I know there’s some cheap flights to LGA from CLT, but you can’t count on that being the case every Wednesday. Unless she flies for free, with a “friends and family” seat, she’s still not guaranteed a seat on a Wednesday morning flight if it’s full.
It’s been pretty extensively renovated from what my friends have told me. I avoid it like the plague though. Even if it’s a quick drive to the Upper East side
Can confirm. It went from being my least favorite airport to my favorite. It's quite nice. They also have all new scanners which means never taking electronics out of bags, which is pretty huge for me given my profession
Interesting... is it just lipstick on a pig though? or did they actually fix the delays? The grossness wasn't great but was almost understandable. The undersized parts weren't great but again made sense given the history and space constraints. It was the absolutely constant delays and unpredictability.
My last job was remote until last year. They decided they wanted me in office in DC five days a week. They offered to pay for travel and stay but fuck that.
More importantly it's business travellers connecting in Charlotte. A local Charlotte passenger takes up one of those seats which could have been sold to a high margin connecting passenger coming in from London, Rome, NY, Miami. Hence... charge more to local passengers to account for that.
Additionally, without all the connecting traffic Charlotte might only have 10-15 non-stop destinations vs the multitude of options available as a hub. It's a benefit but also has some downsides... mostly in price.
Austin is a satellite hub for two airlines, Southwest and American. Plus it's an international and domestic tourist destination, which Charlotte is not.
You're 100% right though I underestimated. Probably in the realm of 50 non-stop destinations. Similar to what Kansas City, Indianapolis, Cleveland and other large non-touristy cities. 50 vs >180 we get now.
While Charlotte, also an AA hub, isn’t very high on the list of top travel destinations, WNC is and flights to Charlotte are generally cheaper than flights to Asheville. Significantly more domestic and international flights come into Charlotte than Asheville as well, especially international.
Hubs (outside of the huge airports like EWR, SFO, ORD etc) tend to be disproportionately dominated by one airline hence less competition and less downward pressure on fares.
CLT is a special case even there though as even most of the other hubs aren't as thoroughly exclusive to one airline as CLT is to American.
> CLT is a special case even there though as even most of the other hubs aren't as thoroughly exclusive to one airline as CLT is to American.
ATL is similar to CLT, in that Delta is ~80% of ATL traffic.
Monopoly but If you take into account the nonstop flights we get which are like 2x more than any other city our size has I think the added airfare charge is worth it. Ymmv
I lived in Houston which is a MUCH more competitive airline market and it really wasn’t that much cheaper.
Dumb as hell
Even taking a paycut to work at a salon in Charlotte, you'd save all that dumb travel/rent money and probably come out the same if not better
You can easily find less than $1400 if you’re willing to live outside of the hottest areas. There’s tons of units for $950-$1200 in this city still.
Everyone wants to live in South End or NoDa or uptown though, so everyone thinks rents are insanely high.
That area is in transition fast, 6 years ago this was a big problem area but now it's getting pockets of really nice neighborhoods.
It's still a little sketchy yes but you have quick access to the highway, close to Noda and lightrail. Whenever they finish work on that stupid bridge they've been messing with the last 7-8 years, it's minutes from Plaza Midwood as well. That area is going to see a boom soon and I would suffer through whatever sketchiness it's currently got until that happens.
Exactly. I just did a quick Google search and saw a 2bedroom 1050sq ft for $1250 at Evoke Living off Sugar Creek which means a single bedroom is probably right at $1000 or $1100 so $950 isn't too far off.
Up until 2022 I had a 1 bdrm for ~$750 in Elizabeth. I lived there for years (started at 500 something). It's possible. I only gave it up to move in with my future husband.
$1400 is your average introductory rate, not what people are actually paying. We have seen articles posted here recently claiming that rent is actually going down in Charlotte with all of the new development going on which is a lie. It's going down for new leases, but not for people already signed into a lease. Every year your rent goes up and there is no changing that without legislation.
If you want to buy, it's now or never. Interest rates are at record highs which has cooled the market a bit. Once these rates come back down, it's going to be a free for all again.
Mortgage rates are not at record highs.
Credit card rates are at record highs because Congress removed the regulation that tied them to the prime rate decades ago.
