I have lived in Thonburi across the river from Bangkok for over 10 years and during that time I have been going to the same small local barbershop.  When I first went there, haicuts were THB 100 and I always tipped 40 baht.  A few years back, the cost of a went up to 120 baht; understandable and no big deal.  Today I went in fot a haircut and a sign read "haircuts 200 baht." A big jump I thought but it is what it is.  My Thai friend was with me and he told me the price for Thai is still 120 baht; only the cost for non Thai is 200.

 

I think I will change barbers, wondering if I should tell them why.

7 minutes ago, SmokeandIce said:

Thai is still 120 baht; only the cost for non Thai is 200.

 

that sucks... of all things a barber charging falang prices.

 

whatever you do dont do like the angry russian did to his barber... hehehe

I'd go in there with a couple of online screen shots of home clippers and ask him which brand of clipper he would recommend. I bought a really nice one for about 1700 baht right after Covid hit, and haven't been back to my barber since. Every now and then I kind of miss the camaraderie, but I also remember he made comments to the other customers about my shoe size just about every time I came in for a trim.

In my area most barbers have dual pricing. I have found one that charges me 70 baht, so I doubt she has dual pricing.

Speak your mind but be polite .

200 bht in Thailand is steep for a

Regular / basic cut! Imop

Up here in Sakon ,it was 60 bht  for many years ! It went up to 80, 1 year ago. 

Shave

Hair cut

ear wax removal 

mini shoulder/arm rub 

+ tip

120bht

 

Back here in Germany, my wife does the haircut with an electric clipper; it is easy to do, but would be near unaffordable to somebody a parsimonious as me. 😆

 

If I am in Isaan, I utilize the endless time my wife spends on the market in the next-bigger village to get a haircut at a barber (he does essentially nothing different to what my wife would do at home, but I have half an hour of 'different' small talk and can catch up on the latest stories going around).

 

A few years ago, that was THB 40, now it is THB 100. No double pricing, just the way prices exploded over the past few years.

11 minutes ago, BenStark said:

In my area most barbers have dual pricing. I have found one that charges me 70 baht, so I doubt she has dual pricing.

Id love to get a woman barber up here, in Sakon.

You know the kind !

 Nails, Shower, massage, shave, shampoo , hair cut.

The total package

 

I think the young lady in my house 

would enjoy similar.

I actually hate barbers, they're always talking behind your back  😁

At least two barbershop in CNX that I know of charge 200 Baht. I will not complain about CNX prices because last week I paid $35 for a haircut at a barbershop in Southern California  

70 baht here in south Surin. Same as for locals.

 

[My b/f always says never do 'Western' tipping, whether for the barber or brunch at PTT. It just drives up the price for the locals, which the locals can't afford.]

The local Thai barber in the soi charges 120 Baht. Not a bad job but they are so slow. Down the main road there's NeverSayCutz (chain of barbers) and they recently increased prices from 400 to 500 Baht but they do an excellent job in a timely manner.

For the OP, I would tell that rip-off barber that unless they rethink their discrimiatory pricing, they just lost a customer. If no compromise then use another place (and hopefully they don't try the same BS). Frustrating.

21 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

[My b/f always says never do 'Western' tipping, whether for the barber or brunch at PTT. It just drives up the price for the locals, which the locals can't afford.]

 

i once had an old guy at a PTT, of all places, just come out and tell me in english."tip!". i turned red first, then purple... i think the guy shat his pants.

50 baht shave one shop, 100 baht another.

 

 

My barber in Amphawa charged 40 baht a cut, if you tried to pay with a 100 note there was drama as he only accepted 40 baht and he would not give change of 100. So he would suggest settle up next visit.

2 hours ago, SmokeandIce said:

I have lived in Thonburi across the river from Bangkok for over 10 years and during that time I have been going to the same small local barbershop.  When I first went there, haicuts were THB 100 and I always tipped 40 baht.  A few years back, the cost of a went up to 120 baht; understandable and no big deal.  Today I went in fot a haircut and a sign read "haircuts 200 baht." A big jump I thought but it is what it is.  My Thai friend was with me and he told me the price for Thai is still 120 baht; only the cost for non Thai is 200.

 

I think I will change barbers, wondering if I should tell them why.

Where I used to live in Chiang Mai it was 70 baht if I remember correctly at the corner guy shop in a residential neighborhood. He also did not accept tips because of some face loss thing. He dusted me off with white powder and I often re-cut it myself when I got home.

