Who tips the groomer!

Durbkat · 09-25-2007, 03:20 PM

How do you trim the fur off the paws, with scissiors?

starry15 · 09-25-2007, 04:29 PM

you mean under there pads of the long fur around there... wait it dont matter where you cuttin the fur.... yes I do with sicssors

nrhareiner · 09-25-2007, 05:12 PM

I jsut use a pair of sciccors and trim around the pads and paw area. I do it a bit differnt on my Golden then I do my Salukie but at the end the do not have all the long fuzzy hair and it is much easyer to dry their feet off when they come back in the marning.

Heidi

DogDaze · 09-25-2007, 06:11 PM

Always tip the groomer, like 10-15%. I used to anyway, when I took my wire haired doxie to be hand stripped...the best groomer I had was in Germany, she was fantastic. I learned how to do it myself.

I used a battery powered trimmer on the hair underneath the paws to get it nice & close & then I hand trim with little round nose scissors on the top of the feet, etc. The trimmer is really fast, which helps when they are wiggling & trying to get away!!

poodleholic · 09-26-2007, 12:43 AM

Quote:

How do you trim the fur off the paws, with scissiors?

Between the pads: It's best to use a clipper to go in and scoop between the pads to remove all the hair. I use my Wahl Moser on the last (closest) setting. I shave the tops of my Poodles' feet, but use a scissor to trim around the foot of my Tzu.

OneCrazyDogOwner · 09-26-2007, 05:55 PM

My mother in law is a dog groomer and i think you should always tip 15-20% if they do a good job. she has a mobile gromming She does it out of a van and I have gone with her.. its alot of work and gas money to go to peoples houses and groom their dogs.. specialy when she gets people who never brush their dogs and they have soo many mats it can take hours!

Leanie · 10-01-2007, 01:44 PM

I have never tipped our groomer, she charges $30 for a puppy cut on my shih tzu but I did send her a xmas card last year that we had custom made with Ginger's pic on it from one of her groomings.. Our groomer owns her salon and she's the only one who does the grooming. She's great though, Ginger loves her and she trusts her, plus she does a great job. And she makes me appts all the way up for 6 months worth.

the-tenth · 10-01-2007, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leanie

I have never tipped our groomer, she charges $30 for a puppy cut on my shih tzu but I did send her a xmas card last year that we had custom made with Ginger's pic on it from one of her groomings.. Our groomer owns her salon and she's the only one who does the grooming. She's great though, Ginger loves her and she trusts her, plus she does a great job. And she makes me appts all the way up for 6 months worth.

She owns the salon, so that means she has all the overhead. Rent, electric, taxes, business license, supplies. My wife "owned" a hair salon, and the only money she ever kept were her tips because of the overhead. We have three dogs that don't get "groomed", so it's a non factor for me. But the whole owner bit kinds of gets me. At least the kid at petsmart is making at least minimum wage. A lot of times, for a looooooong time business owners make little to nothing.

Boushagirl · 10-04-2007, 11:21 AM

When I take Mooki in I do tip the groomer. I take him to a couple of girls who work from their shop at home on weekends while they go to school. They do a great job, love to see my dog, always send him home with treats and say Mooki is very very good for them (not always for me!). They are reasonable to begin with.

currywood · 10-09-2007, 09:51 AM

My husband and I always tip our groomer. We usually tip 20%. She does an excellent job, and I like to show my appreciation. I have 3 shelties, and I know they take a lot of time and effort to groom (especially to dry). Our groomer stays late to make sure they completely dry. Anyway, I am an advocate of tipping for a job well done. The service is very important to me and my furry kids.

dee7973 · 10-09-2007, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curbside Prophet

You'd have to ask Elsa. It's her card for all intents and purposes. It just happens to have my name on it.

CARE TO ADOPT ME??? I CAN GROW A BEARD!!! LOL...

barksalot · 10-28-2007, 12:03 AM

Very interesting thread.

I am the owner/operator of my grooming shop and have no employees. I have no hidden fees in my shop. Prices per breed are set, and although I "should" charge more for dematting or flea baths, I don't. (although I have no problem refusing to dematt if the dog is in horrendous shape) I also, as far as I know, charge a few dollars less per breed then most groomers in my area. I don't expect tips, but I do appreciate them and believe me, I remember those who do tip. It isn't so much about the money as it is the show of appreciation for the work that I do at a fair price. I have one guy - a 92 yr. old man with a poodle - who always brings me cookies.

I look forward to those cookies and appreciate the gesture just as much as he appreciates the job I do on his companion.

