Barbers raise prices in Makkah

Umrah pilgrims are having a real hair-raising experience around the Grand Mosque because barbers have raised prices from the regular rate of SR 5 and SR 10 to SR 20.
Price increases have been blamed on the shortage of barbers after many workers left the Kingdom under the amnesty offered by the government.
The illegal barbers had other professions listed on their resident permits and would shave the heads of pilgrims, particularly in remote areas, at very low rates. Some of them did not even have health cards.
A number of pilgrims said they were surprised by the high prices when they went to have their hair cut after finishing Umrah.
Abdul Wahid Al-Sayid said he avoids dealing with expatriates when he wants to have a haircut near the Grand Mosque, mainly because of the poor hygiene at the barbershops.
Mohammad Khalaf said he has a barber’s kit, which he uses after finishing Umrah or Haj. “This is cheaper and much more hygienic,” he said.
Yasir Sala said some barbershops exploit the situation, particularly during Ramadan, and fleece pilgrims coming from other countries. He said the authorities should crack down on violators.
Responding to the demand for regulation, the spokesman for the municipality, Osama Al-Zaytouni, said the Makkah municipality deploys field teams to conduct inspections at all barbershops around the Holy Mosque. “The municipality will not be lenient with barber shops that don’t comply with the rules and regulations, and are not committed to the stipulated health standards,” he said.
He said prices are dealt with by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, not the municipality.