An extra £40 for a haircut? This is why tipping culture has gone too far

Tipping once meant bunging the bin men and the postie a fiver at Christmas.

'Thank goodness it's not like that here,' we'd say when a friend would return from the US with tales of how they were expected to tip everyone from the chamber maids at the hotel to the servers behind a bar.

But no more. Today, at a time when many services have shot up in price and people are feeling the pinch, tipping culture feels completely out of control.

If you hoped a cashless society would put an end to it, think again. It's even worse! Wretched 'digital tipping' has become commonplace in hairdressers, nail bars and beauty salons.

I was recently asked if I wanted to bung my stylist £40 on top of the £200 I'd just forked out for highlights and a cut. Trying hard to hide my screen, I opted for £15.

Most of us understand that some workers are on low pay and that tips boost their income.

But we're all struggling and it shouldn't be on the customer to ensure staff receive a living wage — that's the employer's job.

One American has told me that some self-service checkouts at their supermarkets now ask if you want to leave a tip. Who are they tipping? The shopper has taken the groceries off the shelf and packed them in bags themselves!

Wouldn't it be great to get back to the days when tips were given as a thank you for exemplary service... and not just because someone did their job?