The Modern Babershop – Common misconceptions in the Barbering Industry
Let’s talk stereotypes in the barbering industry. Old school beliefs that still float about influencing who can be a barber, what they do, and who their services are for.
Barbershops have come a long way and do much more than just a quick, short back and sides. As one of the best rated barbers in Peterborough we know a thing or two about what makes a good, inclusive, ethical and modern barbershop.
So, we thought we’d do what we do best: cover some of the industry’s misconceptions and discuss some of the things that affect our customers and barbers every day.
Ready to get stuck in?
Only men can cut hair in a barbershop
This is probably the biggest myth, so let’s start here! Some of my BEST trainees have been female. Cutting hair has no gender. Zero. We are one of the few barbers around with an equal mix of men and women cutting hair. Both have exceptional skills. It’s down to their knowledge, not demographics.
We’re all for a bit of banter, but we don’t accept discrimination of any kind. So, if you think only ‘men’ can cut hair, we’re not the place for you! Luckily, we attract amazing, inclusive and kind customers, so it very rarely happens.
Only men go into barbershops
Another myth. And it’s one that we think many barbershops need to be more open about. We’re known for being an inclusive modern barbershop. All genders are welcome in our shop. Trans, non-binary people, women – cutting hair isn’t gender specific. It’s about the hair!
Let’s also get into the legalities of this. A person’s gender is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. So, for a barber to refuse anyone based on their gender is illegal and discriminatory. If you’ve been told this in the past, it’s a massive red flag.
Barbers specialise in a range of short hairstyles. Inclusivity and respect in the shop are two of our biggest values – any hate or bullying behaviour towards anyone isn’t tolerated, so if you don’t feel comfortable in an inclusive space this isn’t the place for you.
Barbers are cheap and quick
For a long time, barbers have been known to charge much less than hairdressers. This means they often try to get through as many cuts as they can, in a short space of time, to make enough money to make ends meet. Because why would you spend 20 minutes on a £15 haricut if that translated into just £45 an hour? Factor in that it’s unlikely you’ll be booked out back-to-back all day, every day. So when you take that into account plus overheads, the figures just don’t add up.
We know that rushing hair means mistakes and unhappy clients.
All of our appointments are at least 20 minutes long. We take time to consult with you before your cut and style it, recommend products, and even show you how to style it when you get home. This is the minimum you should expect from your barbers. Quality haircuts mean fewer trips to the barbers and, of course, a much better look and finish.
Barbers spend YEARS training and thousands of pounds keeping their skills up to date.
Sadly, many barbers still adopt the ‘cheap and quick’ model, which means barbers like us have to explain our pricing. Remember, your barber is an expert. They are creative gods! (Okay, we took it too far, but you get the gist.)
Most modern barbershops are money launderers
We’ve talked before about the rise of the barbershop on the high street, money laundering barbers and the damage they are doing to the industry. We’ve been around for a long time now, so we’ve got a good, long-standing reputation, with hundreds of Google reviews to show for it. But we STILL get queries about our preference for cash payments.
As a small business with premises, our overheads have increased drastically over the past few years. COVID has stripped the high street of small businesses. Taking cash helps us keep our overheads lower with fewer card transaction fees. It’s not actually that uncommon.
But we can see why people make that assumption with so much of it happening on the high street.
If in doubt check credentials, check how long your barber has been operating and how busy they are. All barbers have quiet spells during the day, but you’ll soon get a picture if you drive past at different times of the day during the week, and they appear oddly quiet, it could be a red flag.
The Modern Barbershop – A Community Space
A good modern barbershop should be an open, welcoming place where everyone feels safe, regardless of age, sex, gender or race. We pride ourselves in being knowledgeable about neurodiversity because of our lived experiences, we talk openly about religion as a Muslim-owned barbershop and often hold fundraising events for the community, customers and staff.
Barbershops today need to be more than just about the haircuts. With the rise in mental health struggles, it’s a place where we look out for each other, support each other and often hold space for our customers to have difficult conversations. We also have a heck of a lot of banter, and we can promise you’ll leave with a big smile.
Book with Confidence
Whether you live in Peterborough, Stamford, or the surrounding areas, our Peterborough barbers is based at the bottom of Werrington Village and easily accessible on your way home or to work with free parking.
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