Tipping in the service industry

[Joods]

Is it worth my time asking about cold nipples?

Not really...

---

I didn't spend $18,000 to go to school to get a license only to earn minimum wage so I quit working there. It just wasn't a place where I felt I could grow and make better money.

Can't you set up your own business as a mobile hairdresser? Get some regulars and Bob's your uncle.

A mobile salon in my state is illegal unless you have a brick and mortar business to trace the receipts back to. Also - for legality reasons, the requirements necessary for a mobile salon just wouldn't make it profitable. Now a days, the start up costs for a salon runs somewhere around $200,000.

[Cod]

Not really...

---

Can't you set up your own business as a mobile hairdresser? Get some regulars and Bob's your uncle.

A mobile salon in my state is illegal unless you have a brick and mortar business to trace the receipts back to. Also - for legality reasons, the requirements necessary for a mobile salon just wouldn't make it profitable. Now a days, the start up costs for a salon runs somewhere around $200,000.

Jesus... I guess not then.

[julep]

I probably overtip. If I spend $40 on a haircut I give $20 as a tip. I hate everything about getting a haircut (sensory and control issues), so I put them off as much as possible, and then I overcompensate, I think.

[Figbash]

I am not a fan of tipping for a few reasons:

1. International visitors may not know the tipping customs and workers are (unintentionally) shorted.

2. I can't tell who is relying on tips. Unless there is a tip jar in my face, how do I know who to tip? It shouldn't be the customer's job to guess.

3. It perpetuates the business model of underpaying workers rather than paying them a decent living wage.

That said, I definitely tip because it is still the custom. I know the workers rely on it - and I am not an asshole.

[Aroura]

Hey Joods, quick question. Friend of mine over here recently got a pedicure, and the lady cut her foot quite badly with the blade she was using to scrape off dead skin. She's limping around today, but didn't need stitches or anything. They still charged her fully for the service. Is that normal? Should she do anything?

Side note, I admire people who do these jobs. No way I'm scraping dead skin off some strangers foot. Urg.

[Ivan Denisovich]

I don't like tipping at all as idea of additional pay for doing one job is hard to understand for me. It's not my fault that boss underpay his workers. Having said that I don't frequent restaurants so it's a moot point.

[Joods]

Hey Joods, quick question. Friend of mine over here recently got a pedicure, and the lady cut her foot quite badly with the blade she was using to scrape off dead skin. She's limping around today, but didn't need stitches or anything. They still charged her fully for the service. Is that normal? Should she do anything?

Side note, I admire people who do these jobs. No way I'm scraping dead skin off some strangers foot. Urg.

Feet are gross. While I'm trained to do mani's and pedi's, I won't. I hate feet. Especially other people's feet. 

I'm assuming blood surfaced. The service should have stopped immediately and she should not have paid for it. She could file a complaint against the salon and the worker but I don't know if there's a licensing bureau where you are. Definitely something worth looking into, I think. If you have details from your friend as to how they proceeded to handle the cut, it might be wise to write those details down as a major infraction might have occurred. 

If she's still limping about, she should get to a doctor to have the cut properly cleaned and looked at.

[Bob Kelso]

Like most things, there’s nuance to be had here. If you’re living in a wealthy city, or suburbia -where the financial landscape is sound- and everyone from sweet little Jane to Grandpa Max has money to blow, expecting a tip is valid to me.

On the flip side, if you’re living in a city or town with government and otherwise low-income housing dominating the area? Then you are simply in the wrong area to be in a tip heavy industry. Find a different location to work from, or find a job where you’re paid hourly wages. The only other recourse is to take what you can get and talk with coworkers about pressuring the boss for hourly wages.

You can talk all you want about selfishness and how “people shouldn’t go to places where tipping is expected”. It doesn’t change the fact that people are gonna do what they can to get by and still enjoy certain things, like enjoying a nice meal without having the funds to tip.

You’d be right if you said it wasn’t fair, but what’s really not fair here? You not earning a livable wage because “reasons” or people snubbing you /doing what they can to get by? No need to kick around at the people who come to you and can’t afford either to tip at all or tip well. They’re probably in the same waters you’re treading. Your justified anger should be directed at the folks in charge.

Just my take on it.

---

---

Personally, I always tip these days... unless you’ve been a total cunt or complete fuck up. I’m not giving you my hard earned cash outside of the standard bill if I feel like the service is awful.

---

[Joods]

I agree about service - if a tip is expected, you should tip based on how well the service was performed.
Where I disagree though is with the fact that if someone can afford to go out to eat, they should still tip something. Too many times I see friends sit there and bitch because they are behind in their utility bills, but we're sitting there eating at a restaurant? How is that prioritizing your money? If you can't pay your light bill then you probably shouldn't be eating out anyway.

[Bob Kelso]

I agree about service - if a tip is expected, you should tip based on how well the service was performed.
Where I disagree though is with the fact that if someone can afford to go out to eat, they should still tip something. Too many times I see friends sit there and bitch because they are behind in their utility bills, but we're sitting there eating at a restaurant? How is that prioritizing your money? If you can't pay your light bill then you probably shouldn't be eating out anyway.

I totally agree, and I don’t spend my cash unwisely for the most part (I hope lol) but again, people do what they do.

Edit: by the way, in my initial post any “you” was in general and not directed at anyone in particular. So I hope you didn’t take it that way.