There’s a hair design school close to work so I went there for a cut during lunch. It’s cheap, the people get practice, and an instructor looks ocer the finished coif and trims as necessary to get it looking professional.
While paying I wondered if I should tip. I always do at a shop, but not sure at this place because they’re all students. As always, to be safe, I left a few bucks to CMA, but now I’m curious if it’s expected like it is in indy and chain shops.
What say the Dopers?
You could always ask the receptionist or instructor if there is a policy regarding tipping. At the student salon I go to, I know that we are not allowed to tip. If there’s no policy against it, I would assume that it is expected.
The one here where I’m at has a sign at the register that says:
“Tipping is accepted and appreciated”
I only go there to get my ends snipped. I know they need practice but I’m not letting them do any major cutting or chemical work. I have got my brows waxed there too, I can’t fathom paying salon prices for that. I usually tip about two bucks.
What Amazingrace said. If there’s no sign prohibiting it, offer; then if they refuse, at least you’ll know their policy for your next visit. Nothing exorbitant, though. A couple of bucks should do it.
Of course, don’t tip if they manage to do an outrageously bad job on your hair (knock on wood!), although I don’t imagine that they would screw up too badly if they’re supervised.
I always tip, and the students always appreciate it. I get my hair cut and dyed every couple of months, and it costs me about $60. Since I have long, thick hair, it’s quite a bit of work. I’ve tried dying it myself, and I’ve tried going to the “chop shops” like SuperCuts and ProCuts. The students do an excellent job, and I always get pretty good service. The only downside is that I won’t build up a long term relationship with my hair stylist, since she or he is gone in a few months.
I’ve only been unhappy with the results one time, and it was my own fault. I told the stylist that I wanted highlights instead of specifying red highlights. I got blond highlights…on very dark red-brown hair! While it actually looked fashionable, I wasn’t happy with it, and had it redone.