Barbers in Keşan District in northwest Turkey’s Edirne Province fear for their future, struggling to return to the old days as clients turned to home haircuts in the country. amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The outbreak initially forced hairdressers and other non-essential businesses to close. As Turkey began the process of reopening, gradually easing pandemic brakes over the past few months, hairdressers found themselves facing yet another problem – people taking matters into their own hands, literally cutting their hair off.
The Berbers of Keşan say their business is half of what it was despite the reopening. They cite shyness and fear of customers due to the coronavirus as one of the main culprits in the fall in business.
In addition, they say they are now mainly concerned with repairing faulty cuts made at home.
“Just like we as barbers can’t build a building, people can’t get a good haircut,” this is how they remind their customers in stores.
Kudret Kalkan, a barber, says that although people are now used to having their own haircuts, they usually don’t get a great look without a “barber touch.”
“People have gotten used to buying razors and having their hair cut themselves during the pandemic. People who comb their hair usually come to have the back of their head repaired, ”Kalkan told the Ihlas News Agency (IHA).
“Our haircuts have been cut in half by the pandemic. Our chips have dropped by over 50%, and now they (the customers) come in every now and then. We have received our jabs (COVID-19). We respect the rules of hygiene. Those who want a good look should prefer barbers and hairdressers.
Kalkan says they miss old conversations with customers.
“When we first reopened, the situation was different, now there is a decline in business. Everyone took care of him in one way or another during the pandemic, ”he said.
“And now people are afraid to come, and they keep getting their hair cut at home. Now, with the summer season and weddings, things are expected to get a bit back to normal; otherwise our job seems very difficult.
Another barber, Mutlu Gezer, said their stores had closed their stores for a total of 68 days, also echoing Kalkan’s remarks that customers still refrain from entering.
“People have their machines and have started shaving at home. Fathers shaved their children, children shaved their fathers, and so on, ”Gezer said.
Three in 10 clients have their own haircuts at home, he suggested. “Two of the other seven are afraid to come. We have the other five left. This is why it affected us economically.
