good client behavior

[Deb Yarian]

Recently I had a woman bring a couple of friends with her to her appointment. This would have been fine except that when I joined in on the conversation she behaved as if - hey do your job, do what you're being paid to do and let my friends and I alone.

Not good client behavior--- not acceptable and it didn't make for a good tattoo experience.

[MsRad]

Recently I had a woman bring a couple of friends with her to her appointment. This would have been fine except that when I joined in on the conversation she behaved as if - hey do your job, do what you're being paid to do and let my friends and I alone.

Not good client behavior--- not acceptable and it didn't make for a good tattoo experience.

that's really shitty. do people just not understand that you are also a person and not a machine? totally rude and inconsiderate.

[Deb Yarian]

Sometimes (albeit) rarely, people take the stance that you are a service individual and treat you as I assume they would, the person attending to their car for example.

[MsRad]

Sometimes (albeit) rarely, people take the stance that you are a service individual and treat you as I assume they would, the person attending to their car for example.

even so, if the person who was attending my car or serving me food happened to stick around for part of a public conversation with my friends, and then piped in, i would hope that most people would go with the flow of things, and not treat someone like a jerk just based on their occupation and what they are providing you with.

[Jake]

Recently I had a woman bring a couple of friends with her to her appointment. This would have been fine except that when I joined in on the conversation she behaved as if - hey do your job, do what you're being paid to do and let my friends and I alone.

Not good client behavior--- not acceptable and it didn't make for a good tattoo experience.

I hope you tattooed with a nice heavy hand from there on

[Deb Yarian]

No- but I was not considerate of her and instead I had a conversation ( over her conversation) with my husband and his client and ignored her and her friends -- which ordinarily I would never do.

[Eva Swaner Isenberg]

I have a fair amount of work, always bathe in advance, be punctual yet patient, no coffee before if it makes you jittery and no time constraints or places to be! MOST IMPORTANTLY "TIPPING IS NOT A TOWN IN CHINA"!

[AbbyRoad]

the fact that everyone mentions bathing made me giggle a little bit.

isnt it obvious and common sense to bathe before getting tattoos?

the whole process should be as clean and sterile as possible, that includes your skin not just the tattooing equipment.

and i have to admit something guys....

one time i totally forgot to tip!!, and i ALWAYS tip.

it had been a long painful 6 hour sitting on my entire back and my brain felt fried. i paid my artist and than gtfo. the only things i had on my mind was getting home and smoking a joint.

after the joint i remembered i hadnt tipped. and felt super embarrassed and asshole-ish. so i texted my artist (he gave me his cell phone number during a previous sitting) and apologized said i was totally out of it and felt bad cause. but i would make it up to him next time i came to town.

oh, and i should also add, i felt especially bad about forgetting to tip because he bought me lunch that day!

next sitting i tipped double, and have not forgotten to tip since than.

[didar]

hey everyone, i'm reviving a dormant thread with my first post. i've read through this thread and found some good info, some of it seemed like common sense but there is also some very insightful info in here. so i've been wanting to get tattooed for years now but before i go through with it i am the type of person who likes to research as much as i can about artists, shops, styles, etc. (fortunately i live in the California Bay Area and there's a lot of history and local talent). but one subject i couldn't really find much info on is tipping. the topic of tipping was brought up in this thread, but wasn't discussed too much. so here goes my question(s):

What is a respectful amount or percentage to tip the artist? for example, if i got a tattoo that costed me 400, what would be a good tip if i was happy with that tattoo?

i'm asking only because I want to make sure i exhibit good client behavior towards these artists i respect!

[Lochlan]

hey everyone, i'm reviving a dormant thread with my first post. i've read through this thread and found some good info, some of it seemed like common sense but there is also some very insightful info in here. so i've been wanting to get tattooed for years now but before i go through with it i am the type of person who likes to research as much as i can about artists, shops, styles, etc. (fortunately i live in the California Bay Area and there's a lot of history and local talent). but one subject i couldn't really find much info on is tipping. the topic of tipping was brought up in this thread, but wasn't discussed too much. so here goes my question(s):

What is a respectful amount or percentage to tip the artist? for example, if i got a tattoo that costed me 400, what would be a good tip if i was happy with that tattoo?

i'm asking only because I want to make sure i exhibit good client behavior towards these artists i respect!

