A hair stylist’s refusal to mince words when it comes to tipping has stirred up a bit of drama online.
“Obviously we all have different opinions and I think that my opinion is different from most other stylists,” Samantha Santor (@samantha_santor) said in a recent TikTok.
In a nearly three-minute clip, the Las Vegas-based hair stylist said that she “never” expects her clients to tip. Santor said that most of her clients do add gratuity, but that she doesn’t necessarily favor them over ones who don’t.
“I don’t expect tips,” she said. “My prices have gone up over the last couple of years because the world has gotten expensive.”
Santor said she’s “well aware” of how expensive things are becoming and doesn’t expect her clients to splurge even more on a luxury service.
“If you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck and you can’t tip me, baby, pay your rent,” Santor said. “I will never look at one of my clients differently if they don’t tip me.”
Santor clarified that the extra cash is nice, but not required.
“Obviously, I want a f*cking tip,” she said. “Obviously. But I’m not up in arms like some stylists about not getting tipped.”
Santor proceeded to rip into tipping culture itself. Tipping invokes strong reactions on the internet as it’s morphed from something done to recognize good service to something that’s necessary for many workers to survive. More recently, though, content creators have complained that tipping expectations have gotten out of hand.
Santor, for instance, said she was prompted to tip while at a drive-thru—which she called “nuts.” Still, she said she believes that “what goes around, comes around” and tends to leave tips when asked.
Even if Santor leaves 20% wherever she goes, though, she said she doesn’t expect the same of her customers. And she encouraged hair stylists who get mad about not receiving tips to a simply charge more.
“Raise your prices and don’t feel bad about it because the clients who still want to come to you, will still come to you,” she said.
@samantha_santor My opinion on what you should tip your hairstylist 🫢 #hairtok #hairstylistsoftiktok #tippingculture ♬ original sound – Samantha | Las Vegas Hair
As of Monday morning, Santor’s video had over 290,000 views. In the comments, viewers went back and forth about tipping etiquette. Many shared the percentage they typically tip, with most ranging from 0% to 25%.
“I’ve never not tipped 20%. I had no idea that people didn’t tip their hairstylist,” one woman said.
“20% always and if I can’t afford it, I don’t schedule lol,” another wrote.
“I’m done tipping lol,” a third viewer shared.
Some opined that tips should simply be included in the price.
“Y’all set up y’all rates, y’all should include tips,” one person said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Santor via TikTok comment.