Honestly I think the opinion that small business owners don't deserve a tip because they own the business is ludicrous (sp?) but that's just my opinion. I have days I wish I did work for somebody else who had the responsibility of stocking up on good quality dog shampoo/conditioner and grooming supplies, paying the maint. on blades, clippers and shears and having to file quarterly sales tax, among a thousand other duties/expenses an owner has. If I'm sick or have a personal problem of some sort, there's nobody to cover for me and I have no choice but to work through it or lose money I need to cover all my overhead. "Raising prices" sounds like an easy answer, but when you're competing with numorous other grooming shops in the area - most with multiple groomers - raising prices to much can hurt more then it helps. So you betcha those tips are nice

dane&cockermom · 10-28-2007, 07:00 PM

i'm with what barksalot said in that it's not the money persay, it's the show of appreciation.

now, i'm just a lowly bather at the salon i work at. i don't cut hair (yet) but i bathe just the bath dogs, and i bath the groomers dogs so they don't have to waste their time doing it and so they can take in more dogs. i get all the tip from a bath dog if there was one given, and if a groomer's dog tips, i get half of that because i did work for them.

oh yeah, and i sure do remember those who tip as well. whether they've only been in once, or 20 times, i'll always remember them.

i have one client who comes in once a week because he has a skin condition and needs a bath that often. he is a bulldog. now, he's NOT a lot of work at all. not in the least. ya give him his bath, throw him in a kennel dryer, take him out in a hour and finish him up. he's also very well behaved, and the owner knows it. and ya know what? his owner tips $10 every single time. there have been times she's given me $20. she appreciates what we do for him (oh yeah, and he never has an appointment, but we ALWAYS take him in when he shows up. no matter how busy we are we always make room for Biscuit!)

Flygirl · 11-10-2007, 03:06 PM

Interesting thread! I'll be taking our Sheltie to the groomers on Tuesday for the first time. How would I tip the groomer? The person who I pay is not the person who groomed my dog(I know this because my Mom uses the same salon). Do I give the tip to the cashier to give to the groomer? I want to make sure it goes to the person who actually did the work!

FWIW, I do tip waitstaff, hairdressers(used to be one

) and delivery people. Though with my newspaper delivery(used to do that too), farrier, vets and horse trainer I "tip" twice a year. Usually a nice Christmas basket or homemade goodie and gift card.

Back when I was in the service industry I remembered those who didn't tip(and went the extra mile for those who did) and try to be generous now. If I can't afford to tip then I can't afford to order pizza or dine out in a "real" restaurant. My husband used to deliver pizzas when we were dating...the new guy always got the stingy tippers. If not there were a few delivery guys who wouldn't hesitate to "flavor" the food.

prolibertate · 11-10-2007, 04:01 PM

I tip the groomer as I go to her place of business; usually 15-20% depending on how well my animal behaved and how well the service was. I just found an excellent groomer for my Shih-Tzu who does a wonderful cut and bath for $27. Most groomers will shave the dog when you say you want a cut, but this one will cut him to any length you want; then bathes him, and does a final trim after his bath.

When I had a mobile groomer who came to my house and did the grooming in her conversion van, I also tipped her. But I agree that one doesn't need to tip a groomer who does it in her own house; maybe a fruit basket at the holiday would be appropriate if you go to her often enough throughout the year.

ritabooker · 11-10-2007, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonE

As a rule, I don't tip if there's hair on my pizza.

My late father was a generous man in most aspects of his life, but apparently had no clue about tipping. He would take his family out to dinner and leave two dollars for a tip on a $100 dinner tab.

One of us would make an excuse to go back ("Oh, I think I left my right shoe under the table") and leave another $20.

My Mom was the same way about tipping. She was good to me, but not a generous tipper. That may be why I am so conciencious about it now. Service is service whether it is food, grooming, manicures, etc.

Canadian Dog · 11-13-2007, 10:30 PM

When I had 2 Lhasas I clipped them myself. Haven't taken Molly as yet and don't know if I will be clipping her but I plan on making a couple of tester trips to get her used to it just in case. I will be tipping if I feel she is being treated well and am happy with the results - just shows whether a job is appreciated.

My hairdresser rents her chair and the haircut prices are very reasonable and she does a great job. I always give her a $5. tip and at Christmas $50. She is a single parent of 2 girls and years ago I was a single parent and know how hard it is. To the other member who is a single parent there is absolutely nothing wrong with you not tipping. Your children come first and taking them out for a treat is important. I am in a position to tip now so I do.

If I ordered a pizza and told the delivery person they weren't getting a tip, I certainly wouldn't order from the same place again - to me it would be like saying 'you're nothing'.

Recently I read quite a few posts on grooming forums (not grooming sections as on this site) and was shocked at the attitude some groomers had towards certain breeds and their owners - I am going to be very careful who I take her to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Durbkat

How do you trim the fur off the paws, with scissiors?

I purchased a small battery operated clipper from Walmart for $11. that I use to clip between Molly's eyes, the hair in between her pads and then the hair around her bum (to make sure everything can fall away naturally

) Works great, it's fast and I use rechargeable batteries.

Felix · 11-14-2007, 11:05 PM

My three request bath/brush dogs don't tip me. Imagine that. At least they give me bragging rights.

mitzgirl · 12-28-2007, 07:19 PM

guess it is time for you to go buy some clippers 'ol cheap one.

siberian mom · 12-28-2007, 08:51 PM

i am an employee at a shop and its just me and my boss there and we generally dont expect tip but they are greatly apprectiated. it is a dirty job and from what im told theres not to many people that would like to do even dog lovers. you get bit, scratched, pooped and peed on and its really loud, so when we are tipped it make us feel alot more appreciated. especialy if a dog is a little on the wild or aggresive side. although i had one client that stands out in my mind she went out of her way to come into the shop without and appt or anything and called my boss over and raved at how great of a person i was and how much she appreciated me. i nearly cried and that was way better than a $100 tip