I think the tipping in hairdressers etc. is maybe more of a US thing?
The standard for hair stylists used to be 10%, with 15% for exceptional service, but after Covid, it kind of went nuts, as there was a push for larger tips to help offset a period of lost income.
Also, hair stylists here, depending on the salon, don’t make a lot in an hourly wage (similar to waitstaff), and depend on tips as part of their income, and some salon owners will also get a cut of their stylists’ tips…that’s where the idea of not tipping the salon owner comes from, but it’s usually applied only when the salon owner has stylists working under them - stylists who are self-employed but don’t employ other stylists are generally tipped (both my stylist and MrsT’s fall into that category).
There are news stories about it here on occasion - the salon industry can be pretty shady and somewhat unregulated. My last four stylists all worked for the same salon owner before each went independent, and the stories they told me afterwards…the owner ran her shop like a mafia kingpin, including doing things like fining the stylists if she didn’t like their outfit that day, or if they were “uncooperative,” unpaid overtime, etc.
Hardly anyone here carries cash these days, so leaving a tip for the waiter or waitress isn't really possible.
Here, a place to add a tip is displayed on the credit card slip when they run your card for payment. I know I’ve seen that in the UK as well, but to the credit of waitstaff there, about 50% of the time, they’d just blow right by it and charge whatever the meal cost.
Here, waitstaff print out the slip and leave it with you and say, “No rush, I’ll grab that when you’re ready,” and you’re meant to fill in the tip, write in the total, then set your card out as a signal that you’re ready to pay. Then they collect your card and charge whatever the total is. Many times, the receipt will even display suggested tip amounts at the bottom, usually for 18%, 20%, and 25%.
