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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not leave tips for haircuts that cost £42

177 replies

southeastastra · 10/09/2015 21:27

i will usually leave a tip all the time £2 here and there and even up to a fiver for a particularly good cut

but i will not leave a tip for a cut that now costs £42 it's not unreasonable is it

OP posts:
DextersMistress · 11/09/2015 17:37

I always tip a couple of quid, a cut and finish is about 17 quid so I'll leave the 20.

The last time I went though, 4 different people did my hair so I felt a bit awkward, I just said keep the change to the lady who took my money. Let them sort it themselves!

Vickisuli · 11/09/2015 19:00

a) I haven't had my hair cut for years, last time a hairdresser friend of mine did it at home for £5. I wear it long, so don't see the point in getting it cut.
b) I wouldn't spend more than £20 on a salon cut even if i did go to one.
c) I don't tip. Totally agree that people get paid to do their job and I am paying towards the company that pays them. I've never been tipped for doing my job (and I don't earn much) so it's beyond me why certain jobs expect extra money cash in hand. Isn't it technically illegal anyway? If you get paid you are supposed to pay tax on it. How do tips fit in?

Vickisuli · 11/09/2015 19:05

lanbro
I've never been shown any appreciation for any of my jobs other than my wage.

I don't spend lots of money on teachers gifts either but I do get my kids to make cards and give them something small or homemade eg jam as they are someone who has built up a relationship with my child and been in loco parentis for large portions of the year so a bit different to someone who cuts my hair or gives me a plate of food.

Sansoora · 11/09/2015 19:05

Im about 125 pounds every month to the day due to hair that grows really fast and I tip about 15 pounds each time. Thats for a colour and trim. I leave ten for the stylist and five to the junior. There's envelopes on the reception desk and it can all be done very discreetly.

I think its nice to tip if you can but no big deal if you can't or don't want to.

TheCatsMother99 · 11/09/2015 19:14

Don't ever feel bad hanging over a tip to someone to pass to their colleague. Like I said, I used to work in a salon, this happened all the time and I never batted an eyelid - I was probably just happy the member of staff was getting something to bump their wages up to minimum pay!

cremeeggboycotter · 11/09/2015 19:40

YANBU, tip when you want to and whatever reasoning for. I will tip good service, very good service 20%, I won't tip bad (if it's servers not chef). I don't tip my hairdresser, the one cutting it washes my hair. They have only two juniors and I've been poked in the eye twice by one of them so I wouldn't tip and I did make it clear I wasn't keen on having again.

My brother is a waiter and he earns more then myself and siblings do. He gets paid more per hours and then gets great tips (to be fair he's a good server) on top but he came by with about £200 a night in December!Makes me want to jack in the NHS and work with him.

leccybill · 11/09/2015 19:44

Cut and colour for me is £60. I tip £5.
I usually have 2 or 3 nice coffees and some biscuits and a bit of a head massage so that's all worth £5.

AuroraTeagarden · 11/09/2015 20:10

I work in a public service industry - a public library. In the last year I've received exactly one 'tip' from a lovely customer... In the form of a doughnut! I was delighted and touched by the thought but we certainly never expect gifts, and since my wages have reduced by 15% recently I can't be affording to tip people who may well be receiving more money than me.

Becauseicannes · 11/09/2015 20:23

I don't understand people thinking 42 pounds is expensive. I lived in London a few years ago and could barely find someone to do a haircut for 65 pounds. and yes tipped 5 pounds on top of that to the junior.

Sansoora · 11/09/2015 20:28

I don't understand people thinking 42 pounds is expensive.

Dont be so bloody crass!

cremeeggboycotter · 11/09/2015 20:31

I don't understand people thinking 42 pounds is expensive.

Here in outer London that's normal for a director or senior person but not for a normal hairdresser. It's around £30-35 here for them.

Perhaps consider that different people have different budgets, I couldn't afford to live in London or tip £5 or pay more then £45, and that someone may be having 8 inches and layers put in while another may just be having a trim.

petal33 · 11/09/2015 20:42

Never tip at hairdressers. Sorry, but I've never had an experience that was that exceptional.
Today I tipped a waitress well over the 10%norm as she handled my hangry children exceptionally well, getting a starter on the table within a minute of seating us. She made my dinner a calm experience when it was well on the way to being a nightmare.
I feel bad not tipping at hairdressers, but why should i? Seriously, tell me. Why? There's the minimum wage that means they should be paid fairly (ok, so I know it isn't generous by any stretch of the imagination) , so unless there's exceptional service, why?
No-one tips me in the NHS & boy do we get the wrong end of the stick in that deal!
I'd be much happier knowing that everyone got what they deserved via their employer.

