Nail salons requesting tips

baby12x

Wed, Oct 28 2020, 2:15 am

allthingsblue wrote:

It's the way of the world.
The way of the world is that in some businesses, employers pay their employees. In other businesses, customers are expected to tip, and employers and employees count on that. Consider it part of the cost of the manicure. (Like sales tax or shipping etc)

It's not the way of the world. It's the way of America.
Most other countries have a minimum wage that doesn't exclude service workers

watergirl

Wed, Oct 28 2020, 7:42 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I hear you, but then what exactly is my original payment going to?
If the prices are lower because you’re tipping the staff then it’s one thing. But I’m basically paying the owner of the business who doesn’t pay their employees and then paying the employee as well.
It’s mind boggling

The nail industry has not so recently been exposed on the internet for the third world practices here in the States.

Who is your payment going to? The owner. The technicians have to pay the owner for the privilege of using the table, supplies, and space. Often, they all live in tiny dorm-like apartments and are also indebted for the cost of the apartment, etc. It is literally indentured servitude in this day and age, in the modern world. The nice lady who sits for 9 hours a day doing nails is not getting the money you pay and she very likely has to fork over her tips also.

If you do not want to participate in this culture, you need to go to a different kind of place to get your nails done. You have to research where near you, has more fair practices.

But know that even in high-end salons, including hair salons, the technician is paying rent to the owner to use the chair and station. They make pennies on the dollar.

I know you don't like it, but that is the way its set up in this country.

Where I live, there are a number of frum women who are licensed and do this from legal salons in their homes. I prefer going to these women and knowing they are keeping every cent, and I am supporting a frum family.

amother

Seagreen

Wed, Oct 28 2020, 7:45 am

singleagain wrote:

because flight attendants are actually paid more than a minimum wage whereas other service industries are not

Right.
So basically, tipping, which used to be a way to "thank" for very good service and would incentivise the worker to go above and beyond, has now morphed into a way for the typical customer (regardless of income) to subsidize the employee's poor salary.
Nothing to do with service anymore.
So, my mother has a very low income as a receptionist. I think people need to start tipping her as well, when they come to her window. To make up for her low wages. Even if they get low wages themselves. Because thats what tipping has become.

Amarante

Wed, Oct 28 2020, 9:52 pm

The minimum tip for a salon service is 15% and 20% is not exceptionally high.

If you are tipping $1 for a manicure - whatever the price - you are certainly not doing anything to dispel certain stereotypes.

That the salon owner has to point out what a standard tip should be speaks to the clientele not following customary norms of tipping.

A tip is part of the price of a salon service just as a tip should be figured into the cost of a restaurant meal. If you can't afford the real price of a service - including the expected normal tip - then you can't really afford the service and are exploiting a poorly paid worker.

EtA - There were a few restaurants who experimented with no tipping policy but raising the cost of food to reflect the higher wages. No one liked it including the staff since many of them made more money through tips. This was in relatively high end restaurants where the bills are high and the clientele in general tips at least 15% to 20% as a minimum. Wine tabs can drive up the tip as well.

Last edited by Amarante on Wed, Oct 28 2020, 10:24 pm; edited 1 time in total

Amarante

Wed, Oct 28 2020, 10:17 pm

amother [ Rose ] wrote:

Never did. How much for small order?

Of course you tip for food delivery.

I am not sure what you mean by a small order - but I couldn't conceive of tipping someone who was delivering to me less than $5 and that would depend on what was involved in the delivery - was it a long distance drive from the store?

For my food deliveries from Instacart, I tip 20% of the total but my orders are generally large enough so that the tip is much more than $5.

I tip the same amount as I would in a restaurant since the delivery person is doing as much as a wait person - he is driving to my home and delivering the food and then driving back.

These people also depend on tips to earn a living just as delivery people for services like Instacart depend on tips.

Many people prefer tips since theoretically you can reward exemplary service. Unfortunately there are some people who take advantage and give no or miserly tips to service people and delivery people.

I occasionally go on a forum frequented by Instacart shoppers and some of the tales they tell of delivering large orders to well kept homes and getting no or a $2 tip. It's really a sad commentary.

In my opinion, not tipping because you are justifying it as making a stand against the system is just a form of justifying your cheapness and bad manners.