By Ashley Young And Stacey Lowman
Barbers in London and Essex are charging £30 pounds for haircuts in doors as they break stay at home orders, The Eye Of Media.Com can reveal. Barbers in london are meeting their clientelle at home and charging £30 pounds for haircuts, in an attempt to make up for loss of trade during the lockdown.
Research conducted to establish the coping mechanism of barbers since the second lockdown in November, revealed Barbers have been finding their own way to secure income for themselves.
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The inquiry which came about as a result of an examination of how barbers were actually coping in the se times. Female hairdressers were not found in sufficient numbers to participate in the survey, but the few surveyed revealed an even split between hairdressers in london complying with restrictions and those who decided they had to earn their money by hook or crook.
Hairdressers with children were more cautious of the rules than those without children.
Barbers were identified through mutual contact in some cases, inquiry in others, and through telephone numbers plasted on the windows of various barbers.
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Barbers spoken to were not prepared to identify themselves, for understandable reasons. We found them in all colours and sizes, all happy to state was that they would suffer serious losses if they don’t find a way to sustain their livelihood in these hard times of coronavirus restrictions.
Undercover barbing has been going on ever since the first lockdown, but more undercover barbing has been taking place at various properties in London and Birmingham, than in Essex. More barbers spoken to in London and Birmingham admitted to mixing with more than two other households during lockdown periods, and the during times of strict restrictions to earn a living.
Many barbers expressed feeling marginalised in the the full scheme of the consequences of the restrictions, and have continued to earn a higher wage, therefore benefiting from the consequences of Covid restrictions in some cases. Some barbers remain at a loss, because don’t have the variety of clientelle in lockdown to break evens with their usual earnings.
The prosperity of barbers varied from person to person, depending on the household set up of the barber, and their spouse’s attitude to Covid-19. Barbers with clients who were indifferent to the pandemic because of frustration, mental health, or a strong belief in conspiracy theories, were more likely to comfortably entertain barbers in their home.
Objection
In some cases, the spouses or partner of those wanting a haircut strongly objected to people coming into their home, especially where they have children. A small sample of 50 barbers in London revealed that 36 of them were still barbing hair indoors and charging £30 for their haircuts. The 14 cases in which barbers claimed not to be breaking the restrictions generally did not have clientelle willing to to the chance of letting them in.
Only 6 of 14 said they had not conducted any hair cuts in secret because they were being careful, and not wanting to risk catching the virus. were The higher fee imposes the strain of the pandemic on customers, while barbers either make high profits than usual or still fall behind their usual earnings.
Sample
A sample of 50 barbers in Essex revealed that nearly half of the 50 ( 24 %) barb hair undercover, and are charging £30 per haircut. In several other cases, they there was no opposition from either of two partners in a property where barbing could take place.
Most men who live alone were open to allowing barbers in their house during lockdown or strong restriction periods.
Fresh Look
Many customers who are eager to maintain a fresh look through haircuts are being forced to fork out the extra cash, enrichening barbers who are able to cover close to their full list of customers.
Barbers in Maryland and Upton Park in East London, told this publication that they have been going door to door of their customers to continue earning a living. They spoke on the condition of anonymity and were identified through contacts in the area in some cases, and advertised telephone numbers in other cases.
One barber, a 32 year old man from Leytonstone said he had made profits since the first lockdown until now, while another said a lot of clientelle had partners who wouldn’t let them come into their property during lockdown period.
Profits
Another barber, a 26 year old from Leyton, said he had made profits in excess of £2,000 in one month. The man who also insisted on anonymity, said he charges £40 to his customers on weekends. Many of his clients had maintained their custom by having their haircuts conducted at their home. Some barbers claimed to have seen their clientelle grow in lockdown period. Some have argued that they are part of the support bubble of all their clients, in a bid to justify all their visits.
Trippled Price
The high charges, tripple their normal price, is seen as a sign that prices are about to rise in almost every sector as industries attempt to recoup their losses from lockdowns.
The industry has warned that London’s hair and beauty salons stand to lose millions of pounds in total on a weekly basis under Tier 4 rules, unless increased government aid is received.
The Uk government has dished out plenty of money to help businesses most affected by the pandemic. Brits in high numbers have been recipients of the bounce back loan, paving the way for investments and self-sufficiency for many businessmen.
The sector was forced to close in the capital and much of the south east yesterday as new Covid restrictions came in. The news comes as t was revealed that hair and beauty salons stand to collectively lose millions of pounds per week under Tier 4 rules and more government support is needed, the industry has warned.
The National Hair & Beauty Federation said that there are 7,015 hairdressing, barbering and beauty businesses in London who generated a collective £841.5 million in 2018. They estimate the closure of close contact services in Tier 4 in the capital will see these companies lose a total minimum of over £16 million per week.
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