to not tip my hairdresser?

[MrsSatsuma]

Just wondered what everybody else thinks about this - as I always go to the hairdresser on my own, I've no idea what anybody else does! I occasionally tip my hairdresser (eg if it's £37 I'll round it up to £40) but not always - came to £75 last time as I had highlights too and I didn't know what to do so just left it.

I don't want to tip and risk offence, if it's against convention, but I don't want them to think I'm mean. On the other hand it's pretty expensive! As far as I know people don't tip for other luxuries, like massages or manicures (do they?) so I assumed hairdressing was no different. I don't tip taxi drivers as a taxi ride usually cleans me out anyway! and I do usually tip in restaurants provided I've had good service.

Would love to know what others do!

beautyspot I'm glad you pointed out FA's post, I was at that too, thinking that she doesn't sound like the sort of person I'd want to go to dinner with anyway

I tip here in the US because there is no minimum wage for staff who make more than a certain percentage of their income in tips plus they have to pay for their own health insurance. My hair now costs $45 for the cut and colour (I do the PM shines) is $30. As I go on a regular basis I get a 20% discount on these prices. My old hairdresser who I loved but only worked 3 days week (Tues-Thurs) also got the same tip and charged double. I also always tip 20% when eating out here in the US.

In the UK I don't tip as there is a minimum wage and staff are not expected to cover costs such as health insurance. I do however still give christmas presents to the postmistress, two of the checkout girls in Tesco who always remember me when I go home and guys behind the bar at my local.

In the UK the employer should be motivating their staff to do a good job. When I get my hair done at home I pay GBP50 for a cut which takes them less than an hour to complete. When paying that much for a haircut I expect the employer to pay the stylist more than minimum wage. If they don't then I would fully support my stylist if they moved to another local salon where the employer paid more.

I always tip my hairdresser, usually a fiver, esp when she's cut DS's hair as well and he's screamed at her for 15 mins. I always tip taxi drivers (generally I only use taxis when I'm drunk so I'm prob ridiculously generous) and I always tip in restaurants. I quite often buy bar people a drink in pubs too, if they've been nice.

Dunno why I do tip so much actually. Maybe because I worked in crappy jobs in bars for years and often didn't have the cash for a drink for myself at the end of a hard night's work.

Also I live in Cornwall where wages are shockingly bad and often people are employed in bars and restaurants off the books and earn well below min wage.

Actually I agree with FattyArbuckel - she's my kind of gal. Better than being tighter than a duck's arse beautyspot and frgr

Thanks hmc

Tightness is not a quality I admire in my friends and if that makes me sound like a ten year old so be it.

I see nothing "grown up" in being mean

FattyArbuckel, I think to dismiss our objections for tipping in salons as "mean" is simplistic. Can you re-read the posts that have been made here and consider them before you dismiss posters disagreeing with you with a wave of your hand and "oh well it's just because they're mean, oh dear"?

'Tightness is not a quality I admire in my friends and if that makes me sound like a ten year old so be it.

I see nothing "grown up" in being mean'

Right so what if the girl who cuts my hair is on minimum wage and I am on minimum wage. My job involves working with kids so no tips. I have to give her tips even though we are on same salary? It is not being 'mean'

If I pay over £120 for cut and highlights, I dont feel mean not tipping. If I go in for just a wash/set and a junior does it for £20...and does it well, then no probs, have some beer money.

I do find I worry about not tipping every time I go to the hairdressers. I pay £50 for a haircut and find that expensive enough tbh especially now that I am working p/t. Plus I have been going to my hairdresser for a couple of years now and would it not be weird to suddenly start tipping? Plan to buy my hairdresser a wedding present when she gets married this year though

My hair costs me £94 and I hate leaving a tip because of the cost. However, I usually leave between £3 and £5, depending what I have in my purse. Got eye brows done last week and I felt really bad that I had no cash to tip - would normally leave £2 for a £9 e/b wax.

