Home Barbering Grows In Recession, With Hairy Results
简·安杰里奇(Jane Angelich)以前常常开她丈夫马克的玩笑，说他快秃顶了。然而她手腕的一个失误，真的让他变成了秃顶。惨不忍睹的DIY发型经济危机让很多美国人为了省钱而开始自己动手理发，全民理发师现象也促成了电动理发器flowbee的热卖。但一不留神，发型就会变得惨不忍睹，以下来自YouTube视频便是佐证。为了节省开支，安杰里奇先生早开始自己理发了。他妻子主动要帮他理他够不着的脑后勺的头发。于是，她拿起了电动剃刀，可“用力过猛了点”，理下了“一大撮头发”。她的补救方法是：索性给他理了个光头。经济衰退让全美国人人都讲究节约之道，也创造了全民理发师的景象。为了节省预算开支，越来越多的美国人开始不去理发店理发了而是选择自己动手。其结果可以说是引发了一场理发的灾难－－堵塞的排水管，一些人前额上的蓬乱的头发，以及修剪地参差不齐的发型。全美美容学会(National Cosmetology Association)执行董事戈登·米勒(Gordon Miller)说，理发看起来似乎简单，但其实并非如此。这家学会在美国拥有1万多家美发店会员。米勒说，中高端美发店都感受到了压力，因为顾客者光顾的次数减少了，或是他们转而去了其他低价的美发店。在1月份一项针对600家美发店的调查中，大约有72%的受访者说，顾客的消费额已经骤减。Pat Wilson沃森夫妇自己动手给4岁的儿子理发经营着像沙宣(Vidal Sassoon)和Supercuts这样的大品牌美发沙龙的Regis Corp.刚刚公布季度同店销售额下降，这是该公司87年历史上首次出现这种情况。该公司预计，在未来一年，其业务将会有更大幅度的缩水，以往那样的2%的增长将不会出现。 “我们通常在经济衰退期间的业绩还不错” ，公司董事长兼首席执行官保罗·芬克尔斯坦(Paul Finkelstein)说。这一次的业务量下跌“与我曾经历过的任何一次都不同。”乔治·特里姆(George Trimm)今年22岁，他是一位平面设计师，家住美国加利福尼亚州达纳点市(Dana Point)，他的姓氏可真是恰如其分（译者注：TRIM英语中意为修剪）， 他在过去一年中已经自己修剪头发20多次了。在第一次修剪自己的头发后不久，他就在Facebook上开了一个名为“我自己理发”的群组，现在该组已壮大到145个成员了。 “头发是件艺术品，”他说。 “除了我，还没有人能掌握如何修剪它。”一位留言者说出了她剪长发的秘诀。 “首先要确保你的头发是直的，”她的帖子这样写道。 “然后穿上横条纹的毛衣，把所有的头发和胸前的某一横条对齐，然后就可以剪了。这样，头发在后面就会有非常漂亮的层次。”特里姆说自己动手的主要好处是节省时间和金钱。他的“价值数百万美元的秘诀”是在水槽上放一块毛巾以接住剪下的头发，这样便于清理并能防止排水管被堵。家住美国纽约州奥尔巴尼市的希瑟·巴尔莫(Heather Barmore)，以前每月花在理发和各种头发护理上的钱要200美元，而现在她就用不同的方法打理她的卷发了。她说，每当我自己剪发的时候，“我手头随时准备着Drano牌排水管清洁剂。”随着美国经济萎缩，电动理发器的销售量却在增长。占据了市场半壁江山的华尔推剪公司(Wahl Clipper Corp.)说，他们的理发器销售额在2008年增长了10%，预计2009年将增长11%。公司的市场总监派特·阿涅罗(Pat Anello)说，一般情况下，推剪类产品的销售额每年仅上下浮动一两个百分点。上个月，妮可和派特·沃森(Pat Watson)让他们的两个4岁双胞胎体验了“经济衰退期理发。”沃森太太买了电动理发器，以后门廊为理发场地，这让家住明尼苏达州圣保罗市的沃森夫妇因而节省了一笔开支，以前他们通常每隔几周就要在这对双胞胎的理发上花25美元。朋友和邻居们看着欧文和威廉这对双胞胎轮流接受妈妈的理发手艺。在艺术画廊工作的沃森太太说，双胞胎中的一个有一次问她，“你真的会理发吗？”她说她会。其他自己动手理发的人正在把眼光投向RoboCut和Flowbee这类工具，它们集真空吸管和电动剪刀为一体。据RoboCut的创始人阿尔弗雷德·纳特拉谢夫斯基(Alfred Natrasevschi)说，售价为44.99美元的RoboCut的销售量自经济衰退以来一直见长，但他没有透露增长的幅度。Flowbee系统售价在69.99至99.99美元之间。沃诺斯基(Micah Wojnowski)两年前的夏天在他失业期间为了省钱便开始用Flowbee为自己理发。在有了两次成功的经验后，有一次他为朋友理发，由于推剪刀的一个配件不断地脱落，他在朋友的头上理出了类似“井字游戏板”的图案。Flowbee公司拒绝就此事发表评论。沃诺斯基把这次事故的录影上传到了YouTube上后，一夜之间就有2万5千人的点击量，愤怒的Flowbee粉丝留下了几百条评论。他们大多数批评他理发剪和他朋友的头之间的角度不对。沃诺斯基现在去加州圣地牙哥市的一家美发店理发，每月消费50美元。与此同时，美容美发店里兴起了一种小型生意：修复那些在家搞砸了的头发。约翰·巴雷特(John Barrett)有许多客户决定要自己动手理发，在获得悲惨的结局后，他们又立刻回来求他帮忙。“我见过一些女士进来我店的时候歇斯底里地大哭”，因为她们把刘海剪去了太多，他说。 “这是个很重要的事情。”在他那位于纽约市第五大道上的Bergdorf Goodman高档百货公司顶层以他的名字命名的美发店里，有时候就像医院的急诊室：客人染头发时发生的意外，被剪坏的头发层次，以及明显的情绪困扰，等等。 “这是一种心理上的灾难，”巴雷特说，他的顾客包括社交名流和“美国超级模特新秀大赛”('America's Next Top Model)的参赛者。在几条街之外的Minardi Salon发店里，老板之一卡迈恩·米纳尔迪(Carmine Minardi)对在家理发者提出了告诫。 “我们店接待过很多弄糟了头发的顾客，”他说。他估计目前“纠正型”生意大约占了所有生意的三分之一。而帐单对顾客们则一点也不仁慈，矫正型染发比平常染发要多收50%费用。在美国爱达荷州的爱达荷瀑布市(Idaho Falls)，麦露迪·麦克布莱德(Melodie McBride)经营的美发店每星期要为三至四个顾客处理被理坏的头发。有一位顾客的头“就好像刚从打谷机里出来的一样，”她说。还有一位男士进来时眉毛已被不小心剃掉了。这家名为“平衡生活”(Lifes Balance)的美发店，最近为一位眼含泪水的18岁少女剪掉了8英寸的头发，因为她的创造性努力适得其反。麦克布赖德说，大块大块的头发被被误削掉了。《傻瓜理发师》(Haircutting For Dummies)一书的作者杰瑞尔·斯皮尔(Jeryl Spear)指出，某些区域如脑后勺的头发，对非专业人士来说可能尤其难于驾驭， “假若你能把你自己的头取下放在腿上，你就可以从容地修理你自己脑后勺的头发了。”至于马克·安杰里奇，自从他妻子的闪失后，他一直就理着光头。 “他的小胡子还在，”安杰里奇太太说。 “但是他现在不让我靠近它了。”Mary Pilon相关阅读美国州政府为省钱强制员工休假 2009-09-04自己来种菜 健康又省钱 2009-04-20省钱达人的妙招 2008-12-08 本文涉及股票或公司document.write (truthmeter('2009年09月08日08:12', 'RGS'));Regis Co.总部地点：美国上市地点：纽约证交所股票代码：RGS
Jane Angelich used to joke about her husband, Mark, going bald. Then with one faulty flick of the wrist, she made it happen.Mr. Angelich had begun cutting his own hair to save money. His wife offered to trim a spot in the back he couldn't reach. So she picked up an electric razor, 'put a little too much oomph into it,' and carved out a 'giant chunk' of hair. The fix: She shaved his entire head.The downturn has created a nation of cost, and hair- cutters. To help pare their budgets, more Americans are bypassing the salon and opting to lop off their own locks. The results, can be shear disaster -- clogged drains, fresh cowlicks and crooked trims.'It may look easy, but it's not,' says Gordon Miller, executive