Tipping in the service industry

[Joods]

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. 

So.... my response was basically that salon owners don't offer benefits that her job offers. We don't get retirement options, disability options or healthcare. As a teacher, she isn't working on commission. She isn't required to have a certain percentage of her students earn A's in order for her to earn a living wage. 

As a stylist working in a private salon - I get paid straight commission only. I don't get an hourly wage. I don't get paid if there isn't someone sitting in my chair. I also cannot rent my chair. It's illegal in my state and in the majority of the US, for a cosmetologist to pay for a chair or booth rental. Barbers can do it, but a cosmetologist cannot. Aside from that - let's look at the commission rate: It's less than 50% of the cost for services. Commission on retail sales is even less - usually between 7 and 15% and you only get that if you meet certain service dollar goals. 
We work part time and get no benefits. 

The standard tip for a service in my field is 15 - 20% of the total. 
So if someone wants haircolor and it's $100, the amount I make off of that can be anywhere from $35 to $45 depending on the commission rate. Add a tip of $15 or $20 and I get a minimum total of $50 and I haven't had any taxes taken out of that yet. I might have had to take two hours to do your hair. 
Where I live, total standard deductions on a paycheck are a combined 22%. So, taking 22% out of $50 leaves me with $39 in my pocket. Some might say that's not bad for two hours worth of work, but if I didn't get the tip, then based on a $35 commission job, after taxes, I'd be looking at $27.30 for two hours worth of work. That's $13.65 an hour. 
I didn't go to school and spend $18,000 and have to pay to become licensed in my state, only to end up earning so little. That is not a livable wage when you support five people in your house. So we need and rely on our tips. 

Thoughts here?

[Tiberius]

There are good arguments on both sides of the tipping debate, but can we all at least agree that the state of tipping in America is mostly caused by owners not paying their workers adequate wages?

[Joods]

I think we can agree on that, for the most part. But I would like to debate this a little bit since it impacts me directly.

[Cod]

Should be the customers choice, If I receive good service I tip, if not they can kiss it.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

If a service - ANY service - isn't absolutely horrid, tip 20-25 percent. If you're too goddam cheap to tip, don't buy services .

Boru

[Aroura]

We should fight to make sure wait staff and salon workers and others like them have a living wage and benefits. There is very little tipping here in Germany because those people get those benefits.

But until that happy day, if you don't tip those folks in the US, you are a selfish ass.

[Cod]

We should fight to make sure wait staff and salon workers and others like them have a living wage and benefits. There is very little tipping here in Germany because those people get those benefits.

But until that happy day, if you don't tip those folks in the US, you are a selfish ass.

What, even if they shave half your hair off by mistake?

[Homeless Nutter]

I hate tipping. Partly because I was born in a communist country, where tipping wasn't common and was mostly seen as
a form of bribery - which incidentally was incredibly popular - or charity, or an obnoxious way capitalist pigs flaunt their wealth in the face of the working man... And partly because I work in hospitality and know, that tipping is a scam, run by employers, in order to minimize costs.

As a chef, I used to not have to rely on tips, because when I started out in the industry, I was paid a flat hourly rate, usually quite a bit higher, than national minimum wage. A lot of the front of house staff were paid way below that minimum and they needed tips to survive. Nowadays - most hospitality workers (in the UK, at least) get a substantial part of their pay in the form of a percentage of "tronc", which is essentially a fund into which all tips and service charge goes. Now, that money is usually not guaranteed and it's often not exactly transparent where all of it goes. Every time I was f*cked over on money by my current employer (and many previous) - it had something to do with "tronc" and the way it was managed.

As a punter - I don't enjoy tipping. It makes me feel uneasy, like I'm bribing someone, or like I'm making a public judgement on their performance. Consequentially - I generally avoid places, where tipping might be expected, unless it's a simple service charge, automatically added to the bill. And as a restaurant worker - I don't really have money to throw around anyway.

[Chad32]

If you know someone is getting paid below minimum wage, then unless the service was bad, tip. Especially tip if you come there regularly, and see the same person almost every time. Granted everyone should be paid a living wage regardless, but for now, tip. I don't know all the jobs where it's legal to pay below minimum wage, though.

[Mr.Obvious]

Tipping is odd to me.
Not The best frame of reference, Apologies.