4 ms·

I remember the days when it never crossed anyone's mind to tip a barber.

eesmith 3y ago
When was this era? Here is a guidebook for US army officers in 1984, https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA166412/page/n49/mode/2up?q=%22tip+a+barber%22 https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA166412/page/n49/mode/2up... : > There are certain individuals who perform services for you who should be tipped if you expect to receive good service. ... Tip a barber at least 15 percent; however, as much as 2 dollars may be appropriate in some establishments if multiple services are performed. The Hertz Survival Manual For Traveling Businessman, 1967: > A barber receives a 25¢ tip, and the tip for a shoeshine is 10¢. A 1953 newspaper article on John Wayne's expenses at https://archive.org/details/sedalia-democrat-1953-05-19/page/n11/mode/2up?q=%22tip+a+barber%22 https://archive.org/details/sedalia-democrat-1953-05-19/page... > Superior Judge William R. McKav commented, during the detailing of Wayne's expenses, that a star of his stature would have to tip $2 or "you and I would know what would be said" A 1949 novel, https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.86579/page/n159/mode/2up?q=%22tip+the+barber%22 https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.86579/page/n15... : > “That does not mean that I have to look like a cheap skate,” said Seymour. “You told me to take the kid to the barber: next time take him yourself and see what happens when you don’t tip the barber.” > “I never tip him,” said Sarah. “You’re just a big sport on your sister’s money.” > And in fact, Sarah never tipped the barbers for the children’s haircuts and she disregarded the gestures of contempt and anger which sometimes occurred In 1923, the result of a court case: > On page 188 of the August issue of Office Appliances was printed an account of an experience by A. W. Morf, of the Woodstock Typewriter Company, New York, N. Y. He refused to tip a barber, and the tip was added to his check. The case came into the court of special sessions at New York, and the court fined the barber $25.00. That's not to say everyone tipped, only that over the last century it certainly crossed the mind of quite a few people to tip the barber.
- booleandilemma 3y ago
  He just wanted to sound old and insightful :) "I remember the days", lol
  - jononomo 3y ago
    It was the 1980s.
    - eesmith 3y ago
      You should bear in mind that just because you didn't tip the barber, and perhaps no one you knew tipped the barber, that doesn't mean no one thought to do so. As I've shown, it's been a common practice for a long time. Here's some more data points for the 1980s: A 1989 book for teens on etiquette says you tip your barber $1 or more: https://archive.org/details/dearteenager00swan/page/180/mode/2up?q=barber https://archive.org/details/dearteenager00swan/page/180/mode... In a 1987 sociology textbook comparing the US system with the jajmani system at https://archive.org/details/introductiontoan0000barn_n9p2/page/232/mode/2up?q=%22barber+a+tip%22 https://archive.org/details/introductiontoan0000barn_n9p2/pa... : "In the United States a man who wants to get a haircut goes to a barbershop, waits for his turn, has his hair cut, pays for this service, and gives the barber a tip. If he lives in a city, he may go to many barbershops in the course of a year, not being obliged to patronize the same one all the time." To be sure, this could also be a class issue. I grew up in a working class family and it wasn't until I was 26 or so that I learned (some, richer) people always tipped the housekeeper at the end of a hotel stay.
      - jononomo 3y ago
        I lived through the 1980s and tipping for a haircut wasn’t a thing I ever came across —- maybe it was a class thing or something that older people with regular barbers did.
        eesmith 3y ago
        I also lived through the 1980s, but my grandmother cut my hair until I was a teen, and I can't remember what I paid at Supercuts or if I tipped or not. How many people do you know well enough to know how if they tipped at the barber's? I don't think I knew anyone else's payment practice.

When was this era? Here is a guidebook for US army officers in 1984, https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA166412/page/n49/mode/2up?q=%22tip+a+barber%22 https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA166412/page/n49/mode/2up... : > There are certain individuals who perform services for you who should be tipped if you expect to receive good service. ... Tip a barber at least 15 percent; however, as much as 2 dollars may be appropriate in some establishments if multiple services are performed. The Hertz Survival Manual For Traveling Businessman, 1967: > A barber receives a 25¢ tip, and the tip for a shoeshine is 10¢. A 1953 newspaper article on John Wayne's expenses at https://archive.org/details/sedalia-democrat-1953-05-19/page/n11/mode/2up?q=%22tip+a+barber%22 https://archive.org/details/sedalia-democrat-1953-05-19/page... > Superior Judge William R. McKav commented, during the detailing of Wayne's expenses, that a star of his stature would have to tip $2 or "you and I would know what would be said" A 1949 novel, https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.86579/page/n159/mode/2up?q=%22tip+the+barber%22 https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.86579/page/n15... : > “That does not mean that I have to look like a cheap skate,” said Seymour. “You told me to take the kid to the barber: next time take him yourself and see what happens when you don’t tip the barber.” > “I never tip him,” said Sarah. “You’re just a big sport on your sister’s money.” > And in fact, Sarah never tipped the barbers for the children’s haircuts and she disregarded the gestures of contempt and anger which sometimes occurred In 1923, the result of a court case: > On page 188 of the August issue of Office Appliances was printed an account of an experience by A. W. Morf, of the Woodstock Typewriter Company, New York, N. Y. He refused to tip a barber, and the tip was added to his check. The case came into the court of special sessions at New York, and the court fined the barber $25.00. That's not to say everyone tipped, only that over the last century it certainly crossed the mind of quite a few people to tip the barber.

booleandilemma 3y ago
He just wanted to sound old and insightful :) "I remember the days", lol
- jononomo 3y ago
  It was the 1980s.
  - eesmith 3y ago
    You should bear in mind that just because you didn't tip the barber, and perhaps no one you knew tipped the barber, that doesn't mean no one thought to do so. As I've shown, it's been a common practice for a long time. Here's some more data points for the 1980s: A 1989 book for teens on etiquette says you tip your barber $1 or more: https://archive.org/details/dearteenager00swan/page/180/mode/2up?q=barber https://archive.org/details/dearteenager00swan/page/180/mode... In a 1987 sociology textbook comparing the US system with the jajmani system at https://archive.org/details/introductiontoan0000barn_n9p2/page/232/mode/2up?q=%22barber+a+tip%22 https://archive.org/details/introductiontoan0000barn_n9p2/pa... : "In the United States a man who wants to get a haircut goes to a barbershop, waits for his turn, has his hair cut, pays for this service, and gives the barber a tip. If he lives in a city, he may go to many barbershops in the course of a year, not being obliged to patronize the same one all the time." To be sure, this could also be a class issue. I grew up in a working class family and it wasn't until I was 26 or so that I learned (some, richer) people always tipped the housekeeper at the end of a hotel stay.
    - jononomo 3y ago
      I lived through the 1980s and tipping for a haircut wasn’t a thing I ever came across —- maybe it was a class thing or something that older people with regular barbers did.
      - eesmith 3y ago
        I also lived through the 1980s, but my grandmother cut my hair until I was a teen, and I can't remember what I paid at Supercuts or if I tipped or not. How many people do you know well enough to know how if they tipped at the barber's? I don't think I knew anyone else's payment practice.