director for the National Cosmetology Association, which represents more than 10,000 U.S. salons. He says that middle- and high-end shops are feeling the pinch, as consumers come in less frequently or go to lower-priced salons. In a January poll of 600 salons, about 72% said they have seen a dropoff in customer spending.Regis Corp. just reported its first negative quarterly same-store sales in the company's 87-year history. Regis, which operates big salon brands such as Vidal Sassoon and Supercuts, expects to see more shrinkage in the next year, as opposed to the usual 2% growth. 'We generally do okay during recessions,' says Chairman and CEO Paul Finkelstein. The drop in business this time around is 'different than anything I've ever experienced.'The aptly named George Trimm, a 22-year-old graphic designer in Dana Point, Calif., has scissored his hair more than 20 times in the past year. He started a 'I Cut My Own Hair' Facebook group shortly after his first trim, and it is now 145 members strong. 'Hair is a work of art,' he says. 'No one has mastered cutting it but me.'One commenter offers her secret for cutting long hair. 'Make sure your hair is straight,' reads her post. 'Then use a striped sweater, match all the hair to one of the stripes in the front and cut. It will layer very nicely in the back.'Saving time and money are the chief benefits of the do-it-yourself 'do, says Mr. Trimm. His 'multimillion-dollar secret' is placing a towel over the sink to catch hair clippings, thus ensuring an easy clean up and preventing drain clogs.Heather Barmore of Albany, N.Y., who used to spend $200 a month on hair cuts and various hair treatments, takes a different approach when shearing her curly locks: 'I keep the Drano around.'Sales of electric hair clippers expanded as the U.S. economy contracted. Wahl Clipper Corp., which claims over half the consumer market, said sales of hair clippers rose 10% in 2008 and are projected to rise 11% in 2009. Normally, the clipper category moves only a percentage point or two, up or down each year, says Pat Anello, Wahl's director of marketing.Last month, Nicole and Pat Watson gave their two four-year-old twins 'recession haircuts.' Mrs. Watson purchased electric clippers and set up shop on the back porch, saving the St. Paul, Minn. couple the $25 they would normally drop every couple of weeks for the twins' trims.Friends and neighbors watched as Owen and William took turns wiggling through their cuts. At one point, Mrs. Watson, who works at an art gallery, says one of the twins asked, 'Are you sure you know what you're doing?' She said she did.Other self-styled stylists are turning to devices like the RoboCut and the Flowbee, which combine vacuum suction and electric scissors. The RoboCut, priced at $44.99, has seen an uptick in sales since the recession began, according to RoboCut founder Alfred Natrasevschi, but he wouldn't say how much.The Flowbee System goes for between $69.99 and $99.99. Micah Wojnowski started using one to save money two summers ago while between jobs. After two successful self-cuts, he made a 'tic-tac-toe' board in the back of a friend's head after an attachment to the clipper kept slipping. Flowbee declined to comment.Mr. Wojnowski posted the videotaped mishap on YouTube and overnight received over 25,000 views and hundreds of comments from angry Flowbee fans, he says. Most of them criticized the angle at which he approached his friend's head. Mr. Wojnowski now spends $50 a month at a San Diego salon.Meanwhile, a mini-industry has sprouted up in salons: fixing botched at-home cuts.John Barrett has had many clients who take matters into their own hands, achieve miserable results -- then quickly return for some tress relief.'I've seen women come in, crying hysterically,' over things like too-shorn bangs, he says. 