Can you explain tipping a barber? A barber preforms a service that requires almost no one-time use products to complete and the service is done entirely, or almost entirely, by a single person. When barbers charge $15+ for a hair cut why should you be tipping them on top of that? The cost includes any work being done.
The main argument for tipping wait-staff is that the service they provide is additional from the kitchen (kitchen makes the food), and purely provides a service that is separate to the food (hence why I would argue tipping wait-staff is something that could be acceptable).
Barbers do have costs in performing their work but that can be reflected in the price, any tips to that is the same as tipping lawn care providers, car wash employees, etc.
Baristas and the person swiping your credit card for a takeout order is not. Nor the asshole selling you an overpriced T-shirt at a concert. Not your vet or your pet care place.
Yes, and my question is why is it standard, why should it be done? Just because something is standard doesn’t mean it makes sense, could you explain why it should be done?
Most barbers are independent and have to rent a booth from another business. The business usually sets the prices. So, they can’t just adjust their prices accordingly. Also, out of the $20 you pay them, they have to pay a portion back to cover booth rent, buy materials, pay for healthcare, etc. Tip is often their actual wage after costs.
I tip barbers, but I often wonder why tipping is a thing for barbers? Are they paid less than minimum wage? Since they have to have a license, I’m assuming they are not paid beneath minimum wage.
This actually seems a more appropriate time to tip? I’m a guy, I have a simple haircut. There are probably a dozen people on my block that that could do a suitable job giving me a haircut and for an actual barber I’m usually not more than 10-15 minutes in the chair. I go in, I say the same thing just about every time like you’re ordering a cheeseburger at McDonald’s, and my cut is about that level of difficulty.
My wife getting a $200-$300 cut and color is a half day long activity, at the least. She goes to someone who actually went to school for this shit, and then serves as a de facto entertainer for hours. Unlike my barber, who can turn over his chair every 10-15 minutes, the stylist doing my wife’s hair is spending 3-5 hours with her, and they approach the thing almost more like a collaborative project.
If the barber charges $15, I’d give them a 20 and call it a day. I am not going to be a cheap piece of shit for $5 if the barber does a good job. It isn’t just the hair cutting - it is typically a whole experience. They chat you up, they sometimes shave your face. It has been the tradition that barbers keep their prices low with the expectation that the tip itself brings their dollars-per-hour to a reasonable level. I’m not going to break that tradition if I went to one. But then again, I’ve been cutting my own hair for some 15 years now.
Also the way many barbershops are structured is that the barber rents out a chair at the shop. Not sure if they pay the shop per customer or by the hour, but it could very well be that the shop makes $5 out of that $15, so then only $10 goes to the barber plus whatever tip you give them. I do not claim to know the ins-and-outs of their cost structure so my numbers could be off, but I do know it is something like that.
Rounding out your cost to the nearest $5-10 can make sense. Especially when it’s an exact amount like $23 I’ll give them $25 because it’s just easier, but when you say tip the common amount of a tip is 15-25% would have you tip $3.50-5.75 on that $23 haircut. That’s more than I’ve ever tipped them because I’m already paying over $20 for something they completed in ~20 minutes without using anything that would cost them money (other than time).
Paying for the experience is not what I’m paying for, I’m paying for the service. Going to the movies I don’t tip the concession stand for providing me with the “movie experience” when they give me popcorn. And anytime they do extra stuff like shaving my face it costs extra. The haircut costs X amount and anything extra adds Y amount, it’s a service the same as all other services.
You are correct in that typically hair salons and barber shops will rent out the chairs to barbers, but this is done in 1 of 2 ways typically, the barber pays per month and they keep all of the money they make, or they pay a portion of every customer. Why does this matter to you as the consumer? If the barber isn’t making enough, the prices can increase. My local barbershop increased prices 2 times in the last 4 years. If they’re supposed to make their money on tips why is this? Their costs to run the business haven’t gone up because they don’t use anything to perform the service, so it must be to pay the barbers a better amount. Something that wouldn’t happen if it’s “meant to be a tipped position”.
If the barber charged $20 or the barber charged $15 with some kind of “expected” tip, fundamentally what is the difference?
