The Sarcastic Hairdresser

a nice photo from yokioni

It has been my plan since last week to have my haircut done. I'm looking so dirty and it is so hard to fix my hair recently and so I hurriedly go to my usual salon and look for my hairdresser there. Yeah. I have a hairdresser, well he is not a personal hairdresser but I used to request for him since he knew what to do with my hair without explaining too much details just to get the look I like but unfortunately he is not there, so I told the manager of the company that I'll just go back a week after besides, I have a lot of things to do aside from having my haircut done. 

and so a week passed and I decided to go to this fave salon of mine and as I get there the manager suddenly approached me and said

"Sir, Wala pa po si Mark.. hindi ko alam kung anong oras sya darating. Basta ang sabi nya male-late sya" (Sir, Mark Isn't here yet. I don't know what time he'll be here. he just said that he'll be late for today)

"It's okay. Try ko muna maghintay.." (It's okay, I'll try to wait for a few moment) I told the boss. and so I started to read some magazines while waiting.

30 minutes has passed and Mark the stylist isn't there yet

"Sir..." the boss suddenly sat beside me "Ayoko naman na maghintay ka jan.. I re-recommend ko nalang yung isa namin stylist. Magaling to at madaling maka gets ng style na gusto ng customer" (I don't wanty to keep you waiting. I wanted to recommend one of our stylist. He's good and he could easily figure out style that our customers wanted without too much details" he offered

Well, since I have been waiting for so long and it seems like Mark wouldn't be there any sooner. I grabbed it and said "Sure, let's try"

and then the boss accompanied me to be seated on that Salon Seat I don't know how to call it and suddenly the hairdresser came in. 

He is actually a gay, a cross dresser but I don't have any issue with that. I was just a bit not used to it since a guys (not just sure if they are straight) used to cut my hair in here. But mind me I don't have any issues with that. I am just trying to elaborate that this will be my first time to have my hair cut by a gay guy but she is pretty. I never noticed she is guy but when she speaks. I commended her for that.

"Anong gupit sir?" (What hair style you wanted sir?") she asked

"Yung usual lang, med - " (the usual haircut, a bit - ) and then she cuts me as I speak

"Anong usual Sir? Hindi naman ako yung nag gupit sau last time. Malay ko ba sa nag gupit nyan?" (What do you mean the usual? I'm not the one who cut you hair last time. I don't know what the other hair stylist did) she sarcastically answered me.

I paused, my eyebrows raised and I get intimidated. but I noticed that she is having colds maybe he is just having a not so good day. Before I selected Mark as my usual stylist I have been with a lot of stylist in this salon and I used to say those "The usual thing" and they never bothered to ask me more about it. anyhow, I still tried to be so nice to her.

"Yung medyo ahit sa gilid.. tapos.." (A bit razed on the side and then...) she cuts me off again

"Ahit talaga? as in walang buhok?" (razed? do you mean no hair at all?) she really sounded sarcastic to me. i don't know if she is asking that just to make sure she'll get what I want, but her tone of voice is so annoyingly sarcastic

"hindi ahit na literal, ahit using razor" (not the literal shaved, razed I mean using a razor) I am starting to add some english on my statements it only means I am getting frustrated.

"Razor? syempre alam ko yun" (using a razor? of course I knew that!) she said again and this time. I gone mute. I am starting to think of yelling at her. But I tried to be calm. I bear in mind that I am mannered, I am educated and I am a professional. "Anong klaseng ahit ba? Kwatro, tres, dos??" (What kind of razor is used? Four, three, two?" now, he is using salon term which I didn't know.

"hindi ako familiar..." (I am not familiar to those terms..) I said honestly

"Papaano natin malalaman?" (How are we going to find out?" and that mocking expression in her face makes my temper burst 

"That is why I am telling you the details Miss." I started talking in english (one sign that a filipino is mad hehe) and then I started to remove the towel, the salon cape on me and said "hindi ko alam kung bakit kailangan mong maging sarcastic sakin samantalang kinakausap naman kita ng maayos" (I don't know why do you have to be so sarcastic wherein I am talking to you nicely in the first place) 

the manager suddenly approaches us as he saw me standing, picked up my bag and is about to leave and walk out.

"May problema po ba dito?" (Is there any problem in here?) the manager asked us but no one from us bither to answer him

"Sir, nagtatanong lang po ako.." (I am just asking...) the hairstylist defends herself

"Pwes, hindi tama. napaka sarcastic ng approach mo., pwede mo naman ako tanungin ng maayos" (Well, it is not right. Your approach is so sarcastic and you could ask me in a right way) well, i tried to be as calm as I could. I don't want the other customers to figure us having a scene in there. "limang taon na ako nagpapagupit dito at ngayon lang ako nabastos ng ganito" (I've been a customer of this salon for five years and this is the first time I feel so disgraced) and the hairstylist won't even say a word to apologize

I started walking out when Mark suddenly approaches me..

"Sir.." he called me but the manager stopped him first.

"Sir, Sorry po talaga.. Hayan niyo po pagsasabihan ko nalang po... Pag s-sorry-hin ko narin po sa inyo" (Sir, I am really sorry. Don't worry I'll talk to her and I'll tell her to apologize to you) the manager is convincing me not to go

"It's okay" I said "Di nya na kailangan mag-Sorry. Sana lang wag nalang nyang gawin sa ibang customers kasi hindi maganda yung ginagawa nya." (There is no need for apology. I just hope that she'll never do this to other customer because what she is doing is extremely not right)

and then he convinced me to go back and this time he offered the VIP room for free with Mark as my stylist. I feel so specially treated after as it could be for the courtesy and Mark is always spotless. 

and before I left the vicinity the manager told me "Sir, babalik parin kayo ha?!" (Sir, I am hoping you'll come back here"

"don't worry, di ko naman pinepersonal yung mga ganun" (don't worry I don't take it too personal) and then I leave.

I always consider myself to be one of the most patient customer always. I know how these clerks, reps or whatever you call them will feel if their customers will be rude to them and I always believe that we can always set things in a calm and nice way. But reps, agents etc shouldn't take advantage of this nice customers like me as they can also be provoked and why do we have to be so rude anyway? Smile is the best free thing we can give to anyone. I am not mad to this hair stylist but of course I don't wanted to encounter her again. She is lucky that I am in that situation as what if she encountered rude and heartless customers? I wonder where she is working now then.

The morale of the story? Be nice to people who are nice to you and be Nicer to people who aren't.