Outraged Citizens Hope to Ban “Hooters of Haircuts”
Residents of the Boston suburb of Mansfield are up in arms over a new hair salon. Well, not just any hair salon. It’s Knockouts: Haircuts for Men, which has earned the reputation of the "Hooters of Haircutting" for its scantily clad stylists. What’s the problem? Concerned citizens are shocked, shocked, that the company is using, gasp, sex to sell its services. Imagine that? A company using sexy young women in tight shirts and short shorts to hawk its wares. It’s absolutely unheard of. "I think they should get the sex out of this," one outraged citizens told the Boston Globe. Another angry parent drafted an open letter urging Mansfield residents to boycott the mall where Knockouts is located. Knocksouts founder Tom Friday is apparently stunned by the protest. "We have 450 franchises in 26 states," he says. "But this is the first time we’ve had this reaction." In the end, however, it seems that cooler heads are prevailing. "I’ve got my lawn chair set up out front, just waiting for the doors to open," says a local politician. "And I’ve booked 14 haircuts in the first week."
Applebee’s good, Gosselin bad. We don’t know who goes to Knockouts, but we’re pretty sure it’s guys like Jon Gosselin. (Isn’t his 15 minutes up already?) Gosselin was in the news for the 34,948th time last week when it was revealed that his appearance fee is $12,000. That’s right, if you want Gosselin to cut the ribbon at your new car wash or recite a prayer at your daughter’s bat mitzvah, you gotta shell out twelve-thousand smackaroos. Gosselin’s asking price incensed some DJs in Florida who insisted he appear on their show for two Applebee’s gift cards. Gosselin turned them down, which once again proves what bad taste this guy has. Doesn’t he know how awesome Applebee’s Three-Cheese Chicken Penne is?
Revolt down under. The founder of Australia’s second-largest franchise is about to be run out by angry franchisees. Jim Penman founded Jim Group’s in 1982 and grew the company from a stand-alone lawn-mowing service to a corporate powerhouse with 2,700 franchisees and $250 million in annual sales. But franchisees are now peeved at him over what they claim are unfair increases in franchise fees. Monthly fees are set to more than double, according to this report, leaving franchise owners in a serious bind. They are now conducting a vote that would effectively remove Penman from the company. Penman, for his part, shrugs off the controversy. "I’m not sure the majority would be in favor of me right now," he says. "But give it a couple of years and they might be."
