All Comments on 'More Than Meets The Hair'

I learned a long time ago that being in a recession or being broke is not a reason not to tip. My mama taught me right. I consider that tipping certain people for quality service is a part of paying for the service. This is an excellent primer in what used to be just good manners.

If you do not like the people who come to you for a hair cut than do not tell me about it ,but grow a ste and tell them to get too hell out and why.

Ok, so I did learn a lesson and I will not make that mistake again with the whole tip issue. I apologize, I have been in the shop with the snotty horrible kids and yes I have brought mine too but never sick and that was one time. Good thing about my beautician is we went to school together and she is quick to tell me no, no and NO. Lol.. i loved this story I cant wait to show it to my friends there..... take care and may your pockets be full next weekend from the tip jar.. randi....

1stly a comment of "grow a set" by "Anonymous" always make me lol.

Now I'm a pretty simple guy, just comb it straight back, and don’t worry too much about it. So I get mostly a short scissor cut, because I am never sure what to ask for so I just tell them ^. Everyone ever cutting my hair always comments that it is thick, which I hope means it wont be leaving anytime soon :P Idk if that’s good, or if they are trying to make it seem like they should be getting a bigger tip :P

I go to a place for a quick $5 haircut, I leave $7 or $8 depending on the state of my wallet. If I was a bit better off I would probably leave a ten and say thanks and go... What I am hoping is this DOES NOT make me a good tipper, as I am assiduously trying to not be labeled as "Middle aged " >.<

....I spent 20 years learning my trade, one that is infinitely more complex than Hairdressing, and can only charge the same or less per hour than my Hairdresser makes in the 15 minutes it takes her to cut my hair. I always tip 5 bucks, but it is B.S. and ONLY those making minimum or less, or who go above and beyond the "call of duty" should get tips. I'm disgusted by the greed in this country. The ONLY one on planet earth where people expect extra for simply doing what they were hired to do. Pathetic.

.. for the comments! They're making me smile. :)

(This is why the issue of tipping is a touchy subject! See? See why we can't bring it up? lol.)

Well since I'm already paying someone for cutting my hair, why should I tip them again for cutting my hair? Or is the tip supposed to signify that you did your job well? In that case, is the regular price for just cutting my hair, but not doing it well?

-Terrence

Do you tip at a restaurant?

Have you seen the zillions of articles in magazines about tipping?

Basically there are a few ways hairdressers make money.

You either booth rent, which means all the money you make goes directly into your pocket- you pay your own taxes- you buy your own supplies- and you pay rent each month for your station.

You make an hourly rate, which means, well, you make an hourly rate. :)

Or you work on commission- you get a percentage of your earnings. So just because you 'do' $500 a week does not mean you 'make' that much.

As far as 'giving someone extra for doing their job'- well, yeah. It's a service industry. We deserve it. :) And anyone that doesn't 'agree' with tipping... you're either jealous because you don't get tips, or you never learned that that was good manners. (Or you've never had to live off them.)

People think its tacky to bring it up- and yeah, its a sore subject. Even articles in magazines are bashful about the issue. But it all really comes down to 'services rendered'. If your hairdresser does a good job, it's not gonna kill ya. :)

I find it odd that people object to simple courtesies in life, do we not teach them anymore? Is a couple bucks too much too say thank you? And yes if your hair is butchered I wouldn't expect to tip. But we tip the pizza guy a couple bucks and his face time with you lasts what, 2 min if he is slow on making change? So at bare minimum I hope your decrying all tips to everyone? Even a waitress probably spends less actual time serving you than your barber. Though it may occur in snippets over a longer time.

20 years learning a trade and only making what a hairdresser does seems like bad life planning to me, and I'm practically an expert at that :P Pulling down someone elses income doesnt make yours any higher. Let capitalism work, if the price is too high people wont pay for it and it will drop. Certainly I dont begrudge anyone the measly $5 I pay, I have to figure the tip is quite important to that woman because as Em pointed out, she isnt keeping all of it, not by a long shot.

