A woman expressed anxiety after her first haircut and didn't leave a tip for the hairdresser.
Justice recently took to TikTok to explain why he decided not to tip the woman who braided her hair. “This is the first time I haven't tipped to get my hair done and I was overcome with anxiety, especially when I hand her the cash and she starts counting it,” the clip begins.
He talked about the amount of work his barber had to do, which was more than seven hours of work and cost him $350, or about $40 an hour.
“I think it's a really good price,” Justice said. “How many people make $40 an hour?”
Justice continued, adding that because the hairdresser worked from home, there was no travel involved and she had to arrive with her hair washed and blow-dried. She added that since this was “the most comfortable braiding experience” she had ever had, she would also return to this hairdresser.
The TikToker mentioned that people tend to see tips as a “way of saying thank you,” but she didn't see the situation that way.
“For me, saying thank you is like saying thank you,” Justice said. “Respect people's policies, get to your appointment on time, be respectful of the space you're in, let them take photos of their work afterwards and maybe tell your friends, or if you have followers on social media, that for me. “This is how you say thank you.”
His video received over four million views and comments were divided on whether it was the right thing to do or not.
Some commenters respected Justice's decision not to tip, citing “tip fatigue,” which is when consumers are increasingly expected to top up workers' wages.
“Lean fatigue is real. It definitely needs to be scaled back, especially with the cost of things,” one commenter wrote.
Another commenter agreed, writing, “Girl you ok 350 is expensive.”
“I deliberately set my prices based on what I need to live and I tell everyone that tipping is not necessary. The best advice is to go back and tell your friends,” wrote a third commenter, noting that this could be the case for Justice's hairdresser, since she works from home and probably for herself.
Although not everyone thought that the hairdresser should be left without a tip after spending almost eight hours.
“Mannnn, not tipping your fast food or Starbucks is fine, but this… 7.5 HOURS? I would never stop tipping,” one comment read.
Another agreed, writing, “'She's the best I've ever had' is why we tip.”
“Your braids look like fire, he deserved a tip. Stylists pay a ton in taxes and other overhead expenses. When stylists are too reserved, they kick out anyone who doesn't tip,” noted a third commenter.
This is not the only time the tipping culture has been questioned.
In a viral TikTok video, Ina Josipović, 30, shared with viewers her experience shopping for a wedding dress. Last year, she and her friend went shopping for her wedding dress and luckily they found the perfect dress in the first store they went to. However, after purchasing the dress, she was unexpectedly asked for a tip.
“Can we talk about tipping culture and the strangest place you've ever been asked to tip?” Josipović started the video. “I went shopping for my wedding dress about a week and a half ago and ended up finding it in the first store I went to. I kid you not, when I went to pay, they turned their little iPad over and asked me for a tip.”
In the clip, Josipović noted that she and her friend were the only ones shopping at the store, along with three employees, including the store owner. “When I tell them I completely froze, I stood there and I think they saw the blood coming out of my body,” she recalled. “I didn't expect to have to tip to buy a wedding dress.”
