Was I supposed to tip?

[Jean in Newcastle]

I grew up in a non tipping country so tipping is always a mystery for me. Anyway, I hired a guy on Thumbtack to tune up/fix my lawnmower. When it came time to pay, he told me the total and took my credit card and emailed me a receipt. Was I supposed to tip?  Unless I hunted down some cash there wasn’t the opportunity to tip. He did ask for a good review, which I gladly gave him. 

[Forget-Me-Not]

I wouldn’t have tipped in that situation either. 

[prairiewindmomma]

No. Not even under the new crazy tipping culture.

[Just Kate]

Nope, I don’t think so. 

[regentrude]

No. Self employed,  he can charge whatever he feels his service is worth.

[QueenCat]

Nope

[heartlikealion]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

No. Self employed,  he can charge whatever he feels his service is worth.

See, I can go either way on this... because I tip a hair dresser that works from her home. 

Edited May 3, 2023 by heartlikealion

[Grace Hopper]

I would not have tipped. 

[Katy]

I don’t think you EVER need to tip the owner of any business. Eta: also a good review will make him much more money than any tip would

Edited May 3, 2023 by Katy

[Heartstrings]

“Should I have tipped?” Is a CONSTANT question in my head.   I never know. I hate it. 

[Clarita]

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

See, I can go either way on this... because I tip a hair dresser that works from her home. 

GAHH!!

I thought this is more akin to like a contractor, like I don't tip my electrician/plumber/granite installer. They just give me a project cost or hourly rate, or were we suppose to be tipping them too.

[heartlikealion]

12 hours ago, Clarita said:

GAHH!!

I thought this is more akin to like a contractor, like I don't tip my electrician/plumber/granite installer. They just give me a project cost or hourly rate, or were we suppose to be tipping them too.

In this thread I can understand no tipping. For the hair dresser example I used, it never crossed my mind to base it on owner or not. And it just feels “nice” to tip, and cheap not to, especially since most of her services are affordable compared to other places. 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Great timing. I am going to a hair dresser today who just left her long time salon and opened her own business. She has raised her rates; I assume to help defray overhead. Since she is setting her prices and is the only one in her new salon, should I also tip? Her prices have gone up about 15%.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I wouldn't have tipped the lawnmower guy. 

I own my own business and string tennis racquets as a service. I rarely get a tip; even when it's an emergency stringing and I get it back to the player within the hour.

[Corbster98]

No tip from me either. 

[Corbster98]

3 hours ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

Great timing. I am going to a hair dresser today who just left her long time salon and opened her own business. She has raised her rates; I assume to help defray overhead. Since she is setting her prices and is the only one in her new salon, should I also tip? Her prices have gone up about 15%.

I just recently had my hair cut with a new to me hairdresser... $65 for a wash/ cut. I tipped but felt that the charge is more than adequate without a tip on top. Not sure why we are 'supposed' to tip hairdressers here in the US anyway.

[Grace Hopper]

16 hours ago, Clarita said:

GAHH!!

I thought this is more akin to like a contractor, like I don't tip my electrician/plumber/granite installer. They just give me a project cost or hourly rate, or were we suppose to be tipping them too.

At most for contracted labor, cold water bottles are enough. 

[heartlikealion]

41 minutes ago, Corbster98 said:

I just recently had my hair cut with a new to me hairdresser... $65 for a wash/ cut. I tipped but felt that the charge is more than adequate without a tip on top. Not sure why we are 'supposed' to tip hairdressers here in the US anyway.

I often wash my hair before an appt and the charge is the same at some places. I’ve paid $100 for a hair cut before and they still didn’t get it right. My hair is difficult in the back. 

[Spryte]

19 hours ago, Katy said:

I don’t think you EVER need to tip the owner of any business. Eta: also a good review will make him much more money than any tip would

This is how I always thought. I generally tipped employees but not the business owner. (With a few exceptions — we tip our hair stylist even though she was the owner, our cleaners, and the lawn guys — because we think they go above and beyond.)

I posted a thread about tipping the mobile groomer (whose prices are sky high), who owns her company and sets the prices — and IIRC the consensus was that I should tip her even though she’s the owner. FWIW, I ended up not using her again, and doggo is going to a salon that’s less than 2/3 her price (even with a tip). I could not afford her prices plus a tip, yikes.

I really find tipping confusing at times, lately. I’m generally tipping anyone who does a service for us at this point.

