It is hard to answer whether someone “should” use an upgrade. If you want a faster decision, then you can use it, but it may very well be rejected.
This is a place to get hair cut? In most cases, I would reject those under “Generic business” unless you made an extremely convincing case that this meets any of the criteria of a great place for exercise, exploration, or being social per https://niantic.helpshift.com/hc/en/21-wayfarer/faq/2771-acceptance-criteria/?l=en&p=web
I agree with Cyndie. Hair salons are not automatic acceptances. You only describe it as a local business, but that doesn’t fit any of the wayfarer criteria.
When you use your upgrade, it doesn’t make it “go through faster”. What it does is it makes it appear to a wider group of Wayfinders. AKA outside of your local area.
When this happens, you lose the local feel of your community. As @cyndiepooh and @seaprincesshnb have said, this is not a slam dunk. However, if your local reviewers know of the place and agree with you, You’ll have a better chance of approval.
I would personally advise you not to use an upgrade on this as is may not be approved by a wider audience. If that is the case, I’d also advise you to re-write your nomination, because right now. It’s giving off generic business vibes.
Here is a possible suggestion based my research including this page: https://www.facebook.com/5wardRoad.rosehearty/
Title
Kuttin Corner Barbershop
Description
Local barbershop offering haircuts and styling services for the community. A welcoming neighborhood spot where residents gather, connect, and support a small local business.
Supporting Information (THIS is key)
Kuttin Corner is a locally owned small business that serves as a social hub for the community. Barbershops are well recognized as places that encourage social interaction and community engagement, making this a strong candidate under Niantic’s “great place to be social” criteria. The location is safe and accessible from the sidewalk.
Sending it to a wider review pool does make it go through faster. The statements are not contradictory.
There could be outliers where there aren’t any reviewers in the wider review pool either so is good to explain what it does.
Upgrade wont make your submission approved. This particular submission doesnt seems fit wayfarer criteria. On the contrary, i believe it will get rejected faster if you use upgrade
Unfortunately, it’s not that practical, Wayfarer. There are so many criteria for creating a PokéStop that it can sometimes make your life impossible, and sometimes you can find PokéStops that don’t meet any criteria. It’s strange that you have to strictly comply with the criteria and then sometimes PokéStops appear that don’t meet the terms.
Based on the link to this business, i don’t see it as a social hub. It looks like a place where 1 hair dresser serves her customers 1 at a time. Its not even open on Saturdays, which is when many of the salons that double as social places would be a “gathering” spot. Also, it’s not a barber shop. It is a hair salon.
This is from ( Content Guidelines — Wayfarer Help Center
Local Businesses:
Generally speaking, local businesses that are considered long-standing watering holes, favorite hyper-local hangouts, or even more regionally recognized as a cultural hotspot, fall under the eligibility criteria of Explore and can be submitted for consideration and review. For submitters, since this is a subjective judgement call the reviewers must make, do utilize the supporting text and images to strengthen your case. For reviewers, keep in mind that even a generic business in a small town can be an important part of the local community.
That’s some VERY VAGUE wording, but for me it comes down to the last line. Reviewers seem very entitled and biased, probably from their own environment and local experience - but they don’t see the area being nominated through the eyes of the person who lives there and made that nomination. For me, hair salons are a vital part of any community (my own bias from being raised in the Southern USA) and a hub of activity, and should absolutely be a shoe-in for a nomination.
I just had a nomination rejected twice for a local salon that specializes in African American hair care - a disenfranchised and overlooked segment of our population. I know them personally, and they struggle to keep the doors open most months, but have a steady flow of regulars, and it’s always a hoot to sit and catch-up on the local ‘news’ being discussed. It was flagged as “lacks uniqueness or historical and cultural meaning”, which really cuts deep.
It is always up to the person submitting the wayspot to provide the evidence to support their claims.
Unfortunately, some people abuse the system and will claim anything about anything, so reviewers should take all claims with a pinch of salt. When a claim has evidence (generally this means links in the supporting text) and can be verified, it has value. When it is merely stated that a place is special, but nothing is provided to support that, it becomes hard to place any value in that.
This may be why you are getting rejections for the salons you feel are culturally valuable.
(In Sheffield, UK, there are plenty of salons for African/American/Caribbean hair care. I know most of them and would struggle to nominate any of them as wayspots.)
The onus is on submitter to provide enough evidence to convince reviewer. You cant expect reviewer to accept anything u said. Unfortunately a lot people lie to get your their submission approved. They can say a lot of words but without real evidence , reviewer cant trust it.