Basic Tips on Tipping: How Much and To Whom?
Published on - October 12th, 2006 (Modified on - October 16th, 2006) (by J.D. Roth) Every time I get my hair cut, I’m faced with a dilemma — should I tip the barber or not? I usually get my hair cut in a small-town shop. I tip $2 on a $12 haircut. If I get to hear stories about Vietnam or histrionic political rants, I tip $3, even if I don’t agree with the barber’s viewpoints. (I tip because I’ve been entertained.) Sometimes, if I don’t have enough cash, I don’t leave a anything at all. Are these tips appropriate?
What about when I pick up Chinese takeout? Should I have tipped the guys who delivered our new gas range last fall? What about a hotel bellhop? A parking valet? Out of curiosity, I did some research on tipping practices in the United States. There’s actually significant disagreement about how much to tip for even common services.
For example, you know you should tip your waitress. But how much should you leave? Some people claim that 10% is adequate. Others claim that 20% is standard. But I suspect that most of us learned to tip 15%, and to give more for exceptional service. (The wikipedia entry on tipping currently contains the bizarre claim that “18% is generally accepted as a standard tip for good service”.) Which amount is correct?
After browsing dozens of pages, I drafted the following guide. The amounts listed are based on averages or on consensus, when possible.
Food Service
- Barista
- No tip required, though many suggest throwing coins into the tip jar.
- Bartender
- $1/drink (or 15% of total bill). Pre-tip for better service.
- Delivery person (including pizza)
- 10%, $2 minimum (also, also)
- Maitre d’
- $5-$25 for special efforts
- Takeout
- No tip required unless something special is done (also, also)
- Waiter
- 15% for adequate service, 20% for exceptional service. For poor service, leave 10% or less. It’s okay to leave nothing for exceptionally poor service, but only if you’re sure it’s the waiter’s fault.
Hotel Staff
- Bellman/Porter
- $1 to $2 per bag, $5 minimum. (Or, just as many places say $1 bag, $2 minimum.)
- Concierge
- $5-$20 depending on the service. $20 if he does something exceptional. Nothing for directions.
- Housekeeper
- $2 to $5 per night, paid daily or as a lump sum at checkout. (Most sites suggest you tip daily.)
- Parking Valet
- A wide range of opinions. Everyone agrees that you should pay when your car is retrieved. Some say to pay when it’s parked, too. Most sites say to tip $2, though some suggest $5.
- Room service
- $5 minimum (unless gratuity is included in check)
Travel
- Bus driver (not mass transit)
- $1 to $2, if she handles luggage
- Cab driver
- 10%, $2-$5 minimum
- Chauffeur
- 10-15%
- Gas station attendant
- Nothing. Or $2-$4. There’s no agreement. (I’ve never seen anyone tip a gas station attendant ever.)
- Porter/skycap
- $1 per bag. $2 for heavy items, or if porter brings luggage to counter.
Personal service
- Barber/Hairstylist
- Again, little agreement: 10-15%, 15-20%, etc. One person recommends $5 to each individual who shampoos or blow-dries your hair! (also)
- Manicurist
- 15%
- Spa service
- 15-20%
- Masseuse
- 10-15%
- Shoe-shiner
- $2 or $3
Other
- Building superintendent
- Varies —read more.
- Coat checker
- Most sites recommend $1 per coat, though one said $2 to $5 upon retrieval.
- Furniture deliverer
- It depends. Most of the time $5-$20. Some recommend simply offering cold drinks. (also)
- Grocery store bagger
- One site recommended $1-$3, though I’ve never seen one tipped in my life.
- Mover
- $10-$25 per person (also)
What about tipping at holidays? Tipping service people with whom you have regular contact can build goodwill. I found these recommendations:
Holiday Tips
- Babysitter: one week’s pay
- Doorman: bottle of wine or box of chocolates
- Garbage collector: $15 to $25
- Gardener: one week’s pay
- Housekeeper: one week’s pay
- Janitor: $15 to $25
- Mail carrier: $15 to $20 (up to $20 non-cash)
- Nanny: one week’s pay
- Newspaper delivery person: $15 to $25
- Parking attendant: $15 to $25
- Personal trainer: $20 to $50 (tip discreetly)
Some points regarding tipping etiquette:
- If you use a coupon or gift certificate, calculate your tip based on the total before discount.
- Tip above the norm if:
- Service is exceptional,
- You’ve been a burden, or
- You are a regular client.
