Have you ever wondered how much you should tip your barber? Or are you even supposed to tip barbers even after getting the worst service from them? Is it customary for many services in the USA? So many questions in mind, right?
Worry not! I am here with the ultimate goal to guide through your tipping journey for your barber.
How much to tip your barber?
First things first, it is a must to tip your barber in the US because it is not just a bonus for the service they provide to you but a symbol of gratitude for their service as well. Tipping your barber is simply a way of saying “job well done!” As per our research based on people’s concerns on several discussion forums or platforms like Quora, Reddit, Tripadvisor, etc., it is generally expected that you maintain a range of 15%-20% while tipping your barber. You can also tip him more if he performs his job extraordinarily well!
What Are Some Good Reasons to Tip Your Barber?
If you are looking for some reasons for which you should consider tipping your barber, take a quick look to the discussion below –
- Courtesy of the Barber: Courtesy of your barber can make a large impact on you. Being a customer, if you are treated like a guest in the barbershop and your barber does some genuine care of your hair, you should definitely consider tipping the barber for his courtesy.
- If You are a Regular Customer: If you keep coming back to the same barbershop as a regular customer and prefer a particular barber to take care of your hair, you should definitely consider tipping as a good reason. Because, the barber may have other customers in hand but just because of your preference, he is managing some time out of his schedule and has been giving you the service regularly.
- If You Get Some Discount: Even if you get some discount from the barbershop, you should consider tipping according to the same percentage on the regular pricing. Because, the barber has to do the same amount of work that he had to do for the regular pricing and if you have some messy hair, the effort he has to give is certainly higher. So consider tipping for the service in the usual amount in spite of getting a discount.
- When You are Satisfied with the Service: If you find out that you like the style of your hair and the barber did some amazing work with your hair that you are fully satisfied with, consider tipping your barber generously.
- When it is the Holiday Season: During the holiday season, it is generally acceptable to tip the normal cost of a visit to your barber. Because they are working for you to make your hair look better even in their holidays. So consider tipping generously and express your gratitude as well with some gifts or handwritten thank you notes.
Why Does Tipping Your Barber Really Matter?
Now let’s get into the real discussion – why does tipping matter? See, in the US culture, it is an expression of hostility. If you go to a barbershop that offers all the top-of-the-line services, it is more than expected that you pay a decent amount of tip to the guy having these versatile skill sets. This is even more important if you are going to these shops for the first time. Treating the barber with a good amount of tips can also make lasting relationships in some cases.
Top-of-the-Line Services to Count in Every Barbershop
Let us look at some top-of-the-line services that the barbershops offer their clients:
• Professional Braiding
Professional braiding for men can be anything from straight cornrows to long box braids worn up in a man bun. This can even be braided dreadlocks. Many barber shops offer men to opt for the braids and fade combination, with a low, mid, or high fade or undercut around the sides and back with hair concentrated on top. Barbers or professional hair stylists need to take braiding courses for this skill and get certified.
• Straight-Razor Shaves
These can be classic, iconic, and in demand. As straight razor shaves work along the surface of your skin, these eliminate the skin irritation that you might be afraid of. A top-of-the-line straight razor shave can guarantee to set yourself apart from the average barber services.
• Beard & Mustache Trims & Styles
If you consider adding up a next-level barbershop experience to your bucket list, you shouldn’t just end up with just straight razor shapes. Rather, consider adding in styling, trimming, conditioning, oiling, shaping, and even a hot-towel massage. After all, a great barbershop experience is obviously more than just the hair on your head!
• Eyebrow Styling, Trimming & Waxing
An easy, quick, and must-add service in a barbershop can be eyebrow styling, trimming, or waxing. Since men’s brows and facial hair tend to be thicker than those of women, eyebrow trimming and waxing can be trickier for men. However, this is a great option to groom your brows.
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• Customized Designs
For your barber or hair stylist, these designs are all about being up-to-date with the recent styling trends and having the capability to understand your customized choices for your hair. Barbershop owners sometimes hire a supremely skilled barber for catering to their personal needs. And once it is done perfectly on you, this service can become a big dang deal in your barbershop.
• Cuts & Fades
The art, technique, and creativity behind cuts and fades are always evolving in this industry. It’s important for you to evolve as well and that’s why you often opt for this service. The top-of-the-line barber shops consistently look forward to updating this service, keeping in mind the ongoing hair styling trends.
Does tipping vary for different hair stylists?
Now you know that the commonly accepted range of tipping your styler ranges between 15 to 20% at the barbershop. However, if you receive excellent service from your barber, it is better to offer more than just 15-20%, probably 25-30%.
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If we prepare a chart based on the industry standard cost of different barber services and the commonly accepted tipping ranges, we can find a standard variation of how much you should tip different stylers:
| Types of Services | Cost of Services | Tipping Amount (15% to 20%) |
| Professional Braiding | $125 | $18.75 – $25 |
| Straight-Razor Shaves | $60 | $9 – $12 |
| Beard & Mustache Trims & Styles | $25 | $3.75 – $5 |
| Eyebrow Styling, Trimming & Waxing | $20 | $3 – $4 |
| Customized Design | $35 | $5.25 – $7 |
| Cuts & Fades | $29 | $4.35 – $5.8 |
Is $10 a good tip for a barber?