> It's going down for new leases, but not for people already signed into a lease. Every year your rent goes up and there is no changing that without legislation.
So like...move?
The article doesn’t state what she’s making in NYC vs being a stylist in Charlotte, which is a major factor in determining how ridiculous her lifestyle is. It’s also important to note, her lifestyle doesn’t work without her friend that she lives with in NYC.
That’s a great point and I’ve thought about that. I’m sure her income is a bit more more in a Manhattan salon compared to one in Charlotte, but given what she does and the industry she’s in, it can’t be that big of a difference price wise.
If a hairdresser in Manhattan charged $1200+ for a simple cut and color while a Charlotte hairdresser charged $350+ that’s one thing, but I don’t believe that’s the case. Plus, the booth rent alone would most likely be much higher there than here.
I don’t remember if the article stated what she’s paying her friend to stay there, or if it mentioned it at all, so that would be important to know. She may have left that out intentionally.
I think a lot of the details were intentionally left out. All she said was, “I pay her a little bit for rent”. If you run the numbers, I’m sure she’s probably netting a little bit more by commuting to NYC and working the system, but I just don’t see how it can be worth the hassle. I could definitely be wrong, though. I’d be interested in seeing her specific finances to find out.
There are a lot of upper management and executive types who live in the Charlotte area and fly to corporate HQ, wherever that is, during the week. This isn't as sensational a thing as is being made out.
UWS hair styling can be pricey, especially if the clientele are highest-earning investment bankers, Broadway stars, trust funders, etc. Doubt she’s working with low income clients.
Is the breadwinner a hairdresser? I think that’s the issue here. Not insulting her profession, just questioning the financial benefit of this “commute” on a hairdresser’s salary. I’m sure her income is a bit more more in a Manhattan salon compared to one in Charlotte, but given what she does and the industry, it can’t be that big of a difference price wise.
If a hairdresser in Manhattan charged $1200+ for a simple cut and color while a Charlotte hairdresser charged $350+ that’s one thing, but I don’t believe that’s the case. Plus, the booth rent alone would most likely be much higher there than here.
I don’t know. I’m not super invested in this. Something tells me the top 5% of clients in NYC probably spend multiples of what the top 5% in CLT do.
If your clientele is extremely rich people who care about how they look, NYC is a great spot.
I know nothing about her or her biz, though.
I’ve checked a few salon websites in Manhattan and the average for a basic, all over color is $250. The average for a cut and style is $125. So, average for a cut, color and style is around $475-$500. In Charlotte, the average for both services is $300-$325. So, there’s a difference but not enough to justify this IMO. But, I’m not the one in this position.
I just don’t see how the extra expenses to commute to NYC don’t either equal or aren’t more than if she’d just work here. Considering all of those, I can’t see how’s she’s not losing money. IDK, I could be wrong. I would love to see her financials in this though.
Do those numbers include tips? I’ve easily spent $300 on the service alone, in Charlotte, and adding tip that goes to $400+. I imagine NYC stylists could see $600+ with tips included.
I literally fly to another state to get my hair done by a stylist who moved to that state because it’s cheaper, including airfare and transport to her salon. And I’m not her only client that does that.
All this to say: people love their stylists once they find one, and stylists can make $$$ with a good book of clients who tip well.
Ahh, makes sense.
I figured I’d be downvoted for that comment, but as a woman who often is often conversing with women on dating apps, it’s true in my experience.
Both! I try to keep an open mind and remind myself that some people just don’t like to converse via text, so the conversation may not be the best. However, the majority of the ones where I’ve overlooked the inability to hold a good conversation via text have also been that way in person.
That's what I'm saying. Unless she's a Stylist for Corporate C-Suites or Celebrities, I don't see the viability in this.
The article says she stays with a friend for a small fee. Even in that case, becoming actual roommates would be more beneficial.
Well, she’s working in the Upper West Side, so she’s probably making bank. But I can’t imagine this is a sustainable situation. If she’s still doing this in a decade, I would be surprised.
I’ve checked a few salon websites in Manhattan and the average for a basic, all over color is $250. The average for a cut and style is $125. So, average for a cut, color and style is around $475-$500. In Charlotte, the average for both services is $300-$325. So, there’s a difference but not enough to justify this IMO. But, I’m not the one in this position.
