Our wireless router has apparently decided that it does know me after all and has stopped cutting me dead and refusing to recognise my existence (or at least that of my laptop). This may have had something to do with the dire threats I am sure Husband was muttering under his breath as he wrestled with the settings in order to get the printer back onto the network (router also didn't like printer so pretended it wasn't there either).
Anyway I am back now, albeit briefly, to ask a very important question: when you go to the hairdresser, do you tip him/her? This is obviously a question for the non-North Americans among you as the whole tipping culture is completely different over there.
As a British person I find the whole subject of tips excruciating. I hate not knowing whether to tip, how much to tip etc. I squirmed with awkwardness when the duty manager showed us to our hotel room in Prague. Are you supposed to tip him or is a duty manager above that? If you should tip, how much? What if you only have the equivalent of a £20 note in local currency? You can't ask for change, surely? This sort of agonising is the main reason I avoid full service gas stations in Canada: I am pretty sure one is expected to tip the guy who fills your tank and wipes your windscreen but I never NEVER have change on me in gas stations and I always pay by credit card and you can't tip when you pay that way and I don't know whether it is better to actually say "I'm sorry, I'd tip you but I have no change" or to say nothing so I always end up slinking away in an embarassed fashion, sure that the poor guy is muttering about stingy Scottish people behind my back.
So, back to my question. It has never in all the years I have been an adult occurred to me that my hairdresser might expect a tip. Am I wrong in this? Do I not in fact have an awkward cow's lick in the front of my hair, just successive hairdressers over the years cutting it funny to punish me for my lack of gratuity-giving? And if I am wrong, again, I always pay by card and there is no option for a tip on the wee machine. What do I do? And what is the acceptable amount of a hairdresser's tip?
Or am I worrying about nothing? Please tell me I am worrying about nothing or I may have to change hairdressers again.
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Here in the U.S., tipping one's hair stylist is expected, although I've heard that a lot of people don't do it. I do and I'm generous because he's worth it. :-)
ReplyDeleteI have never tipped a hairdresser, but then again I have also not had my hair cut by one since 1993. And then Mum was paying. These days she cuts my hair for free, thus allowing me to save money (which I probably then squander on fantasy novels and knitting wool, admittedly).
ReplyDeleteI had not noticed any funny cow's lick - should I look out for it next time I see you?
Ok, I worked for a while in a stylist's salon. Some people did not tip at all, but most, did. The men, usually were the worst tippers. Only a dollar or two. The general tip was 15% of the total bill. But one woman tipped almost $200.00!Of course that was for a special hair coloring that the stylist did and it was a pricey thing. I tip the same no matter. I usually give my stylist $10.00 each visit
ReplyDeleteCanadian custom calls for tipping unless the person cutting your hair is the owner. I get a simple haircut at about $20.00 and tip $5.00. I had my hair cut in Scotland (some years ago) and tipped the stylist who then looked at me with eyes as big as dinner plates - in shock, I guess. This was just south of Glasgow and I had not understood more than one word out of five that she said to me.
ReplyDeleteI usually tip a couple of pounds, plus a pound for the one who washed my hair!
ReplyDeleteThe worst for me is, I'm used to tipping in restaurants. We eat out in the bar at our gym (I know!) at least once a week and, to be honest, we just can't afford to add 15% or whatever everytime we go. So, I settle for buying them a present at Christmas, maybe you could do the same at the hairdressers? x
I only get my hair cut - nothing more - and it costs £11 or something and I tip £2. I've no idea whether this is normal or not but they always say thank you. I'm sure lots of people pay much more to get fancy things done to their hair and so tip far more, but this seems ok percentage-wise to me, if not much as an actual sum. Now I think about it, I'm losing confidence in this idea...
ReplyDeleteOh, I always tip my hairdresser - I only go every 3 months or so and pay around £45 for the chop and leave a £5 tip which I figure is a rounded up 10%. But sometimes I have no cash and he has to make do with a cheery air kiss. Oddly, I think he prefers the money?
ReplyDeleteJames and I have had the same dilemma recently! It never ever occurred to either of us to tip our hairdressers, and we felt really guilty when we thought of all the times we maybe should have. It costs us £40 and we tip £5. We pay by card but make sure we have change for a tip now too. I really feel like they take note of who tips and who doesn't (paranoid?!) so it feels a relief to do it!
ReplyDeleteI don't tip but my hairdresser is the owner so I go by that same theory Mary G uses.
ReplyDeleteBut I went to my files and enlarged and enlarged and see no cowlick. Your hair looked much better than mine did.