Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Haircuts and tipping

I realize that I am irrational about this but I hate throwing money away on a haircut. I think a haircut should cost $10. Unfortunately, you can't get a haircut for $10 anymore. Even cheap-o places like CostCutters cost $14. And that's just more than I want to spend to have my hair cut. Especially since you have to tip them. I don't understand tips either. I can understand tipping someone who provides really good service as a "thank you", but certain professions have to survive on tips. That's crazy. Restaurants and hair salons ought to pay their employees a decent wage so they don't have to rely on tips to make it. Tips are too subjective. My feeling is if you're worthy of a tip, it's because you did something above and beyond the call of duty. However, I bow to the realities of the situation and tip servers even when they're just doing an average job because I know their damn employers don't pay them enough to make it without tips.

How come librarians who find the perfect book for you don't deserve a tip? What about retail employees who help you find just the right present for Aunt Matilda? The emergency medical technician who saves your wife's life after her heart attack? These people deserve tips but our society says they don't get 'em.

It just makes no sense.

On the upside, my haircut looks damn good.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Just a little thought from an exwaitress...if wait staff and hairsylists were paid enough to go without tips, your meal prices would go up, and your haircut would cost more than $14.
I wouldn't know why other people don't get tipped, but I'm pretty sure if you tried to hand your local librarian a fiver, she might be more nervous than grateful. :)

Chris the Hippie said...

My wife taught me how to tip. She's European. Oddly enough, they don't tip in Europe, which is why she's so conscious of it here...