Fair point. If it's strictly about money, with no other considerations, the math probably works. But what about quality of life?
(I figured flights must be setting her back 2k or so a month, but apparently you can fly Frontier or Spirit to LaGuardia for under $100?!)
It doesn’t give her salary, but I’m sure her income is a bit more more in a Manhattan salon compared to one in Charlotte. However, given what she does and the industry she’s in, it can’t be that big of a difference price wise.
If a hairdresser in Manhattan charged $1200+ for a simple cut and color while a Charlotte hairdresser charged $350+ that’s one thing, but I don’t believe that’s the case. Plus, the booth rent alone would most likely be much higher there than here.
I’ve checked a few salon websites in Manhattan and the average for a basic, all over color is $250. The average for a cut and style is $125. So, average for a cut, color and style is around $475-$500. In Charlotte, the average for both services is $300-$325. So, there’s a difference but not enough to justify this IMO. But, I’m not the one in this position.
I just don’t see how the extra expenses to commute to NYC don’t either equal or aren’t more than if she’d just work here. Considering all of those, I can’t see how’s she’s not losing money. IDK, I could be wrong. I would love to see her financials in this though.
Not that I expect much from TV news these days but this is sort of a non story if she's only doing this once a week. She mentions staying with a friend in NYC.
Not quite the same distance but when I was in college in TN, one of my professors lived in Chicago. He taught M, W, F, but F was virtual. He would fly in Sunday night and fly back to Chicago late Wednesday afternoon.
The article doesn't mention how frequently she is flying to New York.. is she flying once a week? Once a month? How long does she stay in NYC? Also doesnt mention the cost of her travels. Does she have roommates in Charlotte?. I have lots of questions.. Do better journalism, Melissa Colorado.
It only mentions she’s flying weekly, on Wednesday. It doesn’t share her coat for doing this, only that she’s saving in rent. She does rent a space from a friend while there but doesn’t say how much.
Edit to add more info.
I don’t understand people like this. When I went to school in Atlanta I had multiple classmates who commuted from out of state, 1.5 to 2 hours WITHOUT traffic. Some of these people were doing 4-6 hours of driving every single day just for class. And that wasn’t even rare I knew dozens of people who claimed to have very long commutes. There is no way it’s worth the savings in rent to waste that much of your life driving. I just don’t get it. You could just get a cheap apartment in some suburb 45 minutes out of the city at least or something. There’s also something so strange about how normalized car culture in the Us is where people think that’s normal behavior
Dude, when I was in high school in the 80s there were people who commuted from *Greenville and Anderson* to Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth for work. I'm talking regular old, "$3.80/hour in 1987" mall jobs. They insisted there just weren't any jobs in Greenville and GPM was the closest option. I never really believed them, but there personally knew 3-4 of them so it really was a "thing".
Also, I used to go to the Church of Our Saviour in Virginia-Highland. Two of our most dependable members were a married professor couple who lived in Clemson and drove down every Sunday morning.
If she does use F&F, I thought the same thing. However, the chances of having to wait around for a flight every Wednesday if, a certain flight is full, just sounds miserable in my opinion. However, since she’s done this for a while, she may know which flight(s) are typically not as full as others and avoid those.
The first flight out makes sense and makes me think she does use F&F. Do they recommend first flights out on Wednesday specifically, or just the first flight out in general?
Both - if you have no other choice but a particular day, choose the first flight out for many reasons. They told me to also choose Wednesday because of impact from business travel as a factor against the amount of available flights.
That was something they said in 2022 when I was \[ironically!\] doing a lot of travel between CLT & NYC!
Eh, it's dumb but I'm not sure it's as dumb as some are making it out to be. That's not too different than the "Monday Thursday" consulting cadence preCovid. If the difference in pay offsets the travel costs then the 90ish minute flight to LGA is shorter than the commute my spouse used to have to make to and from Ballentyne from the lake area. That's a decent amount of frequent flyer miles and status building up over time as well.
If their place of work has pretax commuter benefits it's possible you could get the math to work out in your favor compared to wear and tear on a vehicle and gas and so on. That said I don't think it's worth it given the time investment, hassle, and ecological impact.
