CD to the rescue I hope. When I moved here almost 9 years ago I asked the women (all 2 of them) I worked with about tipping etiquette at the hairdressers. Coming from a tipping nation I thought it was important to follow convention. But everyone I've asked has said the same thing "it's up to you if you want to tip, and how much to give" No help there then.

What's the consensus here?
Do you tip owners of the salon? (we didn't do this at home; it was considered insulting)
Do you tip haircutter? (I used to give 20% in the US)
Do you tip the wash and dry girls separately?
What percentage/amount does everyone give?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated as I don't want to end up with bodily fluids in my shampoo!

My haircutter is one of the co-owners.  I don't tip her.

I don't tip on my six weekly visit.  But I do at Christmas.

I cant help it I always tip, be it hairdressers or the curry house :)
Helen

I don't tip the chap who cuts my hair (co-owner) but I do tip the junior staff who wash it.

I always tip the hairdresser £5 and if I like the girl who washed and got my tea then she will get a smaller tip £2.  Hubby only tips the hairdresser (£5) but again always tips! 

Oh, I always give hairdressers a tip: Look left and right before crossing the road is my favourite :)

I always tip 10-20%

What's a hairdresser? ;) :D

Nope don't tip, I can only just afford the price they charge :d

I dont tip, just keep going back and recommend to friends

I always tip :)
Having worked behind a bar and been a taxi driver I know its always nice to be tipped ;)

The only tip I ever give is "never leave a lighted cigarette in your pocket!"    :D :D

Seriously tho, at £25 for a cut and blow dry I can't afford to tip as well

>bodily fluids in my shampoo<

*Stifles a giggle* :D
This reminds me of the 'blue tea bag' from my days as a Trolly Dolly :D ( a mean practice I never partook of, hasten to add! )

I'm of the school of thought that a job well done is rewarded, so I always tip those that provide me with an above and beyond level of service.
   But must admit I tip the hair washers regardless (theyre youngsters and get a pittance) well unless theyre miserable,disinterested and nigh on break my neck over the sink.

The only thing I really resent is when your given a bill with the tip already on!!!! I hate that its presumtious and I doubt the actual ones that put the hard work in on the frontline (the 'Customer facing' staff to use the blurb speak) ever see a penny of it :( and I want to reserve the right to reward good service.
other than that....'Dont eat yellow snow' ;)

Blue tea bag? explain!

whispers: When you have a horrible Captain 'some' crew members would when making a tea for afore mentioned tyrant..wipe their teabag round the bowl of the toilet which swirls blue antibac round the basin when you flush it...hence the blue teabag!

(doesnt work on the Airbus's though as they have 'dry' suction toilets)

My personal favourite tho' was swiping their jackets from the cupboard inside the flight deck (they have their backs to it) and using my Hotel freebie sewing kit..sew up their sleeves :D

(ask Megan blah blah!!! :D)

:D :D

Cillit bang wine coolers - blue tea bags - remind me to stay away from your beverages HG! :-D

:rolleyes: Guilty by association here! :(
(you wont be wanting this Cappuccino..with extra chocolate bits then??)
(Have you seen Black Adder goes forth? ;) ;) :D)

mmm cappuccino, with extra chocolate. Save us a place at your table gal ;) and get the thorntons out :P

Leans over keyboard and thumps the monitor knock knock
I'll be having that cappucino oh evil choccie temptress. No BlackAdder bits though - tengustings!

I never tip, they get paid they chose to do the job, that may sound really mean and it does sound it but I don't mean it to be.  I tipped a waitress a whole £5.00 once in Manchester as she was the best ever, I even wrote to the restaurant commending her.  If they offer customer service above and beyond what I expect I will gladly tip but this hardly ever happens these days sadly.  In Feb just before I went to Fuerteventura, I took my granddaughter to my hairdressers to have her hair trimmed bearing in mind she wasn't yet two and had a few stray curls on the top of her head and what can only be described as a haystack on the back (you know that baby hair that matts up all short).  I popped into my hairdressers on the off chance someone could cutrim her hair for the very first time and was told no problem, sat her on my knee and approximately 3 minutes later we were done after a dozen snips with the scissors and presented with a bill for £11.00!!! I was not happy and queried this, however paid it and queried it with the salon coordinator by phone the next day, again told this was correct.  I have been going to that salon for 20 yrs, two of my daughters go there too! needless to say I stopped going and went elsewhere even though it was cutting my nose off to spite my face as I loved going there.  Around two weeks ago a survey from the very same hairdressers arrives and I write my comments as you do about my experience and lo and behold did someone ring me apologise and offer me a free cut!  I took advantage of an appointment for a cut and colour and paid for this and got the free cut and blow dry for my daughter.  I'm happy again to be back there but why did it take three months to sort out! Glad to see customer care prevailed in the end though.