Welcome to the forum and happy you have found it useful as a resource for ways on being a respectful new tattoo customer plus deciding to post a thoughtful question. You live in a great city/area for some of the best tattooers so look forward to hearing who you decide to get tattooed by and pictures once you commit.

As for your question, this is a question that has come up every now and then on this tattoo site and the majority vote from the tattooers is they would rather not discuss their finances/tips in a public arena. So my tip from one tattoo customer to another is tip how and what you feel appropriate. I may even go as far as suggesting asking the tattooer face to face this question as I have a feeling they would humbly answer your question if you goto one of the honest respectful tattooers we have in the bay area.

hope this helps shine light on a tattoo subject/question the tattooers wish to keep out of the light.....

[Kev]

At least 10%

[andrea]

I think I'm a 20%er. I worked in the service industry when I was younger and I know a lot more goes into tattooing than it may seem. Definitely more than the effort I put in waiting tables. If your artist was awesome, give them an awesome tip. If you were a pain, give them a more awesome tip.

The bathing thing is pretty funny. I imagine if everyone is mentioning it, a lot of people must not be doing it. I'm a total sissy so I avoid caffeine to cut down on the shakes. Hydrate and eat something high in protein but not too heavy. I usually bring a granola bar for a snack.

[didar]

yeah i was thinking at least 15-20%. personally i wouldnt tip a tattooer a smaller percentage than what i would tip a waiter/waitress. thanks for the feedback.

[MsRad]

almost always 20%, sometimes 25%.

[Kev]

Yeah, meant 15%; typed that fast this morning.

[Speakeasy TattooCo]

my favorite clients are the ones the bring me food! i tattoo a bunch of chiefs, as do most tattooers these days but they know how to get in good i tell you!

[AlannaCA]

almost always 20%, sometimes 25%.

i def start at 20% and if i have extra cash i will give more especially if i had a good time. hahaha i was just thinking about the time i found out about tipping your artist. i was talking to our bar girl and she has ome symbols on her arms and i asked how much she paid (hourly or set price) she said $80 plus tip......i was like what!!! you tip your artist thats so nice! then i double checked with my chef friend and she said always tip at least $20+ per hour. DONT FORGET!! lol flash back of how nieve i was/am!!!

[AlannaCA]

my favorite clients are the ones the bring me food! i tattoo a bunch of chiefs, as do most tattooers these days but they know how to get in good i tell you!

i try to never show up empty handed!!

[AlannaCA]

hey everyone, i'm reviving a dormant thread with my first post. i've read through this thread and found some good info, some of it seemed like common sense but there is also some very insightful info in here. so i've been wanting to get tattooed for years now but before i go through with it i am the type of person who likes to research as much as i can about artists, shops, styles, etc. (fortunately i live in the California Bay Area and there's a lot of history and local talent). but one subject i couldn't really find much info on is tipping. the topic of tipping was brought up in this thread, but wasn't discussed too much. so here goes my question(s):

What is a respectful amount or percentage to tip the artist? for example, if i got a tattoo that costed me 400, what would be a good tip if i was happy with that tattoo?

i'm asking only because I want to make sure i exhibit good client behavior towards these artists i respect!

wow i havent been on this thread in a while!! im really glad to hear you found the information really helpful! I was hoping people would answer with out of the box responses and there is great feedback!

[AlannaCA]

Welcome to the forum and happy you have found it useful as a resource for ways on being a respectful new tattoo customer plus deciding to post a thoughtful question. You live in a great city/area for some of the best tattooers so look forward to hearing who you decide to get tattooed by and pictures once you commit.

