Women Not Welcome!! Barber Barber UK, Albion Place, Leeds

[Amanda111]

Whilst in Leeds this afternoon with my 16 year old son we called into Barber Barber for him to have a haircut. I've never been there before and it looked a nice place - but beware!! I left my son to have his haircut and returned 30 mins later - haircut nearly finished. I was just about to take a seat when I was asked to go next door for a complimentary coffee. I do not drink coffee so thanked them but turned down their offer - I was then told that I could not sit in the waiting area as it was for customers only and they get very busy. I turned around to look at the waiting area expecting to see a queue out of the door but no, there was just one guy waiting for a haircut! I suggested that as I was paying for the haircut I felt that I was the 'customer' and as there was plenty of room to sit down and literally 5 mins to wait for my son, I would sit in the waiting area. I was then told that it was shop policy that no women were allowed to wait in the shop. You can imagine my disgust and I refused to leave and asked to speak to the shop manager. At this point they went back to cutting hair and left me sat in the waiting area! Does this company really expect that women will be happy to wait outside whatever the weather and then be summoned inside to pay!!

[almondpudding]

I have heard about this before and think they are probably doing it for attention.

Take your custom elsewhere.

[ChocChocPorridge]

Yes, it's attention seeking. Ignore and go elsewhere. If there are things they want to say whilst cutting hair that they wouldn't want a woman to hear, I think I'd prefer my kids weren't hearing it either.

[SuburbanRhonda]

I think it's sexist crap but did you need to accompany your 16-year-old to the barber? (I'm assuming he's NT btw.)

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

I was just about to take a seat when I was asked to go next door for a complimentary coffee. I do not drink coffee so thanked them but turned down their offer -

So they weren't suggesting you had to buy a coffee in the café next door? Or as ypu rather dramatically put it "made you wait outside whatever the weather"

They offered you , what seems to me a reasonable solution - a place to sit, with complementary coffee

Did you bother checking if it really only provided coffee which they force fed to customers as a condition of being allowed in?

Sorry, you sound delighted to be outraged by this. Barbers, beauticians and the like are entitled to cater for only 1 sex.

[Xenophile]

I've come to the conclusion that a lot of places like this do things like this so that people will become upset or outraged and glean free advertising for that business.

[VestalVirgin]

Sorry, you sound delighted to be outraged by this. Barbers, beauticians and the like are entitled to cater for only 1 sex.

If it was only about doing haircuts, then I might see the point, as not cutting women's hair at all would be no worse than charging women sexist higher prices for the exact same haircut.

But not letting her wait inside the shop? WHY? There's no decent reason for it. No business that caters to women forbids men from waiting in the waiting area, not even gynecologists do that, as far as I know, even though ^they° would really have a reason.


Take your money elsewhere, Amanda. They don't want women's money, apparently.

[MrsJoeyMaynard]

Why not let her wait inside the shop, if she's paying and accompanying the male having his hair cut? That's a ridiculous and pointless policy. Sure, some businesses may be entitled to cater for only one sex, but there's no reason to bar the other sex from waiting in a waiting area.

And surely they're also going to reduce the number of child customers if that's a rigid policy - I usually take my 2 boys to get their hair cut in our local barbers. My oldest is 4, so too young to be unaccompanied by an adult. They'd lose our custom if they refused to let women wait in there. Although maybe they also hate small children, so want less of them in their shop?

[VestalVirgin]

Now that I think about it ... why didn't you claim to identify as male? I mean, it could work.
You could perhaps even sue them!

They'd lose our custom if they refused to let women wait in there. Although maybe they also hate small children, so want less of them in their shop?

Perhaps they are just misogynistic and stupid and never thought through the long-term consequences of their policy. Is this barber shop new? Perhaps they won't be in business much longer ...

Somehow, I don't think that there's a sufficient number of misogynist adult men who will specifically go to the place that treats women badly to make up for the customers they lose - as a child, I got about five times as many haircuts as I do now, because my mother wanted me to. Probably the same with boys, at least until they're old enough to have to look professional for their jobs.

[thecraftyfox]

This chain is notorious for it, the owner thinks men need a place to be men. Women have been thrown out of Manchester and Liverpool branches.

The Manchester one is next to my hairdresser's. She said the barbers there are mostly hipster poe faced types and they won't talk to the staff from the hair dresseser.

[thenightsky]

Perhaps you should have said you were identifying as a man?

