[Closed] How do you like your barbers - chatty or quiet?

Only go for the beard trimming occasionally nowadays as have no hair left. Very one sided conversations as I can’t really talk with a razor wafting around my face.

Chatty as I’m not a miserable git.

"Doin' anything' interestin' this afternoon"?

"Playing the oboe" or "riding my bike" are both conversation stoppers.

I love her accent.
Could sit and listen to her all day.

love her accent.
Could sit and listen to her all day.

Oh hello.

Up close and personal ..
My missus cuts mine, ( she is a mobile hairdresser / stylist )..

I loathe chatty barbers, taxi drivers and any other stranger that has me as a captive audience for their drivel.

He's an absolute topper of a chap.
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I do my own, bare blade all over 👨‍🦲

tjagain

Member

I loathe chatty barbers, taxi drivers and any other stranger that has me as a captive audience for their drivel.

🙂

I loathe chatty barbers, taxi drivers and any other stranger that has me as a captive audience for their drivel.

It's great that we're finally taking back control, innit mate? Going anywhere this weekend?

How do you like your barbers – chatty or quiet?

The last time I went to a barber was more than 10 years ago as I forgot to bring my Wahl clipper.

Even when I had full head of hairs in my younger days I rarely chat to the barber.

In a way I prefer them to be not too chatty or quiet. i.e. 20 to 30% speaking time is fine.

I hate being expected to talk to people, wish they'd shut up and get on with it. Had to talk to somebody last week, he just kept going on about the coronavirus thing. Like I give a ****.

At mine the owner is a huge Juventus fan, he doesn't really chat when cutting my hair as the first time I went in there I admitted I don't really like football. Always says hi and goodbye when I'm there so I guess he has nothing else to talk about. People actually wait for him so when I get there rarely waiting more than 5 minutes before going to one of the others. The others are all fine, especially now they know I get nervous when they get the blade or scissors out. Perfectly happy to chat away most times when the clippers are going but any sign of a blade or scissors and I go quiet and daren't move! Was cut quite badly when I was 6 by a friend's mum who was the local hairdresser, didn't have a haircut for nearly a year after that, has stayed with me ever since.

So I'm happy either way but quiet works best.

I like mine with a kiss.

I'd prefer not to talk but recognise that there is an obligation to be social so will shoot the breeze with them. I have a barber now who I sort of "know" and if he's not got a queue of loads of people I will always pick him as he tends to just launch into a monologue and talk at his customers so I get the benefit of not sitting in silence without having to make any effort.

I'd say I fundamentally disagree with 80% of everything he says but he does do a good haircut.

Last time I saw him he started moaning about how drunks take up too much time of the emergency services at weekends (tend to agree) and that they should all just be rounded up and sent to a big room in the city centres and given a good kicking by the police (not sure about that).

Get on well with my barber who is a football fan and cyclist. We quickly established that we should talk about cycling more then foorball.

Silent.

The social awkwardness is strong in this thread.

The chat is part of the reason I go to my barber. She's a few years older than me but she's good looking, tall, blonde and funny. We get on well and always have a laugh while she trims what's left of my hair. It's an enjoyable 20 minutes and well worth the ten quid charge.

Lol, you could guess the ones on here that can't even converse with a barber! 😂😂😂

Silence. I prefer to glower at myself in the mirror hoping it will all end soon.

There are 4 barbers in the place I go. One is quite chatty, but it's always interesting, he likes motorcycles and old cars and has just moved and trying to live off the grid. Another is ok chat wise but quickly tunes in whether you do or do not want to talk, does and fine cut and is quick. Another is very chatty and opinionated and for some reason I find myself talking shite back. Takes longer than the others and I try to avoid. I've not tried the other. I can appreciate that folks do go for a chat, they welcome the old guys in and brew them a tea or coffee and wotnot. Personal preference is between number one and two.

ransos
The social awkwardness is strong in this thread.

I'd describe it more as a total lack of interest in football...

I'd describe as not wanting someone to talk at me when I am unable to leave.

I’d describe it more as a total lack of interest in football…

See if you can engage your barber in a different topic. It'll be good for you.

No barber is going to get a meaningful conversation about football out of me but that's purely because I've probably got a better knowledge of Latin than I do of football (I don't know much Latin).

Happy to chat in the barber on other topics because I'm not a mardy sod (well not all the time).

However if you're the random bloke who stopped to talk who moved here recently because his old town was "too busy and overcrowded. Sure you know what I mean, too many of them take-aways and little shops." I don't want to engage with you again.

It took me just a moment to twig what (I think) he meant.

I can’t understand much of what mine says and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t understand me. Though he does go by the name Willy which alway makes me happy. I want him to open his own place and call it Hair by Willy.

