The traveler chooses the scruffy barber for his haircut despite his untidy appearance and run down shop because the scruffy barber is more likely to give a close shave since he needs one himself, whereas the tidy barber is already clean shaven and may not give as close a shave. Choosing the scruffy barber who needs a shave himself ensures the traveler gets a closer shave.

1. Brain Teasers
for Retrospective(s)

2. You’re escaping a maze, and there are three doors in front of you.
The door on the left leads to a pit of lava. The door in the center
leads to a room filled with deadly gas. The door on the right leads to
a lion that hasn’t eaten in three months.
Which door do you choose?
Answer: The door on the right. A lion that hasn’t eaten in three
months would be dead.

3. A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him underwater
for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. 30 minutes later,
they both go out and enjoy a wonderful meal together.
How can this be?
Answer: She took a photo of him and developed it in the dark room.

4. This is an unusual paragraph. I’m curious as to just how quickly
you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so
ordinary and plain that you would think nothing was wrong with
it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is highly unusual though.
Study it and think about it, but you still may not find anything
odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out.
Answer: The letter “e” is the most common letter in the English
language, yet it never appears in the entire paragraph.

5. A man stands on one side of a river, his dog on the other.
The man calls his dog, who immediately crosses the river
without getting wet and without using a bridge or a boat.
How did the dog do it?
Answer: The river was frozen.

6. In 1990, a person is 15 years old.
In 1995, that same person is 10 years old.
How can this be?
Answer: The person was born in 2005 BC.

7. What makes this number unique?
8,549,176,320
Answer: It has each number, zero through nine, listed in
alphabetical order.

8. What five-letter word becomes
shorter when you add two letters
to it?
Answer: Short.

9. Guess the next three letters in the series
GTNTL…
Answer: ITS

10. You’re in a dark room with a candle, a wood stove,
and a gas lamp.
You only have one match, so what do you light first?
Answer: The match.

11. How can a man who shaves
several times a day still sport a
long beard?
Answer: He’s a barber.

12. A traveler arrives in a small town that he has never visited before. He knows nothing
about the town or its inhabitants, but he needs a haircut and shave. There are only two
barber shops in town, both on the main road. The man studies each of them with care.
One shop is neat and tidy. The barber is sweeping the floor while waiting for his next
customer. The other barber’s shop is untidy. Everything looks a bit run down. The
barber, reclining in a chair while waiting for his next customer, is scruffy, with untidy
hair and beard. Both shops charge the same for the haircut and shave. After careful
consideration, the traveler decides on the scruffy barber for his haircut. … Why?
?