The clerk suggested that it would be very difficult for me to find high quality scissors without a hairdressing license/permit (!?!?)
I'm pretty sure that it's
not that a permit is required to own the scissors, but rather just that they tend to be sold by business-to-business stores that refuse to sell to random people walking in off the street. My mom used to be friends with a hairdresser and was able to get "salon-brand" shampoo etc. at wholesale by tagging along with her.
It's the same business model that stores like Restaurant Depot use: they don't sell anything "restricted," but they don't let you in unless you run a restaurant.
Also, aside from the fact that it appears to be spam, the single-post account above mine has a point: my mom's hairdresser friend would drop her comb all the time, but made damned sure never to drop the scissors because they were expensive, and having good, sharp scissors was important to achieve a high-quality haircut.