Testimonials

Here's where it gets reeeeeallly interesting. Tabatha asks him about the assistants, and Martino says now that he's become their "friend-boss", he doesn't know how to switch that to be more assertive with them. Tabatha wonders if he has any kind of rules & regs written up (Oooh, Kwanna from Circle Ten could help him with that!) and he says if he tried that they would just laugh at him. He says it's the bed he's made over the last year and a half. Tabatha insists that he has to follow through, he can't just give up on it. Martino is getting heated as he says "I tell them, and it doesn't change, so you telling me what I already know needs to cha-"

"But you don't follow through!" insists Tabatha. Oooh, now he is getting pissed as he prays "Jesus, help me! You can say it over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, and if it doesn't change... what do you do??!?" Lady T calmly replies "You need to change... you." She interviews that Martino is so busy trying to be friends with everyone and getting everyone to like him that he's ignoring the needs of his business. But there are so many people to be licked, Tabatha! Who cares about staying in the black when you can fondle all that willing Jersey flesh?

STAFF MEETING

Well, all the staff have come together, and Tabatha aims to get their impressions of what Martino is like as a boss... is he a great boss or a great friend. They timidly pick "friend" and admit that it's hard to approach him with anything because he's so overwhelmed with all the problems. Apparently he's afraid to have staff meetings because, as one hard-faced lady puts it, "He thinks it's gonna be a complete bitchfest!"...

...now why on Earth would he think that?!??!?...

Tabatha points out that they have no leadership in there, and reiterates how filthy the salon is. Apparently this causes Donnie Drama Queen to giggle. Bad move. Lady T zeroes in on him, "Do you find that funny, Donnie?" With an insiouciant head-bob he chirps "Yes!" Right away T-girl shoots back "Why?" Donnie Drama's brilliant comeback? "'Cuz it is!" Oooh, I'm skerd of your stiletto-sharp wit, there, Donnie-boy. So is Tabatha as she asks, "So how do you feel about bringing clients into a filthy salon?" Donnie gives her a hard wide-eyed blink and spits "What should I do?" in a truly hateful and insolent tone....

...you can't see it here, but the scared-looking girl in front of Donnie Drama is slowly moving to her left and away from him in case sharp objects are about to be hurled...

Coolly, Tabatha replies, "How about taking a bit of soap and water and cleaning your station, for a start?" Donnie Drama makes a big frowny face and a combination snort and razzberry (or a snortzberry, if you will). Lady T is not amused and says "Excuse me?" Donnie Drama, who apparently fancies himself both a rebel and a badass (and he's so wrong on both counts) backsasses her with "No!" This makes Tabatha leap up from her chair and make a beeline for him and his station. Oooh, you asked for it now, Donnie-boi!

Donnie insists that he's not going to clean the dusty top edge of the mirror because the client won't see it. Tabatha points to the top of his sterilizing jar, which is caked with dust and crud (and which is at eye-level to the styling chair, which means the client definitely will see it). Even worse, she picks up his round brushes and yanks out some nasty, ratty hair caught in them and says "Look at that. Do you pull those out and put those on a client?" Donnie Drama's lame comeback to this is "I clean them more now."

...I think if you were to turn your back right now, Donnie, you'd wind up cleaning a lot more than just old hair out of those brushes...

"You clean them more now." says Tabatha in a deadly tone as Johnny giggles "Than I used to!". Jeez, just hit him, Tabatha! No court would convict you. "If you think this is funny, then you're really fucking disillusioned!" she snaps. "My staff cleans their brushes every day!" Lady T interviews that it's crystal clear that Martino's staff have never had anyone lay down the law to them. She's talking to them about having pride in their salon and in themselves, and some of them are looking bored, and Donnie Drama is rolling his eyes. No matter. Tabatha says that's all going to change.

THE ASSESSMENT

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Posted in Salon Takeover by J-Mo at 7:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Last Comment: J-Mo on Sep 14, 2008 12:51 PM.