I don't tip anymore.  The guy who cuts my hair is the owner and the prices for cutting hair I think are steep generally.  The only people I tip are waiter/waitresses but only if they have been very good and the amount depends very much on if the service charge is included in the bill or not. 

Its £5 for a haircut at my hairdressers, I always pay £6. Tea/coffee, haircut and gossip - small price to pay :D :D :D

why you do think it should have been cheaper,???

it still a head of hair to cut,the chlid still taking up a chair space in the salon like adult.you are still get the service from the hairdresser,plus you were sitting in the chair as well were  another customer could have been to.

plus kid take more time to cut their hair than an adult.beacuse of them moving and not sitting still.

why did they apologise,the cut was ok,it was just the price you didnt like to pay.

craigles i am not have a go at you it just i and andrew run a hairdressing bussuines,and that the end of the we got to pay rent over heads,staff wages ect,

but at the end of the day the cut was good but the price wasnt

i cannot unstand everyone post on there.

the salon has to pay high rent and rates,staff bill.products.just like the big store,we all got the make a living to survie,

there are the cheap salon but do get the service.like if  you went to dearer one and a well know name like tony and guy ????

The requirement for routine tips only means that the staff aren't being paid a decent wage. Tips should only be for outstanding service - good service should be the norm.

Nobody tips the bus driver for doing his job! ;) :D

Well said JG as usual!

I wonder if people realise that hairdresser's get taxed on their tips so it's not all 'cash in hand' as everyone may think, so on top of their already taxed wages the 'extra' is getting taxed too.

My sister is a hairdresser and I think people forget that she has equipment to buy out of her pocket, good scissors can cost £200+ a pair and she will need 2-3 pairs of scissors, they blunt very quickly and have to be sent away for sharpening.  Combs, brushes and other cutting equipment, it's all money out of their pockets not the bosses.

thank you

I just hate people generalising that all hairdressers charge the earth for no apparent reason.   I'd like to see people stand on their feet for 7 hours a day, bending over cutting hair, your back aching and having to put up with some snotty people that enter the salon.  :(

I drive a white van....but it doesn't make me 'white van woman'!!!!!

Nobody tips the bus driver for doing his job!

Some people do, and it's lovely when they do :)  Mostly it's boiled sweets from the oldies as they get off the bus, but occasionally someone will give you a couple of quid if you've really went out your way to help them. I think in the 5 years I've been driving buses I've had hundreds and hundreds of murray mints and boiled fruits and maybe made £20 in tips(not including the hogmanay bus - that's a different story :D )

this is a well known salon and I do spend a lot there for this reason but I am happy to do so, was just a little put out at paying the same price for a 22 month old that sat as good as gold on my knee as I would for my 12 yr old that chats for England and has hair half way down her back layered.  Still I'm happy, the salon is happy and I'm back was only mentioning it as Customer Service lacks in a lot of places and sometimes even when we complain it falls onto the wrong ears but pointing out surveys are read and acted upon which to me is positive.  They have 3 customers returning and a potential 4th if her hair ever grows!  On holiday when she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt even if pink and eating an ice-cream they would all say 'ooo he's enjoying that isn't he!'

like i said i have taken my business there to the same hairdressers for 20+ years now and to £11.00 is the cost of a childs cut.........fair comment, my daughter who is 12 pays 11.00 for a dry cut her hair is half way down her back with long layers in, takes a fair bit of time to cut, this girl did approximately 12 snips of the scissors to cut the ends off Beth's hair, I begrudge paying the same price as I would for my 12 yr old when Hannah will possibly take half hour of time and Beth 3-4 mins max?? When the Salon Manager received the survey she apologised as this shouldn't have happened in fact all first hair cuts (under 3 yrs of age are complimentary) I was later told. It's the sort of hairdresser where you get a shoulder massage, hand and arm massage (all complimentary whilst waiting for your colour etc) I realise these perks are built into the price and love going there and am so glad to be back there but if they had given me Beth's cut for free I would have given a few pound to the young girl.  In my eyes Beth is a potential future customer.

