Hairdresser asking me to pay in cash

[Sally3490]

I've been going to my hairdressers for about 10 years. It's quite pricey £160 for full highlights and a cut (London). When I was last in they asked if I would pay in cash in future. The ATM is on route so in theory I could, but it adds some level of inconvenience and I'd rather not be carrying that amount of cash with me. But also, I feel it's damn cheeky. They are charging alot of money and should be paying their taxes. AIBU?

Vote with your feet

Why do people automatically assume that it’s because people want to avoid taxes

Card machine fees are huge for small businesses

Yeah that's quite a lot of money to insist on cash for. I can understand small businesses asking people to pay cash for small amounts if that makes up the majority of their transactions but this seems a bit much.

I wouldn’t be going back. Not because I assume that they are not paying taxes, but because how I manage my finances is just to put all spend on credit card and then transfer money at the end of the month. It would actually be very difficult to obtain cash for something as pricey as hair. (BTW I don’t live in the UK but £160 for a full head of highlights and a cut sounds cheap! I was paying that two years ago for half head of highlights and a cut, that’s why I gave up getting highlights. But same answer regardless.)

My hairdresser has only ever accepted cash, but a lot of self employed people where I live run cash only businesses.

Offer to pay by cheque (if you remember them)

Everything else aside, a full head of foils and a cut and finish for £160 isn’t expensive.

my hairdresser asks for cash but the charge is £20 - although does offer pay pal payment
£160 is totally unreasonable

Cash handling fees are also huge. It's overwhelmingly likely to be a tax thing.

Totally agree with this. Its more likely that they want to avoid paying card machine fees.

I don't agree that £160 is pricey for that service. I live outside London and pay around £200 for the same job. If you like your stylist, pay them cash!

Why would you assume she's trying to dodge paying tax?

Every time a business accepts a card payment they pay processing fees. Usually between 1.5-3.5% of the total being paid. That adds up for small businesses.

My local chippy has a sign about it saying 'prefer cash'. Lots of taxi drivers do the same.

I suppose it depends on how much you want her to do your hair.

Is it more likely she’s trying to manipulate her days takings from the salon if it’s a rent a chair type situation.

If it were an issue with card fees they would offer a bank transfer option surely.

I think that is expensive , And no - I wouldn’t be paying cash .

Businesses set prices to include the card handling fee. The only reason to want cash is so they don’t have to put it through the books. I was at a farmers market yesterday and all the stalls took cards apart from one plant stall which had Cash Only signs up, and hardly any customers.

Absolutely not

I know of someone who was married to a taxi driver. He was only paying tax on the fares that were on cards. I also know a plumber who asked me to pay for his holiday deposit rather than to him directly. These people are often those who moan about people coming over here and being a drain on our society (yes I know that for a fact too).

The vast majority of people who are paid in cash seem to do it to dodge taxes. It’s very annoying for those people who do PAYE as they’re basically subsidising those people that get paid cash in hand. I don’t see why they shouldn’t pay their way like everyone else but I think they see it as a perk for being self employed (I’m also self employed and I pay all my taxes because I think that’s the ethical thing to do btw, while also recognising that I’m a mug when so many people don’t). I also know people who go out to lunch on a social basis and ask for the receipt presumably to claim it back as a work expense when it definitely isn’t.

These people are not living hand to mouth and have very nice lifestyles. I wouldn’t pay someone in cash any more unless there really wasn’t any other option.

No cash from me. Bank transfer is fine but I’ll be clicking the buying goods and services option!

Of course it’s for tax. Otherwise they’d build the card fees into the price like everyone else does.

The lady that does my hair rents a chair at my hairdressers ( I think they all do there ) and she is cash only .

Don’t the rent the chair places charge a set fee rather than get a set percentage of the takings? Anyway they almost certainly have online booking systems so would know how many clients each person had and for what service.

I’d maybe ask if you can do that instead.

Then offer to pay this way!

My hairdresser openly told me she doesn’t put cash through the books.

My sister’s builder did a whole extension for £9 grand and it was paid in cash.

i think it’s very common.

Comply with her wishes, or go elsewhere. It's not bloody complicated.