And there is always a trimmer and one of those metal bowls if its too much for ya :P

What does that cost of cutting some one's hair include? Some percentage of renting the place, some contribution towards the equipment used (taking into account that it'll be reused), and payment for the service rendered, right? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the hairdresser is being reimbursed for his/her work within the cost of the haircut, right? If yes, then why the expectation for tips? It's not that you are not being reimbursed, you are. Increase the price of your service if it doesn't meet the bills, and I'll pay more. Or establish a system of awarding yourself/ your employees a bonus from the profits. Why turn it into a question about manners?

Anyway tips are supposed to be voluntary additional payments, what I'm seeing here is that people are being socially coerced into tipping. If people want to tip let them, if not, it's their wish. Why all these personal attacks?

And to ward off the personal attacks, on an average I leave 20% of the billed amount as a tip. I do it because it's the prevalent custom, but doesn't mean I agree with the concept. I think it's an unhealthy trend that people expect more than the price of their service.

And no, I've never lived off tips, just the plain old paycheck for doing the job that I'm hired to do.

-Terrence

"Anyway tips are supposed to be voluntary additional payments, what I'm seeing here is that people are being socially coerced into tipping."

I am not trying to 'coerce' anyone into tipping! I'm just saying... a lot of people don't know you're 'supposed' to. Yikes.

(I have a woman who won't even get her haircut unless she has enough money to tip me. She has literally left before!)

At any rate, this submission was fun for me to write, and I hesitated before I threw the tips section in there.

I wonder why it gave me pause? I don't understand "all these personal attacks" because I said people should tip.

Good grief.

"Increase the price of your service if it doesn't meet the bills, and I'll pay more."

Sorry, but I doubt it. People are always looking for the next deal. And when Great Clips sends them their $4.99 coupon, well, aometimes that's hard to resist. :)

But when I raise my price to $25 for a cut, I'll give you a call, Terrence. And I'll expect my 20% tip, even though ya don't agree with it. ;)

For anyone else that reads this entry: Please take it at face value!! It's more for entertainment than any real life lessons! :) lol. Wowzers. :)

EmKit,

This was quite entertaining (especially the freckle *giggles*) and informative and so darn true! I must admit I'm one of those lazy customers. I don't fussy with my hair. I don't blow dry it (except in frigid temps). I don't curl it. I don't spray it. It drives some hair dressers crazy. But, I've been told I have the most natural, untouched, virgin strawberry blonde hair you will ever touch or see. The first time I cut my hair to donate to Locks of Love, my hair dresser damn near had a heart attack. He told me I should sell the ponytail for a pretty penny. He said he wished he could bottle it up. He swore that he'd have women lining up for the color. You could see in his eyes that his heart was breaking when he handed that ponytail over to me. I think I caught a glimpse of envy gleaming there as well. Maybe he was hoping for commission on the sell?

Although I don't go often, when I do, I make sure to tip well. You're right, it is a service based line of work and one of the most demanding in the pampering industry. When I was working at a salon, (front desk) I would watch the senior population come in for their weekly set. The hair dressers spent SO much quality time with them. I was would always be shocked when they would slip them a couple quarters. I asked once why they put up with it. I was told, "Because the customer is happy and the salon is the highlight of their week." And you know what? That alone was enough to make the hairdresser's day, too.

I also think, that if you don't like kids or aren't comfortable with them, you should NOT be cutting kids' hair! (From a customer perspective.) Pinching a child's cheeks to get them to sit still, is not the best tactic!

I'm also a very easy customer; one of those who falls asleep in the chair, lulled by the gentle touch (If a hair dresser is rough, I don't go back.) During an up-do once, I meditated and think I had an out-of-body experience. ;)

Sorry so long...

~Luna

PS: Will you do my hair? LOL

I've been with my hairdresser for years now. She has the same type of hair as I do, so she knows exactly what will work. I trust her completely with my hair. I just tell her generally what I would like it to look like, and she works her magic. I always leave a tip, even though she owns the salon. I think its just silly that you should leave a tip for most hairdressers, but dont have to if they own the salon. She renders the same service, quite possibly better, and is always friendly and just awesome. Anyway, I loved the article, I thought it was hilarious.