Tipping for expensive salon visits

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:To those making calculations about where the fee for service goes in a salon - some to the stylist some to the salon owner - I haven’t seen any of you factoring the cost of materials, which aren’t cheap. All the product they use on your hair from shampoo/conditioner to color, keratin treatment, styling product, etc. - that all costs plenty and the high end salon is using the high end expensive products. Yes they likely get a wholesale price, but still it’s cutting into the service price so don’t think it’s all going into the pocket of stylist or salon owner. Plenty of other overhead costs, too.

That’s factored into their cost of doing business which sets their prices. Do you tip your doctor because they use paper, bandaids, saline, pay someone to answer the phone, has a website, and needs a Zoom subscription now?

The fact is that the compensation for a stylist has historically been in part based on tips plus part of the cost of the service. You can start a crusade to change the industry (and while you're at it the restaurant tipping compensation scheme) but shorting the person who performs your service because you believe the entire industry is wrong is not a great way to go about it.

I don’t short them, I just don’t go often. I do tip servers 20% because they make about $2 an hour and they are not professionals. I used to work as a waitress and in a spa. I just don’t buy into this whiny, I deserve $200 an hour nonsense. Or a shampoo apprenticeship needing a $5 tip for 5 minutes work on top of their hourly wage.

If you begrudge a shampoo attendant $5 a visit (which. if you even go monthly. is $60 a year), you are cheap and you are kind of a bad person. You are the one who is whining.

Oh, please. It’s 5 minutes of work they’re already being paid for.

Agree. Stop trying to guilt people into giving away money. You are already paying for a shampoo as it is part of the service.

Then stop trying to convince people not to tip. You don't tip - fine, but the rest of us will do it. No need to go on a crusade to short the salon workers.

That’s the thing, it isn’t shorting anyone. You aren’t owed a tip of a certain amount. Do you understand what a tip is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To those making calculations about where the fee for service goes in a salon - some to the stylist some to the salon owner - I haven’t seen any of you factoring the cost of materials, which aren’t cheap. All the product they use on your hair from shampoo/conditioner to color, keratin treatment, styling product, etc. - that all costs plenty and the high end salon is using the high end expensive products. Yes they likely get a wholesale price, but still it’s cutting into the service price so don’t think it’s all going into the pocket of stylist or salon owner. Plenty of other overhead costs, too.

That’s factored into their cost of doing business which sets their prices. Do you tip your doctor because they use paper, bandaids, saline, pay someone to answer the phone, has a website, and needs a Zoom subscription now?

The fact is that the compensation for a stylist has historically been in part based on tips plus part of the cost of the service. You can start a crusade to change the industry (and while you're at it the restaurant tipping compensation scheme) but shorting the person who performs your service because you believe the entire industry is wrong is not a great way to go about it.

I don’t short them, I just don’t go often. I do tip servers 20% because they make about $2 an hour and they are not professionals. I used to work as a waitress and in a spa. I just don’t buy into this whiny, I deserve $200 an hour nonsense. Or a shampoo apprenticeship needing a $5 tip for 5 minutes work on top of their hourly wage.

If you begrudge a shampoo attendant $5 a visit (which. if you even go monthly. is $60 a year), you are cheap and you are kind of a bad person. You are the one who is whining.

Oh, please. It’s 5 minutes of work they’re already being paid for.

Agree. Stop trying to guilt people into giving away money. You are already paying for a shampoo as it is part of the service.

Then stop trying to convince people not to tip. You don't tip - fine, but the rest of us will do it. No need to go on a crusade to short the salon workers.

That’s the thing, it isn’t shorting anyone. You aren’t owed a tip of a certain amount. Do you understand what a tip is?

Do you understand what cheap means?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you don't want to pay 20% tip then don't get the high end service. And FFS please tip the shampooer, how cheap could you be?

So...what is the not high end service? Every salon I’ve ever been to includes a shampoo and blow dry. High end salons don’t give any additional services, they just charge more for stylist skill, better quality products, nicer salon. Paying $90 for a hair cut vs $20 covers the cost of having a better haircut, without tip. Tip is you want, whatever you want, but no it isn’t required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To those making calculations about where the fee for service goes in a salon - some to the stylist some to the salon owner - I haven’t seen any of you factoring the cost of materials, which aren’t cheap. All the product they use on your hair from shampoo/conditioner to color, keratin treatment, styling product, etc. - that all costs plenty and the high end salon is using the high end expensive products. Yes they likely get a wholesale price, but still it’s cutting into the service price so don’t think it’s all going into the pocket of stylist or salon owner. Plenty of other overhead costs, too.

That’s factored into their cost of doing business which sets their prices. Do you tip your doctor because they use paper, bandaids, saline, pay someone to answer the phone, has a website, and needs a Zoom subscription now?

The fact is that the compensation for a stylist has historically been in part based on tips plus part of the cost of the service. You can start a crusade to change the industry (and while you're at it the restaurant tipping compensation scheme) but shorting the person who performs your service because you believe the entire industry is wrong is not a great way to go about it.

