Sign up to be part of...
The 'unemployment haircut' kicks off in the US
Date Added: 2009-12-14
An american salon owner has started to offer free haircuts to the unemployed.
The “unemployment haircuts” are offered on a weekly basis from Cristiano Cora’s New York hair studio.
Cora, a top stylist who has worked across the globe and charges around $300 for a cut, began the offer as a one off deal and it has since expanded due to overwhelming response.
To qualify for the offer all it takes is an appointment and some proof -- be it a pink slip or unemployment check .
More than 100 jobless clients showed up the first day. (When he couldn't get to them all, Cora instituted the by-appointment plan. The waiting list is now several weeks long.)
The idea evolved over a period of months, as Cora listened to friends and customers talk about money and job woes. He didn't need government unemployment stats to see how how hard the recession was hitting people, he could see his customers were scheduling their appointments every eight weeks, then 10 weeks, then longer.
Whilst Cora is not making money from the cuts, he has gained a large following through word of month and media reports. He also feels that “unemployment haircuts” are a way of bonding with clients and showing goodwill, despite the difficult times that people may be experiencing.
Cora hopes his idea will catch on and that other businesses will come up with similar recession-era offers.
"It's no time to be greedy now," he said, lamenting what he said was the loss of goodwill in a city that bonded together after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
"During 9/11, people were helping each other, and it was an economic disaster then too.“