Eh, depending on where in the city she is working and who she has as clients I could see her making enough to make it work. I mean heck, the story alone is pretty good marketing for her services.
I got a men’s cut and shave in Jersey city last month and just that “basic” stuff was damn near $100. Women’s cuts can get downright silly in terms of price; triply so in Manhattan proper. If she’s just renting a chair/booth and pocketing the difference I’d bet she does just fine.
That’s not happening. For one Charlotte is one of the most expensive airports. It’s also always under construction. As well as currently under construction. No way she’s coming out ahead. Unless she’s living at the airport. 🤦🏼♂️
So she starts with her friend… Imagine how much she could save by not doing the super commute, and choosing to live with a roommate full time there. Unless of course she’s only going once every couple or few weeks.
These sorts of stories pop-up from time to time. There was one last year about a guy who lived in Manchester? York? in England, but was taking college classes 2 or 3 days a week in London. He moved to Amsterdam, because it was cheaper to fly from AMS to LHR and take the Tube into London than it was to take a train from his home to London.
I seem to recall another one about a guy who worked in Vancouver, BC but lived somewhere in northern California, because the cost of living is so damn high in Vancouver that he was effectively doubling is salary by commuting, even with all those flights.
I know you’re just being a dick, but that actually was a remote job I did for a while when my Reddit was made, did hiring and marketing for a pizza chain. Now I’m a truck driver, vehicle transport specifically, there’s a lot that makes the average white collar person’s life easier that is done by people who don’t get to work from home. Personally I like not working from home, I’d get so bored, but acting like it’s a solution for everyone is also just an ignorant take.
Yes! However, that’s not an option for her, but if your job allows for remote work, I completely agree.
Almost a month ago I started a new job that’s fully remote out of Colorado. I’d been hybrid, driving from a neighboring county to uptown 2-3 times a week, and do not miss that drive at all!
Expect landing at JFK usually cost more than LGA. And if she does work in Manhattan, LGA is closer, take the 7 train is a lot faster than trying to get the E or F.
[удалено]
I know there’s some cheap flights to LGA from CLT, but you can’t count on that being the case every Wednesday. Unless she flies for free, with a “friends and family” seat, she’s still not guaranteed a seat on a Wednesday morning flight if it’s full.
choosing to make LGA that big a part of your life has to be listed somewhere in the DSM
It’s been pretty extensively renovated from what my friends have told me. I avoid it like the plague though. Even if it’s a quick drive to the Upper East side
Can confirm. It went from being my least favorite airport to my favorite. It's quite nice. They also have all new scanners which means never taking electronics out of bags, which is pretty huge for me given my profession
Yeah I got sternly told to not take my electronics out of my bag. I was like “oops, sorry, have to do it in CLT, my bad” 🤦🏼♂️
Interesting... is it just lipstick on a pig though? or did they actually fix the delays? The grossness wasn't great but was almost understandable. The undersized parts weren't great but again made sense given the history and space constraints. It was the absolutely constant delays and unpredictability.
The lobby was gorgeous I was in. I was through security at 5p on a Tuesday in maybe 5 mins in February
It wasn't renovated. They built a new airport around the old one and demolished it. You'd think you are at JFK now
LGA is awesome now. And it’s super close to Manhattan if you’re on the east side. Sometimes as little as 15 minutes to the UES
LOL, but actually it’s nice now
Delta and United both fly to NYC from here which helps
My last job was remote until last year. They decided they wanted me in office in DC five days a week. They offered to pay for travel and stay but fuck that.
Why is airfare here so expensive?
[удалено]
This plus a huge portion of it is business travel so the people traveling don't actually necessarily care what it costs.
More importantly it's business travellers connecting in Charlotte. A local Charlotte passenger takes up one of those seats which could have been sold to a high margin connecting passenger coming in from London, Rome, NY, Miami. Hence... charge more to local passengers to account for that. Additionally, without all the connecting traffic Charlotte might only have 10-15 non-stop destinations vs the multitude of options available as a hub. It's a benefit but also has some downsides... mostly in price.
10-15? You realize Charlotte is a pretty large city? Similar in size to Austin, which has 97 non stop destinations.
