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.

[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 I think it's an outdated custom.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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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???

[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

[Autumnchill]

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

[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.

[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.

[HandsomeGroomGiveHerRoom]

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

[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.

[WaitroseCoffeeCostaCup]

Handsome that's nice to hear!

[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