Consumer Speak

Disposable tissue products are the perfect fit for this New Jersey, USA-based barber’s budget.

Justin Yahara, owner and manager of New Jersey-based barber Swagger

The State of New Jersey is the most taxed region in the United States. The economic crisis took its toll in almost every small town across the state effecting a wide range of businesses from groceries to beauty shops.

But when you enter Swagger, the barber shop at a small New Jersey mall, your mood instantly rises. Located in Middletown, about 60 miles south of New York City, Swagger employes six full time young stylists. The owner and manager, Justin Yahara, promotes the shop’s dedication to providing high quality salon services for men and boys, all in a cheerful and friendly atmosphere. Swagger’s combination of fast professional service and competitive prices provides a constant stream of customers who agree to sit in the room with several plasma TV, lots of great magazines and the local newspaper while waiting for their turn.

According to Justin, Swagger uses disposable neck strips, one of the main means for a barber to help absorb drips, catch perspiration and act as a barrier against the itchiness of falling hair.

Made of soft tissue these 2 and 3-ply special embossed towels with textured surface for beauty professionals cost about one-third of a reusable cloth towel but provide comparable versatility, softness and absorbency.

“We currently use one or two boxes per day per stylist and buy almost all types of embossed neck strips from Graham Professional Beauty Products. They supply several types of professional towels with kind of catchy names that easy to remember like Barbee, Sanek or Wubbies. I personally prefer PST and Wubbies neck strips that come packaged fifty in a box. While neck strips come either smooth or embossed I prefer thicker towels with embossed finish for better moisture handling. We have used it for quite a long time and consider these disposable products a perfect fit for my shop’s budget.

“For household tissue products, as a single person, I do not have any preference for certain toilet paper brand but I value softness. I am also concerned about environment issues, so if I happen to stumble on the supermarket brand which combines both features that I like, so softness and