Ask any woman about the value of a great hair stylist and she will surely agree that the worth of having one is greater than any cost involved. Women will do almost anything for fabulous hair...the value...is immeasurable - the worth of fabulous hair is priceless. The ideal stylist may charge $60 or $600, but if they know you well, treat you like a best friend and are incredibly talented at making you look fantastic, cost and value cease to be related. Clearly, the worth of such a treasure far outweighs the cost.

Now reverse that. What is the value of a good customer? Someone who regularly patrons your business - such as your salon - and does so by spending hundreds of dollars every time she comes in, tells her friends all about where she found such amazing products and loyally returns to the same place cut after cut... Without a doubt, it costs the owner money to run the business and keep customers happy... and, as with any business, there will be times when a bit of extra cost is involved but is outweighed by the reward of having such loyal, happy customers.

Good stylists must be paid well, salons need good atmosphere and great products - all of this costs... But, what about that great customer? What is that great customer worth? And, when they are unhappy, what are you willing to do to maintain their worth to your business? ...hmmmm, obviously there is a story here...and it all started one month ago at just such a salon.. there was me in my own most determined way to always have fabulous hair, and my stylist and one simple conversation that at first, seemed to be all about worth, but we'll get there...

Today as I drove away from this same salon, I was surprised to find myself unusually less than enthusiastic about my hair, without so much as a blip in my ego or any greater sense of sexiness upon me. How fucking disappointing! Once again I'd spent around $300 on getting my hair cut, streaked, styled and, of course, a generous tip, but unlike previous visits where I felt happy and rewarded for spending my hard-earned money on this usually, most joyous of occasions, I left feeling deflated, ripped off and - the worst - unappreciated...

It all started one month ago.... on my previous visit. Whilst fully immersed in the smell of hair toner and the energy of of those around me who were all vibrating with the excitement of  "a new look", my thoughts of perfect side-swept bangs were briefly interrupted when my stylist asked me how I was enjoying the new conditioner I had bought ($29). ...oh... that stuff, I thought to myself. Should I lie and not tell her that the texture made me feel like I was putting cum in my hair? Or should I tell her the truth? That paying over $30 for a tiny bottle of "superior" conditioner had left me feeling that butter would have been a better option for my money...? Finally, I opted for a gentler version of the truth.

I told her that I was surprisingly disappointed by it. Unlike the other products I'd tried from this salon and loved, this conditioner was runny, like (ahem) milk.. She was shocked and apologized profusely. "Oh, it must be a bad batch," she insisted.

"Bring it in with you next time and we'll exchange it," she insisted.

"But I've (tried to) used a lot of it," I said.

"No problem," she said. "We will get you a new one. Just bring it back." OK. Point taken. I was worth more as a customer than the cost of a new bottle of conditioner. As it should be. Great.

So...today I returned with the half empty bottle of conditioner and was anticipating delight at trying the proper product. Problem was, I didn't receive the same consideration on today's visit that I had when I first told her about the conditioner. Today, I was met with sideways glances and peculiar questions like, "why is so much of it gone?" and, "why didn't you come back sooner?"

Suddenly, I felt the need to explain myself. As if I was trying to get something I didn't deserve. Explaining how busy I was and reminding her of what was told to me last time, I quickly felt my sense of worth fading and eventually ceased to exist when I was told that the product was too old to return. My sense of value had been replaced with feeling like a cheap, bargain hunter hoping for something I wasn't supposed to receive. The cost of the conditioner was clouding my stylist's and the salon manager's ability to look beyond the loss of worth that would result from this transaction.

After a few feeble sentences where I tried to remind them that I wouldn't have brought it in if they hadn't insisted and that I really didn't care if they exchanged it or not, I stopped talking altogether. I was stunned. As a business owner myself, I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that this salon owner was going to belittle and refuse to make happy the thousands of potential future dollars that stood before her simply asking, "am I not worth a proper product?"

Of course, yes.. I could have raised my voice. I could have made a fuss and threatened to tell everyone I know, but seriously, what is the point? I know hundreds of people in this town and I possess a set of Stylists' names the length of my eight year old's Christmas list who have been recommended to me...most of whom I wanted to try but have been too loyal to seek out. Clearly...my bad. It made me wonder, in today's world of constant change.. what are the rules for breaking up with a stylist?

I drove to my favourite cafe replaying this turn of events in my mind and to my amazement, immediately pulled out my iPhone and booked an appointment with a new stylist at a fabulous salon on the other side of town, because even though the salon I had just left had temporarily lost sight of my worth as a customer, I hadn't. And besides, the experience of getting my hair done is much too rewarding to waste it somewhere where cost is confused with worth.