Proper haircut tip?

[Astro14]

For a barber that spends 10 minutes on my #2 buzz cut, and for which I'm paying $20, I think $5 is a good tip.

Now, when VA was in "lockdown" and barber shops were closed, I happened to "visit" the young man who usually cuts my hair at his home. He cut my hair, and I gave him $50. He wasn't working, money hadn't yet come in from the government, and I thought that was a reasonable "tip" for the circumstances.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Whatever you can spare is a fair tip. When I did tree work, that extra $20 or whatever was really appreciated.

 

[DriveHard]

I would hope a $5 tip for a $20 haircut would be considered good. Then again, I've been buzzing my own since my late 30s. Don't miss the whole barber thing one bit.

This...been buzzing my own hair since age 5 (well my mom did it back then)...never paid for a haircut in my life.

 

[SeaJay]

I suspect most barbers would be over joyed if all of their customers tipped them a flat $5 apiece.

 

[Oildudeny]

My wife tells me I'm behind the times on tipping.
I go to Sport Clips and get the senior haircut for $20.00.
I always tip $5.00.
What do you tip?

$5 sounds fair. Since corona rona I been buzzing my own hair with a 2 clipper. Actually I like it saves me money. Probably won’t pay for a hair cut again unless forced to.

 

[Wolf359]

Y'all, unless you're getting something crazy done to your hair, you can buy the clippers and cut it yourself for a lot less. I think my clippers were $20 on Amazon. That's one hair cut, sans tip. Even if I had to buy a new set every time, I'd still break even. And that doesn't factor in driving to the barber shop.

You can also buy your own dental tools online. Even scalpels for surgery. Law books are online.

I think it's all about skill.

 

[blupupher]

You can also buy your own dental tools online. Even scalpels for surgery. Law books are online.

I think it's all about skill.

Yeah, but the difference between a good hair cut and a bad hair cut is about 2 weeks.

If you are not one that cares about "style", then clippers at home are a great thing.
As said, I have been doing my own hair cuts for 30 years, so even a cheap cut @ $10/cut once a month would have cost me $3,600. Plus add in shampoo, conditioner (I just use soap to clean my head), styling products and time, it gets expensive.
And for me, it is not even about the money. Hair is a nuisance, I wish I would hurry up and go bald.
I can wake up and walk out the door in 2 minutes and look the same as I do if I had been up for hours.
I know it is time for a haircut if my hair has the ability to look "messy".

 

[madeej11]

H ha ha I bet the majority don’t even get that reference.

You did, plus the two posts immediately after you.

 

[jonlandrum]

You can also buy your own dental tools online. Even scalpels for surgery. Law books are online.

I think it's all about skill.

You can even change your own oil if you really want to save some money. But I digress. Your argument is a false comparison. Medical care =/= hair care.

 

[DuckRyder]

5 bucks on a 20.00 haircut is about what I do.

Curious, does your wife think you over or under tip? My wife tips more than that for hers, but her hair cuts are more expensive, less frequent and take longer...

 

[pezzy84]

$10 on a $26 cut at my barber shop.

Despite being back open for months my barber shop that would be packed out on any given Saturday or Sunday is still hurting, this past Sunday it was only 2 barbers working (vs the typical 5-6 barbers working).

 

[4WD]

$10 on a $26 cut at my barber shop.

Despite being back open for months my barber shop that would be packed out on any given Saturday or Sunday is still hurting, this past Sunday it was only 2 barbers working (vs the typical 5-6 barbers working).

There is a place in our Walmart that does women and men. It used to have 6 chairs with 4 cutting. Some waiting
Walked by few days back there were two hairdressers - and they had no customers …

 

[Lubener]

$10 on a $26 cut at my barber shop.

Despite being back open for months my barber shop that would be packed out on any given Saturday or Sunday is still hurting, this past Sunday it was only 2 barbers working (vs the typical 5-6 barbers working).

What type of haircut do you get? Twenty six dollars is out of my affordability , I hope you get a beer with that.

 

[SeaJay]

You can also buy your own dental tools online. Even scalpels for surgery. Law books are online.

I think it's all about skill.

Buzz cuts require minimal, if any skill. The posters cutting their own hair are mostly doing that style.

For sure, there is a fair bit of skill required for other styles.

 

[4WD]

Buzz cuts require minimal, if any skill. The posters cutting their own hair are mostly doing that style.

For sure, there is a fair bit of skill required for other styles.

And there reaches a point where hair loss supports the buzz cut … and denial is not a river …

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

I have had a receding hairline since I was 17. But, it never stopped the hair on top of my head to grow long enough to cover it. Even just recently, at 56, my hair was long. I was tired of messing with it, or waking up looking like a witch. So, I had the High & Tight done. Some call it a BUZZ CUT.
In my case, it's not "DA NILE" (RIVER IN EGYPT), and NOT a Buzz Cut.

 

[BusyLittleShop]

I've cut my own hair since 1972 and it probably looks it... but back then USAF was big on short hair and I was determined to keep it long as possible...

 

[bunnspecial]

I've never gone anywhere but a shop where the guy who cut my hair owned the shop.

For a while, my barber charged $8. I'd usually give him $10(total).

5 years ago, that barber retired. I went to another guy who charged $10, and I'd usually give him anywhere from $12-15. When he reopened after the pandemic, I gave him $20 for my first haircut. Unfortunately, he passed away a few weeks later of a stroke(suspect he'd worked himself to death).

My current one charges $12. He generally gets $15. To be honest, I wish I'd started going to this guy a lot sooner. He only works on appointments, and I'm usually in and out in 20 minutes or less. The previous guys I'd gone to worked on order of arrival. The $8 guy took about 5 minutes for most haircuts. The $10 guy took anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, and usually the more people waiting the longer a haircut would take since he had more people to talk to. My last trip there, with the "waiting area" stretching down the sidewalk(covered) took about 3 hours.

 

[pezzy84]

What type of haircut do you get? Twenty six dollars is out of my affordability , I hope you get a beer with that.

They used to have complimentary beverages (beer, hard cider and hard seltzers) but that went away with covid as well. $26 is about low end of the typical range around here but doesn't include a neck shave, the ~$30 barbers have the neck shave and hot towel treatment. I wanted a straight razor shave when I went this past Sunday but they have not yet resumed shaving services so having to keep on keeping on with my Mach 3.

 

[measureman]

I just remembered a funny story about tipping.
My whole family went to a high end Asian restaurant. (pre covid) there was about 12 of us.
So between all the food and Sake the bill came to about $400.00.
My son and daughter paid for it.
They left the two servers $100 tip.
No one noticed that a large group like ours a mandatory 18 % tip was added to the bill already.
The two servers made out.
When we found out we all got a big laugh out of it.
And my kids can easily afford it.
But on the up side the service and food were excellent.
And the hot sake was even better.