Hairstylist shares her refreshing opinion on how much customers should tip in today's times

Tipping people in the service industry has become a controversial issue in recent years. Even when people decide to tip, they are not sure what the right amount is and get even more confused. Fortunately, Samantha—who goes by @samantha_santor on TikTok—shared a helpful video telling people her opinion on how much people should tip their hairstylist. Being a hairstylist herself, she shared some interesting insights in the video, which has gained 309.8K views and 588 comments on the social media site.

She started by sharing how she wanted to know other hair stylists' opinions about the same thing since everybody would have a different stance on the issue. Saying this, she moves on to reveal, "So, I never expect tips from my clients and I will say most of my clients do tip me, but I do have some clients that don't tip me and I love them just the same." Samantha clarified how she never noted down which customers tipped her. The only time she really did it was when a customer paid an exorbitant amount as a tip, which was when she would give them a "little bit of special treatment."

But even then, she did not expect her customers to tip. She says, "My prices have gone up over the last couple of years because the world has gotten so expensive over the last couple of years." Samantha mentioned how she was very much aware of how people saved up so that they could get their hair done. The woman stated how people who were financially struggling should avoid tipping her and divert that money to something useful like rent.

The hairstylist clearly states, "I will never look at one of my clients differently if they don't tip me. I'll never look at them differently if they only tip me like $5." She shared that she was grateful for tips but felt that it was completely up to the customer if they wanted to tip or not. At the end of every service, she would mention to the customer that tipping was optional so that it wouldn't be awkward for both of them. The woman is honest and reiterates that she always appreciates getting a tip but is not overly insistent on it, seeing how the economy is.

Samantha comments on how tipping culture has gotten out of hand all over the world. Many times, people who do almost nothing ask for tips. But being in the service industry herself, she mostly tried to tip 20% every time. The woman then shares some very important advice for hair stylists by suggesting that they raise their prices to make it more profitable. She says, "Raise your prices and don't feel bad about it. Because the clients who wanna still come to you will still come to you."

She concludes the video by stating that she loves customers regardless of whether they tip their stylist. Samantha says, "I don't want my clients to not be able to feed their family 'cause they tipped me." People shared their own opinions on tipping their hairstylist in the comments section. @shantelllynnn commented, "I always tip at least 25%, but I would prefer my stylist to raise her prices and just charge her worth so I don't have that awkward tip exchange."

Editor's note: This article was originally published on January 3, 2024. It has since been updated.