Tipping your hairdresser

[Blogwoman]

I'm confused about what's the norm, if there is such a thing, around tipping hairdressers in the UK. I've always done it and give about 10% of the cost of my bill. (I have a cut & blow dry in a salon every 6-8 weeks.) A conversation with colleagues recently revealed that some never tip. What do you do? If you're a hairdresser, what do you expect and how much variety in practice is there? I'm about to move to a different salon and don't want to get this wrong! Thanks

I don't tip. I pay £40 for a 40 minute job. I don't suppose it all goes to the stylist but even still it is a lot more than I get paid on an hourly basis. And I don't tip my osteopath who costs a similar amount - most people would think that very odd! I also spend about a week after my haircut trimming bits I notice that she hasn't levelled properly. I have extra straight hair and it always looks ok when they blow-dry it, but once I get home I find loads of bits that need fixing.

I don't tip- it all seems outdated to me.

£5 to the hairdresser and £2 to the shampooist, always

But how do you tip? I always pay on card and, unlike restaurants, there is no option to add a tip.

If I did have an appropriate amount of cash (not sure what that would be on £100+ cut & colour) how do you hand it over? Often I am pay ing the admin / junior, not my stylist as she with next client.

I think I probably wouldn't tip anyway as feel I am paying for a service they have priced up, why should I pay 10% extra - I don't in shops, or to plumbers etc - but I can't work out logistics if I did want to.

I always tip my hairdresser- thought everyone did! And a bottle of bubbly at Xmas!
I don't tip the girl that tints & threads my eyebrows & felt awful for it, even though I think it's a lot to pay in the first place (12.50 every 2 weeks!)

Going by the only hairdresser on here, pp who said £1100 a week - as a teacher working 4 days a week that's would be about 3.5x my monthly salary ! I'm guessing my salon owner hairdresser earn as much if not more. So no tips, sorry. But if the junior washes my hair i add a few pounds on, specifying it's for them

I pay between £36 and £40 every six or so weeks. If it's £36 I give £40 and say "keep the change for you" and if it's £40 I hand over £45 and say "thee's £45, the extra's for you". So I don't put coins in hands or make a deal about it because I can do the tipping at the same time as paying. (I don't like the Lady Bountiful element of tipping either, so try to keep it all very discreet!)

The lady who said £1100 a week though-that's what she brings in to the business through the work she does. She is paid a basic salary no matter how many cuts she does, she said (which potentially could me minimum wage, it's definitely not £1100 a week!) and then she earns 30% commission on anything about £1000. SO an average weeks wage for her is basic salary plus £30.

You'd think as a teacher you would've understood she's not on £4.5k a month, from the info she gave us there

No, we don't tip florists and they earn similar wages/undertake similar training.

Mind you, my hairdress is self employed and rents a chair in the salon. A cut and blow dry is £28 and takes a maximum of 25 minutes. That's cheap for around here but he must be earning far more than my florist friend who earns £8 per hour PAYE.

Most salons charges upwards of £40.

Thanks for all the replies. Interesting to hear from some hairdressers too. Going to try a new hairdresser today & will be paying £55 for the cut, & won't tip. Someone mentioned the awkwardness of paying by card & having to hand over a cash tip; that's what I used to do & found it uncomfortable. Slightly off on a tangent but my teen DCs have Saturday jobs in a cafe & tips are shared out between full-time staff only!

My hairdresser comes to my house, has for 10 years. I love her. We often arrange for her to come at Xmas on my day off when the kids are at school to dye my hair and we get sloshed on Prosecco.

I always tip her - 10-15%, and buy her a Christmas present. This year I've bought her a lovely Kate Spade journal as I know she loves her stuff.

It's a myth that what we take in services reflects our pay!!
It's no different to working in retail.
A lot of clothes companies offer different incentive schemes but the pay is an average wage to start with.

Unless your are self employed hairdressers salaries are normally fairly basic.
Self employed normally still have to pay a percentage to a salon owner and pay tax and insurance out and don't get holiday or sick pay so it still averages out fairly much the same.

Some of us get a higher salary but then why shouldn't we after years of experience?
When you go to a top stylist and pay more your paying for their skills and experience.
If you go to a junior stylist it's cheaper but they don't have the experience. It's the same as buying value food or the best food.
You can't compare the both

My current hairdresser no, but have known her 20 odd years and she owns her own salon, also her prices aren't cheap. I do bring her prosecco or Tequila as a tip (she likes drinking) and a huge box of chocolates for her staff at Christmas.

