Tipping in the service industry

[Seraphina]

Heated debate going on right now between myself and a friend of a friend on Facebook about this very topic. She believes that aside from the food service industry, places like salons, shouldn't have tipping. She feels that there should be one set price to pay and that's that. She says that because she's a teacher, she doesn't get tips to do her job so why should someone who cuts hair for a living. 

I agree with Tibs and others who commented that workers should simply be paid a fair wage and we wouldn't need to have these discussions on tipping. I do tip around 20% to service workers. They work hard and depend on those tips.

That being said, on a slightly off-topic note, it's odd that a teacher is making the argument that since she doesn't get tips, nobody else should either. If she's a teacher, she gets 3 months including summers off every year, tenure, a pension, health insurance, union protections, I could go on. Just strange that a teacher is arguing for nickel and diming and not tipping service workers like you.

-Teresa