Do You Tip for Alterations? Bear These in Mind to Help You Decide

When it comes to dress alterations, the first thing to decide is from where you have it done. People have different choices. According to most common observations, some prefer to have alterations from the retailer of the gown, some look for any local bridal shop for alterations or a seamstress to do the service. Each of these sources would cost you differently, some less and some more than your expectation, which could affect whether you decide to tip.

People have different opinions about tipping for the alterations. Some consider tipping a useless act or an unnecessary expense. To them, the laboring cost of alterations is included in the decided payment. Paying extra tip over it just does not make sense.

Do you tip for alterations if you really like how the dress turns out? To recognize their effort, they should be rewarded and thanked in many ways. Besides cash (some would say 15-20% as you normally tip), consider sending a greeting card saying ‘thanks’ with flowers, or a ‘thank you’ note with a photograph of you in that wedding gown, or spreading the word, would be another nice idea.

Yes, unless he/she is the owner.

“Generally, Yes! I prefer tipping to the workers for their services. And I tipped my seamstress for the alterations she did for me in the last hour. She was an independent, local seamstress (not the owner) and quoted reasonably low price as compared to the original price of the gown. She made me happy with her skill so I thought to tip her a bit extra”.

No need to pay in cash!

“I decided not to go with tip. The overall alterations charges of my dress were around $400 and that is quite enough. So I concluded not to pay over it. There were many greeting cards and notes of thanks on my seamstress’s table, sent by various customers. Some have sent the photos of them in wedding gowns, altered by her. So this seemed a better idea to me. Instead of paying in cash, the photos showing gratitude from many customers can also help her in future business.”

Yes! If you find them cooperative.

“I do not know much about tipping and all that. But my seamstress did quite well with my dress. There were a lot of alterations to be made like removing strap, lining the dress, adjusting the bottom hemline, etc. and she did quite well in just two appointments. I paid her around $200, which seemed quite affordable to me. So I paid her $40 extra for good work.”

No! They are already paid!

“I tip only to the service staff that’s it. Tips for wedding vendors, No way! I often see people tipping the wedding vendors and this act really pisses me off. I often ask, why do you tip for alterations? It does not make any sense to me. You have already signed a contract including all the costs of services. So it seems useless to me.”

Sure! If she quotes less.

“Yes, I tipped my seamstress for her good services. She resolved all the issues and charged so less. Around 1/3 of what a bridal shop normally charges for the alterations. Her professionalism impressed me and I tipped her with some extra cash.”

Send a bouquet of flowers.

“Tip is not about paying cash only, you can look for some other idea to pay her, for her good (if you think) services. She/he can be thanked with a bouquet of flowers.”

Spread the word about them!

“Whether in UK or USA, I always go to tailors for various works as getting my pants hemmed, etc. but have never thought of paying other than what they cost normally. I think recommending them to others, if they do good job and avoid them if they don’t, and also tell others not to go there, is all you should do.”

Tipping is useless!

“I don’t think one should tip extra. Would you tip a dentist for cleaning your teeth? Then why do you tip for alterations? Doing the alterations is their job and that is what they are being paid for. Spending some extra bucks is just the wastage of money.”