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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To not tip my hairdresser

31 replies

Nevercan · 08/10/2013 16:26

I feel a bit guilty about not leaving a tip but I want to pay the price that is listed - is that wrong?

OP posts:

Itsybitsyteenyweeneyyellowpolk · 08/10/2013 16:27

I never tip!

I pay an extra premium to get my hair done by a senior stylist so that's more than enough!

Xxxx

CoffeeTea103 · 08/10/2013 16:29

Don't feel guilty, you are paying for a service just like any other. I Used to tip but then stopped as I just felt its so unnecessary.

rattlemehearties · 08/10/2013 16:31

I don't understand whether or not I'm meant to tip, no one has ever explained this to me. Urgh.

BerylStreep · 08/10/2013 16:32

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

But at £90 for a cut and colour, I would only ever be inclined to leave about £3.00.

Lottapianos · 08/10/2013 16:33

I don't tip. I love my hairdresser, she's fab and I am thrilled with my cut and colour but I never tip her. It's not a cheap salon so I don't want to have to add tip as well.

Beeyump · 08/10/2013 16:35

I usually tip, but in a really awkward fashion. I wish there were written guidelines about this stuff!

StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes · 08/10/2013 16:39

this is one of the banes of my life. I never enjoy going to the hairdressers as I sit worrying about if I am going to tip, how much should it be, should I not bother. I feel embarrassed giving over the tip in case its not enough, and I feel embarrassed not giving one so can't win either way.

MrsKoala · 08/10/2013 16:40

Where i live you are supposed to tip 15-20% and give a few $ to the hair washer. So on a recent cut and colour i ended up tipping $25 . It really starts to add up

I never do in the UK tho. It just feels weird and awkward.

LostMyImagination · 08/10/2013 16:41

It cost me £66 pounds for a cut and colour two weeks ago. No way was I leaving a tip, that's pricey enough thanks!

handcream · 08/10/2013 16:43

I think its still expected and God knows why. You dont tip someone who serves you in a shop.

I go into London for my cut and blow dry and it costs £90. I have tried not tipping and it seems to be fine as the hairdresser doesnt hang around the till waiting... But I still wish they would outlaw it.

Dont get me started on the US where 15-20% is expected when you are dining out....

firesidechat · 08/10/2013 16:54

Yes I tip my hairdresser, but I've been going to her for a few years now, she does a good job and I like her. It costs £75 for a cut and colour and I tip £5.

MrsKoala · 08/10/2013 16:58

handcream - and don't forget the tax added at the end! It makes what started off as a reasonable meal a fortune. Where i am 20% tip is expected even on takeaways

geekgal · 08/10/2013 16:58

I don't tip if it's expensive but as I mostly go to the barber shop it's only about £6 anyway so I tend to give them an extra quid and make it £7 - barber shops all the way!!!

Shallishanti · 08/10/2013 17:00

I never do. Sometimes I get the owner of the salon, so that would seem extra wierd. I expect him to be charging a rate that allows the staff to earn a fair wage. If not, I would prefer that he puts the prices up. But I do tip waiting on staff, as I think they are more likely to depend on the tips. But, would still prefer that it wasn't necessary, it seems undignified to rely on such an arbitrary system to earn a wage. I have occassionaly tipped a hairdresser, if they've had extra trouble (eg cutting ds hair)

AnythingNotEverything · 08/10/2013 17:02

I've never tipped a hairdresser.

I heard a school of thought that you don't need to tip trained staff - tips are meant to be for hair washers, waitresses etc, not people who've trained for a particular career.

ShakeAndVac · 08/10/2013 17:03

YANBU at all, I think the whole notion of tipping is ridiculous and never do. Things are expensive enough without being expected to prop up someone's wages.
I pay for my hair cutting and that's enough!

MistressIggi · 08/10/2013 17:06

I used to, but then heard that you shouldn't tip senior stylists.. So now she is probably wondering why I've stopped! If I get a "saturday girl" washing my hair I will give her a pound. Have to remember change, and tip money - it is stressful tbh, and so is the whole staring at myself in the mirror for an hour side of it!

Tweenangst · 08/10/2013 17:08

I always tip the poor sod who takes my unruly mane and makes it look good, and the hair washer. If you don't want to all well and good.

MrsKoala · 08/10/2013 17:10

You should never tip the salon owner apparently.

And here if you don't tip at least 15% you are actually costing waiting staff money. Which is awful. If i understand it correctly - Some 'rent' the tables, so get no salary, they wait the tables for free, (the restaurant has a waiting list usually) all the tables they wait and the amount charged are recorded, these are then filed for tax purposes and the tax office tax them on earning 15% of all the amount added up.

handcream · 08/10/2013 17:19

It gets more and more complex.... I have always had the utmost respect for hairdressers. They have the power to make and break you. We have all had the most horrible haircuts!

If we continue to 'tip' then we are assuming their wages are so bad that we personally need to top it up. Bring hairdressers, plumbers and the like to the status of professionals in terms of importance in our lives.

Bodicea · 08/10/2013 17:20

I tip my regular hairdresser maybe once every three or four visits and give them a tenner as don't like to give them small change which looks a bit pathetic each time.

I tip in restaurants generally due to social convention. i think it is a gradual thing that has been creeping across from the US but their economic set up is different. We have a minimum wage here. I don't understand why some jobs should get a tip and some shouldn't. and it annoys me that you can earn more as a waitress than someone in a care home because of tips - I have done both jobs and believe me working in a care home is way tougher!

3birthdaybunnies · 08/10/2013 17:25

I used to tip my hairdresser, then I discovered the MN haircut and now I just treat myself to a coffee with the money saved!

BerylStreep · 08/10/2013 17:25

MrsKoala It is the same in the States - I worked as a waitress in a bar in Florida for a while, many years ago. I didn't get paid by the bar at all, and relied solely upon tips. The worst thing was though, that we had to pay a % of our bar takings to the bar staff (for serving us), the bar back (for changing kegs and keeping the bar stocked) and to the kitchen staff.

They got their cut, regardless of how much you had earned in tips. I only did it for 3 or 4 weeks, and I worked out that it actually cost me money to work there by the time you added in taxis home, which of course you had to tip.

I don't think the bar owner actually paid any of the staff at all.

MrsKoala · 08/10/2013 17:28

I was explaining tipping in the UK to someone here and said 'well part of the reason we don't is that the person gets min wage, so it isn't really necessary' and they said 'oh right, so i guess your min wage is pretty good then?' i said 'umm er, not really, about $10' and he looked at me and said 'and you wouldn't tip someone on 10 bucks an hour??' and i said 'well no, because i only earn min wage too, as do lots of people' he looked even more and i thought he was going to give me some of his spare change .

MrsKoala · 08/10/2013 17:32

I know Beryl - it's utter madness! That's why they hate serving brits - because they don't understand and think a tip is just a bit extra on top of wages. We have had some stinking service because we're British because they assume we wont tip well, and then of course we don't tip well - because the service was so shite. But to them it just confirms we are lousy tippers and they were right to give us shitty service

When we do tip 20% they seem so shocked and then gush all over us to make up for it.

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