- Don’t tip if it’s not deserved. Poor service should not be rewarded.
- In some circumstances, if you offer an initial tip — especially a large initial tip — you’ll get better service.
- If you take up a restaurant table for a long time, tip extra.
- Tip discreetly.
- When in doubt, tip.
What about public officials? When is a tip a tip, and when is a tip a bribe? My wife and I tipped the judge who married us, but even then we had trouble deciding how much to give him. (We gave him $50.)
I suspect that tipping practices vary widely from region-to-region and, especially based upon the size of the city. As always, do what works for you.
Other articles about tipping:
- How to tip in a foreign country
- International tipping etiquette
- Is it better to tip with cash or with credit?
- Tipping at weddings
- Tipping relieves guilt more than it provides incentive
- Tipping etiquette (which is actually the best guide I found)
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Please tip your barista the same way you would tip your bartender. Not only is pouring a proper shot of espresso is just as difficult as mixing a proper martini, but a barista will also prepare your food, serve it (along with your beverage), and bus your table.
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Tips less than 20 percent to anyone is stingy… and bad karma
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it is only stingy if you are a poor yet entitled waiter or waitress who could not do something worthwhile with their life so you put on a fake smile for people you don’t really care about unless they voluntarily pay your wage for the job you chose. How about you do a damn good job because it is your job, rather than fake your sincerity until somebody gives you a reason to nut in their food. People who give this bullshit that waiters and waitresses work hard and deserve their tips forget that there are harder jobs out there that don’t get tips. Stingy? Cheapskate? I am saving my money for something of value like… cigarettes and condoms. All entitled waiters and waitresses should just quit and let hardworking people who are grateful for a job to replace them. HA! Hard work? Try landscaping.20% this ain’t the Ritz, if I eat at a Claim Jumper’s they should be happy with anything I have to give even if its a few pennies at the bottom of my empty class.
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i think you dont realize that most servers dont get an hourly wage over like $3 per hour. Which means ..THEY DONT GET A PAYCHECK (because the government gets it). So although you THINK you are ENTITLED to get someone to wait on you hand and foot without getting paid to do so.. maybe you dont realize that nothing in life is free. So tip your server AT LEAST 15%.
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It’s easy to say my job is harder than yours, but a lot of waiters are trying to put themselves through school, like I did, and it’s still the most common freaking job for college kids. Not to mention how many single mothers wait tables in every restaurant, you seriously think their tight schedules let them work anywhere but Claim Jumper. Selfishness or Ignorance are the only good excuses for less than 10%. 10% already says poor service. The only reason tips increase down the line is because the job market increases, and your tip money is not pocketed by one or two people anymore. Servers tip out up to One Food Runner, One Busser, One Porter and if there is a bar (no matter how much alcohol is sold) they tip them out too! So 10% minus the standard 3-6% TIPOUT really adds to 7-4%. Measly crap if you don’t even make a full minimum wage! A lot of stress to never know what potential money you could earn despite your work ethic and quality of serving. Hence I was thrilled to put it all behind me.
I tip 18% for decent service and good drinks. If I had No complaints and enjoyed myself 20%. 15% is reserved for Okay service. 20%+ is Exceptional service, the waiter genuinely showed appreciation and remembered me from 2 months ago. I leave 10% a handful of times and the waiter knows he Messed up.
If the food took to long or it sucked or my cocktail was poorly made, I talk to a manager. This helps them fix it in the future, after all leaving a lower tip for any of these reasons only makes my server think THEY did something wrong.
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I work in a casino as a cashier, the largest single tip i have received was 500$ off a $20,000 jackpot, but others have received more. Tips in a single night, i got $794 in a single night. The largest amount i have heard about at once, is $1000 off a $10,000 jackpot… The most in a single night goes to a blackjack dealer with $17,000 in a single night. The most money I’ve given in a tip is… on a first date… $32 tab and i gave a hundred. If i have money i tip always, give money to the santa infront of walmart and i will even give my last $ away.
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thank you for this response, you took the words right out of my mouth! I manage and operate a cafe and my baristas undergo extensive training to learn to make great espresso drinks. Sometimes bartenders are just pouring glasses of beer which takes much less training time.
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@Jeff:
“Let’s say you and 3 other people go out to dinner. Your total bill comes to $300. There were no problems and your service was “normal”. Your average dinner for 4. No special drinks. No extended stay at the table, chatting.
20% would be $60.
Are you actually going to pay your waiter/waitress a $60/hr salary just for YOUR table?