It's never crossed my mind to tip a hairdresser. I only ever really tip the hotel cleaner when on holiday, mainly because it's a shit job cleaning up after my kids, they could destroy an empty room, Or for top service in a restaurant (but we don't go to them very often) again...my kids make a he'll of a mess.....

You can add tips to a card payment, often if I haven't got cash I did that with my current salon... But then it got awkward did I round it up or what? And she always gave me a glass of prosecco if I was there at night so...

My curry salon the owner who does my hair it varies from £120-£200 every 8-10 weeks (highlights or colour and cut) she knows that's expensive but knows I pay, I also buy products from there (but I know she gets commission on those though she says she doesn't) but she gives me small discounts or samples. Look at it this way, she restarted her salon this time last year, I've googled reviewed her a good review, have referred a few friends there... She does really well, not sure re house but certainly goes away a lot on weekend breaks or mini ones and holidays abroad. Then again she is also a "friend" as we've known each other years so that part is nice. I returned to her after she was in Australia for 10 years as her colour and cutting is second to none!

Usually tip 10% to hairdressers if I have the change. I don't tip my online shopping guys or takeaway delivery person, although my friend was v surprised that I didn't!! Also tip in restaurants unless the service is terrible.

I don't see how it's awkward to tip at all. I've added it to the card payment and the receptionist/ whoever then puts the cash into a little envelope for the stylist. I've also handed it over to the stylist directly at the time of paying.....probably with " and that's for you...bye" sort of way. Londons expensive and I don't think hairdressers are top earners around here.

I have always tipped a few quid and I give a small gift at Christmas. The comments regarding not tipping nurses/ firemen/ plumbers so why tip hairdressers? well actually if we've had workmen round and they've done a good job we tip them too. Last time I had a plumber round I gave his apprentice £5, Ikea delivery drivers got £10 (we had a load of heavy boxes and they carried it all through with a smile).
We're rarely at the GP's/ hospital but if we have been then I've dropped off tins of biscuits or wine, and I'd do the same at the fire station if we'd used their services. Regular postie gets a Christmas card with tip.

I'm not Lady Bountiful, just brought up in a fairly poor household where everyone I knew was on crap wages and tips could make a real difference. If I've had good service somewhere that I can't tip then I try to email their head office to let them know that particular member of staff was appreciated.

I am bad, as i always mentally promise to tip loads next time. ..

but i shpuld..and not via card machine..as I go to Tony & Guy and whoever runs the local framchise is a cunt. The hairdressers are mosrly great..some are amazing .and the prices are high..but the hairdressers get a tiny amount. He even tried to get them to work commission only one Christmas. They have to pay for all their required courses via their salary/ pay, cant use Tony &Guy themselves for any less than a normal customer. I wont tell you which city ..as they threatened to.sack stylists who let people know. Utter Sports Direct behaviour, whuch is unfair on a profession that done well requires a lot of skill, sensitivity, people skills a good eye and dedication...

So i would prefer..tip stylist..negotiate/ pay what you.like to the business.

A lot of the attitudes of your paying a lot for the service so why tip seems a bit unfair..
as a salon owner myself it doesn't mean I'm rolling in money there is a lot of over heads to be paid.
For example an hour facial £34 minus the wage £7.80 (my girls are on) = £26.20 products £6 = £20.20 + rents, electric, water, business rates ect.. their isn't much left.. plus therapists and hairdressers put in personal effort so when a client leaves £1-2 tip it shows appreciation.
As the salon owner i rarely get tipped as they assume I get all the money which is hardly the case, I'm simply employed by the company and take home less than my staff.
So for that reason I always leave my hairdresser a tip, she does a great job!!

No, I never tip, as a rule.

I pay £21 for a cut and blow dry that takes 30-40 minutes every 8 weeks.
It's nothing fancy. She is not short of bookings,and is self employed but working in someone else's salon.

In a restaurant, if they've gone above and beyond the call of duty, I might.

I always tip hairdressers. Always!

I get highlights colour and cut every 6 weeks which us usually £120 ish, but I always leave an extra £5 tip.

I thought it was good manners but I'm an old gimmer, looks like it's considered old fashioned these days!

I will tip 10-15% if they're not the owner and if it's not an extortionately expensive salon (I refuse to tip on principle if I'm paying £150-200).

I reserve my huge tips for people who deliver heavy stuff to my house, e.g the Ocado guy, furniture delivery, etc.

It is a funny old business, tipping.

I work in the industry and our wages do not reflect the prices. A tip is very much appreciated but not expected. I live in NI and generally leave £5 each time. However it wouldn't affect my standards of service if a client didn't tip.