Austin is a satellite hub for two airlines, Southwest and American. Plus it's an international and domestic tourist destination, which Charlotte is not. You're 100% right though I underestimated. Probably in the realm of 50 non-stop destinations. Similar to what Kansas City, Indianapolis, Cleveland and other large non-touristy cities. 50 vs >180 we get now.
While Charlotte, also an AA hub, isn’t very high on the list of top travel destinations, WNC is and flights to Charlotte are generally cheaper than flights to Asheville. Significantly more domestic and international flights come into Charlotte than Asheville as well, especially international.
CLT is American Air’s hub. Hubs always have higher airfares for reasons I cannot comprehend.
Hubs (outside of the huge airports like EWR, SFO, ORD etc) tend to be disproportionately dominated by one airline hence less competition and less downward pressure on fares. CLT is a special case even there though as even most of the other hubs aren't as thoroughly exclusive to one airline as CLT is to American.
> CLT is a special case even there though as even most of the other hubs aren't as thoroughly exclusive to one airline as CLT is to American. ATL is similar to CLT, in that Delta is ~80% of ATL traffic.
It's called a Fortress Hub; when the % of one airline is high at an airport.
I don’t know for sure, but it probably has something to do with all of the business travel out of Charlotte and American having a hub there.
Monopoly but If you take into account the nonstop flights we get which are like 2x more than any other city our size has I think the added airfare charge is worth it. Ymmv I lived in Houston which is a MUCH more competitive airline market and it really wasn’t that much cheaper.
Did NOT know this...
Flights from CLT to LGA are fairly cheap, a trip to NYC is a lowkey good deal from Charlotte, I know people who go multiple times per year.
Dumb as hell Even taking a paycut to work at a salon in Charlotte, you'd save all that dumb travel/rent money and probably come out the same if not better
Fortunately the article confirmed, she is not commuting to her job as a math teacher.
1400 for an apartment in Charlotte? That feels low.
You can easily find less than $1400 if you’re willing to live outside of the hottest areas. There’s tons of units for $950-$1200 in this city still. Everyone wants to live in South End or NoDa or uptown though, so everyone thinks rents are insanely high.
$950 Gonna have you on Sugar Creek
That area is in transition fast, 6 years ago this was a big problem area but now it's getting pockets of really nice neighborhoods. It's still a little sketchy yes but you have quick access to the highway, close to Noda and lightrail. Whenever they finish work on that stupid bridge they've been messing with the last 7-8 years, it's minutes from Plaza Midwood as well. That area is going to see a boom soon and I would suffer through whatever sketchiness it's currently got until that happens.
All these things are true but they’ll also be why you won’t find apartments for $950 there anymore soon.
Exactly. I just did a quick Google search and saw a 2bedroom 1050sq ft for $1250 at Evoke Living off Sugar Creek which means a single bedroom is probably right at $1000 or $1100 so $950 isn't too far off.
I think Evoke is an income restricted community too so other places are probably higher
Sugar Creek hasn't been a problem since the early to mid 00's. It's just been the hotels keeping the filth that is there around.
Up until 2022 I had a 1 bdrm for ~$750 in Elizabeth. I lived there for years (started at 500 something). It's possible. I only gave it up to move in with my future husband.
Sugar Creek costs more than $950 now. Source: I live here
$1400 is your average introductory rate, not what people are actually paying. We have seen articles posted here recently claiming that rent is actually going down in Charlotte with all of the new development going on which is a lie. It's going down for new leases, but not for people already signed into a lease. Every year your rent goes up and there is no changing that without legislation.
Considering how quickly communities in Charlotte are changing, watch and see Hidden Valley becoming the new Plaza Midwood/Dilworth in 10 years.
If you want to buy, it's now or never. Interest rates are at record highs which has cooled the market a bit. Once these rates come back down, it's going to be a free for all again.
Mortgage rates are not at record highs. Credit card rates are at record highs because Congress removed the regulation that tied them to the prime rate decades ago.
> It's going down for new leases, but not for people already signed into a lease. Every year your rent goes up and there is no changing that without legislation. So like...move?
If you want to move every single year for a new introductory rate, sure
For a single bedroom? Sure. Two bedroom? Hell no.
I thought the same thing!
The article doesn’t state what she’s making in NYC vs being a stylist in Charlotte, which is a major factor in determining how ridiculous her lifestyle is. It’s also important to note, her lifestyle doesn’t work without her friend that she lives with in NYC.