I sure as hell don’t, and never will. I believe there is a “percentage method cutoff point.”
Wrong. You don’t get to just make up arbitrary rules. Well, actually you can but it’s just wrong. I’m sorry, but if you are going to get extravagant (which you don’t have to), you should be willing to pay the piper. Would you tell the server ahead of time that you are going to discount the service simply because you’re spending a lot of money? If so, then you should expect the server to discount the service from their end. That wouldn’t make you very happy, would it?
You aren’t paying the server “$60/hr” for a few reasons. First of all, you are probably going to be enjoying a $300 meal with three of your friends for more than an hour. Second, you have discounted the hour of setup at $2.13 – $8/hr, the various hours that there might not even be a table, the time spent doing closing sidework, etc.
This is a social contract that should remain constant. If the server sucks, then you should penalize them. If the server is great, you should reward them. And if the server is just average, then by all means, give them an average tip based on the standard, not the price of a bill. Don’t get your super dinner on the back of the server. After all, there are many servers who must tip out based on sales. Is that your problem? Maybe not. But it should be a consideration.
Is tipping a perfect system? Nope. But nothing is. You can make it more perfect by being consistent though. It works on both sides of the table. Servers shouldn’t expect special consideration over and above the standard either. If you suck, you should be docked. I know that if I screw up, I don’t expect to be tipped at the same percentage as when I perform properly. But if you suddenly tip 10% on great service simply because you have reached some arbitrary bill limit that exists only in your head, then what kind of signal are you sending? Tipping is an incentive-based game.
Here’s my suggestion – don’t try to be a big shot and spend $300 on your four-top if you aren’t prepared to pony up. Stick with fish instead of lobster.
Edited to note that I don’t know why this comment came under the barista comments, because it was supposed to go under Jeff’s.
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@Julia – that’s not a good reason to tip a barista. After all, sometimes baristas only pour coffee. The reason why you tip baristas is because they are serving you, but remember, a barista isn’t usually doing any more than counter service, while a bartender is usually doing extended bar service. If a barista is actually doing extended service for people sitting down at his or her counter, then, by all means, they should be tipped as a bartender would be. If you are just handing a cup of coffee to someone in a line, then that’s a different story. They should still be tipped, but not at the same rate. This isn’t a hard and fast rule like tipping for dinner, but it’s my opinion. It’s like tipping for to-go food – you should still tip, but you shouldn’t be expected to tip at the same rate as table service. Once again, this is a “rule” that isn’t fixed in stone because it’s a new concept that’s still in a state of flux.
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What many folks fail to understand is that your server works many hours filling salt shakers, cleaning their stations, windows, tables, setting up tables, desert areas, salad areas, etc. at 2-3 dollars an hour. Unless they are just awful, they should get the 15% just to make minimum wage. If servers give exceptional service they have earned a higher percentage tip. People assume servers just stand around waiting to serve YOU! Believe me they don’t. They work long hours for $2-3 an hour just to make your evening perfect so you can have an enjoyable dining experience. A real professional server is a hard working consciencious employee whose goals are to share in and help create a pleasant and memorable dining experience for you, the customer. So, please tip these good servers properly. They work hard for their money and have families, too
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Bartenders only get 10% of a tab, or 1 dollar per drink. If you’re only ordering one drink from that bar, ever, and he’s obviously serving favorites or “hot chicks” over you, don’t tip.
If you’re making them make complicated drinks, such as mojitos (with real mint) or mint julips, tip more.
Valet’s get paid only on pickup of your car, and get $1 in normal weather, $2-4 in inclement weather, except in major cities such as Chicago and newyork, where you add $2 to each of those numbers.
For a waiter, when you have exceptionally poor service you are supposed to leave a penny, not nothing. Nothing looks like you were out of money or forgot. A penny is a longtime message of “Wow you suck”.
Bribe’s happen before the action, tips afterwards.
You state/municipality has guidelines on what different offices are allowed to accept as gifts.
–Michael
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When you eat at a restaurant do you calculate the tip as percentage of the total before tax or after tax?
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Good question, Dan. I live in a tax-free state, so I always forget about this. Most of the guides I found indicated that it didn’t matter whether you base the tip on the before-tax total or the after-tax total. My personal feeling is that the before-tax total is appropriate. Why should I tip somebody for sales tax? But I don’t have a definitive answer.
