Comments on: Making a Living Cutting Hair, Before and After Sandy

By: Hey Ash

Hey Ash — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 21:43:06 +0000

I think the thing that’s so off putting about the author’s statement about “the reigning dining mindset in New York City” is that it seems to categorize people based on assumptions with little fact behind it. It assumes that all service people are in need of charity while everyone else (or at least, readers of the Billfold) wasn’t affected by Sandy in any monetary way and have a lot of cash to spare. And as someone who has very little money to spare, I felt very embarrassed upon reading the author’s above statement knowing that since I wasn’t a part of this particular “dining mindset” group, I must be in a have-not sort of group. It’s just a rather classist and ignorant statement for her to make.

I’m not saying that it isn’t a great thing for people to tip extra if they can, I’m just saying that the way her statement was phrased, it came off as very out of touch.

By: cherrispryte

cherrispryte — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 20:47:01 +0000

@julebsorry For starters, respecting me a lot is always a mistake – I’m guaranteed to disappoint eventually.

To open up a bit, I’m in a weird position, because my entire family and an awful lot of friends were affected by this storm, and as I am several hundred miles away and unable to give direct support like this, I’ve been feeling incredibly frustrated and useless that I am unable to help the city (and Long Island! and also I suppose New Jersey) recover. I’ve bought a few things off of the hurricane relief amazon wishlists, but still – I’d love to be able to kick some money towards someone whose life has been made quantifiably harder because of the storm. So maybe I was a little heavy handed in my language (see above, re: don’t respect me.)

But also, I wasn’t responding to you as much as to @lizard’s “a bit annoying” and “redistribution of wealth” comments. Your criticism – dammit, I’m trying to save money, not spend it, that’s why I visit this site! – is far more valid than the idea that throwing a busboy ten bucks is wealth redistribution. And “we all suffered in the hurricane” completely ignores reality. My parents’ electricity STILL isn’t back on, yet my father’s the first to say that what they’re going through is nothing compared to how other people lost absolutely everything, and, you know, died.

By: Justin Alcon@facebook

Justin Alcon@facebook — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 19:57:15 +0000

Not all hair salons work the same, my mother has owned several salons, and worked in many others. Some salons charge ‘booth rent’, which says that they pay a fixed amount to the owner each week, regardless of how much they make themselves. Some salons pay a straight hourly wage and require a certain amount of volume to be done (think supercuts). And then there are the salons that take a percentage of the hairdresser’s take. Take it from me, salon owners are not sitting back and getting rich off the stylists, they are right there beside them, cutting hair trying to make ends meet.

By: ghechr

ghechr — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 19:52:31 +0000

My take away from the article is not that we ought to tip more out of guilt but it was rather a perspective of someone who has been affected by Sandy and what sorts of safety nets are available/lacking. I was surprised to discover that the salon takes such a large % of a hairdresser’s commission and I was also surprised that she doubles her income via tips. As someone who does not live in NYC or any of the other cities harmed by Sandy, I hope everyone’s up on their feet again soon!

By: Justin Alcon@facebook

Justin Alcon@facebook — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 19:47:08 +0000

This is ridiculous. I am a generous tipper, but I am not doubling my tips to make up for anything. Disasters negatively impact everyone, I lost wages even though I do not work in service. Even if you did not lose wages, you lost business, your bonus was effected, or maybe your costs increased. It’s not like the hurricane helped some of us and hurt others and now we need to make it right, it hurt us all and we need to come together. This is done by supporting FEMA, by going down to Coney Island to cleanup, by offering a place for someone who is displaced to stay, not by taking yourself out to dinner and sliding an extra 20$ to the busboy.

By: julebsorry

julebsorry — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 19:17:14 +0000

Wow, guys. I guess my point wasn’t thoughtfully stated, but the accusation that I’m “ignorant of the different struggles other people go through, and even though it is in times of crisis when people come together to help out the least fortunate and hardest hit, i am going to think only of myself” is er…a pretty low blow from commenters I actually respect a lot.

Obvs Mike isn’t frog-marching us into NYC’s delis and hairdressers to forcibly empty our wallets while drinking our delicious tears of privileged guilt. Ok? I just felt kind of bad because I’m a compulsive spender who is actually really over-generous by nature, and that behavior has gotten me into a LOT of financial trouble, not that you could know that. It just sorta sucked that the advice in these posts is exactly the behavior I’m having to work to curb, and this blog has actually had some amazing advice to help me get on a budget. I still think we can be friends here, I swear…

By: lizard

lizard — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:07:54 +0000

@cherrispryte exactly! what a mind reader! i meant it as “just because” sorry if i dont feel the need to re-distribute my wealth

By: cherrispryte

cherrispryte — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 17:30:20 +0000

@lizard You seem to have been cut off in mid-sentence there, so let’s do a mad-lib and fill in your blank!

Here’s my suggestion: “i dont feel the need to even out the wealth asap just because i am ignorant of the different struggles other people go through, and even though it is in times of crisis when people come together to help out the least fortunate and hardest hit, i am going to think only of myself.”

That’s what you were trying to say before you got cut off, right?

By: lizard

lizard — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 12:52:03 +0000

@melis this is a bit rude to the original commenter. i made an account after a lot of lurking to comment on this article. I agree that all of this extra tipping is a bit annoying. we all suffered from the hurricane. i dont feel the need to even out the wealth asap just because

By: melis

melis — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:06:02 +0000

YOU WILL NOT CRUCIFY YOUR COMMENTERS ON A RECEIPT OF GOLD