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DEL.ICIO.USWant more no-tipping service?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I wanted to do something different with my curly locks. To get the new hairdo I envisioned I decided that I’d have to explore upscale beauty salons.
I figured that trendy, exclusive Buckhead would be a smart place to start.
So recently I searched on Google using the words “Buckhead beauty salons.” To my amazement, the first search result said: “A Buckhead Beauty and Hair Salon in Gwinnett.”
It’s called Salon Greco.
And to my delight it was right in my Duluth neighborhood near Gwinnett Place Mall.
I made an appointment and was told that Salon Greco is a “no-tipping” salon. I’d never heard of a salon where tipping was taboo.
The hair and nail services that I received at the salon exceeded my expectations. (In my current AJC photo I’m sporting a Salon Greco haircut that a stylist named Andi gave me. It’s a more conservative cut than the one I originally got.)
In place of a tip, I was asked to refer others to the shop if I was satisfied with my service.
I decided to ask owners and sisters Cathie Politis Kobsa,45, and Olga Politis Barton,42, about their shop’s no-tipping policy.
The sisters came from Athens, Greece to New Jersey with their parents in 1976. Like their parents before them, the Politis sisters became entrepreneurs. Their parents taught them to value hard work, respect, and integrity in every aspect of their lives.
Cathie moved to Loganville in 1986 and her sister Olga followed in 1992. Both sisters worked for a while at separate upscale Buckhead salons.
Tiring of the commute to Buckhead and knowing that many of their customers were traveling from Gwinnett to Buckhead for salon services, the sisters saw a need for a chic salon in Gwinnett. In December 1996 Salon Greco opened.
Salon Greco has always been a no-tipping salon. My research tells me that it’s the only no-tipping salon in Georgia and one of about a dozen no-tipping salons in the United States.
“We have trained our stylists to be top professionals, not waitresses,â€? Cathie Politis Kobsa explained.
They compensate their employees accordingly.
Full-time stylists at Salon Greco average $700-$1000 weekly and part-timers earn an average of $22.50 an hour. (I can attest to the fact that prices are very fair considering the no-tipping policy and the good wages salon employees are paid.)
The no-tipping policy eliminates the friction of competition for customers among stylists that other salons endure.
It also helps to ensure that all income earned by the salon and its stylists is properly accounted for and taxed.
The salon, which has won countless awards, is moving to larger and even more elegant location in Suwanee next month.
Eight thousand customers are registered in their database with more than half currently active. Customers come from all over the world - some even as far away as Australia.
You can visit Salon Greco online.
Is this the first time that you have heard of a no-tipping beauty salon?
Should other establishments adopt this policy?
Permalink | Comments (22) | Categories: Beni Dakar
Comments
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By DENISE MIDDLETON
October 23, 2006 09:48 PM | Link to this
I AGREE WITH THIS POLICY OF NO TIPPING. SOMETIMES IT IS HARD ENOUGHT TO GET UP ENOUGH MONEY TO GET MY HAIR DONE AND THEN I HAVE TO CONSIDER A TIP., THIS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE STYLISTS SALARY. I WOULD LOVE TO PATRONIZE AN ESTABLISHMENT THAT HAS THIS POICY IN PLACE, IT IS A COMMONE PRACTICE TODAY TO HAVE TIP JARS EVERYWHERE YOU PATRONIZE. I THINK THIS IS DETESTABLE. THANKS SISTERS.
By katie
October 24, 2006 05:46 AM | Link to this
Tipping? No. They are getting paid anyway, why tip at all. I don’t tip, not even in a restaurant. Why should I? Job choice, if someone thinks they need to be tipped for doing their job then there’s a problem.
By Tommy
October 24, 2006 07:54 AM | Link to this
katie- you don’t tip in a restaurant?? You are the type that make people cringe when they see you coming in….understand?
By katie
October 24, 2006 08:07 AM | Link to this
Tommy, why should we tip someone for doing their job? I don’t get tips for doing my professional job, that’s what my salary is for. Besides, I like to cook healthy meals and don’t frequent restaurants regularly- unlike most fat unhealthy Americans.
By Mommy Dearest
October 24, 2006 11:10 AM | Link to this
Why tip anyone? Why should a person get paid twice for the same job? I’m not going to “reward” you simply because you are doing your job. If you choose a profession that pays minimum wage and you are depending on tips to see you through, then maybe you should try a different career choice. There are plenty of places that pay better, and you don’t need a college degree.
By sbw
October 24, 2006 11:15 AM | Link to this
There are many countries that do not allow tipping at all. They rely on their pride in doing their jobs well without having to be rewarded above their salary. I say we should do away with tipping, period. That salon has the right idea. Pay for performance. What if every professional expected tips for doing what they are already paid to do?
By Brian Curtis
October 24, 2006 12:53 PM | Link to this
Why should you tip in restaurants? Because they’re getting paid less on the assumption that part of their income comes from tips, that’s why!
Sheesh, look around you, people. There are other people who matter besides you and your pocketbook.