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As a carrer waiter, please tip on your bill after tax… Most restaurants charge a tip pool from their staff. Normally 3-5% of that waiter’s total sales (including tax) goes right back to the restaurant. So when you tip 15%, your waiter only gets to keeps 11-12% of the tip… That’s not much… So for great service, tip 20%, when you receive terrible service tip 5%. If you completely stiff your waiter, your waiter actually pays the restaurant for you to eat there…
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Honestly, if the service is terrible, I am not going to leave the waiter anything. I mean, it’s too bad that he/she is technically paying the eatery but I guess they should have thought about that before they gave me bad service.
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Don’t just Leave nothing, they’ll think you forgot or didn’t have the extra money, or just are a jerk and don’t tip at all. Leave very little, that way they see it.
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As a former waitress (who always tips; ten percent for awful service) I have to say service is relative. If you think your server is a jerk, they might just be over burdened or covering for someone else or whatever. If your food took a while or another table got their food first it could be the kitchen’s mistake or the luck of the draw on what your ordered. You can’t survive more than a few days as a waiter if you don’t bust your butt doing the job.
You should always tip. Particularly if you live in a state that doesn’t give service workers federal minimum wage (for instance, Louisiana server minimum is $2.13 per hour!). If you don’t want to tip anything, order take out or go to a food stand.
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Vanessa
“As a former waitress (who always tips; ten percent for awful service)”
Awful service should be NOTHING and a report to the manager. They will *NEVER* ********LEARN******** if they get paid no matter what.
Sometimes the service is so atrocious there’s no way that person deserves a penny even.
A lot of servers are too lazy to try their best. They don’t care and feel ENTITLED no matter how they treat you.
“You should always tip. Particularly if you live in a state that doesn’t give service workers federal minimum wage (for instance, Louisiana server minimum is $2.13 per hour!).”
I live in Louisiana and KNOW that they get paid this. NO, you should NOT ALWAYS TIP. THEY WILL NEVER *****LEARN******** from it.
Have you ever heard of positive and negative reinforcement if you ever took psychology?
http://allpsych.com/psychology101/reinforcement.html
Negative reinforcement: “Think of negative reinforcement as taking something negative away in order to increase a response. Imagine a teenager who is nagged by his mother to take out the garbage week after week. After complaining to his friends about the nagging, he finally one day performs the task and to his amazement, the nagging stops. The elimination of this negative stimulus is reinforcing and will likely increase the chances that he will take out the garbage next week.”
See you teach the person NOT to something, guess what, if they can’t pay their bills, they will try harder next time. Paying them 10% won’t make them learn anything!!
I am ONLY talking about really BAD service.
Positive reinforcement: “Think of it as adding something in order to increase a response. For example, adding a treat will increase the response of sitting; adding praise will increase the chances of your child cleaning his or her room. The most common types of positive reinforcement or praise and rewards, and most of us have experienced this as both the giver and receiver.”
By paying them 10%, you are only ENFORCING THAT BEHAVIOR TO CONTINUE, even if it’s not a good tip or high tip, that still got paid.
The way they learn is that they have to *PAY* to SERVE YOU by TIPPING OUT the bartender, bussers, and hostess. This way they WILL LEARN from that and being reprimanded or written up or both from their manager.
“If you don’t want to tip anything, order take out or go to a food stand.”
Believe me, I ******DO SOOO MUCH WANT TO TIP****** for servers that DESERVE IT. Servers that are jerks are going to not get anything.
You obviously never had bad service, have you?
I want to tip. The person that is serving me that isn’t nice and is making my time there very miserable shouldn’t get a tip. I feel you ruin my outing, I ruin your tip. What goes around, comes around.
10% only REINFORCES the behavior to continue.
Think about it, if everyone tipped like me and my husband 20%-30%, 15%-19% for decent service, 10%-15% for OK, service, below 10% to nothing for extremely bad service, the servers would *LEARN* to CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR, otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to PAY THEIR BILLS, DUHHHH!
Why do you servers(I know you are former, but still) feel *******ENTITLED********* TO ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY JUST BECAUSE YOU SERVED US if you do a horrible job? You shouldn’t get anything if you were horrible. LEARN TO SERVE and then you will get paid what you are worth. Be mean to the customer and the customer should treat you the same way back in the tip. You aren’t ABOVE US customers.
I know if I messed up someone’s food majorly I wouldn’t expect a tip at all. WHY do you servers have that “ENTITLEMENT” mentality that you ALWAYS deserve a tip. There are many servers out there that are lazy and uncaring human beings.
