Tipping in Salons

camarogrll79 says on Dec 5, 2005, 12:11:

It was after my husband gave the lady who did my hair a tip that the other 3 came over to us, the lady who washed my hair, the lady who did my nails, and the one who cut my husbands nails.

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camarogrll79 says on Dec 5, 2005, 12:24:

Well this time only I will listen to my husband then! We will be in Cali on Christmas day. We stay with his mom, she lives like 5 minutes from the "chippechappe"?

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maraca says on Dec 5, 2005, 12:27:

you only tip if you are really grateful to the person who did your hair or nails. And actually i have never tipped the one washing my hair. As gringo says, I would change the saloon. They are abusing just because you are a foreigner.

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silviat says on Dec 5, 2005, 13:47:

Agree I never used to tip the person who cut my hair or did my nails... and not because I am mean or cheap but because I never heard of such a thing... If over a long time of going to the same salon you establish a relationship with your hair stylist then in those cases I've seen some people brings them a christmas present or something like it.

I would change my salon too...

(when I arrived to the US and didnt tip the guy who was my eyebrows, he gave me a very surprised look -not mean-, next time I explained him the cultural difference and started to tip him).

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caslug says on Dec 5, 2005, 14:04:

COL doesn´t tip in hair salon.. my amiga works as cosmotologist in poblado where a standard facial cleaning is 70k peso, only rich people go to her salon. AND she said THEY NEVER TIP! The workers dont even get a cut of the price, like cosmotologist do in the US. NO INCENTIVE based pay!

I understand not tip when you go to a regular cheap place that cost 25 or 30k, but when a person can afford to go to poblado hair salon then you can afford to tip. BUT rich COL dont... My friend probably makes a little more than miminum wage and her boss will make her work extra hours because the salon has bunch of customers. BUT they don´t pay extra, they just give more time off.

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CosteñoUSA says on Dec 5, 2005, 16:03:

Colombians DO tip. I disagree with most here. It seems like most of the ones that have written these comments are foreigners that have not yet gotten used to local customs in Colombia. You need to be careful to generalize and say: Colombians DO and Colombians DON'T.
Tipping in Colombia is optional. There is no such a rule of tipping or NO tipping. I have always tipped if I receive a very good service anywhere I go, if I don't like the service I just don't tip or leave a very little one and that's it. There are places like Costa Rica and Spain where the service is already included in your bill, well that is different. In Colombia I have been in many places like salons, etc... where MOST locals tip. Of course my gringa wife and American friends are more generous than locals, but hey. If you think one thousand pesos (50 US cents) is A LOT, then tell me how you feel when you come back here to the USA and you HAVE to tip even if you receive a crappy service? Please don't be stingy and don't blame cultural differences for it.
Think about it!



La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla... Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

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jalf12 says on Dec 5, 2005, 17:54:

Tipping at all is uncommon
From what I understand tipping at all is uncommon, not just in Bogota but in most latin countries. At the latin bar I go to here in the states all the bartender talks about it how bad they tip, if they tip at all. He says he overcharges on drinks just to make a little money. But, I know in the richer areas in Bogota they tip, like some restaurants here, in the "zona rosa" they add the "gratuity" on to your bill. As far as a haircut goes, I geuss you CAN tip, but your probably better off not doing so, just because of the attention it brings.

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caslug says on Dec 6, 2005, 06:55:

if you get good or excellent service.. then i think you should tip, most americans do this. Because cultural in the US, things are more incentive based. Crappy service no tip. But come on, your not going to tip some hardworking person that work on your for 1 1/2 hr, cleaning your feet, hands, and face? And this person makes a little more than minumum wage.

What irks me is people that go to expensive places that get EXCELLENT service, dont tip.

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COLDK says on Dec 6, 2005, 09:41:

Optional Yes it is optional and the amount depends on the service you receive and the price.
It also depends on how offen u go. Some people that go every week or so, they give X-mas presents instead. Some people dont give tips, because sometimes they only have the money for the service, but if u have some extra and you are satisfied with the service, why not a tip?. Even 1.000 pesos is appreciated by the person who has done a good job.
But offcourse if the service is not good, forget it, I change the salon.

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dwmte says on Dec 6, 2005, 09:42:

boy... i've heard it all. 'don't tip, colombians don't' duh. it makes no difference if you're in colombia, lower slobovia, or west-hell italy, if some one serves you right, a gratuity is not out of order as a tangible way of saying thanks.

like the above poster said, that a small gratuity ($.50) is a courtesy. i tip porters, bartenders, laborers, house help, drivers, cops, whomever. if they have gone out of their way to be courteous to and helpful to me, i respond in $$$kind. not here in the us so much, but in other countries, definitely.

i confess, there are colombians who do not tip, but they are more often than not, those who can afford it most. pity, eh? but as for the common folks--colombians--i have always been impressed with their generosity.

dw

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