I’d describe it more as a total lack of interest in football…

I’ve no interest so I tell them and change the subject.

ransos
The social awkwardness is strong in this thread.

It does explain the behaviour of some on here.

Loathe going to barbers because of the chat, hate it. Don't like conversing with strangers at all and feel awkward that I have to say something.
just bought a home quick cut kit to avoid this situation.
I'm aware that I am 100% socially awkward !

I'm quite happy to chat as long as it's not about football.

New guy at my local chopshop is... interesting. Camp as a row of tents, shirt opened to his navel, fond of talking about his conquests, doesn't really listen. Talks a lot. Not my bag at all, but by hell I liked what he did to my hair.

As a barber I'd say a good one should be able to read the signals and know when to shut up. Then again I'm nearly 50, so can't be arsed dragging conversations out of miserable barstewards, plus for all I know they are autistic and this is quite literally the worst part of every month.

Having said that I love bikes so we'd mostly all be ok 😉

Where are you all going on your jollies this year by the way?

Tell me more about how you hate bicycles

Chatty - mine is a good source of intel!

I think I seen that episode of the sweeney.

The lesson to be learned from this is that people who don’t like football are weirdos and should be viewed with suspicion 🙂

Have you lot not just thought of buying some clippers? It’s very liberating

They never try to talk to me about footy, can they just tell?

I like a nice chat though.

I have no issue chatting with strangers however I personally find getting my hair cut to be an incredibly relaxing experience so hate having to converse with the barber to ruin the tranquility. Luckily, most barbers close to my work place haven’t a word of English. I also find dentist visits and hospitals very relaxing. My brain must be wired wrong 🙂

My wife is a hairdresser and you would think that she has had enough of talking during the day but no....

Where are you all going on your jollies this year by the way?

😆 Notice how a certain segment of this thread have ignored you...

Have done my own for the last 25 years so can't really comment. I do a good line in talking shite so probably could tolerant a bit of banter.

Went to a barber in my youth as a 13/14 year old. You'd get the next free barber and in a terrible game of roulette it was either the old geezer with some sort of skin condition and a hacking cough or a well endowed figure of loveliness. Both would get into your personal space - the bloke with his wheezing and BO; the lady with her magnificent bosoms resting on your shoulder or full in your face. In both cases I have no idea if they were actually talking as I was either concentrating on not vomming or in a stupified adolescent nirvana. Fate was a cruel mistress and I seemed to get the old boy twice as often and the lady but the lure of getting lucky the next time was too much for me to go anywhere else.

Been going to the same hairdresser for the last seven years.

She's a bit of a milf and smells nice. Have done a few jobs for her privately.

Sit and chat about all sorts.... Me losing my driving license, her dad's Alzheimers, my citizenship bollocks....

Told her she shouldn't wear those trousers again.... Camel toe 🐫...!

"Have done a few jobs for her privately".

I think this thread is approaching peak STW.

Been going to the same hairdresser for about 10 years, I enjoying having a chat.

Mine is ace.
I've know her for about 30 years and we just have a gas about all sorts. I look forward to our catch-ups.

I go to a barbers in town that is all women. It's a bit of roulette as to which one you get.

I'll have a sociable conversation with any them, but it's not constant chat except for the one who's recently divorced and having issues with her 12 year old son, her son's school, her son's scouts group, her ex-mother in law, the neighbours and the dog.

I generally leave it if she's working.

My barber chats to his mate incessantly in Turkish/Kurdish 🙂 it's fine and if he chatted to me this would also be fine. I swapped barbers because the ones in Manchester were a bit daily mail and the young Turkish lads who set up near our house need the custom more.

I go to a barbers in town that is all women.

That's a hairdressers. If it's a proper barber's shop, there will not be any women.

It used to be all talk about holidays. The ennui! The last haircut I had the young woman barber also worked making prosthetic limbs for the film industry. It was fascinating.

If it’s a proper barber’s shop, there will not be any women.

A bit like those poncy golf clubs?

FWIW, it has got "Barbers" in the name.

I’d describe as not wanting someone to talk at me when I am unable to leave.

That where you learned your debating skillz ol boy? 😊

As a barber myself, its often diffcult to know when someone wants to chat or not. Social interaction doesnt really allow us to ask straight out if people want to chat or not...at least not without it feeling really awkward.

Some folks come in for a chat more than a haircut because they are on their own at home or whatever. Some folks come in that we are really glad to see and chat with.

You are kind of taught to chat and make the whole thing an "experience" but the longer you're in the business the more you realise that some folks prefer to just sit in silence.

Additionally theres some clientelle that i'd be more than happy to never hold another conversation with again, just as long as they keep giving me their custom.