WHY should someone pay for service that was horrible that they weren’t satisfied with, huh? Do you like paying for something you aren’t satisfied with? Have you ever not liked something and got it comped at a restaurant? If you have, then you have NO RIGHT telling us we have to pay for something we didn’t like, which for us is the service at times. It’s rare we stiff, but on rare occasions it’s been that awful. Also those servers did not EVER say they were sorry for their mistakes. HOW can you expect forgiveness in the tip without an apology? If you can’t say you are sorry when you did something MAJOR wrong, FUCK YOUR TIP!! We don’t owe you anything. You fucked us over, we fuck you over. This way, you will *LEARN* that not only did you not make anything, but you have PAY to serve us. THAT IS A VERY MUCH LEARNING EXPERIENCE TO NOT DO SOMETHING BAD ANYMORE.
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Wow. You’re a piece of work, Springs1. I am not, and have never been a waiter, but I know that generosity speaks VOLUMES over your stingy and cruel attitude. What I don’t understand is why you think you’re such a better person than someone that has a heart to tip someone because they see that there are ALWAYS other circumstances that you can never be able to know at play. There’s lots of reasons behind the scenes of why you may get bad service. Does that mean you should add to those? You’re probably the person that sits and if your drink gets low, and you do not get a refill right then, you get flustered. The world doesn’t need more people like you, it needs caring and generous people helping each other out. Should a lazy person get paid as much as a hard working person? No. But what you are failing to see is that someone has to work 8-12 hrs a day, running back and forth trying to make people happy that feel ENTITLED to outstanding service because they were TOO LAZY to make their own food and serve THEMSELVES, and are only making $2.15/hr. Then you have those people that sit on their butts all day long answering phone calls making MORE THAN TRIPLE what the servers are making. I’m glad you tip usually between 15-30%, but that information doesn’t make you justified when you “F$%#” the other servers over. If you allow bad service to “ruin your outing”, than you’re a very shallow and whiney person. What gives you the right to view yourself above the server? You’re a worthless collection of DNA. Look that up in your Psychology text book!
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@ Chris.
Why should I reward a server who can’t do their job? If they are overloaded or having a bad day that will affect the experience of their clients, why should we suffer. The serverrs signed up for this position if they don’t like it they can find another job.
I have worked as a server for 5 years at one place and 2 years as a lead server at another place. Some people you can never please and some people are great tippers thats the position when you sign up. Now I am one of those people working at the call center that you call lazy. Now I guess you have never worked with angry customers all day long over the phone in a complaints department. We get paid higher because our position is more long term stressful then a servers. I solve customers complaints, I don’t just listen to them, I try to make things better which can take days and weeks because you have to partner with a lot of people to make things work. You get customers who threaten to punch you, they call you names, and they act selfish and entitled. Over the phone they act different then they would in person because noone sees their childish behavior. And in some call centers the people only get paid while they are on the call at full wage, otherwise they get minimum wage. The grass is always greener on the other side. Unless you have done both position you can’t even compare.
Now as for tipping. I tip on a Grading sale A-F. A is 20% percent or above tip. B is 15 percent, C 10 percent, D 5 percent, F is nothing but a WRITTEN tip OF why..
I usually tip NOTHING when the service is bad, I have done this 10 times and I won’t come back. I make it clear on the reciept why they didn’t recieve a tip and how they could improve and that I will never come back again…
I have tip 5 percent to a few servers, it is when they are buffet servers that only give us drinks or servers who didn’t do much at all but were atleast trying. I still write on the reciept why because I want them to know why so they don’t have to wonder. I barely ever give someone a 10 percent tip. Maybe once or twice and its when they didn’t have to much. Like if I ordered came in and ordered a dessert and didnt need refills or anything. But even at a waffle hosue when we each order a dollar burger our bill came to 2.15 cents or something like that, I gave her a dollar tip. I would have given her two but we sat there for 5 minutes wiating to get our bill and had to flag down someone to find our waitress. Basically if my bill is under $5 I usually toss down a buck or two unless the service was really bad.
I give out 15 percent, a B grade a lot when they put in the effort but they don’t go above and beyond. And I have given out a lot of 20 percent tips. Easier to do on smaller bills. And now mind you I may work at a call center getting paid more then those who serve tables and I took on a higher paying position with more stress but I am not rich by all means. We live in a frugile budget, coupon cut, find deals, and so when we go out to eat its a treat and I am not going give a penny more for bad service. Period. If I gave badd service at my job I wouldn’t be there. I don’t get tips or bonuses.