By katie
October 24, 2006 02:06 PM | Link to this
I love people and I don’t worry about my pocket book to the point I don’t tip because of it. It’s simply the point of them already being paid. Mommy Dearest made an excellent point. why tip someone who is already getting paid. And, like she mentioned, there are plenty of good paying jobs that don’t require a college education. Look outside the restaurant and bar scene and find something that pays a bit better. It’s not all about being selfish and no one here said anything about being too important to tip. Some issues do have substance you know.
By Ashleigh
October 24, 2006 04:17 PM | Link to this
Getting off the subject from hair, if you’ve never worked in a restaurant, then you don’t know that servers get paid $2.13/hour and most are college students that have to find a job to accomodate their class schedules. That’s why you’re paying twice. If they do a good job, tip them. If they do terribly, don’t tip them. It’s like getting a mini-raise, so to speak. There are some restaurants and establishments that don’t require tipping to the servers and if the owners of this hair salon pay their stylists enough to where they don’t have to receive tips, then that’s great. But simply because you find it unnecessary to tip someone because you “don’t think they need to be paid twice” is absolutely ridiculous and money grubbing. Maybe your boss shouldn’t give you that lovely Christmas bonus you look forward to every year since some of you think people don’t deserve tips. Tips and Bonuses are on the same level.
By Ashleigh
October 24, 2006 04:18 PM | Link to this
Getting off the subject from hair, if you’ve never worked in a restaurant, then you don’t know that servers get paid $2.13/hour and most are college students that have to find a job to accomodate their class schedules. That’s why you’re paying twice. If they do a good job, tip them. If they do terribly, don’t tip them. It’s like getting a mini-raise, so to speak. There are some restaurants and establishments that don’t require tipping to the servers and if the owners of this hair salon pay their stylists enough to where they don’t have to receive tips, then that’s great. But simply because you find it unnecessary to tip someone because you “don’t think they need to be paid twice” is absolutely ridiculous and money grubbing. Maybe your boss shouldn’t give you that lovely Christmas bonus you look forward to every year since some of you think people don’t deserve tips. Tips and Bonuses are on the same level.
By ATICO
October 24, 2006 09:30 PM | Link to this
I have always had a very difficult time mentally helping the restaurant owners pay their employees with a 10 to 15% tip. I for one feel that the restaurant owners should pay their employess just like WAL Mart, minimum wage, with raises when deserved and earned, and if the employee gets a tip for his/her great service, so be it. However these employees should NOT expect a tip for being a restaurant employee, or a hair stylist, or a dog groomer. Like Forest Gump would say, “I don’t have anything else to say about that.”
By katie
October 25, 2006 06:29 AM | Link to this
Ashleigh, personally, the University I work at doesn’t give an annual bonus. We barely get a 4% cost of living increase. Don’t comment to people you know nothing about. And don’t assume that because I don’t tip I have some top paying job. I don’t. I just refuse to tip people for a job they’re getting paid to do. It’s not my fault that people working in the food business are only getting paid $2.50 an hour—job choice. If they don’t like it they can find work elsewhere. I think they should make more but not by receiving tips.
By KA
October 25, 2006 09:24 AM | Link to this
katie, You totally missed the point of Ashleigh’s post. Restaurant workers are NOT getting paid twice when they work for tips. $2.13 an hour is just a small fraction of minimum wage, and part of their incentive to give good service is working for tips. If the restaruant paid minimum wage then the price of the food would go way up. You are just a cheapskate; you want to eat out, but not pay for the service. You should be using take out or drive thru if you won’t pay for the service you receive. The set up is the same for people working in many sales jobs. In some sales positions if they make no sales, then they earn no income, forget a bonus. Since you work at a university, maybe you can educate yourself further on the many types of jobs and payscales, they vary widely by industry and business, by custom and compensation.
By Ashleigh
October 25, 2006 10:41 AM | Link to this
KA brings up a fabulous point of saying that cost of food or services would increase with the rise in the wages that servers or hairstylists or whatever received. Now, katie, seeing as how you said that you don’t make a lot of money, I would think that it’s YOUR CHOICE to head out to restaurants and hair salons to treat yourself and make yourself look pretty. Now, you work for a university that doesn’t pay a lot. It was YOUR CHOICE to choose a job that wasn’t going to pay much. And so it seems that it’s your choice to do that, so you’re stuck in the same boat as the servers and stylists and whoever else works for tips. I worked as a server when I graduated high school and made all of my money from tips because receiving an $11 paycheck wasn’t paying my rent and other bills. So have a little respect for people that will wait on you and do things for you that you don’t have the ability to do (such as color and cut your own hair the way you want).
By katie
October 25, 2006 11:06 AM | Link to this
Color my hair? I don’t think so—how vain. As for educating myself, is a Master’s degree not enough? I don’t feel sorry for anyone working in the ‘service’ field. It’s not my fault the position they’re in. As for not making ends meet, Ashleigh, ever think of getting room mates or budgeting your money so you didn’t party too much in school? I worked my way through college by working at an animal clinic—walking dogs and cleaning runs. I didn’t make a lot of money but had enough for the basics—food, heat, clothing and electricity. So don’t play the holier than though approach as an argument for waitressing. And if you read my first post, you’d know that I don’t frequent restaurants so I’m not being served by anyone. I serve myself. And as for hair cuts, my best friend cuts it for FREE.
