Do you tip for nails or hair in uk?

I do tip the lady who cuts my hair because she comes to me and only ever charges about 10-15pounds.  I don't think I would tip if I went to a salon and paid a lot more.

but all it encourages is a kind of craven subservience and fake friendliness that I find cringeworthy.


I digress a bit, but my point is that tipping is no guarantee of quality service, but it is a guarantee of poorly paid, stressed service workers who feel they need to debase themselves just to make a living. I'd rather pay more for my food, haircut, taxi, whatever, and have the people who serve me paid decent wages that allow them self-respect.

That's completely the opposite of my experience as a tipped employee.  The tips I earned made me one of the best paid people in the whole hotel, and consequently it was a great job and I was happy as a clam.  Of course there was subservience, that goes with any service job and never bothered me, but the friendliness was genuine because I'm a friendly guy.  And I was so happy with my pocket full of money, how could I be anything less than friendly?  Craven?  I was happy to help anyone, non tippers and kids included.  The tips will flow eventually, why worry about a slight interruption?

Most importantly, I had plenty of self respect.  I had a good job, did it well and was rewarded well. 

I wonder if the difference between our outlooks on this is cultural.  Aren't you French?  I can see how the French would never accept subservience.  The French     dislike me because I generally walk around smiling, which freaks them out.

No, I'm American, but I speak French and prefer their style of customer service. I hate how over-the-top cheerful and overattentive American servers are, for instance. In France, they bring you your food and leave you alone, and if you're obnoxious or abusive they tell you to piss off.

Now, you say that in your hotel job you were friendly because you're a friendly guy. So you would have been friendly without tips, right? Because that's who you are. Was money your only motivation to do your job well? And if so, wouldn't it have served the same purpose if you were paid better in salary but weren't tipped?

Loads of people do tough jobs for low wages and no tips. They do their jobs well because they want to or because they have to, but the idea that customers need to tip generously just to get a basic level of service is really distasteful to me. I don't want bells and whistles from service people, I just want competence, and if competence costs extra then there's something very wrong with the system.

FWIW, I feel the same about bonuses for bankers and stockbrokers, etc. If money is your sole motivation for doing your job well, then you're in the wrong line of work. 

I'm getting busy at work so I can't respond as much as I would like, but I had to comment on your last paragraph.

In my current job, I look over historical reports from banks to make sure that they reported everything correctly to the financial regulator.   As much as I love Goldman Sachs, that would not be my hobby.  How would anyone be motivated to do that if they weren't being paid? 

I'm actually motivated quite a lot by money for all the jobs I've ever done.  If I want happiness, I'll spend time with my family.  I understand other people think differently about that, I think those people are often exploited.

I've never had my nails done either.



Though I'd agree with those who say tipping shouldn't be necessary and can even be pernicious, it's way down my personal list of things that are wrong with the world, and I've yet to meet an insulted tipee, unless the amount was so great and unexpected it rendered them mute. I tipped the postman today, who accepted it cheerfully; he's just as cheerful in years he hasn't been given a card with money inside. (He's almost certainly better paid than I am.) I suppose I did it because we have a bloody long driveway. Also tip the woman who cuts my hair, who puts it in a jar to be shared by all. The money, not my hair.

FWIW, I feel the same about bonuses for bankers and stockbrokers, etc. If money is your sole motivation for doing your job well, then you're in the wrong line of work.

This gets under my skin the same way those "if you're unhappy, quit your job and travel the world!" posts I see all over Facebook. Doing work you love is a privilege many people in the world don't have. They're just trying to make ends meet.

Anyway, I tried tipping my hair stylist when I moved here and he looked at me like I was crazy. I still feel weird not doing it, but there's no option when I pay by credit card. I don't mind tipping so much but I get annoyed when "service charges" are added and you have to opt-out. My husband and I were out to a nice dinner, just the two of us, and when we got the bill the server said there had been a 10% service charge added, were we okay with that? My husband got really annoyed (the service had been average) and said no, take it off. The server looked a little shocked, I wonder how many British people would decline!

My husband and I were out to a nice dinner, just the two of us, and when we got the bill the server said there had been a 10% service charge added, were we okay with that? My husband got really annoyed (the service had been average) and said no, take it off. The server looked a little shocked, I wonder how many British people would decline!

I've been to more than one dinner where the British person has requested the service charge removed.  What kills me is that every time, it's been on the company's dime.  WHO CARES?!?  Ugh, it creates such a scene too. (At least when it's a group for a corporate meal).

I've been to more than one dinner where the British person has requested the service charge removed.  What kills me is that every time, it's been on the company's dime.  WHO CARES?!?  Ugh, it creates such a scene too. (At least when it's a group for a corporate meal).

That's crazy.  If I get US style waitress service, I tip for it. 

I used to work with a guy who didn't drink and whenever we paid a bill communally, he would pay less since he thought he shouldn't pay for alcohol.  Trouble was, he was taking part of the tip.  He was King jerk.

That's crazy.  If I get US style waitress service, I tip for it. 

I used to work with a guy who didn't drink and whenever we paid a bill communally, he would pay less since he thought he shouldn't pay for alcohol.  Trouble was, he was taking part of the tip.  He was King jerk.

Bon retour parmi nous! We were worried you would say hang it all and stay!

It always leaves me feeling awkward a bit and second guessing whether or not I did the right thing, but I've asked several of my peers (who are not in the same friend circle o anything) whether or not they tip hairdressers and decided not to tip either as all of them replied with "No, we don't tip everybody in this country". Not sure if maybe there's varying answers because different areas of the country have different expectations or if it's really a "whatever you're raised with" thing but I've always been told since moving here (by brit-born people) that hairdressers get paid a normal salary (and don't necessarily have to pay chair fees like they do in the US - obviously salon dependent) and therefore aren't living off tips and that they get paid a lot so you don't need to pay them extra to do their job. I always feel like maybe I haven't done enough and I should've tipped but I never end up doing it (especially as I know how much supplies cost because I used to do it myself before getting a mobile hair dresser and she basically charges for her time and doesn't even clean up the area she's used - I.E. I sweep my hair off the floor after she leaves).

Huh. This now explains why the hairdresser was so incredibly grateful and shocked when I left her £20. (I did say it was Christmas and she should keep it - plus I was really happy to have had the cut/style/colour I was looking for. I've been desperate to find a hairdresser that could/would do things to my hair that I used to have in the US)...

Huh. This now explains why the hairdresser was so incredibly grateful and shocked when I left her £20. (I did say it was Christmas and she should keep it - plus I was really happy to have had the cut/style/colour I was looking for. I've been desperate to find a hairdresser that could/would do things to my hair that I used to have in the US)...

To be fair, I think some of the people who told me not to tip said they *will* do it if it's a holiday treat or something like that (with a hairdresser they've been with for a while or one who's gone above and beyond. It's just not what they would normally do or is expected).

To be fair, I think some of the people who told me not to tip said they *will* do it if it's a holiday treat or something like that (with a hairdresser they've been with for a while or one who's gone above and beyond. It's just not what they would normally do or is expected).

Yes, I was really shocked when my in-laws were telling me that I had to tip the postman!

Yes, I was really shocked when my in-laws were telling me that I had to tip the postman!

Woah! Never heard of doing that over here..I know visiting the US at Christmas I heard some ridiculous lists of who needed to be tipped and it just gets WAY out of hand, but not over here!


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I tip my barber.

To be honest I don't mind. I go in to my barbers, treated to several bottles of beer, watch some of the football while I get my haircut and they do a fantastic job. £12 so I just round up to £15, easy. Pays for the beers