Tip Or Not At Hairdresser?

[ukrules]

They charge me 80 Baht and I normally just give them 100 and tell them to keep the change.

[Semper]

They charge me 80 Baht and I normally just give them 100 and tell them to keep the change.

According to the avatar, it's time again.

[ExpatJ]

1000 baht hair cuts, 100 baht tip- why pay so much? i normally just go to the most convenient places where i often find myself grocery shopping anyway e.g. emporium, paragon.

Edited April 9, 2012 by ExpatJ

[NewlyMintedThai]

Hair cutter no; shampoo girl yes (20 or 40 baht).

[Dancealot]

Very entertaining thread

tip ⁴ (tp)n.

1. A small sum of money given to someone for performing a service; a gratuity.

2.

Is it a normal to tip at a hairdresser? If someone asks a question like this i ask myself from which cave he came from. Let me put it in another way. Would you tip a car salesman after you bought a car? You would ask a tip from him(discount)! So it all comes down to common sense to me. Some pay B450 and debate if they should tip because deep down inside they know the price is ridiculous.

Others who pay B50-100 allow themselves have the freedom of thinking about the small sum of money given to someone for performing a service.

IMHO it's all about personal freedom and i am with the latter.

[Troyron]

Hair cutter no; shampoo girl yes (20 or 40 baht).

Why tip the person who does the least job on you? Is it because it feels good to get that shampoo massage? I have read that others say the same thou.

[Jingthing]

Maybe it's guilt. Shampoo people get paid less. I can't shake my upbringing on tipping haircutters. For me, its always hard to find someone that does an OK job (price isn't always the determining factor) and when I do, I'm loyal, so not tipping would just seem wrong. With a regular person I hardly need to say a word when I come in about what I want. No stress they are going to make me look more like a gila monster. This is surely worth more.

BTW, I was loyal to my previous 60 baht cutter (raised it to 80) and I'd still be going there except he started acting like a lunatic, smacking my head around like a rag doll, causing flesh wounds on multiple occasions, etc. Plus his shop turned into a red shirt headquarters. Just too much ...

Edited April 9, 2012 by Jingthing

[NewlyMintedThai]

Hair cutter no; shampoo girl yes (20 or 40 baht).

Why tip the person who does the least job on you? Is it because it feels good to get that shampoo massage? I have read that others say the same thou.

Because the haircutter is often the shop owner, or takes a cut of the business, whereas the shampoo girl is usually just on a (very low) salary.

[Bangkokhatter]

Maybe it's guilt. Shampoo people get paid less. I can't shake my upbringing on tipping haircutters. For me, its always hard to find someone that does an OK job (price isn't always the determining factor) and when I do, I'm loyal, so not tipping would just seem wrong. With a regular person I hardly need to say a word when I come in about what I want. No stress they are going to make me look more like a gila monster. This is surely worth more.

BTW, I was loyal to my previous 60 baht cutter (raised it to 80) and I'd still be going there except he started acting like a lunatic, smacking my head around like a rag doll, causing flesh wounds on multiple occasions, etc. Plus his shop turned into a red shirt headquarters. Just too much ...

must be a hairdresser thing, was in a barbers a couple of years ago, getting me cut, when it all kicked with my barber and 1 of his sitting customers. Wife told me it was all about red shirts and Thaksin.

I obviously left mid haircut, and left no tip

[Troyron]

Hair cutter no; shampoo girl yes (20 or 40 baht).

Why tip the person who does the least job on you? Is it because it feels good to get that shampoo massage? I have read that others say the same thou.

Because the haircutter is often the shop owner, or takes a cut of the business, whereas the shampoo girl is usually just on a (very low) salary.

well surely that is not the case if the larger places, where they have young "trendy" haircutters. The place I went to Hair & Nail (use to be Hair World) at Siam center, had maybe 6-8 cutters. Dont think these guys have a cut, but are on a salary. Surely higher than the shampoogirls, but then again they are normally educated and are the main employees. At those smaller places im sure you are right.

After reading through it all, it seems like most people seem to think its right to give tip. That might be the change or 20 baht or similar. At the higher price range saloons (500 baht or more), many feel its already expensive enough and dont tip. If you leave the change, does that go to the employees, or to the owners?

[NewlyMintedThai]

My haircutter is the shop owner in my case, so I don't feel the need to tip him.

[brit1984]

If you leave the change, does that go to the employees, or to the owners?

It should go to the hairdresser or shampooer who did your hair... but sometimes cheeky owners (or cheeky receptionists) keep it... so better to put the cash in the hand of whoever you want to tip

[Gippy]

If you leave the change, does that go to the employees, or to the owners?

It should go to the hairdresser or shampooer who did your hair... but sometimes cheeky owners (or cheeky receptionists) keep it... so better to put the cash in the hand of whoever you want to tip

Good advice, some of our staff have worked in salons where this happens. Most of our Thai customers will tip both the shampoo girl and stylist but my wife (the owner) rarely receives anything.

In our salon we will pay somebody who can cut hair well at least 50% extra compared to a shampoo girl. In some of the larger places in malls the stylists will be working purely for commision, no salary. Other places will pay a minimum salary topped up by commision once the staff member has brought in a certain amount of income.

In barber shops the standard is no salary with a 60/40 split between owner and staff.