Hair cutting is one of those professions, which traditionally (at least in the US) some form of tip is expected for a good job. That extra couple of bucks that one gives for a good haircut is well worth it to build that relationship. They might squeeze you in on an otherwise busy day if you have an interview the next day, or something along those lines. You can claim all you want that you aren’t paying for an experience, but the reality is that you are. The cut itself is only part of the whole process. The vibe of the shop - the music they might play or the game they are playing on the TV. Or maybe the opposite. Maybe it is a quiet place and you can go in there and relax in silence for a bit. It is all part of the experience. When I used to actually get my hair cut, it was probably once a month. That extra $5 means nothing to me in the end. If $60/year worth of tips is too much for some, then they might want to look at cutting their own hair.
I don’t understand why people are arguing this point. If collectively barbers said they are raising their rates but tipping isn’t needed anymore, than that would be great, but that’s not reality. Until that happens, I absolutely would tip a good barber and not think twice about it.
It doesn’t make sense to you because you’re reasonable and half the people in this thread are cheap and selfish. I’ve seen people say they don’t even tip their bartenders.
I don’t understand how it’s “cheap and selfish” to go to a bar, see that it says $7 for a drink on the menu, and choose to pay $7 for the drink that says $7 on the menu.
As a customer, it’s not my responsibility to know nor care how much the employee of the business makes. I see a sticker price for the thing I want, and I pay that price. What’s “selfish and cheap” about that?
I bet the same people who don’t want to tip, are also the same type of people screaming for $15/hr pay for no-skill jobs. Yet they don’t want to pay people who have learned a marketable skill their fair share?! They can complain about tipping till the cows come home, but if the system in place now mean their income is based on getting a certain amount from tips, then arguing about tipping these people means you’re a cheapskate.
Can you explain tipping a barber? A barber preforms a service that requires almost no one-time use products to complete and the service is done entirely, or almost entirely, by a single person. When barbers charge $15+ for a hair cut why should you be tipping them on top of that? The cost includes any work being done.
The main argument for tipping wait-staff is that the service they provide is additional from the kitchen (kitchen makes the food), and purely provides a service that is separate to the food (hence why I would argue tipping wait-staff is something that could be acceptable).
Barbers do have costs in performing their work but that can be reflected in the price, any tips to that is the same as tipping lawn care providers, car wash employees, etc.
I’m pretty sure you are overthinking this.
P.S. You sound like a guy with a bad haircut
LMAO
Tipping barbers is standard.
Baristas and the person swiping your credit card for a takeout order is not. Nor the asshole selling you an overpriced T-shirt at a concert. Not your vet or your pet care place.
Yes, and my question is why is it standard, why should it be done? Just because something is standard doesn’t mean it makes sense, could you explain why it should be done?
Most barbers are independent and have to rent a booth from another business. The business usually sets the prices. So, they can’t just adjust their prices accordingly. Also, out of the $20 you pay them, they have to pay a portion back to cover booth rent, buy materials, pay for healthcare, etc. Tip is often their actual wage after costs.
Is that only barbers’ problem? Why only barbers? What about cosmetic salons or i dunno repair guys etc ?
People tip at salons too
I meant it in context of OP. > Barbers can’t change their prices etc
Sounds like they should unionize.
Go help them then
You first.
I tip barbers, but I often wonder why tipping is a thing for barbers? Are they paid less than minimum wage? Since they have to have a license, I’m assuming they are not paid beneath minimum wage.
A lot of the time barbers/stylists are individual businesses renting a chair. They have no minimum wage
Tipping the barber- meh. My wife tipping the stylist on a $300+ bill- insane. “But it’s a cut and color. It’s actually pretty standard”.
I’ve stopped fighting it, but that absolutely crushes my soul every time I see it on the credit card.
This actually seems a more appropriate time to tip? I’m a guy, I have a simple haircut. There are probably a dozen people on my block that that could do a suitable job giving me a haircut and for an actual barber I’m usually not more than 10-15 minutes in the chair. I go in, I say the same thing just about every time like you’re ordering a cheeseburger at McDonald’s, and my cut is about that level of difficulty.
