Lol what a topic. let me share my thoughts. Lengthy post alert.
I have been loyal to my neighborhood barber for the past 22 years when our family moved to our newly built house where we are presently staying since the last 22 summers.
He used to have a small rented shop with 2 wooden chairs, a long wooden waiting bunch and 2 assistants. I had just joined college and also enrolled in NCC(National Cadet Corps). NCC is strict about keeping your mane trimmed, face devoid of any growth when you attend the weekly parades, camps. Anybody who didn't have a military style haircut received severe punishments like squat sitting holding a rifle above the head for 10 mins, crawling with your elbows on the ground and others.
He used to cringe when I insisted on getting my crew cut " saar you will not be able to comb". He was charging Rs.10 back in 1992 when I started visiting him once a month. Girls in my college would giggle behind my back looking at my head but I didn't care. I loved NCC and obtained the coveted C certificate at the end of 3 years finishing up as Company Under Officer.
Now coming back to my old barber, who now owns a commercial building at the very place he started and has more than 15 assistants with a swanky shining hair parlor, offering facials, hair coloring, head massage(with the good old Navaratna hair oil). He handles more than 8 customers at a given time with revolving chairs, a waiting lounge with cushioned sofa, English magazines, TV, uniforms for all the staff(some of them imported from North India) but still charges me only Rs.50. He also visited our house for the Choodakarma (hair cutting ceremony) of my 2 year old Nephew.