Do you tip the hairdressers?

[AlwaysHopefull89]

First time I went to a new place today. Paid £290 for cut and colour (short hair).

I was really pleased with the colour and cut!!

two different ladies I had, one for cut and one for colour.

I found they were sort of ‘hovering’ around me when I left, even helped me put my coat on.

aibu to have not tipped them? I feel awful 😢 I don’t usually go to the hair dressers often at all and now I’m worried I should have done? I feel now they may have been expecting it.

He’s the best hairdresser I’ve had in years, so I like to show my appreciation.

I wouldn't tip on top of a £290 bill, that's insane

Exactly this. It makes no sense, and never has in this country. It’s different in the U.S. where in some states some servers are paid below the minimum wage and need to top it up. But just like the Uk always do they pick the worst parts of US culture to replicate even when it doesn’t fit here.

When I was younger I used to go over and above in retail and call centre jobs and I’d get no tip , then in waitressing jobs I’d get tipped for sometimes doing the bare minimum.

Never was tipped as a TA either, although I did get some presents sometimes.

I’ve noticed that there’s an option to tip for counter service nowadays? What the heck? What am I tipping them for?

This is just greedy management trying to get their staff a pay rise without it affecting their pockets.

I’ve always tipped because my mum did. My daughter did an apprenticeship and although earning less than £5 an hour (the apprentice wage at the time) she had to buy all her own equipment, scissors, sharpening, dryers, straighteners etc etc.
two hours work would pay for sharpening or a prescription

Same as in Korea where I used to live. It wasn’t the done thing to tip and I loved that. Made you feel as if when you did receive good customer service it was more genuine
too.

That is a huge amount of money. I wouldn’t have tipped. I usually round up.

I always tip and if I’m paying as much as £290 then I’d be even more likely to tip.

That's not the fault of paying customers though.

Why? Those are crazy prices.

Nope, never. They set the prices and should charge what they need/want.
On the whole though, I don't 'get' tipping. Especially now that the UK has a minimum wage, it's not like in the US or in previous generations in the UK where tipping would have been something the 'better offs' did to 'help' the service classes. Now there are fixed prices for those services and they should be set for sustainability of the business and to pay staff appropriately. I know, in reality, there are many people working full time who are struggling financially. But, do we start tipping the shelf stackers in Asda if they help us find the eggs? It's too tricky to work out who might need the extra help just based on industries, or individual companies these days

When a student is at university they pay for materials and equipment. Don’t see why apprentices cannot? They will have their scissors for decades if they look after them. At least they are earning money.

I’d never pay £290 for my hair!

I do not tip hairdresser or nails (same place) however I do go regularly and they run a loyalty card scheme but they hold on to the cards. Don’t know what mine is at but I never pursue it. They have a price list. I pay that. No to tipping but equally no need to give me ‘bonus’ amounts off.

Why ?
That makes no sense to me at all.

It really, really is.

Read the examples of prices other people pay.

Have a look at what Doctors earn per hour perhaps, or paramedics, or police officers, or social workers, or indeed carers who do such vital work in society, and think about how that compares.

I do , usually £5 , £10 in December , but I pay about £30 for a cut and that’s it ! At almost £300 I’m not sure I would!

I’m £30 for half hour of a cut and blow. Easy to layer and trim. I do t tend to tip tbh. I sometimes give her the £5 for my fringe (£3) and a bit extra at Christmas.

I would not be tipping at those prices! I’ll stick to my small northern town salon

This is is what happened to me

But the hairdresser isn't taking home £290 on a £290 haircut. Her hourly rate is probably less than a tenth of that.

I tip for all my hair and beauty appointments, they work hard and charge well but it's just to show my appreciation and it usually means they go above and beyond because they know I tip! I also bring coffee and pastries, but it's not necessary. I have an appointment at least every week so I like to build relationships with them.

I give the usually much younger trainee around £3-5 for washing my hair and tip the stylist around 10%-12%.

I'm aware of the overheads, but that is still FAR more than any of those highly trained professionals working in incredibly stressful jobs are earning.

I suspect she will be earning a LOT more than £29 of a £290 bill. Or how are all the other normal priced hairdressers making a living ?

Presumably the salon is in a high-rent area. You can’t possibly speculate on what an individual hairdresser is earning, based on the price of a cut and colour. Unless it’s the salon owner they’ll just be paid a salary. Average salaries for hairdressers are £20-30,000 - well below the median wage.

I had that with the hairdresser who was quite surly suddenly being chatty with me after she had finished while I got my purse out.

I didn’t even clock that was the reason for the mood change 😂 until after I paid (no tip) and she reverted to being unfriendly again.

Never went back to that hairdresser again.

Of course you don’t need to tip when you’re paying almost £300. Where is this salon?