Waiters/resses get 10%but taxis get the change out of a £5 or £10 so it could be a good tip or a really small one dependant upon the cost up to those denominations.

I hate tipping though as I do think I have a tendancy to over tip.
(Recently was in Luxor and instead of giving a £2 to bell boy, I got my notes mixed up and gave him £20. I think that equated to his monthly salary so I didn't begrudge it.)

thanks for this thread, I never know what to do, I hate going to the hairdressers (awkward shampoo by someone with nails, awkward head massage, awkward talk about things I don't do...) so what exactly should I be tipping for?

I never tip taxi drivers either as it usually costs about £4 and can't work out what would be a reasonable add-on.

I always tip for good service in restaurants though or offer to get a drink in for really good bar staff.

I don't tip, but when I take the kids (same hairdresser) i let them tip her, seems to be about the right balance!

hairdressing is very expensive anyway , for what it is. no need to tip. i've never had attitude from my hairdresser for it & have gone there 10 years.

I tip 20%, unless they did a poor job. Same with restaurants. Cabs I usually tip 15 %.

I've just come back from the USA where you get a level of service that is unheard of in the UK but also, as already stated, they have no minimum wage so tips make all the difference between an atrocious rate of pay and a wage that can be lived on. I always added between 15 and 20% to eating out bills over there and would tip a US hairdresser a similar percentage.

I don't routinely tip hairdressers in the UK (especially since I rarely seem to come away with a bill much under £100 if I add colour to the cut) but I'd always give a decent tip as a Christmas present. I also tip 10% in UK restaurants but that's dependent on the quality of service.

I never tip hairdressers. They charge an arm and a leg as it is (£165 for cut and colour last time!), so they won't be getting any tips from me! I always pay by credit card. That way, I don't have the embarrassment of being given change!

I usually tip the stylist £5 which is about 10% of what I pay. And I tip the trainee if they do the wash as I remember when my best friend trained to be a hairdresser and the basic appretice wages were crap.

I thought everyone tipped hairdressers. Even when skint I have tipped 15% even when unimpressed.I won't feel so bad now if I don't tip now I have no spare income and find the cheapest hairdresser I can.

When I was a waitress I hate to say it but the staff would be particularly cruel about people who did not tip- they were pretty rare but certain groups eg Italians/Spanish had a reputation for not tipping so no one wanted to serve them.In a shift out of 20 tables maybe one table would not tip and I just assumed they did not know the etiquette on it because i thought is so mean to give them a right bitching off but that is exactly what goes on and I imagined hairdressers are the same the expectant vibe that emanates when you go to the till.

Juts a tax of life that you get on and pay. But taxi drivers- no never tip them but rarely take them as they are such a rip off.

By the way I am in the states now and 15% is the bare minimum on any service- 20% is expected on all meals/drinks even at counter service they have a jar asking for tips. It gets expensive so we go out much less!10% would be interpreted as a communication that you thought the service was bad actually!

I started a bad precedent with my hairdresser - min. £5 for hairdresser - £3 for washer. So I have had to do the same ever since, else risk them thinking THIS time I am unhappy...But then, they give me lots of wine and I am always extremely happy with result ;)

I don't tip the hairdresser. A wet cut costs me about £35........to me that's a lot of money to have my hair washed and trimmed. I don't even have it blow dried and the whole process takes about 20 minutes. I can only afford to get it cut 2 or 3 times a year so I'm certainly not leaving a tip!

I did however leave a 50% tip following DD1's first proper haircut. The poor hairdresser looked traumatised

I used to be a waitress in the states when I was younger and it is damned hard work with crappy pay so we relied on tips to supplement our income. But if someone couldn't afford a tip I understood that, I've been there myself on occasion.

I always tip at restaurants, hairdressers and taxis provided I am able to.

I appreciate that if you genuinely can't afford to tip then that's a good reason not to (I have a couple of friends in this situation where money is really tight)...but if you can afford to and choose not to then I have certain preconceived ideas about you.....