You can question it politely.  But I suggest you still look for another barber.  A different price for a foreigner for a haircut is rediculous 

15 hours ago, SmokeandIce said:

I have lived in Thonburi across the river from Bangkok for over 10 years and during that time I have been going to the same small local barbershop.  When I first went there, haicuts were THB 100 and I always tipped 40 baht.  A few years back, the cost of a went up to 120 baht; understandable and no big deal.  Today I went in fot a haircut and a sign read "haircuts 200 baht." A big jump I thought but it is what it is.  My Thai friend was with me and he told me the price for Thai is still 120 baht; only the cost for non Thai is 200.

 

I think I will change barbers, wondering if I should tell them why.

Well, 5 pounds for a haircut is really too expensive. Bald head might be your solution then. You can do it by yourself.☺️

Before I bought clippers because of covid so the wife could do the whole family the local shop was 70baht but he always asked us what they charged last time, I didnt mind paying a bit more than the locals who couldnt afford much more than what he charged them as its not a wealthy town.

 

Absolutely. Tell them the policy is offensive and abusive. And tell them they have lost a customer for life. It likely will not mean anything to them. But tell them anyway. Tons of good barbers here, and most are more reasonable. 

What possible out come is the OP expecting? A deep bow and wai and immediate lowering of the price? Not likely.  There's 100's of barbers in everyone neighborhood, find one that suits your liking, no need to kick up some drama dust on the way out the door.

 

14 hours ago, riclag said:

Speak your mind but be polite .

200 bht in Thailand is steep for a

Regular / basic cut! Imop

Up here in Sakon ,it was 60 bht  for many years ! It went up to 80, 1 year ago. 

Shave

Hair cut

ear wax removal 

mini shoulder/arm rub 

+ tip

120bht

 

Years back, least 10 yrs I went into a barber shop in Sakon. Think it was the gold street, old short hunchback looking barber guy cut my hair. I cant read the sign but I see 60 baht on top of charges. He charged me 100 baht. He'd rather screw me once than have me come back again. 

 

Now, I pay 80 thb in a nice AC shop. Thais pay the same, well except they don't tip.

 

Truefitt and Hill's master barber is still only 2400B.

 

Total bargain!

I'd tell them why they are losing you as a customer. You can find a non discriminatory priced barber for sure.  I recently found a great, barber shop near Bearing station, Bangkok. 150 baht for a haircut and shave. 

Here’s my take..

 

I don’t really like so-called dual pricing..  but I acknowledge that it exists in some areas of the thai economy and isn’t an expressly prohibited practice under law - and also exists in other countries as well.

 

I also acknowledge that the increase from 120 to 200 is, as a percentage, quite steep.. however, I must also acknowledge that even at 200, it is, on a relative basis, still cheap when compared to haircuts in other more “western” countries.. and yes, it’s also fair to recognize that prices don’t exist in a vacuum in that wages also play into the level of prices.

 

However, for me, one thing I’ve long remembered is that nothing grows out slower than a bad hair cut… so.. in my mind, since I don’t get a cut all that often (for me it’s once every other week) IF you like the quality of his/her cut and you’re happy with it, it just might be worthwhile to stay with him/her, pay the B80 difference — and consider that like insurance against a bad cut had you risked it and gone somewhere new..

 

Just my take on it 

Ever since the Pandemic began, now almost four years, or more, I have been cutting my own hair.

 

I do a far better job, in the mirror, than any barber I have had here in Thailand.

 

The only problem is that I can't tell what it looks like in back....

 

I try to keep my hairstyle from becoming a mullet.

 

Years ago, I just hated the MULLET sported by almost all males in Florida.

Trump has a mullet (or mollusk), sort of, by the way.

 

13 hours ago, uttradit said:

50 baht shave one shop, 100 baht another.

 

 

 

Shave and a haircut, two bits.

 

 

 

first world problems, vote with your feet, it's really not worth getting het up about.

14 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

At least two barbershop in CNX that I know of charge 200 Baht. I will not complain about CNX prices because last week I paid $35 for a haircut at a barbershop in Southern California  

In Sydney Australia 4 years back all the barber / hairdresser shops in 2 malls that I sometimes visited were same price AU$43-for electric clipper buzzcut, same length all over, all done in less than 5 minutes.  Luckily I found a retired hairdresser living close by, she did same cut, with electric clippers, for AUS10-.

I have been paying my local barber 200baht for haircut and beard cut trim for over 20 years. It seams to fit the list of charges that are posted on the wall. No body in the village charges me extra for being a Falung..

I feel sorry for you, my barber charges 60 baht and has done so for 10 years.

 

But of course this is in Isaan and not the big smoke or PM2.5