Now Chris you can spend your money anyway you want but I am not paying for bad service. I give my delivery driver over 20 percent just too give me chinese food because he has to pay for gas and they are so polite. If he was rude I would stiff him. That doesnt make a customer mean for not tipping it means that as a paid employee you better not piss off the customer.
Your statement :
“There’s lots of reasons behind the scenes of why you may get bad service. Does that mean you should add to those? You’re probably the person that sits and if your drink gets low, and you do not get a refill right then, you get flustered. The world doesn’t need more people like you, it needs caring and generous people helping each other out. Should a lazy person get paid as much as a hard working person? ”
A. Servers are suppose to do customer service iff there is something going behind the scenes that is not the customers fault and if they treat a customer rudely then their paycheck will be lower.
B. Who are you calling lazy? I would never eat at your restaurants if you are already calling customers lazy. Without us customers the servers would haven’t jobs.
C. If I order a drink and the server can’t refill it maybe she should isn’t right for the position. I know some exceptional servers and I have done my time as server so if this server can’t do it, it’s because they aren’t right for the position. oR THEY APPOLOGIZE TO THEIR CLIENTS WHEN THEY DON’T DO SOMETHING RIGHT. I had a server who forgot part of our order, when I told her she appologized and brought it out. She was so sincere and nice. She got a 20 percent tip on a high bill. Because she acknoledged her mistake and appoligized I won’t hold that against her. People make mistakes. But when a servers acts like we are putting them out when we ask for a refill or mention that something was forgotten and doesn’t appologize, I will not reward for bad behavior.
So you can tip however you want. I tip for good service. I will never just leave a crappy tip without an explantion. I tip my hairdresser well, I never use a valet but if I did I wouldnt see why I wouldn’t tip them well.
A server can be upset all they want but they can certainly try for a call center job. We get recorded so they fire people for rude behavior at my company. I know lots of servers who work at call centers. It pays better but it is more stressful. I miss running around and dealing with customers face to face and talking about food. I have also been in back of the kitchen positions, so I know how to cook, and therefor when I go out to eat I am looking for an experience that I can’t get at home. DOESN’T make one lazy. I choose to spend my money on good service like I had to provide every day to my customers.
I will not just hand out tips to people, a tip can be a whole meal, I am not giving out charity. Plain and simple..
I all people I do recommend if you tip bad to leave a note why. That way the server can think about how to improve so the next experience will be better…
Have a great day!
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Just answer this.
Whatever your job is, whatever you are paid…do you perform at the highest level possible every minute of each hour?
Do you play solitaire on the computer…take a personal call…daydream…make an error?
Should your employer dock your wage each time you go the bathroom (and it’s not a scheduled break?)
Every job has some “wiggle room” – a down time when you/we aren’t as productive as other times.
For servers…those “down times” actually cost them money. Unless you work on commission, that’s not true for salary or hourly workers.
Just saying….
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I live in a tax everything state I tip total bill post tax &% or less wont affect the tip much either way. I Tip 15% at restraunts for full service much less at service your self(buffet). the worse the service the smaller the tip. for superior service a 15+% tip and a call the the manager. the boss needs to know who does it right as much as who does it wrong. They usually only get bad calls and a good one lets them know that they and their staff are doing it right.
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a bribe is a bribe no matter if it happens before or after the action. What makes a bribe is intent and expectation.
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Chris
“What gives you the right to view yourself above the server?”
When I KNOW THE *MENU* BETTER AND KNOW HOW TO DO THE JOB BETTER IDIOT!! I have proven to servers and managers even that I know the menu and how to do the job better than the servers do. It’s the TRUTH!!
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Per the Tipping Ettiquette page (and many other tipping recommendation pages), you should not tip your cable, satellite, internet installers.
As an Internet installer for the last 5 years I take offense to this. Why are we not tip worthy?
I routinely make the extra effort to make my installs look nice. I run wire in hot attics. I run wire in dirty crawlspaces. I try to hide wire on the outside of your house. I attempt to make a computer with 2 years worth of spyware at least usable for no extra cost. My employer doesn’t care what the install looks like. But I do. I take pride in giving someone a clean, professional install, because I am certainly not required to do so.
So, why do I get the shaft when a bartender gets praised for mixing the right liquids or a taxi driver gets you to your destination.
Think about that next time. Installers like to know that you appreciate their effort. I put in 110% for every install I do, but I am certainly not the majority.
