First and foremost, this isn't an article to boycott any black business. In fact, I actually support my fellow black people who are working hard to get a coin and feed their families. I have supported many black businesses and many of them have quality products.

However, I've noticed a few things I didn't like based on my experience.

But people are still pressuring other people to support their black-owned business, when some of their services are worse than your average one. Some of these places are overpriced to the point where it's hard to even step foot in there.

I've seen people on social media make PSA's about how we as black people should support black businesses, and if not, we are "turning against" our own. No, this isn't all black people who own black businesses. I currently shop at two black-owned businesses because I've had a wonderful experience and the prices work in my favor.

But to go back to my reason for this article, here are some of the reasons why people need to stop forcing these businesses down our throats. If these reasons are changed, then maybe people would be more inclined to shop there:

Most of the prices are extremely overpriced for no reason.

I was interested in this black-owned hair salon my friend recommended to me and I decided to give it a try because I needed some extensions for prom.

On her Instagram page (yes, INSTAGRAM), she said that you had to come in with your hair already washed and braided. Personally, I think that is ridiculous. I am coming in to get my hair done, not do it myself. You had to buy your own hair, which is fine since I usually supply my own hair.

However, what made me have second thoughts was the price for installation - it was ridiculous. I mean, I might as well go with my regular hair. When I got there with my hair braided (by my mom, who also thought it was ridiculous), I sat in the chair and gave her my bag of hair.

Mind you, I always use this hair for extensions, etc. and I never had an issue. The woman looked at my bundles and told me that this hair wasn't going to work. My mom, who was with me, asked her why not, and the woman gave some dumb excuse about texture, etc. She then said that her salon has hair they can supply, but I would have to pay extra for it.

So basically, I wasted money on buying hair, and I was about to get charged a couple of hundred dollars for installment AND their own hair. I politely told her I can't do that, and my mother and I left. Instead, we used my old clip-in extensions and my hair for prom still turned out great. My friend who recommended her was probably friends with her because there is no way.

This also isn't the only time where a black business was overpriced. A lot of my friends would sell T-shirts and suddenly become graphic designers overnight. Hate to break it to you guys, but that's the truth. I've had people sell T-shirts that are almost $40 that are just plain white and have lettering on it, which ANYONE can do for free or way less. I'm not buying a $40 shirt that says "Melanin," when I can make that on my own computer myself.

If you're REALLY my friend, I will either buy it once OR I will tell you to lower the price and then I will buy it. I have told someone that before and she was eager enough to listen, so that helped her make a lot of money.

I even had people who were artists sell canvases with straight up splatter paint and put a price of $60 on their site. I don't care what type of paint you used. No one is buying your toddler art for that much. My little cousin can do the EXACT same thing for FREE.

But overall, stop making your businesses expensive to the point where no one will shop there and then get mad at the fact that no one is buying your things. Be reasonable.

Lack of professionalism/bad customer service.

Have you ever ordered something or got service from a black business and you had to give them a "deposit fee" first? What I mean is that you need to give them like $10 or more in order to "secure" your appointment, etc. This can be done on PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, etc.

I needed a makeup artist for an event. I was recommended to someone by another person and I admired her work. I had found another makeup artist who at first I thought was more expensive, so I didn't pick her. I went with the first makeup artist and she made me deposit a fee for a certain time I wanted. Then last minute, as in the HOUR BEFORE my appointment, she asks to move the appointment to a later time, which cuts into the event I was supposed to go to. I told her I couldn't do that and she should have told me earlier.

She then apologized and told me she can no longer accommodate me. I was annoyed, but I do makeup myself so it wasn't the end of the world. I just wanted someone to do it for me. I also asked her for my deposit fee back and she said she couldn't give it back.

At this point, I was furious because why would I give you money for a service you didn't do? She then had an attitude with another dumb reason about no refunds. NOWHERE on her site or PayPal said anything about no refunds. This clearly shows she was unprofessional and her customer service was horrible. If you mess up, you need to issue a refund because that's how you lose business.

I've had other situations where I would have owners obnoxiously smacking gum and constantly pausing in the middle of their service because their best friend had some "tea" for them. No, I'm nowhere stuck up because I will stop everything to hear the tea my best friend has for me. But on the job? Girl...bye.

Also, I had someone who was braiding my hair while eating Oxtail and talking to her co-workers with a full mouth. Y'all think I'm joking, but I'm not. I'm not even done with this article yet.

Many are extremely hard to find - and when you do, the hours don't match your schedule.

There's no major story time here. I've noticed a lot of black businesses are only open Monday through Friday, and at weird hours too. Seeing businesses only open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or 11 a.m.-3 p.m. are the weirdest times ever.

You guys do realize that your target audience, also known as your CUSTOMERS, work, right? Not everyone is going to go to your business during their lunch break. I'm not buying a T-shirt before I buy my chicken alfredo first.

Also, if you live in a certain area, these businesses can be hard to find. I live in a predominately white area. There are some black businesses in my area, but they are more expensive than the white businesses and that's crazy. But in Atlanta or Baltimore especially, it is a lot easier to find a black business that is actually cheap and reasonable. Check them out.

And no, not ALL Black businesses are like this, BUT...

Like I said in the beginning, I still currently shop at a few black businesses because their prices actually work in my favor. But based on my bad experiences with more than one business, I don't like to push people to shop at one. In my opinion, do whatever works for you and YOUR budget. You can find many other businesses with great customer services and are cheaper.

And for black people who are trying to enter the business environment, please keep these factors in mind and you will soon be successful!