I agree, £11 for a few snips at a well-behaved child's hair is ridiculous! It should be only a token payment - it's only a token cut, after all! £2.50 would have been plenty.

i wouldnt pick up my scirrors  for £2.50.with all the on going trainning and keep up with colours.syles.products.ect, hairdressing is a skilll job.

there a art in cutting kids hair,you got to be carefull beacuse of them chattinng and moving.where the scirros go,

>there a art in cutting kids hair

Not really at that age, especially when you read the description of what needed doing! ;) A minute or two and it's done. Even if it took 5 minutes, at £11 a time that would be £132 per hour!!!! Forget being a surgeon, cut kids' hair!

Whilst I think a lot of hairdressers are just not worth the money, to be fair, it's not £132 per hour :) It would be, if they had people queueing up for every appointment, but that is unusual. A lot of days, hairdressers are fairly slack and the overheads are great :) My hairdressers has just had a refit, they were closed for 2 weeks - no income and had to pay the staff (I don't begrudge it, because it was pretty tatty before :D ). However their charges are reasonable - £26 for a cut and blowdry. They are not pretentious - no frills :) However, there are many hairdressers that drastically overcharge - but you know the saying 'A fool and his money ....... ' :D :D :D

Daisy

hairdressing is a skill and trade.just like elc.plumbing.

ok how many of you have trimmed your dogs up for a show and do they sit or lay still.that how a child is on the move.how many of you trimmed your dog and there a chuck out of side were the dog move,

Believe me there's an art in cutting anyone's hair, the hairdresser has to assess  the hair to see how it lies naturally, any cowlicks, natural waves etc.   It's not just a quick scissor happy snip and that's £11, thank you very much.    And not every child is a perfect model sitting in the hairdresser's chair - get it wrong and the parent's are down on you like a ton of bricks.

>It's not just a quick scissor happy snip and that's £11, thank you very much.

That's what it was in Craigles' case, which is what this is all about! ;)

I thought the whole thread was about whether to tip or not?  ;)  I'm trying to put the perspective over of the hairdresser.

Actually the question was not whether they should be tipped but do people tip ;) although I do share the view that people should be paid properly for the skills they have and not have to rely on the uncertainty of tips to balance their budget.  Of course in the case of juniors the fact that they are receiving training will be reflected in their wage but so does any other training.  Those that do not interface with the public may be on a minimum wage, do just as good a job but will never have the benefit of extras certainly when I was in my first accounts junior job I didn't.

I pay over £100 for my hair to be done when I have cut, colour and straightened after and I pay £25 for Mollies

You get what you pay for - and I am happy to pay it. Its my one indulgance for myself :D

I do to Chloe, I love the way they do my hair I'm always happy with the results, Hannah goes there and pays like I say 11.00 for a dry cut for someone under 15 but Hannah always has it washed straightened, conditioned, her hair is gorgeous and it looks like glass when they've done with her, coffee, tea, wine biccy's along with good staff I don't mind paying, Beth will no doubt pay the same when her hair eventually grows and all fringe trims are free at our hairdressers too.

Exactly. Its the only chance I get to go and sit and unwind and I love the way my hair looks after. It also takes them a while to colour it with the various "creative colours" I have done :D :D

We get free fringe trims too. I wonder if its the same group?

I would have thought, with regard to young children and the little bit of hair they have off at the first few cuts, any charge would be at the disgression of salon policy. Surely if someone has been a good and regular client for 20 years, bringing her own daughters there, and no doubt others by recommendation, the first few snips of baby hair taking only a couple of mins could be done for free for the goodwill of the client having been loyal for so many years? Im not saying every time, but a smile and a 'oh, dont worry this time, it didnt take long' would be more productive than charging the full wack. because of this, they very nearly lost a good client. To me that dosent say much for customer relations and care.

Must say I don't tip hairdressers but I do go every 6-8 weeks, My mum has two colours and I have 1 or two colours every couple of visits!  This is the only hairdresser I have ever been to and still plan to come home from uni every 6-8 weeks at least to coinside with a trip to the hairdressers!!!!!! LOl :D

I think there is a moral to be learned.  Ask the price before you go ahead ('scuse pun).  I asked my hairdresser about colouring my hair and when he told me the various prices I told him, ok, I'll keep my grey highlights for a while longer.  I am actually going to book up with my local college as they often need people to practice on, are very reasonable and are carefully supervised.

plus kids too