When it comes to haircuts, perhaps Hillary Clinton should take her cue from Warren Buffett.
The Democratic presidential contender recently got a trim at a posh New York salon that normally charges $600 for such services, according to a report in the New York Post. (The exact cost of Clinton’s cut was not known.) The news has prompted harsh comments reminiscent of the response to former candidate John Edwards’ $1,250 cut.
There’s no such outrage when Buffett, a billionaire several times over, visits his barber, however. That’s because the notorious penny-pincher spends just $18 for a cut, which he receives courtesy of Stan Docekal, whose barbershop is in the same Omaha building where Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is based.
Docekal prides himself on his work, but also prides himself on leaving Buffett alone when the investor stops by — usually once every two to three weeks. “I let him do his thing,” Docekal told MarketWatch earlier this year when we visited the shop. Docekal noted that Buffett usually watches the news on television while he’s in the chair.
And unlike Clinton, Buffett doesn’t apparently enter his favorite haircutter’s shop through a side entrance. Then again, he can’t — there’s just one door to Docekal’s modest, basement-level shop.
Of course, while Buffett wins points among cheapskates for keeping his cuts in the low double-digits, he’s not always celebrated among Omahans for his tightwad ways. When Buffett visits one of his favorite local restaurants, he generally leaves about a 25% tip — not an ungenerous amount by most standards, but hardly significant for a man whose fortune rivals the GDP of nearly 100 countries.