Another tipping question?

[soocool]

Do you tip if the owner provided the service? Whether it is a hair salon, masseuse, etc. My sister says yes and I pointed out that she doesn't tip the handyman. Isn't that the same thing? How come we tip for some services and not others?

 

[dragonfly411]

I don't tip a business owner. I tip workers. I feel like the business owner is already the one making a profit off of the business, why do they need added? The workers don't make as much as the owner does and they might need the added wage.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

The rule used to be that you do not tip owners. However, I do know that some women who go to the beauty shop say they do tip the owner. They don't seem to mind. I think some just embarrass easily, and so not to look cheap they tip.

Annette

I have a friend I went to New Orleans with. It was a prepaid trip to include all meals and tips. There was a notation in the brochure to ask that we not tip.
My friend, for the first meal layed down a tip, and then everyone at the table had to dig in their wallets for a tip. The tour guide came over later and told my friend the tip was included in the price of the trip and to please refrain from tipping.
My friend always tips. Sometimes I can't believe what she tips at.

 

[lyra]

Do you tip if the owner provided the service? Whether it is a hair salon, masseuse, etc. My sister says yes and I pointed out that she doesn't tip the handyman. Isn't that the same thing? How come we tip for some services and not others?

Yes to the owner of the hair salon because everyone does it. If I didn't do it, I would stand out. He provides the same services as the other stylists (perhaps even better service actually), so why not? I book him because he's the best. If he ever decides to drop some clients so he can take more time off, I want to stay on the keep list.

 

[zoebartlett]

I don't think it's customary to tip the owner of a business, but f you're satisfied with the service you received from an employee of the owner, then it's common to tip that employee.

Having said that, I do tip the girl who cuts my hair, although she owns the salon. I also tip the girl who does my eyebrows. In fact, I'm not sure how to handle that situation because both services are included in one bill.

 

[packrat]

I've always tipped regardless. Sometimes I tip better, not b/c of service..I just have an odd way of doing it I guess. One time I had a woman wax my brows, and (keep in mind this was like 12 years ago) she charged me $3. So..I'm not going to dig around for 60 cents. I gave her a $5 bill. I try to tip 20% at the salon, and if it comes out to a weird number, like service plus tip is 47, sometimes I just round it up to 50. I've been having a friend of mine cut London's and my hair, and she goes out of her way to fit us in-today was her day off and she came in to cut my hair and wax my brows, and the last time she cut L's hair she came in on her day off at 7pm to do it, so I always try to tip as much as I can-that night she got a 50% tip.

ETA-thought I should mention that around here, we don't have separate hair washers/brow waxers etc..the stylists here are all one stop shopping haha.

 

[Amber St. Clare]

I go to my hairdresser's house to get my work don and since he keeps ALL the money I do not tip him. But I will be gifting him when the holidays come.

 

[Loves Vintage]

I always tip the salon owner who does my hair. Same at the spa, when I go to the owner.

 

[violet3]

Yes i tip the owner, and the owner is my stylist -- in my opinion, it shouldn't matter whether someone is the owner (i know they get more of the proceeds than a typical hair dresser). She's worked hard a LONG TIME to get where she is, and she's fantastic - i wouldn't trust anyone else to cut my hair. So, in my opinion, she deserves the big tip - a tip is a fee for a service rendered. When you feel you have excellent service, you leave an excellent tip - it shouldn't matter whether someone is owner/part owner of the establishment. They are still working in an industry where excellent service is rewarded in a monetary way.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Tipping has gotten so out of hand... now I see people saying they tip 25%. 10 wasn't good enough, then 15 wasn't and now 20 isn't... where does it end? I would rather just pay a higher price and not have to deal with tipping. I wish tipping was an optional thing that meant something instead of just an obligatory annoyance.

And yes, I once lived off tips, I know how it sounds.

 

[yssie]

not in theory, but often I don't know who the owner is - and I don't want to make the wrong assumption and not tip an employee, so in practice I virtually always tip.

