Q&A: The Price Suddenly Went Up
The Price Suddenly Went Up
Question
I’ve been going to a certain barber for about two years. Yesterday I came in, and after the haircut the barber informed me that the price had gone up. Am I required to pay the new price? Should I have checked before every single haircut what the price was? Or since he didn’t update me beforehand, and by doing that didn’t give me the option to avoid it—which I probably would have done, since the others in town didn’t raise their prices—then it’s his problem?
Answer
Usually there are notices in the barbershop about a price increase. If we’re talking about a price that is above the accepted market rate, and he raised it beyond that, then maybe you’re right. Otherwise, it seems to me that if you didn’t check, you need to pay him the new price. After all, prices do go up from time to time.
But in any case, you need to check what the law says. It seems to me that the law requires prices to be displayed clearly.
Discussion on Answer
If there was a sign there, then it seems to me he fulfilled his obligation.
There is some sign on the door with the prices, and he changed it there, but come on—I’ve been going there forever. Do I really need to check every single time? Why shouldn’t he tell me beforehand?
Everyone here charges 50, and it’s customary to leave a 10-shekel tip. He raised it to 60, so with a tip it comes out to 70, and that’s a bit expensive. I could offset it by cutting the tip, but that’s awkward, and it’s better to just not come. I checked a bit, and there are barbershops where the price stayed 50 and others where it’s 60, but in the nearby shops I checked before asking the question, they all stayed at 50.
I obviously already paid him, because it’s small change and not worth the hassle, but I was just curious what the actual ruling is.