I don’t short them, I just don’t go often. I do tip servers 20% because they make about $2 an hour and they are not professionals. I used to work as a waitress and in a spa. I just don’t buy into this whiny, I deserve $200 an hour nonsense. Or a shampoo apprenticeship needing a $5 tip for 5 minutes work on top of their hourly wage.

If you begrudge a shampoo attendant $5 a visit (which. if you even go monthly. is $60 a year), you are cheap and you are kind of a bad person. You are the one who is whining.

Oh, please. It’s 5 minutes of work they’re already being paid for.

Agree. Stop trying to guilt people into giving away money. You are already paying for a shampoo as it is part of the service.

Then stop trying to convince people not to tip. You don't tip - fine, but the rest of us will do it. No need to go on a crusade to short the salon workers.

That’s the thing, it isn’t shorting anyone. You aren’t owed a tip of a certain amount. Do you understand what a tip is?

Unfortunately, in the US, tips are no longer truly a gratuity for many professions (and really haven't been for a long time). It is part of the accepted compensation structure for certain professions. Yes, you adjust a little up or down depending on how satisfied you are.

[Anonymous]

If you can't afford an $80 tip, you can't afford a $400 haircut. This is all cringe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't want to pay 20% tip then don't get the high end service. And FFS please tip the shampooer, how cheap could you be?

So...what is the not high end service? Every salon I’ve ever been to includes a shampoo and blow dry. High end salons don’t give any additional services, they just charge more for stylist skill, better quality products, nicer salon. Paying $90 for a hair cut vs $20 covers the cost of having a better haircut, without tip. Tip is you want, whatever you want, but no it isn’t required.

No, not required, but customary. So don't be surprised when you want to schedule a cut and they don't have any room for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can't afford an $80 tip, you can't afford a $400 haircut. This is all cringe.

YES! [phone]

[Anonymous]

Question to the shut-up-and-pay-up crowd: how exactly should we combine the two - leave ever-increasing-percentage-tips to ever-growing list of people expecting tips AND also protest against the tipping culture? How will the system ever change or even just stop growing, if everyone just keeps tipping more and more without complaint, whether they are comfortable with the amount or not?

[Anonymous]

Wait this has me thinking...do you all tip home cleaners every time? Not ones hired from national companies but self employed small crew business?

My sister does my hair and refuses any payment, so I just get her a bigg gift card at the holidays. But I do have a house cleaner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question to the shut-up-and-pay-up crowd: how exactly should we combine the two - leave ever-increasing-percentage-tips to ever-growing list of people expecting tips AND also protest against the tipping culture? How will the system ever change or even just stop growing, if everyone just keeps tipping more and more without complaint, whether they are comfortable with the amount or not?

It's not "ever increasing percentage" -- it's been 15-20% forever. And a small tip to the shampoo assistant. Since I've been going to a salon. Which is once a month for the past 25 years.

If you don't like paying for tips, then do not get the service. If enough people don't pay for the services, then the structure will change. But, I am guessing that you are in the small minority that is uncomfortable with tipping. And you sound like you can't afford the service in the first place. So try the Hair Cuttery where a 20% tip will cost much less due to the overall price.

[Anonymous]

I feel a bit embarrassed because I always thought the shampoo person's tip came out of the bigger tip to the stylist. One time, I asked mine how it worked and she kind of gave a non-answer. She told me that the shampoo person made her own tips, but sometimes she also gives her some of her tip money.

The right thing to do is 20% to the hairstylist and then $5 to the shampoo person? It's not particularly hard to do that, but one thing I hate about tipping is that it seems to be a secret language. I know what to do at a restaurant, but there's a lot of other places where it's not so clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait this has me thinking...do you all tip home cleaners every time? Not ones hired from national companies but self employed small crew business?

My sister does my hair and refuses any payment, so I just get her a bigg gift card at the holidays. But I do have a house cleaner

No, holidays only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait this has me thinking...do you all tip home cleaners every time? Not ones hired from national companies but self employed small crew business?

My sister does my hair and refuses any payment, so I just get her a bigg gift card at the holidays. But I do have a house cleaner

No, holidays only.

Really? I'm the poster from above who was tipping the shampoo person out of the bigger tip. I always give each house cleaner (small crew of 3) a tip of $20 each. And at Christmas, I give them each $50. Again, where are the tipping rules? I clearly need to read them.

[Anonymous]

Emily Post says that you should tip on the services and give $4-5 to the shampoo assistant. The only thing you don't tip on at a salon is when you buy products.

https://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/hair/how-much-to-tip-hairdresser

Not that she's the end-all, but seems to be a good indicator of the norm & expectation.

"...if your haircut and blow-dry cost $40 total, and your color was $60, your total service cost comes to $100. That means you should tip $20 divided between the colorist and stylist. That said, if an assistant blow-dried or shampooed your hair, you should give them $4-$5 since they're likely getting paid minimum wage and really rely on tips."

[Anonymous]

I don’t tip the owner who does my color but I will tip the assistant $5 for applying color to my roots. Tip shampoo girl $5 and tip hair cut guy 20%.