By T
October 25, 2006 11:15 AM | Link to this
I would like to add. The service we recieve these days from individuals has been declining rapidly. Employees in the grocery stores, fast food, and alot of minimum wage posistions have seen a lack of enthusiaism for their jobs. NO NOT EVERYONE. But the tip is an incentive for the server to always do their best and give you a great experience. That is why you pay it. If you feel like it is too bad for them that they pick this type of job and not your responsiblity to pay their WAGES, then don’t go out and use their service. Because the expectation is they are working for you at that point. So ultimately if you choose not to tip them, when they do a good job, then you are stealing their service. The employer knows the tipped posistion will be paid by the customer and decreases their salary, which allows them to keep food prices down. If they have to pay full time pay to twenty employees, this will sky rocket the cost of food. Or worse, you will get bad service because the 10 servers trying to do the job of twenty will get paid the same wether they do a good job or bad. The only incentive they have to bust their butt is to make you happy. Oh, but your the one not tipping. So, you make sure you pick a new resturant each time you go out because beleive me they remember the ones who don’t tip and tell all the other servers. So if the soup is cold and the salads hot, you get what you pay for.
By Ashleigh
October 25, 2006 11:20 AM | Link to this
Hah! So it seems you like to get it cut for free because you don’t want to pay for any services it seems. And as for my post high school life in apartments, I had 3 roommates and budgeted as much as I could and saved what money I had and worked through college to pay for books and school supplies because serving paid the most and worked better for my schedule because I was in school during the day and worked at night (when everyone bought drinks, which is how I made bank). It seems I’m not the only one playing the holier-than-thou approach, miss katie
By ProTipper
October 25, 2006 12:13 PM | Link to this
I would like to tell you all that most servers make $2.15 an hour, that is below minimum wage because they are supposed to receive tips. They are paid a lower salary because their bosses know that they receive tips. If you do not want to tip someone don’t go out to eat or to establishments where this is the norm. And as for the person that said she doesn’t go out to eat unlike most fat unhealthy Americans, that is rude and untrue. I am 5’5’ and weigh 120 lbs. I go out to a restaurant usually once a week, sometimes more. Just because a person goes out to eat sometimes does not make them fat or unhealthy!!!
By PoorKatie
October 26, 2006 12:42 PM | Link to this
Katie, you are a poor pathethic person who is either bipolar or the most insecure person in the world. I feel sorry for you and I will pray for your children. You sadden me
By JS
October 27, 2006 03:27 PM | Link to this
Katie, if people did not work in the service industry there would be no service industry. It’s kind of like being a garbageman, do you think anyone really wants to be a garbageman? Sometimes you can’t choose what you want to do with your life — even if you go to school and get a degree. The bills still have to be paid and a lot of the time that job you want cannot be obtained unless you have connections in the field. Some people out there don’t have everything handed to them or have the option to go get their Masters let alone go to college at all. At least these people are out there working and not being a burden on society. If you don’t want to tip why punish the person waiting on you? How about you just tip the wait staff and not pay your bill because that’s kind of like the same thing right?
By Mark
October 28, 2006 10:43 AM | Link to this
People rationalize why they don’t tip, but it simply comes down to the fact that they are too cheap. If you want to go to a full service restaurant, you pay a tip for good service. If you don’t want to pay a tip, there is a Burger King right down the street. From the restaurant business prospective, the managers or owners could pay their servers more per hour but the price of the meals would go up about 20-30 percent. Go to California or New York City and you will notice that the meals are much more expensive than Atlanta because they have to pay their servers a higher hourly wage.
Also we should realize that tipping for good service in a full service restaurant is simply good manners. Something that has disappeared from our society.
By OGV
October 30, 2006 11:13 AM | Link to this
I have been a Cathie Kobsa’s client at Salon Greco for about 10 years now, starting from the time when Cathie was working in a different salon. It was extremely exiting for me, and I assume for all her customers, when she and her sister decided to open their own salon in 1996. I have always received absolutely outstanding service from Cathie. From the day Salon Greco opened, it became even more incredible. There is always a highly professional team, very effective and superior products, and European approach to hairdressing, facials, body massages, manicures-pedicures, and many other services. It is always a pleasure to go to Salon Greco. I do not remember a single time when I felt a disappointment or frustration after my visit. Quite the contrary, I always feel extraordinarily pampered after my visit, you could say even a few years younger. People around me constantly pay me complements and many women ask for the address and the name of salon that does my hair and my facials. Now, I’m telling everybody that Salon Greco is an exceptional salon; I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Plus, it is a non tipping salon, so you have nothing to loose. Salon Greco is outstanding from every point of view and I am glad I have met these wonderful people many years ago.