Grocery Store Forces 14-Year-Old Employee to Cut His Long Hair in Order to Get the Job

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Jun 9, 2026 12:30 PM EDT

Should he have changed himself to get an after-school job? 

How much would you change your appearance in order to get a job? A lot of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers tell their adult children that they should never get tattoos, because they will limit their job opportunities in the future, but it's hard to say how true that sentiment rings in 2026. A lot of people have tattoos and work white-collar jobs that don't care that much about their appearance. If anything, it's harder to get a waitress job if you don't "look the part" than it is to get an office job if you have a couple of tattoos.

Unfortunately, it's common for customer service jobs to require employees to cut their hair, remove their piercings, or have natural hair colors. They want to promote a "wholesome" look for families and old fogies alike, who freak out at the slightest hint of uniqueness. The teenager in this story had to cut his hair in order to bag groceries at a grocery store, and his mom is devastated for him. I would be too!

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  • A teenager who was willing to cut his hair short to secure an after-school job at a grocery store.
    via Andrej Lišakov (Unsplash+)

    A teenager who was willing to cut his hair short to secure an after-school job at a grocery store.

  • My kid starts their first ever job, and I'm heartbroken about the dress code policy.

    My teen found themselves a job at the local grocery store. The problem is that the grocery store has a strict and sexist uniform policy and my teen had to cut
    via u/monzanita
  • their long hair for the job. My kid says they're okay with it but I'm heartbroken that they are already changing
    via u/monzanita
  • themselves for a corporation that doesn't give a sh about them.
    via u/monzanita
  • A grocery store, whose owners care more about making as much money as possible than they care about keeping employees on board for the long-term.
    via Franki Chamaki

    A grocery store, whose owners care more about making as much money as possible than they care about keeping employees on board for the long-term. 

  • Brilliant-Meeting-97 This is a good opportunity to educate them about the reality of labor in the US (if that's where you are). It's a fine balance of standing up for yourself and toeing the line to still be able to work enough to support yourself.
    via u/Brilliant-Meeting-97
  • badgerj Yeah. I'm a professional and I stand up for my staff! But there comes a point where I do get frustrated with the ELT when they dodge serious questions. And they sometimes say: "Is there any questions"? And you can hear crickets and pins drop when that happens. They wonder why people have no questions. People do have questions!
    via u/badgerj
  • But they're scared of asking them for fear of retribution or retaliation. "This is a safe space." Is complete and utter bulls You try to hold leadership accountable and their feet to the fire ... you get black listed as a trouble maker or a traitor. Any questions asked are generally pre-screened and sanitized. And usually complete softballs:
    via u/badgerj
  • Careful_Source6129 Are sexist uniform policies legal in the US?
    via u/Careful_Source6129
  • Linkcott18 It depends. They cannot typically force women to wear skirts, but they can require men to have short hair & shave.
    via u/Linkcott18
  • ghoti00 That place is lucky anybody wants to work there with what they pay. Tell them to take the job and show up for work and do a good job everyday and never cut their hair. If they say it's a deal-breaker, tell them to go f themselves and work somewhere else.
    via u/ghoti00
  • JimmyPellen Agreed. The kid should let the man know the conditions under which they will work! Let them push you around now and they'll push you around the Rest of your life!
    via u/JimmyPellen
  • MakionGarvinus Well, do they have to take this job, or can they keep looking? I'm guessing it doesn't pay much, so whatever position it is probably isn't super special. Is it food related?
    via u/MakionGarvinus
  • monzanita OP •4h ago This job is one of the few to hire at 14/15. I'm pretty sure they are just bagging and cart wrangling so not food related.
    via u/monzanita
  • A long line of wrangled shopping carts, a job that should be able to be completed by somebody who has long hair.
    via Eduardo Soares

    A long line of wrangled shopping carts, a job that should be able to be completed by somebody who has long hair. 

  • Your teenage years should be the years when you're allowed to dye your hair and experiment with your appearance the most! The jobs teenagers have shouldn't require them to look like the most professional people on the planet, and yet they do! I'd understand more if an adult salesperson who works with clients is forbidden from having an edgy look. Still, nobody is going to stop going to a grocery store because a teenage employee looks a little disheveled. If they do, then they're an idiot.

  • MakionGarvinus Wow, that sounds... Excessive? Is it actually written in their employee handbook (if your son has one yet) or was he just 'told' this 'rule'. I can understand if he's really wanting to work, but wow. I wouldn't expect a company to care that much about an employee's looks.
    via u/MakionGarvinus
  • PassionGlobal Both educational and low level employment are littered with tiny despots wanting to flex what little power they have
    via u/PassionGlobal

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