“Listen, I like to chat, but today I am feeling a bit overwhelmed from work and I need some peace and quiet, could this be a silent haircut please? It would do wonders for my soul right now!”
You are responsible for setting boundaries and attending to your needs. Any good hairdresser will be totally fine with this, and some may even be relieved.
That’s great advice, but I find myself amused that even when you give an example of being direct and setting expectations for what you want and need, there still has to be a load of social hedging to make the reason more palletable.
The “tired from work” thing conveniently externalises the cause so that neither you nor the hairdresser needs to be part of the reason.
If we could say exactly what we want to say and mean, it would be “I don’t like small-talk and I don’t want any with you, not today, not next time, and not any future time. I just want you to cut my hair.”
But no, the raw truth could both offend the hairdresser and make them think there’s something wrong with you, so “tired from work” it is.
The place I go to has an option for a “quiet haircut” when you book the appointment. I’m pretty social, so I don’t usually do it, but I think it’s a nice idea for those who want it.
“Listen, I like to chat, but today I am feeling a bit overwhelmed from work and I need some peace and quiet, could this be a silent haircut please? It would do wonders for my soul right now!”
You are responsible for setting boundaries and attending to your needs. Any good hairdresser will be totally fine with this, and some may even be relieved.
That’s great advice, but I find myself amused that even when you give an example of being direct and setting expectations for what you want and need, there still has to be a load of social hedging to make the reason more palletable.
The “tired from work” thing conveniently externalises the cause so that neither you nor the hairdresser needs to be part of the reason.
If we could say exactly what we want to say and mean, it would be “I don’t like small-talk and I don’t want any with you, not today, not next time, and not any future time. I just want you to cut my hair.”
But no, the raw truth could both offend the hairdresser and make them think there’s something wrong with you, so “tired from work” it is.
The place I go to has an option for a “quiet haircut” when you book the appointment. I’m pretty social, so I don’t usually do it, but I think it’s a nice idea for those who want it.