Speaking of tips--annoyed with hairdresser
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive July 2007:
Speaking of tips--annoyed with hairdresser
We had a ton of errands to do today. We were on the opposite side of town (had to find the courthouse that I have go to this Friday for the dog/neighbor case). So I decided to have Addison's hair cut over there instead of our usual place. We walk in and the hairdresser puts him right in the chair. First she argues that his hair cannot be spiked because of how his hair grows???Hmmmm he ALWAYS gets it spiked no problem. She proceeds to start cutting and then walks away from him. A couple come in and she starts selling them haircare products. My son is left for half an hour while she does everything BUT cut his hair. I finally speak up and say we have other errands to do can she please finish his hair. She acts all put out but finally finishes the haircut. I did not tip her. It is the first time I ever tipped nothing. I was so furious! Am I wrong in thinking she should have finished his haircut before selling products? What would you have done?
I think she should have told the people that she was busy, and would be with them momentarily. It can't take that long to cut a young boy's hair, does it? To leave him, for half-an-hour was just rude. I sure wouldn't go back there again!
Generally, where I get my hair done the ladies that are cutting hair will answer questions from their chairs, as far as products, and then they will go long enough to ring out the customer.
Sounds like you got someone with very bad people skills.. I am of the mind that some people just shouldn't work with the public... They just don't have it in them..
I wouldn't have tipped her either. I might even have left and taken my child else where..
Ditto Bobbie! Definitely bad people skills. Is it just me or does that seem to be an epidemic lately? I have been to so many places lately where the customer service is just terrible. Even at McDonald's, rarely do they ever say thank you, or have a nice day. They just give you the food and turn their backs to you. When I come across someone who has given me good customer service, I always thank them because it seems to be a rarity here lately.
I would not have tipper her either. That was just rude.
Sandy, and then they turn around and look at you like you are an idiot for standing there, even though you aren't sure if you have your whole order or not, a "have a nice day" puts an end to your meeting.. I guess that, for some, courtesy and manners have been dropped by the way side because we have similar issues around here..
Went to a drive up window, paid, got a few bags, she turned around and walked away with out a word. I had to count the stuff in the bag to make sure we had it all, she never returned even though we were sitting there while I counted... I was pretty peeved.. If I had pulled that back when I worked, at the least I would have been written up..
Definitely, she didn't deserve or earn a tip. And, if it had been me, I'd have walked out when she said she couldn't cut his hair the way it had been cut by the other hairdresser. Sounds to me like either she didn't know how to do it and was blaming the way your son's hair grows, or she simply didn't want to take any extra time it might take. IMO, that kind of treatment is worth a complaint to the manager or owner if she is not the manager/owner. Hairdressers live by word of mouth and any smart shop owner knows that - and knows that an experience like yours will produce bad word of mouth.
Yes, Bobbie, that is exactly what I mean. I've even had, at a drive-up window, someone rush the food & drinks out to me while saying "here you go" and then turn their back and walk away. I think that is just as rude. It would have taken the same energy for that person to say "thank you very much" or "have a nice day". And that's happened when the place wasn't busy. Also, Ginny is right about word of mouth. I would be tempted to call the manager of that particular shop. I worked at a bank for 6 years and was always told that the person in front of you was the most important person. If the phone rang, you excused yourself and answered the phone long enough to ask the person to please hold, and assure them that you will be with them momentarily. It usually doesn't take long to cut a young boy's hair. She could have let them know that she would be with them soon. I guess it's easy to tell that bad customer service is a huge pet peeve of mine. I think that when someone is hired into a position of customer service, they should be required to at least watch a movie about the do's and don'ts of customer service. But Yvonne, how did his hair turn out?
I agree! Customer service? What is that??? I can recall when I was young.....you went to a store and the sales clerks would run over each other wanting to "help you"! Now days you are lucky to get a grunt or a finger pointed to the area YOU need to go and look for your item. In many places now it seems as though "the customer" is bothering them when you come into the store to buy something! It makes me NUTS! My husband went into a store at the mall one day and he came out and told me that the sales girl had her boyfriend in the store. They were making out at the cash register and she stopped long enough to ring up my husbands sale and then went right back to kissing etc. her boyfriend! OH MY! How times have changed!
His hair is OK. It is not a great cut but will do for now. We will never stray from his usual hairdresser again!
