Letter: Excellence ends at the barber's

SO, TOM PETERS - arbiter of excellence - travels all the way from Vermont to California to have his hair cut. 'The haircuts are superb,' he extols. 'No question about it.' This is, presumably, the same Tom Peters whose photograph garnishes his weekly column. Either walking in the chilly Vermont air has softened his blow-wave, or the word 'superb' has undergone - to use one of Mr Peters' favourite phrases - a 'paradigm shift'.

Evidently, even the barber cannot believe he keeps coming back for more. 'So, what are you back from Vermont for?' he asks. One can only guess at how the transaction is consummated: 'Anything for the weekend, Sir . . . like maybe a paper bag?'

J Yeats

London N16