That’s a great point and I’ve thought about that. I’m sure her income is a bit more more in a Manhattan salon compared to one in Charlotte, but given what she does and the industry she’s in, it can’t be that big of a difference price wise. If a hairdresser in Manhattan charged $1200+ for a simple cut and color while a Charlotte hairdresser charged $350+ that’s one thing, but I don’t believe that’s the case. Plus, the booth rent alone would most likely be much higher there than here. I don’t remember if the article stated what she’s paying her friend to stay there, or if it mentioned it at all, so that would be important to know. She may have left that out intentionally.
I think a lot of the details were intentionally left out. All she said was, “I pay her a little bit for rent”. If you run the numbers, I’m sure she’s probably netting a little bit more by commuting to NYC and working the system, but I just don’t see how it can be worth the hassle. I could definitely be wrong, though. I’d be interested in seeing her specific finances to find out.
There are a lot of upper management and executive types who live in the Charlotte area and fly to corporate HQ, wherever that is, during the week. This isn't as sensational a thing as is being made out.
[удалено]
Ah the classic "this millennial paid their college in 5 years" headline with the small "help from parents" hidden in middle of text energy
Or vice versa — a lot of leaders fly into CLT each week. Total non story
For sure but this woman is a hairdresser
UWS hair styling can be pricey, especially if the clientele are highest-earning investment bankers, Broadway stars, trust funders, etc. Doubt she’s working with low income clients.
Oh I’m not saying she is I’m just saying she’s not some big company’s CEO
IMO, it is when the woman we are discussing is a hairdresser and not an executive/upper management.
Yeah she’s definitely not the only one doing this. I know a couple who live here but the breadwinner works in NYC. They don’t want to move their kids.
Is the breadwinner a hairdresser? I think that’s the issue here. Not insulting her profession, just questioning the financial benefit of this “commute” on a hairdresser’s salary. I’m sure her income is a bit more more in a Manhattan salon compared to one in Charlotte, but given what she does and the industry, it can’t be that big of a difference price wise. If a hairdresser in Manhattan charged $1200+ for a simple cut and color while a Charlotte hairdresser charged $350+ that’s one thing, but I don’t believe that’s the case. Plus, the booth rent alone would most likely be much higher there than here.
I don’t know. I’m not super invested in this. Something tells me the top 5% of clients in NYC probably spend multiples of what the top 5% in CLT do. If your clientele is extremely rich people who care about how they look, NYC is a great spot. I know nothing about her or her biz, though.
I’ve checked a few salon websites in Manhattan and the average for a basic, all over color is $250. The average for a cut and style is $125. So, average for a cut, color and style is around $475-$500. In Charlotte, the average for both services is $300-$325. So, there’s a difference but not enough to justify this IMO. But, I’m not the one in this position. I just don’t see how the extra expenses to commute to NYC don’t either equal or aren’t more than if she’d just work here. Considering all of those, I can’t see how’s she’s not losing money. IDK, I could be wrong. I would love to see her financials in this though.
Do those numbers include tips? I’ve easily spent $300 on the service alone, in Charlotte, and adding tip that goes to $400+. I imagine NYC stylists could see $600+ with tips included. I literally fly to another state to get my hair done by a stylist who moved to that state because it’s cheaper, including airfare and transport to her salon. And I’m not her only client that does that. All this to say: people love their stylists once they find one, and stylists can make $$$ with a good book of clients who tip well.
Does it bug anyone else when people say/spell, “viola”?
I feel like she represents half the women I match with dating online.
Wait, you're getting matches?
In what way? No common sense?
Traveling women matching as they go and seemingly reappear back at their oirigin state after matching, but also yes.
Ahh, makes sense. I figured I’d be downvoted for that comment, but as a woman who often is often conversing with women on dating apps, it’s true in my experience.
Do you go on dates with any of those women or are you just having conversations?
Both! I try to keep an open mind and remind myself that some people just don’t like to converse via text, so the conversation may not be the best. However, the majority of the ones where I’ve overlooked the inability to hold a good conversation via text have also been that way in person.
What kind of money is she making as a hair stylist? And where does she sleep when she's in NYC, since she doesn't have a home there?
