do on your head. If you went into a shop where the clientel was mostly AA, then he either had to work "harder" on cutting your husband's hair or just didn't know how to cut his hair.

Most stylists charge more for longer hair, complicated styles, certain textures etc...

It's the amount of "work" not your ethnicity. I've paid more at super cuts when I've gone there. If you didn't like the service, then just try another shop. If the shops along Central serve a mostly AA customer, find one that has a woman barber. She's more likely to know how to cut your husband's hair.

Originally Posted by CLT_Lili

Hello everyone,

I just moved to Charlotte with my husband and we live in the neighborhood Plaza-Midwood.
We were looking for a regular hairdresser for my husband, he doesn't need much, just shorter on the back and on the top of his head. We wanted to walk in the neighborhood, and entered the first barber shop we found on Central Ave.
Not only the barber barely cut my husband's hair (I had to fix it at home), but he made us paid $20 when other customers paid $15 (before us) and the pricing on the wall indicated $15. When I looked at the price board, the barber told me, it was old prices. He was too tall for me to argue, but... Ugh?
Shall I add that I am Caucasian, my husband is Latino, and the barber as well as all other customers were African-American.
Let me know your thoughts and what would be the appropriate answer to my thread:
- barber shops are for African American only and we did offense the barber by walking in (sorry, we were not born in the US and if this is a well known thing, well, we were not aware of that)
- we were treating differently because of our ethnicity - I hope not
- This one was an exception, all other barber shops will welcome you warmly and treat you as any other customers, no matter how you look.

Please don't take offense when reading my thread. I am just describing what happened this weekend. We just wanted to support our community and use the shops in the neighborhood as much as we can. This experience made me a little sad, and I just would like to understand.

Thank you very much!!!

Lili

[flexysteve]

I go to a black barbershop now
and its probably the best haircut I've ever had. I'm white BTW. Just find another barbershop. I've been to all kinds of places and the worst I've had was a white lady at great clips. I used to get my hair cut in Boston in Chinatown by a Chinese guy who didn't even speak English. I held up 2 fingers and pointed to the side and back and he figured out the rest. Needless to say he remembered when I came back (I was the only white guy who went there) and I didn't have to say a thing after that. A good barber can cut all kinds of hair.

[CLT_Lili]

Thank you for all your feedbacks!

As baybook said, I am probably overthinking that! Don't forget, I am a woman

[LLN]

OR....you could be victims of blatant racial discrimination. Where is Jesse Jackson when you need him????

lln

[bandibadji]

Originally Posted by CLT_Lili

Hello everyone,

I just moved to Charlotte with my husband and we live in the neighborhood Plaza-Midwood.
We were looking for a regular hairdresser for my husband, he doesn't need much, just shorter on the back and on the top of his head. We wanted to walk in the neighborhood, and entered the first barber shop we found on Central Ave.
Not only the barber barely cut my husband's hair (I had to fix it at home), but he made us paid $20 when other customers paid $15 (before us) and the pricing on the wall indicated $15. When I looked at the price board, the barber told me, it was old prices. He was too tall for me to argue, but... Ugh?
Shall I add that I am Caucasian, my husband is Latino, and the barber as well as all other customers were African-American.
Let me know your thoughts and what would be the appropriate answer to my thread:
- barber shops are for African American only and we did offense the barber by walking in (sorry, we were not born in the US and if this is a well known thing, well, we were not aware of that)
- we were treating differently because of our ethnicity - I hope not
- This one was an exception, all other barber shops will welcome you warmly and treat you as any other customers, no matter how you look.

Please don't take offense when reading my thread. I am just describing what happened this weekend. We just wanted to support our community and use the shops in the neighborhood as much as we can. This experience made me a little sad, and I just would like to understand.

Thank you very much!!!

Lili

I am hoping it wasn't descrimination. If it was, someone's license should be pulled. I would need more facts before passing judgement. Nevertheless, there is a prevailing double standard in this country.

[Just Peachy]

My dh did almost the same thing in Mooresville. He didn't say he was charged more but he was made to feel very uncomfortable!!

[bandibadji]

[quote=baybook;7303456]
Barber and beauty shops tend to charge by the amount of work they have to do on your head. If you went into a shop where the clientel was mostly AA, then he either had to work "harder" on cutting your husband's hair or just didn't know how to cut his hair.


If the charge posted was $15, they should have been charged $15. A licensed barber is trained to cut hair from anyone of any ethnicity. When I was a kid, I had black barbers cut my hair downtown and most of the clients were white. The overcharge that was experienced could be grounds for descrimination. If nothing else, there was false advertising but they would need proof of payment and the same sign advertising $15 haircuts.