When my DS Dan got married, the wedding was in a small town in Ohio, where his wife was from. Her Mom had arranged for all of us (the bride, maid of honour, and myself) to have our hair done that morning at a JC Penney salon in the next town.
Granted, it was a Saturday morning, but we had appointments. It wasn't like we walked in. The girl acted rushed and inconvenienced. She said to Becky (my DIL) and Glenda, "Okay, who's the bride?". Becky spoke up and said "I am". I said (rather proudly, with a smile on my face), "I'm the mother of the groom". She looked at me snidely, and said "Well, I didn't think you were the prom queen!" LOL! Becky and Glenda were floored by her ignorance, and were still talking about it when we stopped for a bite of lunch afterward. (The wedding was at 3:00). Glenda said, "I HOPE that you didn't TIP her!" I said, "Actually, I did. She seemed so stressed out, and they work hard for their money".
As a former hairdresser myself, I know the crap that they put up with from clients, and she may have had something personal going on in her life that day. It doesn't justify her rudeness, (tho I found it kind of humourous), but she did do a good job on our hair, and we all looked really nice at the wedding.
Sometimes, it's best to take the high road and remember that we are all human, with "stuff" going on in our lives.
Yvonne, in the case of your DS's haircut...that was just plain ignorant on her part. I agree that she probably didn't know how to do that cut, so she was looking for an excuse. Also, she was probably making more on the sale of those retail items than she did on the haircut (NOT that that excuses it). Retail is the easiest way to make money in a salon, because you don't have to do anything. You buy the products for 50% of the suggested retail price, and sell it for 100%. You have made 50% profit, without having to lift a pair of sissors or blow dryer.
My guess is that she was very young, and had never been taught the correct way to treat people, or to conduct herself in the business world, either. I'm glad that his hair at least came out okay. It could have been way worse! LOL!
As far as tipping, I don't know when or where it started. My guess is that it went back to the days when people didn't have regular jobs, and appreciated a gratuity for doing an odd errand, etc. (In ancient Rome, citizens were expected to give a "tribute" ( a coin) to the Emperor, just for being him. LOL!)
I admit, it has gotten way out of hand. And it's hard to know whom to tip, and not. For instance, the same guy comes every summer to clean my furnace. He is being paid by the fuel company. Should I tip him? I ususally do. The same with furniture and appliance delivery persons, though they are being paid to do the delivery.
Having worked for tips myself, they are appreciated, but should never be expected. You are flattered when you get a big tip. It makes you feel appreciated. However, it is easy to fall into the trap of 'expecting' a tip, and being resentful, or wondering if the person was displeased when you don't get one, or you get a small one.
One of the salon owners I used to work for had a very good philosophy. She used to say, "If you are pleased by the service that you get from my stylists, it is certainly okay to tip them, but also TELL them, and tell me. Conversely, if you are NOT happy, tell them and tell me. I would rather that you give us a chance to fix it, than go away and not come back". I thought that was very wise.
I think we women are also more concerned about hurting people's feelings if we don't tip. I am a big tipper. I tip 20%, unless the service is really bad, then I tip 10 - 15%. My DH will say "What did he/she do to deserve that kind of money? Nobody tips ME for doing MY job." Of course, he's a postal clerk! LOL! He has never worked for tips, so he doesn't understand.
Another group that are bad tippers are the elderly. My mother used to leave a 50 cent tip for a $10.00 lunch! It used to embarrass me so much! I would sneak back and add the difference. She caught me once and got mad. She was stuck in the 1950's. LOL!
I don't know what the answer is. It isn't likely to stop unless ALL professions decided to do away with tipping, and that won't happen. I love the way it is in England. Serving is a proud profession there that one goes to school for. The service is usually superb, and the gratuity is built into the cost of the meal. When my cousin took us out to a posh place over there, Bob went to figure the tip, and Ray explained the system to him. He said "You can leave extra if you want, but it is not expected". And the cost, for the type of meal that we got, wasn't as much as here, so I don't buy the theory that the cost here would be prohibitive, if servers were paid a decent wage.
We've never tipped the man who cleans the furnace! We pay enough for the service, without adding that, too.
"My guess is that she was very young, and had never been taught the correct way to treat people, or to conduct herself in the business world, either. I'm glad that his hair at least came out okay. It could have been way worse! LOL!"
Hol--She was in her 40's! Today we noticed that his hair is very uneven on top. Luckily is grows very fast so it will be OK soon. Lesson learned--stick with own hairdresser or salon.