'It's a big deal.' Sometimes, the scene at his eponymous salon, located on the penthouse level at Bergdorf Goodman on New York City's Fifth Avenue, can resemble an emergency room: Clients with hair-dye hazards, wrecked layers, and visible signs of emotional distress. 'It's a psychological disaster,' says Mr. Barrett, who caters to socialites and 'America's Next Top Model' contestants.A few blocks away, at the Minardi Salon, co-owner Carmine Minardi warns against the 'at-home' method. 'We get a lot of people who screw up their hair,' he says. He estimates that roughly a third of all business now consists of 'corrective' styling. There is no mercy reflected in the bill, which dings clients as much as 50% more for a corrective color than a regular dye job.In Idaho Falls, Idaho, Melodie McBride's salon handles three or four repair jobs a week. One client 'looked like his head had been through a thrasher,' she says. Another man came in with an eyebrow that had been mistakenly shaved off.The salon, called Lifes Balance, recently slashed eight inches of hair off a teary-eyed 18-year-old client's head after the teen's own creative attempts backfired. Huge chunks were missing, Ms. McBride says.Some areas, such as the back of the head, can be particularly treacherous for amateurs to navigate, notes 'Haircutting For Dummies' author Jeryl Spear. 'If you could just take your head off and put it in your lap, you'd be OK cutting the back on your own,' she says.As for Mark Angelich, he has kept his head shaved since his wife's slip-up. 'He's still got a mustache,' Mrs. Angelich says. 'But he's not letting me anywhere near it.'Mary Pilon
Jane Angelich used to joke about her husband, Mark, going bald. Then with one faulty flick of the wrist, she made it happen.Mr. Angelich had begun cutting his own hair to save money. His wife offered to trim a spot in the back he couldn't reach. So she picked up an electric razor, 'put a little too much oomph into it,' and carved out a 'giant chunk' of hair. The fix: She shaved his entire head.The downturn has created a nation of cost, and hair- cutters. To help pare their budgets, more Americans are bypassing the salon and opting to lop off their own locks. The results, can be shear disaster -- clogged drains, fresh cowlicks and crooked trims.'It may look easy, but it's not,' says Gordon Miller, executive director for the National Cosmetology Association, which represents more than 10,000 U.S. salons. He says that middle- and high-end shops are feeling the pinch, as consumers come in less frequently or go to lower-priced salons. In a January poll of 600 salons, about 72% said they have seen a dropoff in customer spending.Regis Corp. just reported its first negative quarterly same-store sales in the company's 87-year history. Regis, which operates big salon brands such as Vidal Sassoon and Supercuts, expects to see more shrinkage in the next year, as opposed to the usual 2% growth. 'We generally do okay during recessions,' says Chairman and CEO Paul Finkelstein. The drop in business this time around is 'different than anything I've ever experienced.'The aptly named George Trimm, a 22-year-old graphic designer in Dana Point, Calif., has scissored his hair more than 20 times in the past year. He started a 'I Cut My Own Hair' Facebook group shortly after his first trim, and it is now 145 members strong. 'Hair is a work of art,' he says. 'No one has mastered cutting it but me.'One commenter offers her secret for cutting long hair. 'Make sure your hair is straight,' reads her post. 