Doolittle’s

I’m not going to deny it, I salon hop when it comes to getting my children’s hair cut. Who is running a special. Who is offering coupons. Who has the shortest wait time, etc. Yesterday we walked into Doolittles (because I had a coupon. See I told you). The place was EMPTY! Sweet Jesus, you answered my prayers! A quiet childrens hair salon? Who knew it existed?
I didn’t have an appointment. I usually don’t. Obviously my child was seated immediately because there was no one in the place. I will say when it comes to walk– ins, Doolittles is consistently pretty good about getting your kid in the chair quickly. I guess they know that a long wait time for a child could potentially be hazardous to all parties involved. A toddler’s temper tantrum in a small space will rock anyones world.
My child got a good haircut and the stylist was great about offering suggestions to tame my child’s tresses. She offered suggestions on products to use too. Some the salon carried, some they did not. I felt she was being honest and not just trying to sell products that they carried.
Overall a good experience and we will return. More specifically on a weekday between the hours of 2−3pm. :)

This was my toddler’s third haircut, but first at Doolittle’s (we just moved to the area). First thing I noticed: There were no toys in the waiting area! Every other kiddie salon we’ve been to has had some toys. There was a small basket of books in a corner, but the only thing that enticed my son was the candy for sale that was conveniently displayed right at a child’s eye level. Hrmm.
The haircut itself was okay. His other cuts have looked MUCH better, but he absolutely hates getting his hair cut and shakes uncontrollably, cries and tries to get out of the chair the entire time. I guess I just got lucky before with very skilled stylists. The woman who cut his hair was quite nice, but might have been out of her element? I don’t know. Either way, it looks okay. Not horrible like that one time we cut it ourselves, but not great. I won’t necessarily blame her for it, because he is difficult, but I know his hair CAN end up looking good even when he’s flipping out.
The real issue came after the cut, when I went with my son to pay. I asked if I could put a tip on the card, and the man behind the counter said sure. He asked how much I wanted to add on, and I said — very clearly, I thought — $ 7 (the haircut itself was $ 17).
When I got the receipt to sign, it said $ 25. There was no mention of charging an extra dollar for tipping on the card, and the tip was paid to the stylist in cash — the man took it out of the register and said he’d give it to the stylist. I really thought «seven» was a clear number. It wasn’t loud in there. At that point, though, my son clearly wanted to leave and I didn’t feel like arguing over a single dollar, especially when he’d been a difficult cut. Since I did sign the receipt, I have no legal leg to stand on. But I know exactly what I told the man to tip (we’re a one-​income household, so I count EVERY penny), and I think it is suspicious that an extra dollar was added to my bill. Yes, it’s only a dollar — but dollars add up.
Bottom line, although Doolittle’s was the least expensive kids salon I have found in the South Charlotte area, I won’t be returning. And next time we go for a cut, I’ll remember to bring cash for a tip.