GREELEY, Colo. -- Meri Smith decided she was finally ready to get a haircut. It would've been her first one since the COVID-19 pandemic, but she said she was denied service because her infant son was with her.
"I got in and they said, 'did you sign up online?' And I said 'I sure did,' and they said 'well, he can’t come in,'" said Meri Smith.
Smith made an online appointment at the Great Clips, located at 7008 W 10th Street in Greeley. When she went to the salon to check in, she asked why her son wasn't allowed to enter.
"They said you can’t come in because he’s under two and he can’t wear a mask," said Smith.
Smith said she was confused and humiliated by the situation. As a teacher, she's familiar with Colorado's statewide mask mandate and she knows it doesn't apply to children who are 10 years old and younger.
"I just felt rejected. It made me sad and uncomfortable that I couldn’t go get a haircut just because my son was a baby," said Smith.
She immediately reached out to Contact Denver7 because she didn't think it was right.
A spokesperson for Great Clips released the following statement from Michelle Iacovetta, the COO of Holtzman Enterprises, Inc. and a Great Clips franchisee.
Holtzman Enterprises, Inc. does not require children under two years of age to wear a mask in our salons, following guidance from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The misunderstanding of this policy that took place recently in our Greeley salon was unfortunate and disappointing. We will be using this as an educational opportunity with staff to reinforce the details of our mask policy and we would welcome the opportunity to apologize directly to the community member.
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