Pressing "NO TIP" when paying your barber is one of the most awkward interactions

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I never knew tips were expected till I was 21, so once I learned that I started going to different places so they wouldn't recognize me and I could get away with not tipping. But I always ended up tipping anyway.
 
This is one of those threads that you can clearly see who's in the US and who isn't lmao. The definition of a culture clash. Amazing thread though, I'm loving the responses.
 
Why is everyone so against tips?

I toss a dollar in the starbucks cup, my sister worked at starbucks and I tip out of sympathy remembering her stories.

I tip my haircutter, I put a dollar or two on the receipt when I go to moes... Does a dollar here and there really break you?

Why is everyone so frugal? Very sad.
 
I always tip at least a dollar. I also never pay with credit card because I know those transactions cost them money. I go to a privately owned small salon and try to do whatever I can to keep them in business.
 
I have a no-tip policy for hair cutters because I don't want to enable tips becoming an obligatory thing for the hair industry, like restaurants.

what the fuck why wouldnt you tip your barber????? I am not a big fan of tipping, I live in a country that doesnt have a tipping culture(Spain) but not tipping someone that handles something so important, like your hair, is ridiculous to me.
 
Why is everyone so against tips?

I toss a dollar in the starbucks cup, my sister worked at starbucks and I tip out of sympathy remembering her stories.

I tip my haircutter, I put a dollar or two on the receipt when I go to moes... Does a dollar here and there really break you?

Why is everyone so frugal? Very sad.

It's not the frugality of it. A tip should be rewarded for someone that goes out of their way to do something. It shouldn't be there so an employer can pay someone less and expect tips to make up for the rest. In the end, you aren't rewarding the person, you are rewarding the company because you are now paying part of someones salary.

what the fuck why wouldnt you tip your barber????? I am not a big fan of tipping, I live in a country that doesnt have a tipping culture(Spain) but not tipping someone that handles something so important, like your hair, is ridiculous to me.

I find it ridiculous that someone wouldn't do their job properly without squeezing more money out of their customers. They are cutting hair. They shouldn't be doing better or worse depending on how much extra money they are going to get.
 
Love a GAF tip thread.

Im in the UK and i don't tip my barber, the biggest tip i can give is to keep coming back. He owns the damn shop and sets the price, why would i pay more?
 
How does the op not know tipping is customary at barbers? Hell it's even normal in the UK.

Not so sure about that, I'd never heard that people tip barbers until I saw this thread. Whole idea seems absurd to me. Pretty sure the barbers I frequent don't expect a tip.
 
Not so sure about that, I'd never heard that people tip barbers until I saw this thread. Whole idea seems absurd to me. Pretty sure the barbers I frequent don't expect a tip.

Just because they dont expect a tip, doesnt mean you shouldnt tip. What country are you from?

Are you really so strapped for cash that you cant give your barber a euro, dollar, etc?

I find it ridiculous that someone wouldn't do their job properly without squeezing more money out of their customers. They are cutting hair. They shouldn't be doing better or worse depending on how much extra money they are going to get.

Would you do your job properly if you cut 100 peoples hair a day and no one showed any appreciation for your work?

Or would you do your job properly if your boss kept giving you more work to do, but never gave you any raises or praise what a good job youre doing? I doubt it. People work better with incentives... your arguement is ridiculous.

Dont confuse tipping out of good gesture with tipping because youre obligated to, its a big difference primarily a moral one.
 
Just because they dont expect a tip, doesnt mean you shouldnt tip. What country are you from?

Are you really so strapped for cash that you cant give your barber a euro, dollar, etc?

No but I don't see why a tip is warranted. I'm already paying for the service, they aren't providing anything else I haven't paid for. (from the UK)
 
You don't tip your barber? You don't want it to become a thing?!?!?!? WTF????

I am 37 and my barbers have been tipped since I was a child. A lot of the time they have to rent the fucking chair and tips are most of their money.

Are you fucking kidding me? What is up with GAF and this selfish no tipping shit.

NONE OF YOU WITH THIS ATTITUDE HAVE EVER WORKED IN A SERVICE INDUSTRY and I hope when you do, you get stiffed constantly.

Geez, that got me mad.
 
what the fuck why wouldnt you tip your barber????? I am not a big fan of tipping, I live in a country that doesnt have a tipping culture(Spain) but not tipping someone that handles something so important, like your hair, is ridiculous to me.

I live in Spain too and I never tipped to my barber. Nor she never asked for it. The prices here are high enough for not needing tips. If they need tips, just raise the price (like they already do sometimes), I have no problem with that.

Btw, I have NEVER been tipped and I don't really care. I have the prices that I need to have to not need tips.
 
No but I don't see why a tip is warranted. I'm already paying for the service, they aren't providing anything else I haven't paid for. (from the UK)

Are you satisfied with how your barber cut your hair? Do you show him any appreciation at all?

If people give you a service, and you enjoy said service, shouldnt you show your appreciation somehow? Im not saying you have to tip all the time, the same amount all the time, etc but the same way that people are motivated at their jobs when their bosses praise them for a job well done and/or give them raises why not make the barber feel like hes doing a good job by tipping him? Is it really going to hurt your wallet?

