Am I Splitting Hairs Here?

I had a long break from teaching yesterday morning, thanks to trimester exams at the high school, so I went to get a badly-needed haircut. What happened next was predictable, as was my response.

As I sat down in the chair, the stylist asked me if I wanted a shampoo after my haircut. (I'd actually never heard this request in that sequence before; I'm usually asked if I want one before the cut.) My reply was the same as always: "No, I don't pay people to do things that I do myself." Usually, the stylist will chuckle in an understanding fashion and carry on, but this one was a little feisty, almost defensive: "Well, it's no different than going to Jack in the Box or Taco Bell," she said, with a decided frown upon her face.

Seeing as how she had scissors in her hand, thus holding a portion of my destiny at the moment (I have a concert with my college groups tonight, so I could just see her giving me a reverse Mohawk or something if I made her mad), I didn't push the issue. But if I had, my response would have been that I may not always have time to cook for myself (I'm thinking about the day my evening combo rehearses; if I waited until after then to eat dinner, I wouldn't be eating until 10:30 and would be well on my way to weighing 900 pounds by now), but I always have time to wash my own hair.

I'm pretty stingy in that respect; I rarely pay for something that I could do myself (which is one of the reasons I don't like valet parking either), and I don't pay extra for a very small convenience, such as anything larger than a small drink at a self-service restaurant where you can get your own refills. (This doesn't keep people from trying to suggest the medium drink over the small, and I usually--kindly, mind you--call them on that as well, saying something like "There's no reason to pay extra when the refills are free.")

I'm not much for "upselling," either; I almost never buy the extended warranty plan (after getting hosed on that with a few small electronics in college), and I don't order the suggested extra food items if I've just stated plainly what I'm getting; if I wanted fries with that, I would have already said so.

I understand that it's people's job to suggest add-ons, but it's not hard for me to resist. It's probably just a small part of what I consider to be the inherent dishonesty of so much of the business world (noted in this post), but it really would be nicer if we could all just be more truthful with each other.

Do you usually get suckered in by upselling, or do you stand your ground?

This law might be for the birds: It may soon be illegal to feed pigeons in New York City.

Your closet may be hiding a fortune: Christie's auction house is taking bids this month on a collection of classic rock concert T-shirts from classic '60s and '70s bands; the shirts are expected to go for up to $4500 apiece.

I can has lg pizza w/ ssg & mshrms? K thx bye: Papa John's Pizza is now accepting orders by text message.