answer:I went to a chain once, where I knew the stylist. She told me they take special classes provided by the chain, that show them how to cut hair quickly. They still have to be licensed stylists to cut hair legally, so they have had to go to school and be licensed by the state. The advantage? I would say price. I have found in my many years of going to stylists that it all depends on the stylist. In the expensive place I go to now, I had a substitute style my hair once and it was a mess. If I were a new client and paid for that service, I would never return. That said, I had great cuts from lower price places just because the stylist happened to be great. I only went to a chain place once, like I said, and the cut was lousy. If I were a guy and just getting a run of the mill “guy cut” it might be adequate.