DAMMAM: The cost of a haircut has not escaped the recent hike in prices of goods and services in the Kingdom. Now a good haircut can cost you around SR15 to SR20, compared to the usual SR10. These increased rates are due to the high cost of equipment and disposable items, say barbers. Barber shops in the Eastern Province are now required to adhere to strict new municipal health and safety regulations to avoid heavy fines. Barbers have to dispose of used razors and any other equipment which come in close contact with a client's skin. They are also now required to wear uniforms. Municipal authorities have distributed instruction manuals to all barbershops in the region regarding maintenance of hygiene. Authorities have also instructed barbers to hang out the prices for each service they provide. It used to be SR5 to SR10 at Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi run barbershops, but now the price has doubled. “This price rise is due to the high cost of disposables and if we have to follow the instructions of the municipality, we have no choice but to increase the rate,” says Shashi, an Indian barber, who runs ‘Tiptop' barbershop in Dammam. “As a result of the price rise, we have lost some of our regular customers, especially those from the lower income group,” he says. “I now cut my hair only once every two months,” says Ali Maqbool, a Pakistani national. “Prices have doubled for everything including a haircut. We are living on minimal salaries and we do not have the luxury to pay double for a shave or haircut,” he says. His salary of SR600 is not enough to meet the expenses of his family of six members back home. Noorudheen, a Bangladeshi laborer, says he is planning to get a military cut so that he does not need another haircut for at least two months. “My income is just SR400, with which I have to meet my expenses and that of my family back home. So every riyal counts. I cannot afford to pay double for a haircut every month,” he says. Barbers say that the authorities are now conducting frequent checks and issuing warnings and fines for violations. After the first warning, if there is a continued breach of the regulations, barbers can have their shops closed down. They say that the authorities are maintaining a log book at every barbershop to note their visit. Barbers face fines of SR500 for offenses.
