Hairdresser Etiquette

[CarolG]

Should I tip in Toni & Guy?? My hairdresser used to come to my house and I always tipped but in T&G I am not sure whether I should or not � I haven't in the past and am slightly embarrassed if I should have. I pay by card and there is not a "gratuity" option so should I just leave a fiver or something?

[ems27]

Hi CarolG

I recently got my barnet done at T&G, a few highlights and a cut, about an inch. The bill came to 176 squids and on the spur of the moment i decided not to leave a tip, like you i paid with my card. The thing is, one person washed it, another did the colour, then another person washed the colour out, then another person brushed it and finally another person cut it. Thats 5 people, who do i tip ? However, after i left i felt like a complete tight a**e and am embarrassed that i didn't as it felt uncomfortable when i was leaving. So in conclusion, i'm as confused as you...sorry !

[laurence2]

what did you get for �176. The reason i ask is i,ve heard alot of bad press with T&G and most of it is the obscene prices?

[ems27]

You don't get much for your money laurence2. Not one person noticed i'd had it done. My hair is naturally blonde but i decided to get some highlights to lighten it up (obviously !) but it didn't look any different. The cut again wasn't noticeable, i didn't want anything drastic but it's a bit pointless if you don't get a reaction. I'll try somewhere else next time. However, none of the staff were pushy in regards to selling their hair products and treatments which i usually find in most salons.

[treacle84]

I never tip in hairdressers. I pay quite a lot for my hair anyway and can't really afford any more! Plus, if the hairdresser does a good job the best way you can tip them is by going back :)

I sound really tight now don't I? I always tip waiters etc though if they have done a good job

[don1]

CarolG, do you tip your butcher, or when you buy a loaf of bread do you leave them a tip, how about the bus driver or the staff at Tesco's.

If the answer to the above is no then why would you want to tip the hairdresser?

[CarolG]

No don1 I don�t but a lot of people do tip their hairdresser, certainly everyone I know which is why I asked the question. In smaller independent salons it is the norm to tip the hairdresser and/or the person who washes your hair but as ems27 point out in Toni & Guy and other �chain� hairdressers, you can have 4 different people working on you. Plus, the set prices as high enough.

I am not just buying something as I would in a supermarket, they are providing a type or service. In the same way I would tip waiting staff in a restaurant.

Thanks for all your replies.

[joko]

tipping began as way to reward someone who has given you extra good service, gone above and beyond for you, maybe not in a big way, but still... it is not for people who have merely done their job properly, and done what they are paid to do - they get wages to do these things for you so why pay extra?
most charge extortionate amounts as it is - its just another way to money grab - by making you feel like a tightarse just because you don't give money you don't have to give.

some say these people live off their tips - well how is it my responsibilty to fund these peoples lives? - that is the job of their boss, to pay a fair wage that they can live on - and until we stop tipping willy-nilly, regardless of service, then these big bosses will not change their working practices.

i will tip a taxi driver if he helps me with luggage - because he doesn't have to do that - i will tip a pizza guy if he has had to phone me to tell me he is at the door step (my bell is temperamental) as he doesn't have to do that and it has cost him money - I tipped a hairdresser who went out to the shop and got me a sandwich because my do was taking a while, but i don't tip the person at the supermarket checkout who packs my bags...why? its not expected...

whatever you decide to do, a fiver is way too much!! they would expect it everytime and its just not necessary, and as you said, you paid �176 and didn't get much for it! - if you WANT to tip leave a pound.
they will ususally split all tips so there is no need to do it individually.

if you want to feel better about it take a packet of choccy biccys or even a box of roses with you and offer them round so you are being generous without feeling obliged and guilty about how much to give - and you get to munch too!

[lankeela]

How can you justify paying �176 for a hairdo? A properly trained hairdresser in a normal salon could do it at a fraction of the price. I have a friend who goes there, and when I ask her the same she cannot answer, just that she doesn't pay that much, and it is better than getting it done at a 'normal' salon. Mind you, she wears 'Calvin Klein' glasses. As if Calvin Klein sits in a factory somewhere making glasses frames! She cannot comprehend that the same person makes them who makes ones for chain stores, and they just put a different name on them.

The whole 'designer' label thing makes me laugh.

[gessoo]

I pay �50 for a cut and colour (Three colours put through my hair using those mesh thingies) I always feel guilty about �50.00! A normal cut costs �16.00 in a very good hairdresser. I know I am ancient but I do like to have modern looking hair.

[gessoo]

I meant to add that I don't tip but I do give my hairdresser some money at Christmas to buy something for her children.

[don1]

gessoo, does your hairdresser give you money at christmas for your children?

[gessoo]

I had to smile don1. I have to be honest - we have known each other for some 17 years now and she is a great hairdresser and has become a friend. I would feel embarrassed to offer her a tip, so a little gift to her children is my way of thanking her. She has forgiven me missed appointments and has always squeezed me in when she hasn't really got time. If the young apprentices that wash my hair give me an Indian Head Massage I do give them a little tip.

[the hopper]

I'm Mister Pink out of Reservoir Dogs when it comes to tipping. It seems ridiculous when some people on minimum wage don't get tips but some do. It gets really bad when you go outside the UK and it's just expected of you, whether the service is any good or not. The biggest laugh was the minimum taxi fare in San Antonio in Texas - $9.50! - in the hope that you'd just hand over a ten dollar note and walk away. If drivers want to charge ten dollars for a taxi ride then you should have the upfront honesty to call it that without hidden costs. The same goes for your hairdo, which came to well more than ten US dollars!

[natalie_1982]

I used to go to Toni and Guy all the time but got sick of the prices, and the different persons, as pointed out earlier, washing, drying, colouring, cutting, styling etc your hair. It's not a very personal service, and I never tipped because of that reason.

However, just by chance I happened upon a different hairdressers and from the first appt I decided I would travel the extra few miles and go there each time.

I'd agree with ems27 though, I thought they would be trying to sell loads of products!

[Steve_Luts]

Thunk...that's the sound of my jaw hitting the keyboard at the prices at T&G!! I'm reasonably comfortable financially, and pretty wordly wise too - but that's the first time a price for a service has really shocked me for a long time! The local designer salon in my area charges nowhere near that, yet has a waiting list as long as your arm.....I know my female freinds tip in there, but the bill comes to 80 quid tops!

I tip in my local blokes barbers - its 15 quid a cut, and I leave 20, but that's only because of the people in there being very friendly, I always talk to them about going out socailly, so its done very much in the vein of "you're on your feet all day saturday, get yourself a drink on me tonight" .... but 176 quid a visit ....blimey what do you go there in, an armoured car?!?! ;-))

At that rate I'd say the only tip approppriate is "buy T&G shares"

[eash]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Shopping/Question198013.html

[Amz260104]

In your reply to don1 you state that a hairdresser is providing a service that a butcher/baker/ Tesco employee does not, therefore they deserve a tip. Tell me what are we mere Tesco employees doing when we are OBLIGED to help you with your packing and 9/10 times don't even get so much as a thank you let alone a tip!!