I live in Spain too and I never tipped to my barber. Nor she never asked for it. The prices here are high enough for not needing tips. If they need tips, just raise the price (like they already do sometimes), I have no problem with that.

Btw, I have NEVER been tipped and I don't really care. I have the prices that I need to have to not need tips.

Prices are high in Spain? lol I live in Valencia, to fix up my beard and get a haircut, at most Ill be charged is 12 euros... its like $20+ in the US. Im sure other countries are more expensive. Of course they never ask for tips, there is no tipping culture in Spain, it doesnt mean you shouldnt show your appreciation for a job well done.
 
How does the op not know tipping is customary at barbers? Hell it's even normal in the UK.
Yeah if you've got a good barber you should look after them, they're the difference between able to walk out the house looking good or hiding indoors for weeks crying at the mirror.

My local charges £12, I pay £15 every time because they do a great job.
 
My dad taught my from a very young age that you always tip the person who cuts your hair. He use to give me the cash to give to them when I was a kid. There's no way that I wouldn't tip them.
 
No but I don't see why a tip is warranted. I'm already paying for the service, they aren't providing anything else I haven't paid for. (from the UK)

If you don't want to tip, don't. It's not a requirement. The reason some people do is to awknowledge that they appreciate a certain service when it's warranted. Do I tip the guy at GameStop who sold me a copy of madden? No, because anybody could have sold me that copy in the same way. But a haircut? Or even an Uber driver? Those are services that could be done badly. So tipping is two fold, one to say "hey you did a good job and I appreciate it, here is something extra to show it" and two, in a lot of these service type industries to establish an ongoing relationship. "I really like how this dude cuts my hair, and I tip wel to show that appreciation, so next time I call for an appointment he will probably go out of his way to fit me in". If you aren't the type that cares about that kind of relationship or goes to the first chair available to get a cut and doesn't really care who is doing it, by all means dont tip. It doesnt make you a bad person. The local pizza joint I order from typecally delivers to me in like 15-20 minutes, and I suspect it's because i tip well. And for me, it's worth the extra few dollars to know that my order will be fast and correct. It's not extortion. If their service starts to suck I will simply take my money elsewhere.
 
Its there a list of who you should or should not tip in the US? Its really confusing , i hope tourist don't get f over just because they don't know what to do
 
Tipping your barber seems ridiculous enough to be just an American thing, a haircut in America is way more expensive than in Jamaica as well and I am expected to tip as well? fuck that shit! though thankfully the few times I went for a haircut when I was in the US were Jamaican barbers in NY and they knew better than to expect tips from other Jamaicans when charging what would be 4x the cost in Jamaica.
 
I've never heard of this chair renting business, is this a USA thing ?

I couldn't find any information on if it exists in other countries but a lot of salons in the US actually have zero employees. They instead rent out booths to self employees stylists who pay a fee to work a shift. Basically the fee ends up being most of the accumulated money from haircuts that day. So in cases where a stylist takes extra time and energy to detail your hair even for a basic haircut they're technically opening themselves to make less money unless they get tipped.

There's also some places that do actually have staffed barbers who get paid a normal wage but that's less common. That's the same way a lot of Taxis work in the US also which is why it's important to tip your driver here. Otherwise it's just kind of a dick move not to.
 
Is this true? People say tip irregardless of service (unless it's down right atrocious) so standard, default, the bare minimum service still receives a tip. It's these pretty little lies that make us feel better but we're just playing ourselves. Think of it like mass bystander effect where no one wants to say something due to fear of being met with shame. I know that's not what bystander is but you get the point.

Sure, it helps folks who make minimum wage but let's not act like we're saints because we tip.

Tipping is designed to supplement a low income paycheck and become a filter for people who give bad service. It is a way to directly fund the employee based on the customer service experience.

Food Service in the US:

Bad service: leave a shit tip (3-10%) and indicate to management.

Average service: 15% - Didn't wow you but didn't fuck your shit up.

Great service: 15%+. Let management know that they have a real asset.

This is how you not only directly indicate to your server their performance but also you play an important factor in the culling of the service herd. Servers getting tables but constantly complain about not making money? Almost definitively because they are giving shit service. Eventually they will find a different position.

People who aren't servers always say how tipping is a shit culture, but from a server standpoint, it's really fucking good. Where else can you go in with 4 shifts of training and start making ~14/hr minimum (three table section)?

For a barber/stylist, you should tell them that you aren't happy. This gives them an opportunity to succeed and both parties win. Tipping for barbers depends on your environment (nice salon vs little barbershop and services offered). If it is shit, then don't tip and don't go back.

Don't want to tip at all? Don't go out to restaurants or engage services a la barbers. Get a pair of clippers and do it yourself. Eat at home or go to fast food. Don't have the money to tip? Don't go out because it is a cost associated the meal.
 
Love a GAF tip thread.

Im in the UK and i don't tip my barber, the biggest tip i can give is to keep coming back. He owns the damn shop and sets the price, why would i pay more?