'Then use a striped sweater, match all the hair to one of the stripes in the front and cut. It will layer very nicely in the back.'Saving time and money are the chief benefits of the do-it-yourself 'do, says Mr. Trimm. His 'multimillion-dollar secret' is placing a towel over the sink to catch hair clippings, thus ensuring an easy clean up and preventing drain clogs.Heather Barmore of Albany, N.Y., who used to spend $200 a month on hair cuts and various hair treatments, takes a different approach when shearing her curly locks: 'I keep the Drano around.'Sales of electric hair clippers expanded as the U.S. economy contracted. Wahl Clipper Corp., which claims over half the consumer market, said sales of hair clippers rose 10% in 2008 and are projected to rise 11% in 2009. Normally, the clipper category moves only a percentage point or two, up or down each year, says Pat Anello, Wahl's director of marketing.Last month, Nicole and Pat Watson gave their two four-year-old twins 'recession haircuts.' Mrs. Watson purchased electric clippers and set up shop on the back porch, saving the St. Paul, Minn. couple the $25 they would normally drop every couple of weeks for the twins' trims.Friends and neighbors watched as Owen and William took turns wiggling through their cuts. At one point, Mrs. Watson, who works at an art gallery, says one of the twins asked, 'Are you sure you know what you're doing?' She said she did.Other self-styled stylists are turning to devices like the RoboCut and the Flowbee, which combine vacuum suction and electric scissors. The RoboCut, priced at $44.99, has seen an uptick in sales since the recession began, according to RoboCut founder Alfred Natrasevschi, but he wouldn't say how much.The Flowbee System goes for between $69.99 and $99.99. Micah Wojnowski started using one to save money two summers ago while between jobs. After two successful self-cuts, he made a 'tic-tac-toe' board in the back of a friend's head after an attachment to the clipper kept slipping. Flowbee declined to comment.Mr. Wojnowski posted the videotaped mishap on YouTube and overnight received over 25,000 views and hundreds of comments from angry Flowbee fans, he says. Most of them criticized the angle at which he approached his friend's head. Mr. Wojnowski now spends $50 a month at a San Diego salon.Meanwhile, a mini-industry has sprouted up in salons: fixing botched at-home cuts.John Barrett has had many clients who take matters into their own hands, achieve miserable results -- then quickly return for some tress relief.'I've seen women come in, crying hysterically,' over things like too-shorn bangs, he says. 'It's a big deal.' Sometimes, the scene at his eponymous salon, located on the penthouse level at Bergdorf Goodman on New York City's Fifth Avenue, can resemble an emergency room: Clients with hair-dye hazards, wrecked layers, and visible signs of emotional distress. 'It's a psychological disaster,' says Mr. Barrett, who caters to socialites and 'America's Next Top Model' contestants.A few blocks away, at the Minardi Salon, co-owner Carmine Minardi warns against the 'at-home' method. 'We get a lot of people who screw up their hair,' he says. He estimates that roughly a third of all business now consists of 'corrective' styling. There is no mercy reflected in the bill, which dings clients as much as 50% more for a corrective color than a regular dye job.In Idaho Falls, Idaho, Melodie McBride's salon handles three or four repair jobs a week. One client 'looked like his head had been through a thrasher,' she says. Another man came in with an eyebrow that had been mistakenly shaved off.The salon, called Lifes Balance, recently slashed eight inches of hair off a teary-eyed 18-year-old client's head after the teen's own creative attempts backfired. Huge chunks were missing, Ms. McBride says.Some areas, such as the back of the head, can be particularly treacherous for amateurs to navigate, notes 'Haircutting For Dummies' author Jeryl Spear. 'If you could just take your head off and put it in your lap, you'd be OK cutting the back on your own,' she says.As for Mark Angelich, he has kept his head shaved since his wife's slip-up. 'He's still got a mustache,' Mrs. Angelich says. 'But he's not letting me anywhere near it.'Mary Pilon