At our shop's open house, my stained smock got more compliments than complaints

Customers trust a butcher who looks like they actually work.

3 comments

3 Comments

Read something a while back about how mechanics with clean hands make people nervous. It's the same idea. You see a chef with a pristine white jacket and wonder if they ever actually cook. But a baker with flour dust on their sleeves or a carpenter with sawdust in their hair, that tells a story. It shows they're in the middle of the work, not just watching it happen.

sean7822mo ago

Know exactly what you mean. Saw it at my local deli last week. The guy slicing pastrami had apron stains from here to next Tuesday, but the line was out the door. That little bit of grease or a knife mark tells people you've been in the trenches all day, not just standing around. It's a quiet sign you know what you're doing.

reeseperez2mo ago

Totally get that. There's a barber shop near me where the best guy always has a little bit of hair clippings on his shoes and that powdery talc stuff on his forearms. You just walk in and know he's the one to ask for, because he looks like he's been actually cutting hair all day instead of just organizing the combs. It's like a quiet ad for how much work he puts in.