Barber Shop Hours

[SonOfArizona]

Can someone please explain to me the logic behind barber shops taking off Sundays and Mondays rather than say... Mondays and Tuesdays? Wouldn't you think that a barber shop would get much more business on a Sunday than any weekday? For that matter, why do they close so early on weekdays, the majority of them closing at 5 or 6, maybe 7 at the latest, yet stay open early in the morning through the afternoon? Kids go to school and adults work in the afternoons. This is the way it has been for as long as I remember, yet it makes no sense to me.

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

It's an old superstition that you should never get your haircut on a Sunday...just ask my wife who won't allow it.

[skaterboarder87]

My parents own a hair salon and Saturday is their biggest day of the week...with few exceptions. Sundays are typically slow, it's church/family day, thus they take Sundays and Mondays off.

[kniz]

Do barbers still have a union that dictates when they will be closed? Always seemed more like a cartel to me, since all barbers belonged to the union (even the shop owners).

[Keeve]

Who needs a haircut on Monday? If some fancy event was happening on the weekend, it's too late. Be happy that the barbers stayed open on Saturday for the procrastinators, and let them take their 2 days off.

[kniz]

So there still is a union Keeve?

[Duderdude2]

Beats the hell out of me. I know my parents aren't part of a union, but they aren't barbers either.

[Duderdude2]

Btw, Duderdude2=Skateboarder87, my other account stopped working, hence this one *sigh*

[elmwood]

In Buffalo, lots of barbers took off on Wednesday instead. Go figure.

THere was usually a sign displayed in front of all barber shops saying "Barber Union Hours" or something similar. I'd assume the union is still active in heavily unionized Buffalo.

[tram2]

I always thought they got together on Mondays to practice their singing.

[doctordoowop]

A local shop is open 6AM to &PM- M-F; 8-6 on Sat & 9-5 on Sun. I guess being Russian makes them "immune" to US customs.

[Mesquite-oh]

I remember my barber (old time, downtown kinda barber) telling me that his shop was one of the first in San Antonio to start with the Sundays/Mondays off schedule. He said that other shops started doing it and he followed them. Barbershops could not be open in Texas back then because a lot of business were either not allowed to operate on Sundays or encouraged not to operate on Sundays(I believe they called them Blue Laws and I believe they had some kind of religious justification because I remember the churches got pissed when they repealed them). For example, I remember when I was a kid (early 70's), certain non-food sections of the supermarket were roped off on Sunday. Anyway, if you couldn't work on Sunday, Monday would seem to be the natural 2nd day off since you would not want to lose Saturday's business. If you really need to get a haircut on a Monday or latenight, go to one of the modern haircutting places, like the ones in the malls.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Related question- do any Florida dopers know of a barbershop near Orlando that will still provide a straight-razor shave?

[elmwood]

dutchboy208,If you want to travel to the Confederate cultural enclave of west Orange County, there's a good old-fashioned your-father's-style barber shop in the Tri-City Plaza on US 50 in Winter Garden that gives razor shaves. Stay away from the barbershop on Plant Street in Winter Garden ... the owner, like many residents of that city, has a mullet.

If you have an annual pass, you might want to partake of a an excellent, inexpensive barber shop on Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom.

[Philster]

If they all stay closed on the same days, business doesn't suffer. If some start opening on Sunday's everyone will have to switch.

Like car dealers...if they all stay closed on Sunday, nobody's business suffers.

Locally, we always figured blue laws were the reason shops were closed (Philly, NJ area)