Tipping Hairdressers?

janey_uk

What is the general consensus these days on tipping hairdressers? Is there a point at which it is fair to not tip?

I ask because I just went to quite a 'trendy' chain salon (no names) and payed £45 for a cut and blow dry that took 45 minutes from a teenage 'senior stylist'.

On an hourly rate that is IMHO far more than the actual value of the haircut or skills involved. Indeed it's more than most junior doctors or university lecturers earn! I didn't tip but they made me feel quite uncomfortable about it and were clearly waiting for it at the end.

What do other people do?

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melancholly

i have to say, i'm very suspicious of 'senior stylists' who are younger than me (i'm late 20s!). regardless of cost i only ever tip max £2 for whoever did most of the work and maybe £1 if one of the juniors washed it, except when i tried a training salon where the haircut cost just over a fiver and i have the change from £10 as a tip since it was so cheap. my old hairdresser (different city - i wish i'd found someone like her here!), knew i was studying and always told me not to tip. the fact that i was coming back regularly was enough.....

Zazen999

I live in the country now and my [quite funky actually] hairdressers is 3.5 minutes walk away. The cost is about £15 less than it used to be when I lived in the city, so I happily tip £5 each time. £15 when they got my dyed red hair back to blonde earlier this year.

Nicki

I think you are confusing the cost of the haircut with the hourly rate earned by the hairdresser! What you pay has to cover the rent of the salon, the products used on your hair, the electricity to heat the water and blow dry, depreciation on equipment and the salaries of the person on reception, the person who washed your hair and the stylist. I had a conversation once with the stylist doing my hair when a customer balked at paying £25 for a blowdry, and she said that as a senior stylist she got a percentage of the total cost of the treatment not a salary, and that on a £25 blowdry which would take an hour, she would earn £7 gross of tax and national insurance. Assuming your stylist is on similar terms, that makes her gross wage for what you had done about £14, and I am positive doctors and lecturers earn more than that!

janey_uk

I know the hairdresser wouldn't personally earn that much - although someone at the salon is clearly making a mint! I guess my issue is if I'm already paying that much why tip? Tipping is traditionally in low paid services - I don't tip my plumber or car mechanic as they are seen as well paid already. If hairdressers charge the same as them now (which mine does!) do they really warrant tips too?

"Assuming your stylist is on similar terms, that makes her gross wage for what you had done about £14, and I am positive doctors and lecturers earn more than that!"

A junior house officer (now known as an FY1) had a basic salary in 2007/08 of £28,118. (This amounts to an approx hourly rate of £13.50 - from the NHS Employers own website). Salaries for higher education (HE) lecturers ranged from £25000 - £42000 (Prospects). A teenager (such as my hairdresser) would be many years and several thousand hours of university study away from that - so I would still think an hourly rate that has parity with these is so much as to not require a tip!

Maybe I'm just mean!

tinkerbell84

I ALWAYS tip if I am happy with the cut. I generally pay £50ish for a cut and blow dry, and will tip 10% for the hairdresser and a couple of quid for the hair washer.

I like to keep the people that cut my hair happy! :eek:

Pennylane

I went to the hairdressers yesterday and paid £45 for main hair colour and 2 shades put through (in foils). No cut and just a "rough dry". Don't know if that's good or bad really, as I don't often go to hairdressers. She was the salon owner BTW. She did it how I asked her, she was chatty and polite and made me a cappucino.

I gave her £2 for her little girl's holiday box, because they are going on hols next week and she kept saying how excited her daughter was.

I always feel a bit unsure about tipping too. I will just say that in order to treat myself to that hair colour, I stood on a car boot from 8am - 12 noon, used 30 miles worth of fuel and made £50 clear profit, so I reckon I deserved it!;)

alison999

if i went and it cost, eg £28 id give £30 and say keep the change, i wouldnt tip anymore than £3+ no one tips me at work!!

just_thrifty

I'm probably a real scrooge!!!, but I rarely tip at the hairdresser's or in restaurants etc. Spent years working as a waitress at school/uni and I always felt that, if I'd done something extra for a customer, it was lovely if they left a tip. It's part of your job to be friendly and helpful and you shouldn't assume you will get a tip for it. There are lots of people in poorly paid jobs who don't get tipped- don't think hairdresser's etc have the right to make you feel guilty when you're already paying for the service you're getting....

Pennylane

I don't like it when they say "that's £45 please" and you hand them £50 and they fiddle around below the counter and say "we're a bit short of change, sorry" (it's like they are expecting you to say "keep the change") or, as happened to me yesterday, I gave £50 and she said "there we are that's £5 change for you." (and emphasising it rather too much).

jorichste

Its not compulsory to tip, but if someone has given a good service and you can afford it then why not. It as always very much appreciated.
as for the change thing, we are sometimes short of change in the salon, it happens, and I will always tell customers how much change I am handing them, it makes mistakes less likely when dealing with cash.