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I am not a bartender, but they get paid only a few dollars an hour and have to make their money almost strictly on tips, including waiters and waitresses. If you do something extra than what you were sent by your company to do, yes I feel a tip is due to you. But when you get paid a decent hourly wage by your company, I feel patrons should not be obligated to pay.
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“Pre-tip”? Not sure what that means.
Scott: Do you tip the cashier at Dairy Queen? The bagboy at the supermarket? The janitor at the office? It’s disingenuous to suggest that the only reason tips are conventionally given is because there’s some service involved. The service is why the company pays the employee. But bar staff, like restaurant staff, are paid less than minimum wage because they’re expected to make up the difference in tips. Baristas aren’t.
Besides, the point of tipping the bartender is to get good service for your second drink.
(Rule of thumb: Any place there is a tip jar is a place where tips aren’t being accounted for in wages and thus aren’t expected. Ever see a bartender begging for tips with a jar? When tips are expected, it’s always a direct exchange: money in hand, or money on the table.)
As for tipping before or after tax: Let’s say the highest federal+regional sales tax in North America is 20% (probably too high), and you’re tipping a straight 20%. On a $100 meal, the difference between the before-tax and after-tax tip is $4. If you’re putting any effort into deciding whether or not to pay an extra $4 on a $100 tab then something’s gone wrong. Just ballpark it and make it a nice even number so it’s easy to tip out at the end of the night.
One more before I shut the hell up — if you’re going to a massage therapist for anything beyond relaxation massages, they might very well not even be allowed to accept tips, just like any other medical professional.
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I tip waiters 20 percent (pre-tax) for reasonably good service, although that’s mainly for the simplicity of table math. If I found the service only satisfactory, I might round back down to 15, but for the reasons below, I often don’t.
If the service is so poor that I’m tempted to leave a 10 percent tip or less, I’m not going to quietly leave a cheap tip. I’m going to get up and go talk to the manager. I find tip-stiffing on poor service petty and passive-aggressive, and unlikely to fix the problem for other patrons.
I usually put an extra dollar on the payment for takeout. It does take some work to get everything bagged up to stay stable on the way home.
For haircuts, I leave 15-20 percent. If I’m paying with cash, I’ll round it based on the dollars I have. If I’m paying with a card, I’ll usually go closer to 20 percent.
Most of the rest of these I either agree with or have no experience with either way. I do have difficulties with tipping mail carriers and newspaper delivery drivers, because I rarely see them. (And last year I lost the card and envelope left by the paper deliverer; I’ll have to do better this year.)
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Leaving a low tip for poor service at a restaurant doesn’t send the message that the service wasn’t good … it sends the message that you’re cheap.
When I lived in Canada, I was adamant about tipping. Now that I live in Japan and tipping is not expected/allowed, I’ve come to realize how much I dislike it. If I ever move back to North America, I’m going to be in for quite the shock!
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Waiter …. It’s okay to leave nothing for exceptionally poor service, but only if you’re sure it’s the waiter’s fault.
Gotta say I disagree with this. I don’t care whose fault it is when the experience is bad. The waiter is pretty much my lone point of contact, s/he is gonna bear the brunt of my disapproval. And I don’t mean everything has to go right – I’ve had some catastrophic dining experiences that were made right by attentive and courteous waiters.
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[...] Read this list of standard tip amounts for various services (like haircuts and food delivery). [...]
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Do people tip the maids at a hotel regularly? I never knew I was supposed to do that until a few months ago. The only time I’veever done it was the night of my wedding when there flower petals all over the place. I felt really bad for whoever had to clean that place and left $25. As for general hotel stay, I don’t make a mess and don’t leave a tip.
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I forgot to discuss the amounts that I generally tip.
I don’t tip in Starbucks, because I don’t order fancy drinks. I rarely go to bars, but when I do, I tip 15% of the bill, which is what I also tip in restaurants. If I get great service in restaurants, I tip 20% or more even.
Because I used to wait tables and know that a lingering table is a pain, I always add extra if I’ve taken a table for longer than normal. I have no problem leaving nothing if service was awful. There were times that happened to me when I was waiting tables, and I always deserved it (and knew I deserved it). I was much angrier at 5% tippers than I was at the people who left nothing. 5% tippers are cheap; stiffers are leaving a message.
