For the record, I am not opposed to small talk, but the last thing I want to do while having my gums examined or my hair dyed is talk about my college major or Little League soccer. I’m paying for a service, not forty-five minutes of performative yapping that only reminds us of how boring our lives are. I get that everyone has a different relationship and circumstances, but in my instance, I’m nowhere near close enough to such people for conversations like that
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The one time the world catered to introverts was 2020. Your moment has passed.
I love chatting with my hair stylist
god forbid you have a conversation with other people
I avoid getting a haircut for as long as possible for this reason
I’m fine if the dentist talks to me, but don’t ask me questions. There’s only so much I can communicate while my mouth is wide open and you’re actively cleaning my teeth
You must be real fun to hang out with OP. Take your upvote for this bad opinion – I love yapping with my barber
Just imagine…. the chatty Gastroenterologist.
My hairstylist has an option that you can select for a silent appointment. I select it for all appointments. She honored it once and then the most recent time I got my hair cut (late January), she trapped me in the chair ranting about politics. It’s crazy too because we’re on the same page politically, I just didn’t want to hear about it because that’s all anyone was talking about in January and I was looking forward to a nice, relaxing appointment.
Make your life not boring then
“Our” boring lives? Nope. That’s all you, sis.
i agree, lately while traveling or in japan i found a really good barber and he doesnt speak english, which is great lol he just does his thing looking serious, at the end i give him a “its great” or “i like it” and he gives me a smile and thats it, i had this other barber back home non stop talk to me about china when they asked about my traveling, annoying
Dental assistant commented on this pimple in the corner of my nose like 30 some years ago. Didn’t like it.
The worst is getting a Brazilian wax lmao. I’m in so much pain and also having to carry a 2 hours conversation ha ha.
Me and my hairstylist have exchanged less than maybe a couple of paragraphs of sentences in the last 6-8 months. Its actually to the point where I want to get to know her a bit more but it’s been so long idk how to do it without it being awkward
I kind of agree. I do enjoy chatting with my hairdresser, but my mom has known him since before I was born, so it’s a bit more like catching up with a friend. When I get my nails done, I’m very quiet, yet polite. I think my nail tech doesn’t mind, since she usually speaks Vietnamese with her coworkers while doing my nails.
My tattoo artist is the best, though. I’ll be in there for like 4 hours sometimes, so even though I know her really well, I appreciate that we’re both the kind of people who can sit in silence for a while and just vibe to the music.
I believe doctors, dentists, eye doctors, etc small talk to help distract people from being nervous. If you are constantly having to think of your responses, you aren’t thinking about what is happening as much. As an introvert, I do hate it though.
I’ve found that if I’m just extrememly brief with my answers and I don’t ask questions back, they quickly catch on and just do their job in silence. Honestly I don’t think they mind. I assume they were just taught that small talk is part of customer service, but I bet most of them appreciate the break from it.
Definitely unpopular, but I completely agree. We aren’t friends, I’m paying you for a service and then we go our separate ways. No need to inject pointless small talk into the transaction.
You’re paying for the service, it doesn’t give you a right to control how they behave. Plus, the reason you’re not close to them is because you don’t talk. It’s a self defeating, circular logic. You don’t talk because you’re not close. You’re not close because you don’t talk.
We need like, social indicators. Everyone wears a thing, and if the thing is green, you’re free to talk to me, but if its red, then stay away. Like traffic. easy.
yellow is…
welp. idk what yellow is
I hate barber smalltalk. That’s why I either get my hair cut at a shop by some Asian dude that speaks little English, or the barber school (they are too busy focusing to talk) a few towns over 🤣
I almost feel like there should be options. My dad went to a barber shop run by Vietnamese ladies for two decades before they moved because they didn’t speak great English so they wouldn’t talk to him. He’d sit in the chair, they knew his haircut by then, and most of the time he’d fall asleep from the hot towel. They’d wake him when they were done, he’d pay, and leave.
I on the other hand LOVE to yap at the barber shop (I’m a woman but I know that the barber shop won’t mess up my short hair so that’s where I go).
Going in and clicking “talk/no talk” on the app or whatever would be the best option IMO.
What dentist or dental assistant is trying to initiate small talk?
Getting my hair cut every 2 weeks is cheaper than therapy.
Just articulate that and be cool about it, “Hey I’m sorry but if you don’t mind, I’ve had a stressful day and just want to sit here for a bit”. I get my hair done every 2 months. I’m there for hours and usually read a book. If you don’t want to say outright that you would rather not to chat then just keep your replies short and polite. Most people get the hint and don’t mind a quiet appointment as they’re forced to talk all day too.
“performative yapping”
A twenty year relationship where you talk for 30 minutes a month is more than some people see of their friends…
There’s an episode of Pete and Pete that springs to mind…
I really think that it should be standard to pick talk/no talk when going to these appointments. I understand that they’re just trying to provide good customer service and that a lot of people do like it, but for those of us who can’t stand small talk, it’s kind of torturous.
I too want to be sedated and catatonic while getting a haircut
Upvote for unpopular. Chatting makes appointments go faster for me plus you never know when a connection can help you out. I was diagnosed with cancer and felt comfortable telling my stylist…we’re not friends but I like to catch up with her. She gave me an amazing short haircut to prepare to lose my hair. Then when I had a picc line for chemo, it was impossible to wash my hair (turned out I didn’t lose it all) so I would go to the salon regularly for a wash and blowout. If we didn’t already have a friendly relationship, I’m not sure I’d be as comfortable with any of that.
Moral of the story – people care more than you think, it’s ok to talk to them.
Don’t even get me started on gynecologists…
I hate small talk in general. I’m horrible with it. A lot of the time I can make people talk about things they normally wouldn’t. They want to make me comfortable by talking. Jokes on you. I activated my trap card. That’s when I enjoy the conversations.
Getting asked if I floss is such a small talk.
I agree. A “Hey, how are you doing? And what would you like? or What’s been going on?” is all I need while in the chair. Get started and get finished so I can get gone🏃🏽♀️➡️
Just tell them you don’t wanna talk
Dentist small talk is perhaps unnecessary, but it should ABSOLUTELY not be a silent affair. If you think dentistry is simply a service where you go in for treatment and walk out having not actually learned anything, you have wasted your money. Please, PLEASE have conversations with your dentist or hygienist about what you can and should do to improve your self care. Basically all dental treatment is a temporary patch up and you should be discussing how to stop these problems from returning or why these problems even happened in the first place. If you are having dental treatment but havent learned anything about the ‘why’ then that problem will inevitably come back later in life. Please probe your dentists as much as possible so you can escape the cycle of dental work!!