[DJsMom]

Originally Posted by Don152

There are three barbers in the shop, one is the owner.. so 1/3 of the time I dont tip. Besides.. a haircut for me is as little as $6.50, not $55.

Ahh...but does he also wash your bottom, do your anal glands, wash your face, clean your ears & clip your nails? If he did, I bet it would cost a little more tan $6.50.

[Graco22]

Originally Posted by DJsMom

Ahh...but does he also wash your bottom, do your anal glands, wash your face, clean your ears & clip your nails? If he did, I bet it would cost a little more tan $6.50.

Especially if you wiggled while he did it, maybe peed a little on him and tried to sneak a little bite at him too. LOL

[Don152]

Originally Posted by DJsMom

Ahh...but does he also wash your bottom, do your anal glands, wash your face, clean your ears & clip your nails? If he did, I bet it would cost a little more tan $6.50.

Well if you will note.. on my post above I stated that all I wanted was a haircut, and they can skip the bath, nails, etc. But around here they have only one price.. $55 ! Now if I found a groomer that did just a haircut for $20 then a tip would be assured. I will agree that a full groom is worth $55, and if the service is above and beyond, even a little more (in the form of a tip). In a way, if I am getting less service than the next guy but at the same price, the tip is built in.

By they way you have no idea what my doctor did to me last week.. yet he did not get a tip. Why is that?

[DJsMom]

Originally Posted by Don152

By they way you have no idea what my doctor did to me last week.. yet he did not get a tip. Why is that?

WHAT!!?? You didn't tip him!!?? LoL

[Don152]

Originally Posted by DJsMom

WHAT!!?? You didn't tip him!!?? LoL

No, and trust me.. he earned one.

[GroovyGroomer777]

I think if you called around, you could probably find a groomer that would give your dog a haircut after you washed him yourself (as long as he is SQUEEKY clean) But the cut does just not look 100% without the professional products and blow-dry.

Have you called around to see if you could find someone like that? I still think the charge would be more than 20$, though, but maybe not the full 55$, depending on the groomer's policy. You might find someone who will schedule you first thing in the day as an extra appointment with no bath.

[Don152]

Originally Posted by GroovyGroomer777

I think if you called around, you could probably find a groomer that would give your dog a haircut after you washed him yourself (as long as he is SQUEEKY clean) But the cut does just not look 100% without the professional products and blow-dry.

Have you called around to see if you could find someone like that? I still think the charge would be more than 20$, though, but maybe not the full 55$, depending on the groomer's policy. You might find someone who will schedule you first thing in the day as an extra appointment with no bath.

Yes I am still looking around, but frankly I expect that in a few months I will even be doing the haircuts myself. Its not a show dog and all I want is a functional groom.

[Graco22]

Just an FYI for Don, as I don't know if he knows this. Groomers generally don't clip dogs without bathing them not only because the finish is terrible, but because clipping a "dirty" dog dulls blades very fast, and is hard on our clippers, etc. If for a medical reason, etc. I have a client that needs just a clip without a bath, I still charge full price, because of the wear and tear on my equipment. I have a little Shihtzu that comes in every 4 weeks who has terrible allergies, and according to the owner, anxiety..(though I think its the owner that has anxiety. She baths the dog at home the day before, and I do the clip and everything else while she waits. She does an ok job getting the dog clean, except for eyes, rear, and of course the feet are dirty by the next day..but the coat isn't blow dried, so the cut is not as good as it could be, but she is happy with it and tells me to quit nitpicking..lol I charge her full price, and she always tips me $10. As a groomer, I put my prices where I want them to be. (but I am the owner of my salon). I don't expect tips, and I don't count on them to pay my bills. However, it is nice to know that my service is appreciated, and I have many, many clients that tip very well and many clients that don't tip. They are all treated with the same respect and great customer service.

[0hmyd0g]

For that same reason that Graco22 said, in my shop we don't give a discount for no bath. We used to take $5 off (It's not much but people still wanted to save just that small amount) but because the clips didn't look that good we simply charged the same as a full groom. I really don't like scissoring a dog that hasn't been washed and fluffed dried properly.

[Don152]

Interesting and informative.. thanks for the information. Maybe the groomers around here should take a hint from your posts and post or publish a “handout for dog owners” that come to their shops.

While I said am not picky and that I only wanted a “functional haircut”, it’s true that if I got a groom and she looked like crap I probably would not go back. I have never objected to the bath, but I was concerned that it might dry her skin too much. Now that I know how important it is to the haircut that I want, I won’t mind paying for it.
It does however make a better argument for trimming her myself.