I have had HORRIBLE experiences with hairdressers in the past, who were not my regular ones.
I used to have a gay hairdresser back in the 70's, and he was absolutely fabulous. He worked in several different salons and I followed him to each one until he moved out of the area. Also, in the 90's I used to go to a salon run by 3 gay men. I make that point only because in my experience, gay men know how to cut hair! And cut it WELL!
So back to the early 90's: I'd been going to the girl I currently go to, and she decided to sell her shop to take care of her MIL who was dying. I discovered this *new* salon in my area, the one run by the 3 gay men. LOVED going there, the guy I used to use regularly is the only person EVER who knew exactly how to cut my bangs, due to a cowlick where my hair sticks up/grows funny in the front. No one before or since has ever been able to cut them correctly. Of course, with my hair so short now, it makes no difference. Anyway, as I stray from my point.....LOL......
They hired a 20-something girl to work with them, and due to various personal issues, the guys eventually sold the shop to her. I went to her to have my hair cut and colored after they sold out to her. At the time, she and an older woman were the only ones working there. She totally botched my hair, and when she colored it, the entire back of my hair was orange - and I don't mean brown with a brassy tint, I mean ORANGE. I had a fit, told her I couldn't leave looking like that, and she told me *well, next time you come in for a trim, we'll re-color it*. I was in tears, I told her NO WAY, it has to be fixed today. I guess she was PO'd because she had to stay later than she wanted to, she was yanking my hair, totally had an attitude, THEN tried to charge me TWICE for a color job. I refused to pay it AND I refused to tip her. Had she been nicer about HER screwup, I probably would have tipped her, just because it took so long, but her attitude was the last straw. Needless to say, it was the last time I went to her. She had also cut my bangs so short I looked like a cartoon. Lesson learned - don't stray from your regular hairdresser!
My old hairdresser reopened a shop after that, and we have been with her since. The only other person I've let touch my hair was the girl who cut it short a couple years ago. I took a huge risk, we were in Memphis, it was in a Wal Mart salon, and in talking to her, I thought she knew what she was doing, and I was happy with the cut and color she gave me. I am one of those people who is terrified to give someone new a chance with my hair. I don't know what I'll do when my hairdresser retires. LOL I tip her well because IMO she earns it. She only works part time these days, and I almost always go after work, and she often comes in just to do DH and my hair, doesn't get out of there till 7 or 8 PM, and is about 30-40 minutes from her home, so I really appreciate her and want to keep her happy! LOL
Regarding the sale of products in a salon, I frequently go to the salon in Wal Mart for products, and when I go, the girls there usually ask if I need help while they are cutting hair, and they continue to cut whoever they are working on until they need to ring a product sale, and they always excuse themselves, ring the sale, and return to their customer - which is what should have been done in Yvonne's case.
Where I get my hair cut, occasionally a girl has to stop, to answer the phone, but it's only a few minutes, for someone to make an appointment, and she is back at it. That I would understand, but to make a kid sit for half-an-hour, is inexcusable.
It seems to be our week. Hubby wanted a haircut before we go away this weekend. Today was his only day off before we go. His usual place was closed. We decided to go to the mall. He went to Mastercuts and wrote his name down on their list. He waited and should have been next. Instead the hairdresser let another guy go instead (that had just walked in). My hubby said "wait, I am next on the list". She said "Oh well, I am doing him!".
Hubby left and went to Regis where they happily cut his hair --and it cost us double 
Argggh!
I'm so sorry. That was rude.
I am betting Mastercuts is part of a chain, with regional offices - if your dh wants to make a complaint.
Yes, Mastercuts is part of a chain. There is a head hair dresser, a manager of sorts, I would contact her/him first, seeings that she/he is the one that is actually in charge of the way that shop is run. If that doesn't work I would then contact the regional office.
At our Mastercuts... You can sign in on the list and go shop, when you come back you are seen first, even if there are other people that have signed in and are sitting there. Or you can call ahead and schedule to be seen, lets say for a lunch break hair cut. They actually prefer you schedule ahead for hair coloring and perms because that way your hair dresser is able to complete the job with out working over. Some people schedule ahead because they prefer a certain hair dresser... But to just say, "Oh well, I am doing him!"., doesn't sound like that is what had happened in this case.. Very rude... Guess she didn't want/need DH's money..
No. That is not what happened. Hubby looked at the list and showed her his name was next.
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