Tipping barber after rescheduled appointment?
March 7, 2022 8:20 AM   Subscribe

I (cis male in the US) usually tip my barber — I have one regular barber I go to — $8 on a $32 haircut. Last week, I had to cancel an appointment on very short notice, literally 15 minutes before the appointment. I've rescheduled for this week. I feel bad that I had to cancel on such short notice, which I imagine left him with an unused block of time, unless he happened to get a walk-in. Do I tip extra when I go this week? If so, how much?
posted by DevilsAdvocate to Work & Money (15 answers total)
 
I would maybe throw another $10 on top but I wouldn't try to pay him for two haircuts or anything. Chances are that he did get a walk-in or was ok using the time to take a break.
posted by dawkins_7 at 8:23 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]


I would definitely tip extra. My salon penalizes you for cancelling last-minute for this very reason.
posted by cakelite at 8:24 AM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]


Yes, tip very well. Especially now - I can't even imagine how many omicron-related cancellations he must have had over the past few months, and how hard the past two years must have been. Most people never think about making up the cost of cancellations, and the service provider always has to accept it with a smile regardless of the effect on them. It feels good when someone is thoughtful about what it's like on the other side.

Chances are that he did get a walk-in

... maybe, if the place is super busy all the time. Otherwise, I wouldn't count on it

or was ok using the time to take a break

... in similar situations I've had use for the break, but would have had a whole lot more use for the income. Work where you have uncertain income is extremely stressful.
posted by trig at 8:35 AM on March 7, 2022 [11 favorites]


I think this depends on whether you paid a cancellation fee for the haircut or not? If you were charged for the appointment I think your obligation is less than if you weren't.
posted by mskyle at 8:42 AM on March 7, 2022


Best answer: Is a one-time additional expense of $8 going to be a hardship?

If not, I'd double the tip ($16) to make up for cancelling.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 8:47 AM on March 7, 2022 [4 favorites]


Best answer: This happens to schedule-based professionals all the time and they build the lost revenue into their pricing. Or should. So there is not need to double the haircut fee (unless the shop has some kind of policy about this) but I would definitely double the tip, or better. (Also, you can just talk to him about it when you are there — apologize again, ask if it happens a lot, etc. and base what you do on what he tells you.)
posted by beagle at 9:24 AM on March 7, 2022


Best answer: I’d tip an extra $10 and apologize again for the cancellation.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 10:01 AM on March 7, 2022 [3 favorites]


Best answer: I don’t go to a barber, but if it were my hair salon, and I usually rounded up to $40, I would round up to $50 (ie a extra $10), and apologize again for the cancellation.

It sounds like you are a good customer and you don’t do this all the time. They know that this kind of thing happens, but they will appreciate the extra recognition.
posted by rpfields at 10:08 AM on March 7, 2022 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I’d be prepared to tip my guy an extra $10, but the talk during the cut may sort out if I tip more for his trouble.
posted by artdrectr at 11:13 AM on March 7, 2022


Best answer: I'd tip a tenner myself.
posted by kschang at 1:21 PM on March 7, 2022


This happened to me a couple of months ago, and I paid my stylist double: the full cost of the cut I got, the cut I failed to show up for, and two tips, something like $150. Is that expensive? Yes. But my stylist is a small-business owner trying to survive losses due to the pandemic, atrocious rents, and all kinds of other issues. I don’t make a lot of money, but it felt good to show respect for her time, and paying it didn’t mean I had to go without.

According to MeFi’s geography info, we live in the same neighborhood. Rent is not cheap here - for us or for the people who cut our hair. I don’t want to assume that you make lots of money - I don’t - but if $40 isn’t a crucial amount of money to you, I’m sure the gesture alone would be a really beautiful thing for your barber.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 2:58 PM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I'd give him $50. (32 + 8 + 10)
posted by kinddieserzeit at 3:00 PM on March 7, 2022 [2 favorites]


Apologies! I just closed Google Maps and saw that I made a silly mistake - we live in different places. I still advocate for paying double if you can swing it, but the place-based part of my reasoning is baseless.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 3:13 PM on March 7, 2022


(Comparison from my expensive U.S. city) Pre-pandemic, my barber charged 50% for services cancelled with less than 24 hours notice. Post-pandemic that has gone up to 100%. I've been seeing him for years and rarely cancel, so I know that he would work with me if I had an emergency. But because I want to continue seeing him for years, I would pay the fee without blinking. The past 2 years have hit their industry hard. Tip big if you can.
posted by doift at 7:43 PM on March 7, 2022 [1 favorite]


This happens to schedule-based professionals all the time and they build the lost revenue into their pricing

Just want to say that that's the ideal, but it's not always possible. You can't charge more than people are willing to pay, and your prices are generally not going to account for things like pandemics or other disasters (because then they'd be astronomical). So often you do actually end up eating a real loss for cancellations. It's better not to trust too much in comforting justifications about how people are going to be fine without some income, at least when we're talking about people on the lower end of the income scale, or who still have to pay rent for their business regardless of what happens. (No idea if those two things apply here, but good chance that they do.)
posted by trig at 1:42 AM on March 13, 2022


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