Honest service creates loyal customers -- even if it costs money short-term

The other day I went to get my hair cut at a place I hadn't been to before -- I'm new in this town. After the haircut, I asked how much it would cost to have my eyebrows done. The stylist told me $10 and, while I consider myself a penny-pincher in most respects, I do occasionally indulge in luxuries like that.

I told her that I would like to have them waxed and then she looked at my face and said "They look fine. I could clean them up a little but honestly, I don't think anyone would be able to tell the difference. Don't waste your money on it."

This came from the stylist! Warren Buffett once said that you should never ask a barber if you need a haircut but I guess he didn't know about this wonderful lady's sense of honesty!

So what was the outcome of it? I didn't get my eyebrows waxed, costing the salon $10, and costing the stylist the couple bucks I would have given her as a tip. But on the other hand, I gave her a very generous tip for the cut as I appreciated her saving me $10 and, more importantly, I've decided that I will use that salon as I long as I live in this town. Honest service at the expense of short-term profits is hard to come by these days, but I think it does pay off the businesses that really do decide to put their customers first.