Edited May 4, 2023 by Spryte

[heartlikealion]

22 minutes ago, Spryte said:

This is how I always thought. I generally tipped employees but not the business owner. (With a few exceptions — we tip our hair stylist even though she was the owner, our cleaners, and the lawn guys — because we think they go above and beyond.)

I posted a thread about tipping the mobile groomer (whose prices are sky high), who owns her company and sets the prices — and IIRC the consensus was that I should tip her even though she’s the owner. FWIW, I ended up not using her again, and doggo is going to a salon that’s less than 2/3 her price (even with a tip). I could not afford her prices plus a tip, yikes.

I really find tipping confusing at times, lately. I’m generally tipping anyone who does a service for us at this point.

My best friend owns her own dog grooming company and I think kinda expects some sort of tip (or at least prompt payment lol some clients forget to pay immediately. They aren’t always home I think during the house calls). 

[Spryte]

1 minute ago, heartlikealion said:

My best friend owns her own dog grooming company and I think kinda expects some sort of tip (or at least prompt payment lol some clients forget to pay immediately. They aren’t always home I think during the house calls). 

Oh, we pay immediately, at the door. Promptness is not an issue.

But she’s definitely priced herself out of my range to use every four weeks and tip 20%. Our old mobile groomer was $80 plus tip. Our dog salon is $70 plus tip. But the one I can’t justify is $120 before tip. Since she’s the owner, I wondered if she was pricing high since people were not tipping her, or if she expected 20% on top of that. Regardless, we dropped her.

[heartlikealion]

10 minutes ago, Spryte said:

Oh, we pay immediately, at the door. Promptness is not an issue.

But she’s definitely priced herself out of my range to use every four weeks and tip 20%. Our old mobile groomer was $80 plus tip. Our dog salon is $70 plus tip. But the one I can’t justify is $120 before tip. Since she’s the owner, I wondered if she was pricing high since people were not tipping her, or if she expected 20% on top of that. Regardless, we dropped her.

My friend was charging around $70 at one point and may have had to raise rates a bit since but definitely reasonable for her area. And many of her clients are well off. I agree $120 sounds steep. 

[Terabith]

I grew up in the US, but I'm currently very confused about when I'm supposed to tip.  Every restaurant, even Subway and the ice cream store, where there's no real service, asks for tips.  I pretty much always give one when asked, but I am both confused and kinda salty about it.

I will say that when I became a grown up, I probably didn't tip people I was supposed to because I didn't know.  Like I knew about tipping servers in restaurants, but I was a few years into adulthood before I realized I was supposed to tip at hair cutting places like Great Clips.  I just thought it was like the dentist, where the price was the price.  

It's deeply confusing and it's been something I've tried to be more aware of teaching my kids, down to writing down a list of situations in which you're expected to tip, but the new tipping culture with fast food places has made some of those things I told them out to be lies.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

6 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

I often wash my hair before an appt and the charge is the same at some places. I’ve paid $100 for a hair cut before and they still didn’t get it right. My hair is difficult in the back. 

Well you obviously have money I  don’t have. I carefully budget my money. The money for this lawnmower service (and my once a year haircut) are carefully budgeted. I do tip at my much more modest hair salon but I budget with that in mind. 

[heartlikealion]

22 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Well you obviously have money I  don’t have. I carefully budget my money. The money for this lawnmower service (and my once a year haircut) are carefully budgeted. I do tip at my much more modest hair salon but I budget with that in mind. 

No, not at all!! I seldom get my hair cut and that dumb $100 cut was because xh booked it and clearly didn’t research their prices. 

There's literally a huge thread where I’m talking about job hunting and I’m on waiting lists for low income housing. 

[heartlikealion]

2 hours ago, Terabith said:

I grew up in the US, but I'm currently very confused about when I'm supposed to tip.  Every restaurant, even Subway and the ice cream store, where there's no real service, asks for tips.  I pretty much always give one when asked, but I am both confused and kinda salty about it.

I will say that when I became a grown up, I probably didn't tip people I was supposed to because I didn't know.  Like I knew about tipping servers in restaurants, but I was a few years into adulthood before I realized I was supposed to tip at hair cutting places like Great Clips.  I just thought it was like the dentist, where the price was the price.  

It's deeply confusing and it's been something I've tried to be more aware of teaching my kids, down to writing down a list of situations in which you're expected to tip, but the new tipping culture with fast food places has made some of those things I told them out to be lies.  

I mostly don’t tip at these random places where the square or whatever program asks for tip. I wanted to patronize a new cookie shop. Each cookie was pretty pricey and the machine asked if I wanted to tip. I clicked no. I also clicked no at the frozen yogurt shop. It’s self serve!!