As for your question, this is a question that has come up every now and then on this tattoo site and the majority vote from the tattooers is they would rather not discuss their finances/tips in a public arena. So my tip from one tattoo customer to another is tip how and what you feel appropriate. I may even go as far as suggesting asking the tattooer face to face this question as I have a feeling they would humbly answer your question if you goto one of the honest respectful tattooers we have in the bay area.

hope this helps shine light on a tattoo subject/question the tattooers wish to keep out of the light.....

this also reminds me of something that my co-worker said. she mentioned that when it comes time to pay it gets weird, like its a "sore subject" were her words. people try to haggle and not pay for the service they just recieved. i would never haggle, its just plain rude!

after my most recent appointment with Nick he finished up told me how much i owed and naturally i gathered my stuff and went downstairs to the front desk to pay. he walked down after me and told me the finally amount again and so i paid him directly, then tipped him. I was thinking after that i hope he wasnt thinking i was going to walk out on him and not pay him, cause id never think it at that moment! this was me first appointment with a guest at lizzies shop and so i did what i did the last 2 times i was there for a tattoo which was walk to the front desk. i counted my money out in the open and then tipped him after. Was i too open? should i have kept my payment / tip on the D.L.? i tend to be a little nonchalant when it comes to paying for different services. should i have put it in a little envelope, would that have been better? clearly the gears in my brain are working overtime and i might be overthinking this.

[didar]

alanna those are good questions and i am interested in hearing other people's opinions about this as well.

[ShawnPorter]

With my latest tattoo I knew that the artist was not only a musician but also a big fan of my favorite film director; so I went through my memorabilia and gifted him with an LP of the soundtrack from one of the directors most well known films. It's been out of print since 1970, so the album is quite old and devilishly difficult to find. I paid $45 for it ten years ago. Normally I would have tipped more than $45, but I think the album was much more appropriate.

[MsRad]

i always count (quietly i should add) and pay in front of the artist (including tip), unless i'm told to go pay at the counter. then i'll pay, and then tip the artist directly (like i would for a haircut). i don't know if that's embarrassing, but at least then, they know i'm not jipping them of dough, and i know that i'm not accidentally spending more than i can afford. i aslo always say what i'm tipping, because they should know that they did a damn fine job, and that their customers appreciate all the work and effort that goes into the finished product, as well as their craft. sorry if that's also embarrassing, but that's how i feel.

oh and i almost did the same thing to Lizzie! we had such a great time talking, that i totally didn't even think about payment, and luckily she stopped me! i felt embarassed, but it was purely an accident! we sort of joked about it after it happened, and i think it was pretty clear i was just being a doofus and excited to have met a really awesome person. afterall, we're only human, artists and customers alike. sometimes we do mindless shit on accident, but it's truly an accident. you realize your mistake, make it right, and then remember it from there on out.

[MsRad]

btw, Alana, what did you get done by Nick?? you should post picks of it up in the new work thread!

[AlannaCA]

i always count (quietly i should add) and pay in front of the artist (including tip), unless i'm told to go pay at the counter. then i'll pay, and then tip the artist directly (like i would for a haircut). i don't know if that's embarrassing, but at least then, they know i'm not jipping them of dough, and i know that i'm not accidentally spending more than i can afford. i aslo always say what i'm tipping, because they should know that they did a damn fine job, and that their customers appreciate all the work and effort that goes into the finished product, as well as their craft. sorry if that's also embarrassing, but that's how i feel.

oh and i almost did the same thing to Lizzie! we had such a great time talking, that i totally didn't even think about payment, and luckily she stopped me! i felt embarassed, but it was purely an accident! we sort of joked about it after it happened, and i think it was pretty clear i was just being a doofus and excited to have met a really awesome person. afterall, we're only human, artists and customers alike. sometimes we do mindless shit on accident, but it's truly an accident. you realize your mistake, make it right, and then remember it from there on out.

btw, Alana, what did you get done by Nick?? you should post picks of it up in the new work thread!

thanks for the response Robin! im pretty sure i do/did pretty close to what you described (counting/tipping wise) above. i feel your embarasment but lizzie seems like a forgiving person and as long as you laughed about it after, thats all that matters.

as for what i got from Nick it was a piece of flash from the Amund Dietzel book These old Blue Arms. its a sparrow and horseshoe design and as soon as its fully healed i'll put up a picture, im so very very please with it!! hahaha i was really blown away by how fast he powered through it. that hour and a bit passed by in a snap!