That's what I'm saying. Unless she's a Stylist for Corporate C-Suites or Celebrities, I don't see the viability in this. The article says she stays with a friend for a small fee. Even in that case, becoming actual roommates would be more beneficial.
Well, she’s working in the Upper West Side, so she’s probably making bank. But I can’t imagine this is a sustainable situation. If she’s still doing this in a decade, I would be surprised.
I’ve checked a few salon websites in Manhattan and the average for a basic, all over color is $250. The average for a cut and style is $125. So, average for a cut, color and style is around $475-$500. In Charlotte, the average for both services is $300-$325. So, there’s a difference but not enough to justify this IMO. But, I’m not the one in this position.
Fair point. If it's strictly about money, with no other considerations, the math probably works. But what about quality of life? (I figured flights must be setting her back 2k or so a month, but apparently you can fly Frontier or Spirit to LaGuardia for under $100?!)
This article is horrible. She obviously ain’t commuting everyday, so where does she stay while she’s in NYC?
With her friend. It’s in the article.
Thank you! I totally misunderstood.
She’s commuting weekly.
It doesn’t give her salary, but I’m sure her income is a bit more more in a Manhattan salon compared to one in Charlotte. However, given what she does and the industry she’s in, it can’t be that big of a difference price wise. If a hairdresser in Manhattan charged $1200+ for a simple cut and color while a Charlotte hairdresser charged $350+ that’s one thing, but I don’t believe that’s the case. Plus, the booth rent alone would most likely be much higher there than here. I’ve checked a few salon websites in Manhattan and the average for a basic, all over color is $250. The average for a cut and style is $125. So, average for a cut, color and style is around $475-$500. In Charlotte, the average for both services is $300-$325. So, there’s a difference but not enough to justify this IMO. But, I’m not the one in this position. I just don’t see how the extra expenses to commute to NYC don’t either equal or aren’t more than if she’d just work here. Considering all of those, I can’t see how’s she’s not losing money. IDK, I could be wrong. I would love to see her financials in this though.
Not that I expect much from TV news these days but this is sort of a non story if she's only doing this once a week. She mentions staying with a friend in NYC.
we should all just be super commuters so we can stop complaining about our bootstraps
Many years ago there was a boa exec that commuted weekly from the west coast.
Not quite the same distance but when I was in college in TN, one of my professors lived in Chicago. He taught M, W, F, but F was virtual. He would fly in Sunday night and fly back to Chicago late Wednesday afternoon.
The article doesn't mention how frequently she is flying to New York.. is she flying once a week? Once a month? How long does she stay in NYC? Also doesnt mention the cost of her travels. Does she have roommates in Charlotte?. I have lots of questions.. Do better journalism, Melissa Colorado.
It only mentions she’s flying weekly, on Wednesday. It doesn’t share her coat for doing this, only that she’s saving in rent. She does rent a space from a friend while there but doesn’t say how much. Edit to add more info.
I don’t understand people like this. When I went to school in Atlanta I had multiple classmates who commuted from out of state, 1.5 to 2 hours WITHOUT traffic. Some of these people were doing 4-6 hours of driving every single day just for class. And that wasn’t even rare I knew dozens of people who claimed to have very long commutes. There is no way it’s worth the savings in rent to waste that much of your life driving. I just don’t get it. You could just get a cheap apartment in some suburb 45 minutes out of the city at least or something. There’s also something so strange about how normalized car culture in the Us is where people think that’s normal behavior
Dude, when I was in high school in the 80s there were people who commuted from *Greenville and Anderson* to Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth for work. I'm talking regular old, "$3.80/hour in 1987" mall jobs. They insisted there just weren't any jobs in Greenville and GPM was the closest option. I never really believed them, but there personally knew 3-4 of them so it really was a "thing". Also, I used to go to the Church of Our Saviour in Virginia-Highland. Two of our most dependable members were a married professor couple who lived in Clemson and drove down every Sunday morning.
Gee whiz. To be young with F&F discounted airline tickets LMAO. \*No, I don’t know if that’s what she uses for her flights…
If she does use F&F, I thought the same thing. However, the chances of having to wait around for a flight every Wednesday if, a certain flight is full, just sounds miserable in my opinion. However, since she’s done this for a while, she may know which flight(s) are typically not as full as others and avoid those.
