The worker who "grabbed someone else's head" cried when the Vice Director shouted: "Cut it off!"

Mr. Duc had just started to advise on the most suitable and beautiful hairstyle, when the customer, a Vice Director in the real estate industry, brushed him off and shouted: "Cut it short! Just cut it short for me."

The deputy director also requested... "cut it up"

These days, customers coming to the men's hair salon of Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc, in Binh Trung Dong ward, Thu Duc city, Ho Chi Minh city often say: "Every industry is difficult, even going to a drinking place is hungry, only those who "hold other people's heads" are still living well". Mr. Duc shook his head and replied: "Not at all, barbers like me have also lost nearly 50% of their income". This man said that this year, many workers have lost their jobs and moved back to their hometowns, so the number of customers coming to the salon has clearly decreased.

The barber profession is also affected by customers' requests to "cut their hair short" (Photo: Hoai Nam).

Furthermore, the income and revenue of barbers have decreased not only because... workers have returned to their hometowns, but also because of the "frugality" of customers who come to the shop. Previously, many customers only needed 2-4 weeks to come back for a haircut, but now they sometimes delay for 2-3 months. Many people only come back when their hair and beard are too messy. Furthermore, Mr. Duc said, unlike before, barbers could cut hair to the most suitable and beautiful level, now many customers request: "Cut it short!". Some customers shave their heads, some customers request to cut it as short as possible so that it will take a long time before they have to go back for a haircut. There is a young man who is the Deputy Director of the Customer Service Department of a real estate company and is a regular customer of Mr. Duc's shop. Previously, he would come back for a haircut every 2 weeks, but now he can only come back every few months. Anh Duc asked him to cut his hair in the most suitable and beautiful style, but the boy waved him off and shouted: "Cut it short! Just cut it short for me!". The young man explained that before, when he often met customers, he had to take care of his appearance. But now, his house and land were not selling well, he was looking for another job, and rarely met anyone, so he cut it short to save money.

Difficulty, consumers calculate and consider every penny spent (Photo: Hoai Nam).

"Many times when customers shouted "cut it short", I... wanted to cry. I wanted to cry not only because I couldn't give them the best haircut, but also because I saw the difficulties people had even in getting a haircut. Services like facial masks, acne removal, and hair dyeing are not of much interest to many people now. The economy clearly affects people's aesthetic taste and beauty needs," Duc confided. After nearly 20 years in the profession and many economic crises, this was the first time Duc clearly felt the difficulties affecting so many people. Through contact with customers, he saw their difficulties. Many people and families now have to calculate and consider every thousand and every penny in their spending. "The shop over there is closed!" Duc said that last weekend, a mother brought her 9-10 year old son in for a haircut. The child was upset and said: "The shop over there only cuts 40,000 VND, this shop charges 50,000 VND, why did you come here?". The mother pinched her child's hand and whispered: "The shop over there is closed."

Many people who work as "manipulators" have seen their income decrease as workers lose their jobs and tighten spending (Photo: Hoai Nam).

When entering the salon, she repeatedly reminded the barber: "Please cut it higher, the shorter the better, because this kid's hair grows very quickly!". The child retorted: "But don't shave it bald! It looks crazy, and my classmates will laugh at me when I go to school!". When paying, Mr. Duc took 40,000 VND. The boy wondered: "I thought your salon cut my hair for 50,000 VND!". The barber shop owner laughed: "Because I have little hair, you charge me less." Or in another case, a father and his two sons are regular customers of the salon. Before, every 3-4 weeks, the three of them came to get their hair cut, but now it's been more than two months, but... only the father is left. Mr. Duc asked, the customer smiled: "Mom bought clippers for the two of us to cut our hair ourselves, to save money. The other day, she straightened my hair for me but I couldn't stand the messy hair, so I had to ask, "Hey, let me go to the salon." Previously, Mr. Duc's shop had 5 workers, plus an assistant. Since the middle of this year, the shop has only had 3 workers left, two of whom had to find work elsewhere. The assistant workers also had to be laid off when the shop could not bear the costs and salaries. The remaining three workers only come to work on weekends when the shop is crowded. On weekdays, just two of them sit and look at each other, "yawning." Earlier this month, the hair salon right next to Mr. Duc's shop, which had been open for 4 years, hung a sign to transfer the shop and return the premises, joining the wave of returning premises that has been happening in the city for a long time. It's not surprising, even the profession called "holding other people's heads for money" like Mr. Duc's is struggling and difficult, so how can other fields avoid it?

Many hair salons in Ho Chi Minh City have to hold on or transfer their shops and return the premises (Photo: Hoai Nam).

According to information from the General Statistics Office, the unemployment rate in the third quarter of 2023 remained unchanged compared to the previous quarter and increased compared to the same period last year, with workers in the industrial and construction sectors being most affected. Specifically, the number of unemployed people of working age in the third quarter of 2023 was about 940,900, an increase of 200 people compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 69,200 people compared to the same period last year. In Ho Chi Minh City alone, of the nearly 92,000 workers who lost their jobs in the first 6 months of 2023, 30% of workers who lost their jobs were over 40 years old. The sectors with the largest job cuts were trade and services; processing and manufacturing industries; construction; financial, banking and insurance activities...

Source link: https://dantri.com.vn/lao-dong-viec-lam/tho-nam-dau-nguoi-khac-phat-khoc-khi-pho-giam-doc-ho-lon-cat-cut-len-20231207091638880.htm