My haircuts - here in Manhattan - are expensive; if you care to have a hairstyle at all, and not just a quick shave with clippers at the barber shop, then the minimum cost is about $55 dollars, which is what I currently pay.
(Other stylists in my neighborhood charge $60, $80, and even $100 for a haircut.)
Recently, while blowdrying my hair and catching up with my roommate, Michael, he told me that he pays $55 for his haircuts but doesn't leave a tip for his stylist. His reasoning was simply that the haircut was already so expensive that he couldn't justify giving them any more money. Surprisingly, they have never demanded a tip from him, even though here in New York it is customary to tip 15 - 20 percent of your bill.
I would like to stop tipping my stylist the 20 percent, too -- maybe not as drastic as giving no tip, but more like ... reduce the tip to about five dollars, at most.
My question is:
How can I communicate to my stylist that I am reducing her tip from 20ish percent (15 dollars, typically) to five dollars, without upsetting her?
I have been going to this stylist for many years now; she's very familiar with my hair and always gives great recommendations, but I have always thought that I was overpaying for my haircuts - and now I wish to save some cash.