Cehra - I'm with you, just include a gratuity in the final bill! When we lived in NZ tipping was looked down upon, and workers would actually be offended if you tried to tip them - took some adjusting to when we moved to the US

 

[bricklayer]

The woman that does my hair owns the salon. But I still tip her as if she didn't when I am happy with the work. She's still providing a service. She doesn't charge more than the others in the salon.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I don't tip here in China, when we came here we were told it was frowned upon. But some of the americans began tipping and imagine how fast their hands went out in expectation? Ugh.

 

[violet3]

Tipping has gotten so out of hand... now I see people saying they tip 25%. 10 wasn't good enough, then 15 wasn't and now 20 isn't... where does it end? I would rather just pay a higher price and not have to deal with tipping. I wish tipping was an optional thing that meant something instead of just an obligatory annoyance.

And yes, I once lived off tips, I know how it sounds.

I'm not sure when you lived off of tips, but I've unfortunately been in the service inudstry off and on for a LONG time (15 years) - when my situation deemed it necessary (generally for a second job). If you lived off of tips when it was 10% gratuity, then you must have lived off of tips A LONG time ago. No one ever said that 20% gratuity isn't enough. If poeple want to tip 25%, why would you care? it doesn't mean you have to tip that amount, but i gaurantee that to a person in the service industry, the extra money is greatly appreciated - not necessarily because they need the 5% extra (which on a $50 haircut means $2.5) but they will feel great about the service you provided to them.

In a climate where tipping was an optional, how many people do you think would actually tip?

 

[FuturePsyD]

Yes, I do tip the owner of the salon. I have for the past 12 years. It just feels natural now and I would feel awkward if I walked out after tipping the shampoo girl, but not him!

 

[soocool]

Do you tip if the owner provided the service? Whether it is a hair salon, masseuse, etc. My sister says yes and I pointed out that she doesn't tip the handyman. Isn't that the same thing? How come we tip for some services and not others?

Yes to the owner of the hair salon because everyone does it. If I didn't do it, I would stand out. He provides the same services as the other stylists (perhaps even better service actually), so why not? I book him because he's the best. If he ever decides to drop some clients so he can take more time off, I want to stay on the keep list.

Now my girfriend cuts my hair at her house (she also works at a salon). At the salon she keeps half of whatever the service costs (she keeps all her tips). The other half goes to the salon. She told me that the owner of the salon keeps 100% of what she earns for a service (which is also higher than what all the other stylists charge). So why should anyone tip the owner since they are already making considerably more than the other stylists. And if anyone says overhead, according to my friend and the salon owner, the 1/2 of service charges from the stylists covers this and the owner keeps all the money she earns. If anything is leftover after paying the bills she keeps it in the company account, but all the money she earns for services are not included in the company account. (I heard this from the owner herself yesterday when I stopped by to see my friend at the salon).

Now I do not tip my friend. When she first started cutting my hair she refused to take a tip from me. But I have seen other women tip her while waiting to get my hair cut in her home. She charges the same as she would in the salon. Since she works from home her only overhead is electricity and supplies. To tell you the truth I am not sure she even declares these at home service earnings in her taxes and just keeps all the money. So basically she makes out.

 

[shihtzulover]

I've never really known how to handle this situation, but whenever I have the owner of a salon cut or color my hair, I ask if they accept tips, So far, they have all said yes, so I tipped them like I would tip any other hairstylist.

 

[CJ2008]

I haven't gotten my hair cut by an owner in a very long time...but I always understood that you don't tip the owner. I have to say though I would probably feel weird not to...

Slightly off topic...

I find it annoying that there's a separate person to wash, cut, and then dry the hair...I don't mind giving the "washer" a tip (I tip $3) but it really bothers me to have to tip a separate person other than my haircutter to dry my hair. I feel like it's extra $ I have to dish out - and then I feel guilty giving them $3 because it's a bigger "service" than the washing so I end up giving $5, and I resent every penny. To me, the girl who cuts my hair should dry it...