To not tip a hairdresser

[photographerlady]

Seems salon prices are just going up and up. I tried mobile hairdressers to save money but the hair cuts were awful, layers not maintained and destroyed my fringe. So back to salons but when a cut and blow dry is pushing £40 it just makes me want to stop tipping. I don't mind rounding it up occasionally to the next fiver but AIBU to skip/cut out the tip especially if I'm going every 6-8 weeks.

[HandsomeGroomGiveHerRoom]

It's far more civilised that way, Waitrose

There were some greedy buggers though who pocketed all theirs, forgetting the chefs, the KPs and the runners

[WaitroseCoffeeCostaCup]

Handsome that's nice to hear!

[50shadesofTom]

I don't tip anyone at all.

It's a strange arbitrary UK line about who should be tipped or not so I don't do it at all.

[HandsomeGroomGiveHerRoom]

Most of the places I worked, we gave a cut to the chefs Waitrose

[WaitroseCoffeeCostaCup]

Unrelated rant but my Husband is a Chef in a rosette award winning restaurant. The waiters get a fortune in tips, but the people that actually created the food see none of it (and are by no means on a great salary!) Tipping is weird. I'd never leave a restaurant without leaving a tip and do actually find it really awkward leaving the hairdresser without tipping, so usually do leave something.

[notsmartenough]

I pay £16.50p for a cut and blowdry. The same person does everything, from the wash to taking the payment so it's easy enough to give a twenty pound note and tell them to keep the change.

I hate it when there have been three different people doing my hair and no tips jar. I think individual tips may be the norm, but I always used to hand over some extra and ask whoever took the payment to divide it up.

I tip because it's a good cut and reasonably priced - if I were paying ridiculously high prices I don't think I'd bother.

[Autumnchill]

I pay £45 for a cut and blow dry, she is not getting a tip

[Gwenhwyfar]

I'm afraid they really are quite near the bottom of the pile in general Treacle: www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/nov/22/pay-salaries-survey-ashe-ons

[Gwenhwyfar]

"the reason I tip is more to ensure a decent service next time I go than anything, which is silly! "

So those of us who don't tip should get bad service???

[ItsMeTheMummy]

Until about 10 years ago I'd only ever had my hair cut in a tiny village salon, imagine posters of perms from the 80's on the wall, the price per cut was very reasonable and my mum knew all of the staff. Mum had always taught me to tip £1 to who cut my hair and 50p to the teenage hair wash girl. With my birthday money in my late teens, maybe very early twenties I treated myself to a cut in a fancy salon in town, the cost was way, way more than my normal cut. The guy was great, senior stylist, very modern place. When it came to pay I offered the usual tip. It was maybe one of the most embarrassing moments ever, the girl at reception asked what it was for, why was I handing over £1.50? I was given such a patronising smile, she then called the hairdresser from across the salon to tell him that I'd tipped, he then gave me an embarrassed smile and thank you. I've never offered a tip to a beauty salon/hairdresser ever again, I was mortified at how embarrassing the exchange was.

I've never been back into the salon even though I'm sure I'm the only one who remembers the incident

Thankfully I've now got a great hairdresser, £40 for my wash & cut and no embarrassing exchange of tip at payment time.

[MyCatWasRightAboutYou]

I pay about £15 for a haircut (I have a pixie, so I just get it neatened up when it needs it. If I grow it out it costs me £30+) I usually tip about £5. I'm broke myself, but I feel like they deserve it when I'm pleased with their service. I have a lovely woman who usually cuts my hair and does a great job. I tip nail salons about the same. I think for me it's more of an appreciation thing.

[Nanny0gg]

If you work for someone in a salon you may get a bonus anyway and will have other benefits too surely?

Hahahahaha.

Rarely. Very rarely.

Most hairdressers tend to be self-employed and 'rent' their chair as salon owners don't want to pay NMW, pension and NI.
Please don't think the amount you pay for your cut and colour goes in their pockets as there are other overheads including insurance and products.
Their money also has to cover quiet times and cancellations. They are not on £30 per hour!
You are also hopefully paying them for their skill. They are responsible (to a point) for how you portray yourself to the world. A good job leaves you feeling wonderful and they can transform your appearance.
Tip, don't tip. Up to you. But bear in mind that the 'service' they provide (which is why they were tipped, historically) can be very important to you.