They can raise their prices and people will still come back, once you find a good barber people stick with them even if they have to pay higher prices.
 
Are you satisfied with how your barber cut your hair? Do you show him any appreciation at all?

Surely you show appreciation by giving them repeat business and recommending them to friends/family? In the UK people get paid a decent wage, we don't need tips to survive. Tipping here is something you do when you get outstanding service, not just what you asked and already paid for.

If you don't want to tip, don't. It's not a requirement. The reason some people do is to awknowledge that they appreciate a certain service when it's warranted. Do I tip the guy at GameStop who sold me a copy of madden? No, because anybody could have sold me that copy in the same way. .

What if someone recommended you a game you've never heard of, but you took a chance and tried it out and fell in love with it. Would you go back and tip them?
 
Just because they dont expect a tip, doesnt mean you shouldnt tip. What country are you from?

Are you really so strapped for cash that you cant give your barber a euro, dollar, etc?



Would you do your job properly if you cut 100 peoples hair a day and no one showed any appreciation for your work?

Or would you do your job properly if your boss kept giving you more work to do, but never gave you any raises or praise what a good job youre doing? I doubt it. People work better with incentives... your arguement is ridiculous.

Dont confuse tipping out of good gesture with tipping because youre obligated to, its a big difference primarily a moral one.

People show appreciation by being happy and coming back again and again.

What does a shitty boss and no raises have to do with tips? Also, if tips are considered damn near mandatory, how is that an incentive?

Tipping as a good gesture is fine if you feel that someone has gone out of their way for you or you are feeling generous. But at the same time, if the person did the bare minimum, people should not feel bad for not giving a tip. But places have made it where if you don't give a tip, you are a bad person because some employers make tips part of a person's salary.
 
If there's ANYONE you should tip-it's the person you trust to cut your hair.

I do like that the OP felt he himself was going to change the industry by not personally tipping.
 
I tipped a Dippin Dots server 25% because she was working in a cramped up cold part of the mall, and i mean, it has to suck doing that for money. I think I actually brightened up her day with it.
 
Prices are high in Spain? lol I live in Valencia, to fix up my beard and get a haircut, at most Ill be charged is 12 euros... its like $20+ in the US. Im sure other countries are more expensive. Of course they never ask for tips, there is no tipping culture in Spain, it doesnt mean you shouldnt show your appreciation for a job well done.

Didn't know it has this pricey there. But I'm not too far, a simple haircut cost me almost 15 here.

What can I say, I did work in servives too (not anymore) and never been tipped. I don't have the culture so I don't really think about it, it's not about malice or being cheap, but I do think prices should be set accordingly.
I mean, the barber know I appreciate his/her job when I come back another day, instead of going to another place.
 
I've known my barber for almost 20 years. I've always tipped since he's really cool. I also know his brother who also owns a barber shop. They are from the Middle East, Lebanon to be exact. Really cool people. I recommend tipping if your barber's cool to.
 
I show my appreciation by returning to the same barber again and again. If I don't like the service I would go elsewhere. I do love a good tip thread on gaf, seems to me a lot of the disagreement comes from a difference in attitudes towards services in different countries.
Barbers in the UK are usually small businesses with a small number of employees. A salon or hairdressers isn't a barbers, at least in the north where I live. I only pay £8 for a haircut whereas if I went to a hairdressers I would probably have to pay treble that.
Also, barbers tend to be men with male only clients.
 
I tipped a Dippin Dots server 25% because she was working in a cramped up cold part of the mall, and i mean, it has to suck doing that for money. I think I actually brightened up her day with it.

Those are the best

When they genuinely don't expect it & putting a great big smile on that face

That's what the US obligatory tipping is taking away

The joy of tipping
 
Better tip your doctor guys and girls, he might not save your life next time.

I will repeat my question again.

Its there a list of who you should or should not tip in the US? Its really confusing , i hope tourist don't get f over just because they don't know what to do
 
Just because they dont expect a tip, doesnt mean you shouldnt tip. What country are you from?

Are you really so strapped for cash that you cant give your barber a euro, dollar, etc?



Would you do your job properly if you cut 100 peoples hair a day and no one showed any appreciation for your work?

Or would you do your job properly if your boss kept giving you more work to do, but never gave you any raises or praise what a good job youre doing? I doubt it. People work better with incentives... your arguement is ridiculous.

Dont confuse tipping out of good gesture with tipping because youre obligated to, its a big difference primarily a moral one.

It would be like most businesses then, where appreciation is shown through repeat custom and positive recommendations. That is how most business has run for millenia. If you're good, you could even put your prices up and I'll still come and suggest other people do. If I were a Barber and 100 people kept showing up every day to have their hair cut from me then I wouldn't know how to take that any other way than appreciation.

Throwing them an extra dollar because you can spare it and they need your charity to survive shows something went wrong. You seem to treat service employees like charity cases in the US. An unexpected dollar to brighten up their day.
 
I will repeat my question again.

Its there a list of who you should or should not tip in the US? Its really confusing , i hope tourist don't get f over just because they don't know what to do

tourists who don't know what to do often get fucked over in every part of the world, do your homework.
 
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