[comprev]

For 5yrs my friend was a barber by trade and I would always go to him (wherever he worked regardless of price) and would sit in silence while he did his job. He appreciated the silence as, like you say, most of his clients would make smalltalk about the same current affairs. Sometimes the prices were outrageous but my friend was only an employee, and loyalty was far more important.

After the cut we often used to go out for a meal and then we'd chat for hours.

The cut was a business transaction, the meal was between friends.