No one has asked for the free haircut yet at APPEARANCES salons in Springfield.
But existing clients who have lost their jobs have haircuts coming. Actually, up to three free cuts &mdash normally $29 to $49 each &mdash if the occasion is a job interview. Bernie Koch Jr., who has operated Appearances for nearly 25 years, hit on the idea because of the economy. But he said the offer also resulted from some real-life examples of job losses among customers. “We are aware of some. We’re just asking them to tell a stylist. It’s nothing public they just tell a stylist, and it’s free,” Koch said. “They can maintain a good appearance when it’s really important, when they’re interviewing for a job,” he said. There are no business projections here, no estimated numbers or cost. The Springfield native said this is simply one of the harder stretches, even for a local economy he considers relatively isolated compared with most areas. “I think it’s fairly cushioned. We (Koch and his wife, Linda), just got back from Phoenix, and it’s awful out there, with the houses for sale and the empty businesses. I think we’re very lucky here. We don’t have the big ups and downs,” Koch said.
In fact, he said business was up in 2008 at both Appearances outlets, one on the west side and one on the south. But he said the latest downturn is clearly different.