[zoobeedoo]

I was asked to leave Liverpool branch yesterday, 6 months pregnant and they wouldn't let me sit and wait while my step son had his hair cut. Had no idea what this chain was before now,don't have them in Scotland. Bunch of rude bastards. They made offensive comments about overweight women they could see out the window. My OH said he hated the atmosphere and wouldn't go back, was really disappointed as it looked pretty cool from the outside.

[zoobeedoo]

And the haircut was shit.

[tribpot]

They were supposed to be reversing this policy. Fortunately I see that it is 'light-hearted', which of course makes it absolutely fine.

Since it is all absolutely fine, I'm surprised they don't simply put signs up saying 'no women may enter the shop', rather than tactfully trying to direct people next door.

[zoobeedoo]

Read the link, might send a little letter to the councillor. Was very impressed with Liverpool, people were lovely and very welcoming and friendly. Except this bunch of misogynistic twats. My OH said he got the feeling that they really didn't like women at all, and it's actually aimed specifically at gay men, which I thought was quite funny as it's not what they are aiming for

[MrsJoeyMaynard]

"light-hearted"

Yes, because only a humourless woman could possibly fail to see the funny side to being banned from waiting in a barber shop on the grounds that they're not a man.

[FerdinandsMassiveBollocks]

I think a lot of women don't feel comfortable when salons or waxing places have men waiting for their partners in the waiting room*. I'd totally respect their right to have a space where they can chat about their fanjo hair or getting their tash lasered in privacy, so I support this place's right to bar women.


I can't personally see why men can't get their hair cut infront of women. but in the name of "equality" I can accept it.

*Based on threads about the TW who wanted a "Brazilian" for their balls.

[MrsJoeyMaynard]

But a barber shop is essentially a hairdressers that only cuts men's hair.

It's not equivalent to a salon or waxing place where people are likely to be in a state of undress somewhere on the premises, or wanting to talk to staff about getting intimate parts of their body waxed.

[FerdinandsMassiveBollocks]

As I said, I don't personally see a reason for it but it's about respecting sex specific grooming businesses. There is no legitimate reason other than being a bit embarrassed for a woman not saying, 'I want my moustache waxed' in front of a man. So if you want businesses or laws to respect that culturally we prefer some spaces to ourselves we have to accept it for men. Maybe some men feel more confident not having a woman watching. Maybe they don't give two fucks but the salon just want the controversy... Doesn't matter.

[WellErrr]

I would leave and refuse to go back in.

Even when they called me to stick my card in the machine

[zoobeedoo]

We were chatting about it again last night, I showed him the article in the paper. Both agreed that anywhere that won't let a very pregnant lady sit down for a wee while is not the sort of business we would want to give our money to. Nothing actually to do with making a stand about feminism or equality, just an expectation of general decency and kindness towards others. Stopped in Lancaster the next day at a petrol station with no public loo and the two Asian lads running the shop said they were sorry I couldnt use it as they weren't allowed to let members of the public behind the desk into the back. Then two minutes later one said he felt so guilty he would just sneak me through, so I was saved and very grateful for his kindness and consideration. Unlike the bell ends at barber barber who were smirking through the window at me as I stood outside. I think they saw it as a great victory. My OH came and stood with me and left the boy to get his hair cut which the barbers couldn't understand - imagine wanting to stand with your girlfriend instead of a room full of men with beards wearing waistcoats??

[booklooker]

But not letting her wait inside the shop? WHY? There's no decent reason for it. No business that caters to women forbids men from waiting in the waiting area,

This is very common in the Middle East.

[MrsJoeyMaynard]

Are what businesses in the Middle East do really relevant to this situation?

[larrygrylls]

Their business, their decision.

Cannot imagine I would have the right to hang out in a women's hairdressers or nail bar.

Clearly no one has to go there, not like hairdressing is in short supply!

[Xenophile]

Cannot imagine I would have the right to hang out in a women's hairdressers or nail bar.

Then your imagination is leading you astray.

There would be nothing to stop you waiting for your wife within the reception area of a women's hairdressers, and nail bars cater to men and women.

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

"their business, their decision"

Except that's not always legally correct is it? Ask the b&b owners who didn't want a gay couple staying in their property, they were taken to court and had to pay significant compensation I believe.

Wouldn't not being allowed in a business which is open to the public purely because of your gender be against the law?