I guess for me it comes down to a balance of how valuable my time is, vs., how valuable my cash is.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread: To tip or not to tip:

[dane&cockermom]

i'm sure it's been said somewhere in here before, but i'm lazy and don't want to read through the whole thread :P

yeah, some of my clients tip and some don't. but if you take care of me, i'll take care of you. if i know you tip, and tip well, i'll stay late/come in early for that dog. or i'll squeeze that dog into an already booked day because i know i'm appreciated.

[Don152]

Originally Posted by dane&cockermom

i'm sure it's been said somewhere in here before, but i'm lazy and don't want to read through the whole thread :P

Actually I felt that I was the one who had hijacked the thread..

Originally Posted by dane&cockermom

yeah, some of my clients tip and some don't. but if you take care of me, i'll take care of you. if i know you tip, and tip well, i'll stay late/come in early for that dog. or i'll squeeze that dog into an already booked day because i know i'm appreciated.

And that’s the final word I think... tips are for service above and beyond.. Either already delivered, or anticipated in the future. You get what you pay for.

[winniec777]

Originally Posted by Durbkat

I wouldn't tip a groomer nor do I tip when asked. Like the time I ordered domino's and I gave the guy the exact amount the pizza was, no tip, and when I handed him the money and he counted it real quick and he said "no tip?". Then I said "nope" and then I slammed the door in his face. Then I called the manager and told him what just happened and he said he would handle it. That person has never asked for a tip again. Or like the time I went to florida and when me and my family were heading out to the car the waiter ran out and asked if something was wrong and my mom said "no, why?" and then he said "well you didn't tip so I figured I did something wrong". Then I said "nothing was wrong except for the fact you ran out here like a moron asking for a tip". So no I will never tip unless I feel its necessary like if they did something above and beyond what was expected of them.

I applaud the sentiment but am also afraid of what little "extras" might be added to your tip-less pizza before the doorbell rings??

If I'm happy with the service, any service, I tip big. That way next time the service is even better. Just my experience.

[dane&cockermom]

so i know i'm a little late coming in on this part, but Durb...i hope your first job is being a waiter. then you'll see how much it sucks to not get tipped for that. my first job was waiting tables, i did it for 6 years and the most i ever made from my employer was $2.50/hour. i lived off the tips. i paid for school from the tips. there were times if i didn't make enough in tips that night, i didn't eat dinner that night. the measley amount of money i got on my paycheck every other week? i was lucky if that would buy me 2 tanks of gas.

[GroovyGroomer777]

My god - where did this attitude (Durb's) come from and why on earth would she be proud of it? It's appalling.

[ValtheAussie]

My darling Val is getting a grooming by the pros on Tuesday. I will probably tip them for they will most likey have earned every penny; given Val's distaste for nail trimmies.......

[Raggs]

Originally Posted by LoveLilly

The groomer we use owns the shop so I do not tip. I have always been told that you tip employees not the owner.

You can tip anyone. It doesn't matter if they are the owner or not, they are still doing to work. And listed on any state form it will ask for number of employees. The owner has to be put under an employee if they are being paid for the work they do...

However.. Tipping is completely up to you. You can if you want to or you don't have to.

Tipping is showing appreciation of a job well done. If you don't like the way they groom your dog, then don't tip. If you absolutely love it, then you can tip and you can tip any amount that you want..

I personally as a groomer, never expect to get a tip. It's always a compliment when I do get one and I ALWAYS thank the owner because they didn't have to do it.

Now if your dog is difficult and give the groomers a hard time YOU MUST TIP.

We joke at work all the time when we are doing difficult dogs.. "jeez, these people better tip LOL.." even though we know they wont.

Especially if the owner knows that there dog is horrible for the groomer.

In fact we have one lady that brings her dog in. Difficult dog and mom knows it. I have been working with her to try to get her to calm down and realize that grooming wont kill her. Well she was in the other day. Dog bit me in the hand. It was a bad bite.. My thumb wouldn't stop bleeding and it ruptured a vessel so I had blood pooling beneath my skin. Plus half my hand is brusied and I can't use my thumb. Told mom and told her that we couldn't do the dog anymore because she was getting worse and not better.. Mom got pissed. We already charged her less than a normal Scottie, which should have been twice as much due to the difficulty of the dog. mom would complain that it was to much to do the dog. She never tipped and complained every time. Oh well. Not my problem anymore.

[Kawgirl]

I normally tip $10.00 on a full groom. (shih-tzu) This is between 20-28% depending on where it was done. I will admit, I am a much happier customer paying $10.00 tip on a 35.00 groom than I am leaving 10.00 on a 48.00 groom.

[GroovyGroomer777]

Of course you want to save money....but always keep in mind.... the cheaper the groom, the more dogs the groomer has to do (to make a living, pay the bills, ect), which takes time away from each pet.