Salon prompts customers to give 90% tip on walk-in haircut: ‘Unreasonable’

These guys take more than just a little off the top.

“Sweeney Todd” isn’t the only barber bleeding patients dry: A man sparked outrage on social media after revealing the ludicrously high gratuities he was prompted to select while paying for a “walk-in haircut,” as detailed in a viral Reddit post.

In the Reddit post, the unhappy customer shared a screenshot of the tablet he was given, which displayed the highway robbery-evoking tip options for his $15 trim.

The alleged extortionate tip options on offer at the unnamed salon. Reddit
The alleged extortionate tip options on offer at the unnamed salon. Reddit

The choices entailed 50% ($7.50), 70% ($10.50) and even 90% ($13.50), effectively offering a haircut for his bank account in addition to his head.

The one upside was that he was also able to select a custom tip or even refrain from leaving a gratuity at all.

While the anonymous customer never revealed which option they ended up choosing, the Redditariat was appalled by the extortionate selections, which they deemed both “unreasonable” and “shameful.”

“That’s the most insane thing I’ve ever seen, I would do no tip just because of those options they gave and never return,” ranted one viewer.

Another wrote, “If they options are 50%, 70%, or 90% then the only answer is no tip.

“The fact that they pre-loaded such high tip amounts should really be a red flag to never go back there,” declared a third. “Sounds like a certain someplace needs to get over themselves.”

The one silver lining, according to Redditors, was that his haircut was super “cheap.”

“I would not tip at all just because they have the audacity to start at 50%,” griped one Redditor. Parilov – stock.adobe.com
“I would not tip at all just because they have the audacity to start at 50%,” griped one Redditor. Parilov – stock.adobe.com

Nonetheless, it appears that gratuitous gratuities have reached a tipping (or perhaps no tipping) point.

The alleged incident comes amid a swarm of complaints about “guilt tipping,” in which patrons are pressured to leave extra money at pizzerias, coffee shops, fast-food joints and other places with minimal customer service or even self-service.

“I was somewhere spending $23 on just coffee and pastries and the suggested tip was another $8 and I simply said no way. I’ll give a dollar or so as a custom tip amount, but let’s have a reality check here,” Jared Goodman, a 26-year-old recruiter who lives in Brooklyn, told The Post. “Recently I got a quick bite with my girlfriend and the suggested tip amounts were 25, 35 and even 40%. That’s just insane.”

A June survey by Bankrate found that 32% of Americans were annoyed by pre-entered tip screens, while 30% thought that the present tipping culture has gotten out of control.