Cultural Group of a Barber Salon: A Review - Research Paper Example

Cultural Trends in Barber Salons: A review Cultural Trends in Barber Salons: A review Part I The Barber Salon is one of those service establishments that evoke memories of a long gone era defined by gender segregation and stereotyped ideologies of ‘manliness’. The history of the conventional barber shops had its golden era from 1880’s to the 1940’s (Brett, 2008); these shops had an important and permanent role in the life of their male customers who relied on the barber salons not just for their routine grooming needs but also as a social center where the regular customers could meet and exchange pleasantries. Changing economic and demographic trends had a negative impact on these businesses which faced a decline after a loss in their target customers due to the war recruitments, depression era recession and the development of convenient home based grooming tools such as the Gillette disposable razor and mass produced home hair cutting kits (Brett, 2008). The traditional barber shops catering to only male staff were largely replaced in the 1970’s and 80’s by uni sex cosmetic centers like “SuperCuts” which had none of the culture aimed specifically at the male customers. However, this is not to say that these establishments vanished from social centers completely, a combination of nostalgic and cultural attachments as well as a basic service needs have allowed niche shops and centers to operate. Now, the rise in male grooming culture has created a revival of modern barber shops in the past few decades. While the conventional Barber Salons, personified by their 3-4 chair lineup, broad window displays and wood furnishings and all male staff are no longer the most popular form of the business set up, vestiges of the traditional set up can still be found in the new service centers. Modern Barber Salons can be now be divided into several sub-cultures, each with its own unique offerings, culture, ambiance and target customers. The first category belongs to Barber shops owned and operated by African American businessmen and catering mainly to the black populations. The barber shop has an intertwined history with the slave age and segregation era, where black slaves were trained with the skills to provide grooming services to the colonial land owners and plantation families (Holliday, 2013). With the evolution of civil rights and changing cultural ideologies, these black barbers became the country’s first business owners in their segregated neighborhoods, providing necessary services to the men of their communities. Even today, there are Black barber shops in inner city areas which act as pillars in the community and attract African American clients specifically for haircuts and socializing (Sapong, 2014). The article by Holliday, discusses how grooming habits and personal appearance are often characterized by the culture a person belong to and these customers feel more comfortable with a barber who they can relate to. These establishments also include non blacks in their clientele but those are in the minority. The culture inside the barber shops is one of equality and efficient service. All customers are treated the same and it is expected that clients from different demographics will mingle together and share experiences; conversation between customers and between the customer and the barber are important. Regular customers often chose to have a long standing relationship with a particular hair stylist due to their skills or efficiency. The décor is kept close to the traditional barber shops and often these shops are handed down in the family (Sapong, 2014). These establishments are the clear evolution of the Barber Salons of the previous years with a primarily male staff and only the basic services of haircutting and shave on the offer. Training for a barber position can be gained from either trade school or from apprenticeship programs; in either case the skill of these barbers is an important part of their appeal. On the other side of the industry, there are Franchised, trendy and high-end barber shops which are targeted towards the male demographic which demands more than a simple haircut from their salon. These ‘male grooming’ centers provide more luxurious settings for their clients and have an array of service to offer including complete hair care, facial treatments, manicures, pedicures, spa and may even include tailoring and other exclusive membership services. These new barber shops are designed more like exclusive male clubs, where appointments are required and the décor is designed to impress. Interestingly, the actual hair cutting is mostly done by female stylists who add to the unique hedonistic culture of these shops, as one business owner admitted “I think thats part of the [appeal] — being catered to by pretty girls." (Holliday, 2013). The cultural trend driving these high-end barber shops is the acceptance of ‘metrosexuality’, the idea that men too want to be pampered and groomed to their best not just for the sake of functionality but as a lifestyle statement as well. These barber salons cater to a mixed demographic of customers but like the prominently black barber shops these have their regular customers as well; the atmosphere of these establishments is more subdued and sophisticated. Instead of exchanging political or sports views the clients are more likely to be engrossed in their smart phones and private work. Between the traditional and the high end salons, innovative entrepreneurs are also introducing salons which fall somewhere at the midpoint of grooming service. Interesting decors, a mix of male and female employees and traditional services offered along with some extra grooming options at reasonable prices are now a part of the new crop of affordable barber options which take modern trends into consideration as well. These new joints often rely on modern communication and advertising methods e.g facebook pages, online magazine adverts and online reviews to gain popularity. Part II Interview with local Barber Shop owner, Mr XXXX (near college campus) A conversation with Mr XXXX provides insight about running a barber shop in today’s economic and cultural conditions. The Barber salon itself is neither high end, nor very traditional instead acting as a modern service center providing efficient service to the college age students and young adults of the area. The business has experienced a successful run in the past few years but there hasn’t been any significant growth in profits. The customers of the shops all reside in the a radius of 8-10 miles around the shop, as Mr XXXX points out as any other service based business the target market is often restricted geographically; the exception are those high end brands in the fashion grooming business which can draw in large crowds simply on the strength of their brand or workmanship marketing. While there is significant competition from a relatively larger franchise also located in the vicinity, the shop is doing well on the basis of its strong customer relations and the individualized service they provide to each customer. The business suffers from seasonality; because of its close proximity to the college, the businesses its largest influx near graduation time or before summer when hopeful students groom themselves for potential job and internship interviews. Mr XXX and his employees (2 females and 1 males) are prepared for this busy season and may even hire extra help. They make sure that they interact warmly with all the customers and create a friendly atmosphere to create repeat visits. Customer interaction is almost as important as the actual haircut or service provided; first time customers may be unsure of the haircut they want or feeling nervous; a good barber should be able to find out exactly what the customer needs in terms of style and cut so that they can deliver accordingly. People skills are extremely important in this business as in most service oriented ones. The shop recruited its employees straight from the trade schools and the relational skills were learnt working with Mr XXXX. One interesting thing about the business is that it is open from Saturdays to Thursday so they can provide grooming services on weekends as well. To keep up to date with the times, the shop has recently included facial massages and a greater range of hair styles to their options. Barber Shop also maintains an active facebook page and reminds all its customers to join the page for updates about the shop as well as small competitions they run from time to time. All of this is in the effort to remain relevant with their younger customers and create a line of communication with long timers. The business intends to open a functioning website soon where customers could make online appointments; but for the time being appointments are made by phone calls and walk-ins are welcome. This one aspect of the business is still very traditional but according to Mr XXXX the customers seem to find it charming. References Brett, (2008). Rediscovering the Barbershop. Dress & Grooming, Hair, May 20. Available at: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/05/20/rediscovering-the-barbershop/ Holliday, J., (2013). Inside Charlottes barbershop culture. News and Views, Creative Loafing. Available at: http://clclt.com/charlotte/inside-charlottes-barbershop- culture/Content?oid=3189632 Sapong, E., (2014). Black barbershops draw customers back with a blend of camaraderie, culture. Business, the Buffalo News, Sep 13. Available at: http://www.buffalonews.com/business/black-barbershops-draw-customers-back-with-a- blend-of-camaraderie-culture-20140913 Appendix Questions framework for interview with Mr XXXX, Barber Shop The interview was a semi-structured one with themes of conversation followed instead of asking very straight forward questions. How would you define your barber shop? Do you think the idea of a barber shop is changing with the times? What is traditional about the shop, what are the modern touches? Tell us something about your employees. Which aspects of the service are the most important in your opinion? How do you differentiate your business from the others in the vicinity? Biggest competition? Biggest challenge? What are your future plans regarding the Barber Shop? Read More