[MrsJayy]

Tbh i dont understand tipping at all was out last week with Dd went to franki e and bennys then cinema F &B have a button on the card reader to press if you want to tip ( i left some change) but i wouldnt tip the fella who took my money at the cinema or the girl who pointed us to the cinema tipping is odd

[MaliceInWonderland78]

I don't (generally) tip. I think it's an outdated custom. Now that we have a NMW, I'm not sure what makes a waitress/waiter any more deserving of a tip than the person who cleans the loos at the supermarket, or the person who serves me in a shop.

If others want to tip, that's of course up to them, but I'll happily ignore the convention.

[treaclesoda]

I'm sure some hairdressers are poorly paid but I don't think that in general it is such a terribly paid job once you've got some experience behind you. There certainly seem to be a lot of hairdressers driving fancy cars for example. And any salon I've ever been to has been full of staff chatting to customers, and each other, about fancy holidays. I wouldn't say it's fantastically well paid (unless you're Nicky Clarke of course) but it's not at the bottom of the heap either.

[HoggleHoggle]

I've been agonising for years about whether hairdressers should be tipped or not! But I've decided that as it's expensive (but worth it, I don't begrudge it) as it is, I can't afford extra. I do give £10 at Christmas though.

I always tip in restaurants.

I also give a small extra - not money - if someone's done a big job on the house. So when the kitchen and bathroom fitters finished, they got a bottle of wine of thanks. Not sure why I felt the need to do that, but there you go.

[notamummy10]

Hairdressers don't earn as much you think, I believe it's either NMW/NLW with a little extra... I think they also earn commission on the products they sell as well. Hairdressing is lowly paid despite having to train for 3/4 years to qualify and move up into the different 'ranks'.

I used to have my hair done at Aveda, my ex-hairdresser also has a second job at an entertainment venue nearby to her work so she can pay for her mortgage!

[HermioneJeanGranger]

I don't leave tips either. Why are some professions worth of tips when others aren't? Everyone in the UK is paid a minimum wage - why is it the customers job to give them more money?

Occasionally I'll round up the bill (So if it was £23.50 and I leave £25 I won't wait for the change) but if I pay by card or have the exact amount on me, I won't leave a tip.

[ChickadeeChick]

My hairdresser owns the salon so I feel justified in not tipping. I spend about £90 in there on cut and colour every 8 weeks.

I do tip in restaurants though.

[RainbowFlower24]

I tip a little because I can afford to do so and hairdressers are on awful wages in the country where I live. Each hairdresser has a tip jar. If they don't have a jar, when they say - that will be 38 euro, I say 40 or keep the change or something similar. If you feel what you Pay is enough, or you don't have spare money for tips, yanbu to not do so. If I'm having a tight month like on maternity leave I don't do it.

[EveryoneElsie]

** oops I meant tips should not be expected, as...not everyone can afford to tip.

[EveryoneElsie]

YANBU. Not everyone can afford to tip.

[Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost]

I'm usually a tipper but I took DD to get her hair coloured the other week. It was £117.
Plus there were about 5 different people doing her hair.
One Washing another cutting ect. So there was no way I was going to leave a tip. I would have had to have left at least £2 each. I mean you can't exactly dole out 20p to each of them can you. Don't get me wrong. I would have left about £2 tip if it had been the one stylist.
But no YNBU. It's each to their own

[TheLittleRedHen]

Bellasima - The cost of eating out or a hair cut is enough as it is, I can't justify leaving a tip as well. I'm not rude to servers, I just don't leave a tip.

[Dixxie]

I don't tip my hairdresser. It's really expensive as it is. I resent all this 'Americanism' that's coming into the UK. If my hairdresser, or a waiter etc did something over and above the normal good level of service then - on an ad hoc basis - I might choose to recognise it, but I don't agree it should be standard practice or expected.