A $10 tip for a barber is a generous amount and considered a good tip, especially if you received excellent service. The appropriate amount to tip can vary based on the cost of the haircut, your satisfaction with the service, and personal preferences. Generally, a 15-20% tip is considered standard for a haircut.
How much do you tip a barber for a $40 haircut?
A common practice for tipping a barber is to tip 15-20% of the cost of the haircut. For a $40 haircut, a 15% tip would be $6 and a 20% tip would be $8. Sometimes The exact amount to tip depends on your personal choice and depends on the quality of service, your personal budget, and the location also.
Is 30% a good tip for a haircut?
30% is a generous tip for a haircut and is considered good. The average tip amount for a haircut is around 15-20% of the total cost, but some people choose to tip more or less based on the quality of the service, the level of expertise of the stylist, and the cost of the service. Tipping is not mandatory, but it is a common way to show gratitude for good service in the beauty and personal care industry.
What is a good tip for a $50 haircut?
In the United States, it is common to tip for personal care services such as haircuts. The amount of the tip is usually determined by the cost of the service and the level of satisfaction with the service received. A general guideline for tipping for a haircut is 15-20% of the total cost. So for a $50 haircut, a good tip would be $7.50-$10. It is important to note that tipping is a personal decision, and the amount should reflect your level of satisfaction with the service received.
How much should you tip your barber on holiday or Christmas?
Now the question comes – what is it like tipping during the holiday season, right? Well, it is generally acceptable to tip the normal cost of a visit to your barber during the holidays. For example, if you are wondering how much to tip a barber for a $25 haircut, it is considered as a good practice to tip them some amount equivalent to $25 before the holiday. Don’t forget to express your gratitude as well to your barber for a year’s worth of great service.
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Include gift items for a lasting relationship
Things might change if you have a close relationship with your stylist or want to include something else with the regular monetary tipping amount. You might also include a small personal gift that reflects his interests or makes him feel special.
Those gifts can be such as:
Barbara Clock or Barber Mug
Scented Candle
Barber Apron
Barber Artwork Sculpture
Barber Mask
Barber Cardholder
Barber Christmas Ornament
Barber T-Shirt
And there are so many others. You just name them!
Tipping practices can vary as per different locations
Depending upon different locations in the U.S., the tipping practices can vary quite significantly. For example, while the general rule is to tip in proportion to the services people get, some Americans don’t tip at buffet restaurants in many locations. But it is generally a good practice to tip $1-2 person for wait staff just clearing several rounds of plates, to as much as 10 percent if the wait staff is refilling drinks and providing other services. This depends on the quality of service being delivered as well.
One recent innovation that is resisted by many Americans is the presence of tip jars at carry-out restaurants. An established guideline advises to tip 10 percent at carry-out restaurants, however, many Americans do not tip for carry-out, even when a tip jar is present. Moreover, tipping at most chain restaurants, such as McDonald’s, is different. Some who do contribute to tip jars put in change or only $1, This actually depends on the size of the order.
Do you tip a barber if he owns the shop?
Yes, it is common to tip a barber even if they own the shop. A barber who owns the shop may still expect a tip because providing a high-quality service is their primary job, regardless of their ownership status. As the owner, they are still providing the service and may still depend on tips as a significant source of income.
Additionally, tipping is a cultural norm in the beauty and personal care industry, and customers may feel obligated to tip regardless of the barber’s ownership status. Tipping is a way to show gratitude for good service and is a personal decision, but it is a common practice in the industry.
Let’s look the other way round: what to do when you are not at all satisfied with your barber’s service?
After discussing all the relatively positive tipping practices, let’s look into the dark side now. While it’s obvious that you may give your barber a big fat tip even in the range of 25-30% for his excellent service, sometimes you may feel not to tip him at all due to very poor service. It is advised that simply shorting the tipping amount is sufficient to express your problem. However, having a discussion before that about what went wrong is absolutely a better idea.
To start with, you can talk about your experience – you may feel like your cut was rushed, the place is dirty, or the haircut is less pleasant – anything you feel, just express that. You also need to have a sense of empathy thinking that your regular guy might simply have a bad day, so it’s essential to have a clear discussion at first. You can still give your barber a tip after that talk. Maybe it’s not a big fat tip or might even be smaller than usual. But in this way you are making sure that you are rightly expressing your appreciation for his time and effort at least.
Is it rude not to tip your barber?
Not tipping your barber is not necessarily rude, but it is not common practice in the beauty and personal care industry. If you choose not to tip a barber, it is not likely to have a significant impact on the barber’s business but not tipping may be seen as a sign of dissatisfaction with the service and can affect the barber’s reputation if they rely on word-of-mouth referrals.
Ultimately, not tipping may be seen as a sign of dissatisfaction with the service, but it is not necessarily considered rude.
To Conclude:
To end with, it can be said that giving tips to your barber in the USA is a norm that you should continue further. Though it seems legally a voluntary tradition if you slink out of a barbershop without leaving a standard tip, chances are there you will be questioned for that. So to avoid tipping anxiety, it is always better to keep in mind what has been discussed so far!
