My friend goes to a salon where she, her sister, and their mother were all seeing the owner. I went there a few times and she talked me into going short and I hated it and never went back. My friend recognized that the owner pushes the short hair styles, so she switched to another stylist in the shop when she decided she wanted to go longer again. Sure, it may have hurt the owner’s feelings, but as paying customers, we have the right to choose which service and provider that we want.
A friend of mine recently posted an article about tipping that said that it is old-school to not tip the salon owner anymore, which was a custom that I was always wondering about. I’ve been salon hopping since I moved, as I find it hard to pay $40 plus tax and tip for a mediocre haircut because I have long layers. I’d willingly pay that much or a little more if the cut were exceptional, but the last couple times I’ve done it myself and it looks about the same as I was paying big bucks for.