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YATT: tipping dilemma. serious thread

SandEagle

SandEagle

Lifer
ok, normally i get a haircut for $13. i give my barber $20 and tell him to keep the change. $7 tip, normally. been going to him for like 5 years.

today, i received a coupon for a $7 haircut. would it be lame for me to give him $10, which is a $3 tip? would that make me look like a cheap ass? or is he going to expect more?

this fvcking coupon has thrown a wrench in my routine. it has created an unnecessary imbalance in my life. what should i do? serious responses only, please.
 
Schfifty Five said:
C'mon, SE, I know you like to act stupid on these boards, but is it that hard to add $7 + $7 tip = $14 total?
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a 100% tip? cmon SF, even the 1%rs dont do this. be serious too, i dont act stupid. im a man of compromise. i may do $6, but $7 is out of the question. there are principalities involved.
 
SandEagle said:
a 100% tip? cmon SF, even the 1%rs dont do this. be serious too, i dont act stupid. im a man of compromise. i may do $6, but $7 is out of the question. there are principalities involved.
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This is where percentage based tipping falls apart. Either he did a $7 job, or he didn't. It was worth $7 last month, why not this month? Why not give him an extra dollar since you got free money, and that makes it 2 bills; easy.

I give better tips at Dennys percentage wise than I do at good restaurants. They're still there busting their asses, so I tip what I think it's worth, or at least somewhere close.
 
SandEagle said:
a 100% tip? cmon SF, even the 1%rs dont do this. be serious too, i dont act stupid. im a man of compromise. i may do $6, but $7 is out of the question. there are principalities involved.
Click to expand...
It's only a 100% tip if you think about it in reference to the final price. But if you think about the coupon as a savings, ie $6 off a haircut, then it isn't a 100% tip, it is a ~50% tip based on the cost of the original item and exactly in line with your customary tip. That's why all those groupon restaurant savings make sure to point out that you're supposed to base your tip amount on your bill prior to the coupon being applied, not after the deduction has been calculated.
 
You usually give a 50% tip, stick with that. It's fine. Give him $11.

As for 'why should he get less tip', that's how sales work.

Edit: Or go with Atomic Playboy's version. It's fine also.

You might want to give more just to be generous since you see him a lot. Matter of preference.
 
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Tipping is not a dilemma. 15% for normal service. 20% for exceptional service. 0% for substandard service. That is for everything. Waiters, barbers, pizza delivery, cabs, hookers. Everything.

Your life is so much happier when you adopt that attitude than agonizing about whether you gave too much or too little.
 
A 50% tip? Wow!

My haircut costs $12, and I give him a $3 tip. At 25% it should be enough. There's a reason I go to the plainly named 'Barber' and not the fancily named '..... Hair Salon' : to save money!

As for your dilemma, I'd think the coupon was a way for you to save money, not for you to shortchange the guy. Value-of-Coupon + $7 = the price you pay; now what's his service worth to you?
 
Screw your barber. I hate businesses that offer better deals to entice new customers while shafting the faithful older ones. See: cable, phone companies etc.

Its like you're subsidizing these new people with your money.
 
this is why i changed my hairstyle so I can easily "flowbee" it myself with a Remington. God I hated going out just for a haircut so often. It was only $6.25 but that's not the point.
 
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