All Meri Smith of Greeley, Colorado, wanted was to get a haircut at Great Clips. But it wasn't that simple: The salon allegedly told the mom she wouldn’t be able to get her trim because her 7-month-old was with her and he was too young to wear a mask.
Before the incident, the mom was excited to get her first haircut since the pandemic started in March.
Smith told WTVR that she was prepared. She made an appointment online and had her mask ready for her scheduled time slot.
When she arrived at the salon, however, she was told that her 7-month-old son “can't come in” with her.
"They said you can't come in because he's under two and he can't wear a mask," Smith said.
As a teacher, Smith knows there’s a statewide mask mandate for everyone — except kids 10 and younger.
She was embarrassed when she was told that her son wasn’t welcomed.
“I just felt rejected. It made me sad and uncomfortable that I couldn't go get a haircut just because my son was a baby,” she shared.
Obviously it’s a hard situation for everyone, but according to a statement given by the company that owns Great Clips, this whole thing can be chalked up to a “misunderstanding.”
Michelle Iacovetta, COO of Holtzman Enterprises Inc. and a Great Clips franchisee, sent WTVR a statement in which she explained that “Holtzman Enterprises, Inc. does not require children under two years of age to wear a mask in our salons, following guidance from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics.”
She called the situation at the Greely Great Clips “unfortunate and disappointing” but vowed to do better on behalf of the whole company.
“We will be using this as an educational opportunity with staff to reinforce the details of our mask policy and we would welcome the opportunity to apologize directly to the community member."