My wife getting a $200-$300 cut and color is a half day long activity, at the least. She goes to someone who actually went to school for this shit, and then serves as a de facto entertainer for hours. Unlike my barber, who can turn over his chair every 10-15 minutes, the stylist doing my wife’s hair is spending 3-5 hours with her, and they approach the thing almost more like a collaborative project.
Where the heck are you still getting haircuts for $15? I want to go to there.
If the barber charges $15, I’d give them a 20 and call it a day. I am not going to be a cheap piece of shit for $5 if the barber does a good job. It isn’t just the hair cutting - it is typically a whole experience. They chat you up, they sometimes shave your face. It has been the tradition that barbers keep their prices low with the expectation that the tip itself brings their dollars-per-hour to a reasonable level. I’m not going to break that tradition if I went to one. But then again, I’ve been cutting my own hair for some 15 years now.
Also the way many barbershops are structured is that the barber rents out a chair at the shop. Not sure if they pay the shop per customer or by the hour, but it could very well be that the shop makes $5 out of that $15, so then only $10 goes to the barber plus whatever tip you give them. I do not claim to know the ins-and-outs of their cost structure so my numbers could be off, but I do know it is something like that.
Rounding out your cost to the nearest $5-10 can make sense. Especially when it’s an exact amount like $23 I’ll give them $25 because it’s just easier, but when you say tip the common amount of a tip is 15-25% would have you tip $3.50-5.75 on that $23 haircut. That’s more than I’ve ever tipped them because I’m already paying over $20 for something they completed in ~20 minutes without using anything that would cost them money (other than time).
Paying for the experience is not what I’m paying for, I’m paying for the service. Going to the movies I don’t tip the concession stand for providing me with the “movie experience” when they give me popcorn. And anytime they do extra stuff like shaving my face it costs extra. The haircut costs X amount and anything extra adds Y amount, it’s a service the same as all other services.
You are correct in that typically hair salons and barber shops will rent out the chairs to barbers, but this is done in 1 of 2 ways typically, the barber pays per month and they keep all of the money they make, or they pay a portion of every customer. Why does this matter to you as the consumer? If the barber isn’t making enough, the prices can increase. My local barbershop increased prices 2 times in the last 4 years. If they’re supposed to make their money on tips why is this? Their costs to run the business haven’t gone up because they don’t use anything to perform the service, so it must be to pay the barbers a better amount. Something that wouldn’t happen if it’s “meant to be a tipped position”.
If the barber charged $20 or the barber charged $15 with some kind of “expected” tip, fundamentally what is the difference?
Hair cutting is one of those professions, which traditionally (at least in the US) some form of tip is expected for a good job. That extra couple of bucks that one gives for a good haircut is well worth it to build that relationship. They might squeeze you in on an otherwise busy day if you have an interview the next day, or something along those lines. You can claim all you want that you aren’t paying for an experience, but the reality is that you are. The cut itself is only part of the whole process. The vibe of the shop - the music they might play or the game they are playing on the TV. Or maybe the opposite. Maybe it is a quiet place and you can go in there and relax in silence for a bit. It is all part of the experience. When I used to actually get my hair cut, it was probably once a month. That extra $5 means nothing to me in the end. If $60/year worth of tips is too much for some, then they might want to look at cutting their own hair.
I don’t understand why people are arguing this point. If collectively barbers said they are raising their rates but tipping isn’t needed anymore, than that would be great, but that’s not reality. Until that happens, I absolutely would tip a good barber and not think twice about it.
It doesn’t make sense to you because you’re reasonable and half the people in this thread are cheap and selfish. I’ve seen people say they don’t even tip their bartenders.
I don’t understand how it’s “cheap and selfish” to go to a bar, see that it says $7 for a drink on the menu, and choose to pay $7 for the drink that says $7 on the menu.
As a customer, it’s not my responsibility to know nor care how much the employee of the business makes. I see a sticker price for the thing I want, and I pay that price. What’s “selfish and cheap” about that?
It’s bizarre isn’t it?
I bet the same people who don’t want to tip, are also the same type of people screaming for $15/hr pay for no-skill jobs. Yet they don’t want to pay people who have learned a marketable skill their fair share?! They can complain about tipping till the cows come home, but if the system in place now mean their income is based on getting a certain amount from tips, then arguing about tipping these people means you’re a cheapskate.