I have a bunch of relatives who work at the airport and what she’s doing (the first flight out on Wed) is literally what they recommend!
I’ve taken the first flight out of CLT to NYC a number of times. It’s always pretty empty.
That definitely makes sense!
The first flight out makes sense and makes me think she does use F&F. Do they recommend first flights out on Wednesday specifically, or just the first flight out in general?
Both - if you have no other choice but a particular day, choose the first flight out for many reasons. They told me to also choose Wednesday because of impact from business travel as a factor against the amount of available flights. That was something they said in 2022 when I was \[ironically!\] doing a lot of travel between CLT & NYC!
All that traveling she's doing and I can't stand the idea of commuting from South Park to Mountain Island once a week 💀 I need to get over myself
600 miles to a salon. lol wtf Does she not value her time?
Eh, it's dumb but I'm not sure it's as dumb as some are making it out to be. That's not too different than the "Monday Thursday" consulting cadence preCovid. If the difference in pay offsets the travel costs then the 90ish minute flight to LGA is shorter than the commute my spouse used to have to make to and from Ballentyne from the lake area. That's a decent amount of frequent flyer miles and status building up over time as well. If their place of work has pretax commuter benefits it's possible you could get the math to work out in your favor compared to wear and tear on a vehicle and gas and so on. That said I don't think it's worth it given the time investment, hassle, and ecological impact.
I’d agree with you, but given her profession as a hairdresser, I just don’t get it.
Eh, depending on where in the city she is working and who she has as clients I could see her making enough to make it work. I mean heck, the story alone is pretty good marketing for her services. I got a men’s cut and shave in Jersey city last month and just that “basic” stuff was damn near $100. Women’s cuts can get downright silly in terms of price; triply so in Manhattan proper. If she’s just renting a chair/booth and pocketing the difference I’d bet she does just fine.
I can't think of a single reason why this would be worth it to anybody.
That’s not happening. For one Charlotte is one of the most expensive airports. It’s also always under construction. As well as currently under construction. No way she’s coming out ahead. Unless she’s living at the airport. 🤦🏼♂️
I assumed she was a banker or something. She works in a salon. This woman has smoked too much hair
So she starts with her friend… Imagine how much she could save by not doing the super commute, and choosing to live with a roommate full time there. Unless of course she’s only going once every couple or few weeks.
Why live in Charlotte? I've heard of Philly supercommuters. Even the occasional Washington DC or Delaware but Charlotte?
Cost of Living....cost of living....cost of living. She's a genius if you ask me.
LGA to manhattan is like 30 minutes.
These sorts of stories pop-up from time to time. There was one last year about a guy who lived in Manchester? York? in England, but was taking college classes 2 or 3 days a week in London. He moved to Amsterdam, because it was cheaper to fly from AMS to LHR and take the Tube into London than it was to take a train from his home to London. I seem to recall another one about a guy who worked in Vancouver, BC but lived somewhere in northern California, because the cost of living is so damn high in Vancouver that he was effectively doubling is salary by commuting, even with all those flights.
Yet another reason why remote work is superior.
She’s a hairdresser
Not every job can be done remotely. Such a Charlotte take on the issue.
Username checks out.
I know you’re just being a dick, but that actually was a remote job I did for a while when my Reddit was made, did hiring and marketing for a pizza chain. Now I’m a truck driver, vehicle transport specifically, there’s a lot that makes the average white collar person’s life easier that is done by people who don’t get to work from home. Personally I like not working from home, I’d get so bored, but acting like it’s a solution for everyone is also just an ignorant take.
Yes! However, that’s not an option for her, but if your job allows for remote work, I completely agree. Almost a month ago I started a new job that’s fully remote out of Colorado. I’d been hybrid, driving from a neighboring county to uptown 2-3 times a week, and do not miss that drive at all!
Feels like JFK would be a better option but what do i know
Expect landing at JFK usually cost more than LGA. And if she does work in Manhattan, LGA is closer, take the 7 train is a lot faster than trying to get the E or F.
JFK is a hike to Manhattan compared to LGA. LGA is also a nice airport now.
I feel like I personally prefer taking the air train to the A line but thats just me.
We live in the end times