This Edwards haircut thing has been bugging me for awhile. I thought it was such a silly thing that it would naturally disappear from the dialog of presidential politics. But again last night I heard it mentioned on TV. Bill Maher I believe.
Off site haircuts are expensive:
Let me tell you the story of a woman from Birmingham, Michigan. Let’s call her Lauren. Lauren, who was a regular client at the salon I worked for in Troy, Michigan, broke her leg. Lauren called one day and asked if I would come to her home to cut and style her hair. It was important; she had an event that evening and couldn’t do her own hair. I said I would be glad to, but explained that it would be more expensive. Lauren’s cut and style cost her $150.00 _and_ that was in the early 90’s. Unexpectedly, she even tipped me $20.00.
Here is the math:
At the time, I was producing at about $80.00 in hair work per hour (it averaged higher when I did color or perms). Out of that, my commission was about $48.00. So, to make my basic hourly rate I needed to charge about $48.00 an hour.
Packing my tools, leaving the salon, doing the hair work, packing up my tools again, going back to the salon – took TIME. Did I mention the hassle? Bending her over to shampoo her hair in her bathroom sink (though it was a gorgeous home and bathroom - it was a hassle). Packing and dragging my tools, yes, a hassle. Plus, my time away from the salon, if I didn’t charge her more, would have cost me money.
All in all it took about 3 hours. I charged her $150.00. I could have charged her more and been well within my conscience.
How you charge a VIP:
Flash forward about 15 years and the average cost per hour for a good quality hairstylist increases. Let’s say it just increases by $20.00 per hour. That stylist needs to charge at least $60.00 an hour to compensate for time away from the salon. A plumber charges more than that just to show up and diagnose the problem without doing any work!
Add to the cost that John Edwards is a presidential candidate. I don’t know if he has a Secret Service detail BUT I am almost certain he has security. And with security you have background checks and other time and money consumers -bet on that. It’s possible, I imagine, to be patted down for weapons; possibly there were arrangements for secure transportation. Add to the security nightmare that the hairdresser is bringing sharp instruments like a straight razor and shears.
By this time the hairdresser might be a little bit tense. (Ya think?) Add to this the fact that your client is about to go on TV. Trust me, most people who are about to go on TV are PICKY (whether they are used to being on TV or not). Male or female. The mirror is their best friend and worst enemy – the client is stressed out as well. They must know they look great to do their job well.
All of this is TIME CONSUMING and a HASSLE for both the client and the hairdresser. The VIP client must have a quality hairdresser and a perfect cut or style. A bad hair day is NOT an option. The Hairdresser MUST be compensated for TIME, QUALITY and dealing with all the attendant hassle that comes with a VIP client. That is just the way it is.
A quality hairstylist – working in an undisclosed location :-) does not come cheap. At a minimum of $60.00 per hour charged, the John Edwards haircut was fairly priced. The prep work alone probably took half a day. A celebrity hairstylist would have probably charged more than $400.00 for a 30 minute haircut. And that celebrity hairdresser probably has a tool bag on standby.