Finola1step · 11/09/2015 20:48

I usually have the senior stylist and don't tip. £50 for a straight forward cut and blow dry which usually takes 35-40 mins.

But the junior stylist who cuts the dc hair for £10 each, I tip her a fiver.

NashvilleQueen · 11/09/2015 20:57

I leave a fiver. They put it all in a jar and split equally at the end of the day. Quite happy with that.

OddlyLogical · 11/09/2015 21:05

I don't understand people thinking 42 pounds is expensive.
What a shitty thing to say. I don't live far outside London - I have never and I will never, pay that much for a haircut.

Bottlecap · 11/09/2015 21:08

I don't tip. I'm a carer and I would imagine I get paid a lot less than hairdressers for a far more important job imo.

I can't argue with this reasoning. I don't think anyone can?

Fromparistoberlin73 · 11/09/2015 21:12

I won't tell you how much my last cut was - your ghast would be flabbered .

Ok . 140 British pounds . And I tipped too ! Shocking - need to embrace my grey brown hair Grin

Becauseicannes · 11/09/2015 23:17

No it's not shitty, obvs 45 pounds is a lot of money for everyday things but for a haircut where I lived it would be considered on the cheaper side (I am comparing with what I paid), I suppose it's relevant to the city you live in. Probably why I only went to the hairdresser once in a while. colour was quoted to me at 120 pounds with not cut included - this was a high street hairdresser, nothing fancy. London is expensive that's why I would consider going to the salon a treat rather than essential.

ALassUnparalleled · 12/09/2015 01:21

I never tip at the hairdresser. It costs me £120 and I go every 5 weeks.

Dowser · 12/09/2015 07:11

Perhaps we need a government diktat so we are all clear

We tip everyone.

Ok. So that's the person who hands you the change from yourmorning paper/ coffee/ smokes
The person who checks your train ticket/ serves you at the petrol station
The dentists receptionist/ the dentist/ the doctor
The person at the supermarket checkout
The traffic warden who gives you a parking ticket. He probably does his/ her job thoroughly
The policeman who you stop and as for directions
The garden who you pay to keep your lawns tidy...yes tip them as well
The window cleaner you pay for cleaning your windows...he didn't break them this week...definitely deserves a tip
Council workmen fixing the roads/ cutting communal grass./ fixing speed cameras....mustn't forget them
hope yo all remembered to tip your children's teacher when you picked your kids up last night
I got a dress altered last week. She made an excellent job. The bill was £15. Oh shit...I only paid her what she asked. I forgot to tip her. Will she ruin the next one!

Tipping is just ridiculous. Mindless. Habitual. Thoughtless.
People should be paid enough and that should be their remuneration for doing a job well.

I'm waiting for the next government diktat

Tip no one.

Savagebeauty · 12/09/2015 07:17

I get my hair cut/ coloured every six weeks and pay £100..I tip £10.
It's not a treat for me..I've done it for 30 years and is just part of looking confident/ groomed for me.
When I divorced ex this year, he sneered that my haircuts would go out of the window.
Not a chance.
I'm in London and £50-60 a cut is the norm round here.

merrymouse · 12/09/2015 07:37

Must be a hassle having to keep a record of tips for self assessment.

CookieMonsterIsOnADiet · 12/09/2015 09:30

It takes less than an hour to have mine cut, at £35 it's five times min wage so doesn't warrant tipping.

I'll tip restaurant staff and the window cleaner at Christmas as they do odd jobs as well. I prefer to reward volunteers and people involved with my children as they go above and beyond and deserve gifts.

merrymouse · 12/09/2015 09:36

To be fair that is £35 less expenses.

Merguez · 12/09/2015 09:44

Always tip the girl who washes my hair a couple of quid.

Never tip the man who cuts and does the colour - he is self-employed (it's an independent salon and the stylists share the overheads) and I have been going to him for 8 years.

My cut & semi-permanent colour this week cost £95. Not London, but nice well known city.

Don't see what minimum wage has to do with anything. This is a skilled, creative job he is doing.

And I'm also self-employed and charge clients far more per hour than my hairdresser does, and have lower overheads.