Hmm. A few things have occurred over the past few days that I’ve wanted to write about, but this one is the most present. Others will leak, I’m sure.
Today I was getting a manicure and pedicure (don’t judge) at my favorite spot in NYC – if you want to know what it is let me know. There were four 20-something women having pedicures when I arrived. This is a small salon, with only four pedicure and four manicure stations, so they were taking up the whole back of the room. And they were loud. LOUD. And somewhat cheery and trying to be a little bit “cool,” each one subtly trying to simultaneously impress and best the others. Eventually I was with two of them in the pedicure area, and they were LOUD and pseudo-complimentary to one another, saying things like, “Oh my god, that color looks AMAZING on you – I totally couldn’t wear it, but it’s perfect with your skin. You are SO daring!” Eventually, we all in our own time made our way to the front of the salon for manicures. All four women were reunited, some being painted, some drying, and the din began again. “This summer is TOTALLY about “short shorts” (a color).” This continued for a while, until 3 of the 4 girls had to leave. The intention of the fourth was to get a French manicure (for those of you who don’t know, it’s traditionally a nail painted to look very “clean” — white paint is applied to the tips of the fingernails, and the rest of the nails are given a pink coat or painted with sheer polish that is colored either pale pink or very light beige. Dying to know more? Go here: http://www.frenchmanicure.com/fm/ ) Nowadays it’s been given a spin, and any colors will do. So this girl had already had her toenails painted yellow and was going for an unconventional french manicure – white nails with a yellow tip.
I overheard her saying that the contrast of yellow on white wasn’t great enough for the fingernails, and shifted her focus to doing the French style on her toes, and asked the esthetician to do the job. The esthetician, who had been working patiently and carefully on this woman, informed her that it would be an extra $10 above a regular manicure/pedicure to do this.
Here’s where it gets good. The chirpy smiling la-di-da aura vanished into thin air. This woman got pin-drop silent and put on her sun glasses. For 10 minutes she sat there, pouting. Then it came out. Every word she had been forming in her mind. “I don’t understand – it’s not a big deal – you just have to paint some lines on my toes. Can’t someone else do it – can’t she (motioning to another esthetician who was working on someone else) do it? I was supposed to have it on my fingers and SHE messed up all the polish in the beginning.” Even with the false accusations flying, it became clear that the women at the salon were not backing down, so she started with this tactic, “I’m the client, and I am not happy. I came with someone from a magazine – she brought me, and I am totally unhappy. Why can’t you do this simple thing? It’s ridiculous.” The esthetician explained that although her manicure and pedicure had been paid for by one of the other women, she hadn’t specified that it was French (more work for the esthetician) so hadn’t been charged for one. And they would gladly do it, but she would have to make up the $10 difference (note: that is all she would have spent on a job that is 6x that amount) And she did nothing. Just pouted and became increasingly uncooperative and unresponsive.
And I just kept thinking, “Wow, that is really something.” I don’t know how it ended, because I left. And it took every fiber of my being to not stand in front of her and tell her what a brat she was, and that a modicum of respect and decorum goes SUCH a long way. Entitlement is a dirty word.
Next up: I am guilty too. Cell phones and ipods and bikes, oh my. (another blog coming tomorrow)
