Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Stupid Questions

Got a mani-pedi yesterday. Not an unusual or noteworthy occurrence but it did get me wondering. Why are there so many cheap nail salons now? It seems there's at least one on every block or two in center city--all staffed by diminutive and impossibly young looking Asisan women who spend long hours hunched over strange hands and feet and doing god only knows what damage to their lungs from inhaling toxic fumes all day.

I bet if I went to a different salon every summer I still couldn't visit every location in center city from river to river. They are more ubiquitous than the rash of drug stores that have opened in recent years.

Who owns all these places? Is there some slightly sinister Mr. or Mrs. Big of the nail salon world who controls it all and is reaping huge profits by exploiting our vanity and paying these girls peanuts. Where is our money going exactly?

1 comment:

Toni G said...

This is really eerie Ellen.

Yesterday I had 3 appointments and also wished to get a mani-pedi (really needed). Length of any given meeting determined which salon I chose......was able to sneak one in between 2nd & 3rd meeting and I, too, wondered about this prolific industry as I sat and listened to their chatter in their native language. And most are not staffed by one or two but many young women (and occasionally men)
Is there a connection between any of them or perhaps all of them. I did overhear the name Miss Lily in several salons over the years so perhaps there is a 'woman-king pin'
But it is an interesting scenario you observed.