I don’t tip for takeout. I tip delivery people a couple of bucks. I have trouble with hotel tips, because I rarely stay in them. I do tip the maids a couple bucks per night, though (paid at the end of my visit). I’ve done this as long as I can remember. I’ve never tipped a gas station attendant, and it would never have occurred to me to do so. (But I live in Oregon where you’re not allowed to pump your own gas — it’s always pumped by an attendant.) I’ve never tipped a grocery bagger, either, though the thought has occurred to me. I tip my barber as described above.
I actually thought of tipping the DSL guy once. When we moved into this house, we had a lot of trouble getting our DSL connection working. One guy came out on a Saturday and spent an hour with me trouble-shooting. I really wanted to tip, but didn’t know the etiquette on it. After doing this research, I would probably offer a tip. He went above and beyond the call of duty.
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Something you should know, waiters/waitresses are taxed on the amount of food they sell. When I was waitressing in Chicago – I got taxed 8% on the food I sold. And in Illinois they are not required to pay minimum wage – I only made $2/hr. So after taxes were taken out for the food I sold, I had a paycheck of only .20!! So that needs to be considered when you are tipping someone who is literally working for their tips. Tipping 15% actually turns out to be a 7% tip.
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I could never bring myself to NOT tip, even for poor service. First of all, I’m not an especially fussy person, as I’ve been on the other side of the diner-waiter continuum. ESPECIALLY if the restaurant is near my house, and I might visit it again and have the same waiter, I tip 15-20%. It’s karma: leave a bad tip, guy remembers you, bad service forever.
If I’m out of town, I might be a little less generous, though…
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I think Matthew’s comment is interesting:
Now that I live in Japan and tipping is not expected/allowed, I’ve come to realize how much I dislike it.
Ideally, everyone would take pride in their work, so there would be no need for a merit-based rewards system for services performed. I really find it unnecessary. I think it is more demotivating than anything due to humanity’s innate ability to focus on negative aspects of life. Thus, if someone receives a bad tip, I would guess many people would dwell on this, which would generally affect their outlook and behaviour. This does not apply to everyone, naturally.
I also think that tips promote judgement between both the tipor and tipee. If the tipor leaves a small tip, the tipee will tend to judge the tipor negatively, and will probably not reflect upon the service they performed. From the other perspective, obviously the tipor is encouraged to judge the service of the tipee and its worth. I think this encourages an ‘us vs. them’ mentality that is so prevalent in North America.
NG
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Nothing bugs me more than people who do not tip well for people who must work for their tips.
First of all, If you can’t tip your server at least 15%, you have no business eating out.
Secondly, stiffing a server is horrible. Like one suggestion above, talking to a manager is more appropriate. Stiffing a server is having that person working for (basically) free for you and all of your demands for however long you sit at that table. Unless you live in California (where servers are paid minimum on top of tips), servers make on average 2.15 an hour.
Yes, theres no excuse for rude servers, or a bad attitude – but if your server forgets to bring you your ketchup after asking twice, think again before stiffing the guy.
And remember – that server has full control over your food and beverages before it ever gets to you. Remember that before you decide to be an ass to your next server.
(I don’t even wait tables anymore – just a saved up rant!)
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In all honesty, I find NLG’s comments naive. Of course a waiter is working for money. For so many of us, it’s simply a “waystation” job…something to pay the rent while we finish school. Restaurants only have to pay their waitstaff $2.15 an hour by law. That doesn’t cover a bar tab, let alone rent.
“Ideally, everyone would take pride in their work…”
C’mon. Ideally, none of us would HAVE to work. We work to earn money, the positive feeling you get from your work is the bonus, not the pay.
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I think it’s interesting that different municipalities have different laws regarding minimum wage for waiters. It never occurred to me that they might not be making the same as anyone else. When I waited tables in Oregon, lo these many years ago, I was paid minimum wage. (I was actually paid more — I was the only member of the waitstaff to be given a raise while I was there. That caused some sour grapes, let me tell you.)
Would I still think it’s okay to stiff a waiter for poor service if he’s only making $2.15/hour? I don’t know. I’d certainly be less inclined to do so. But a tip is a gratuity — it’s not a mandatory thing — so I think I’d always consider it an option not to tip. But I think I’ve only stiffed servers twice in my entire life, so it’s not a huge issue. And I generally leave 20%+, even for breakfast and lunch. As I say: I used to work food service, and these folks have my sympathy.
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As a former pizza delivery guy, I have to say the $2 minimum is nice and makes for a good average. Ever since I left the game, I’ve always tipped $5 on delivery below $25. A $5 tip was a big deal back then and people that did it got a reputation among the staff as sort of elite customers that everyone wanted to serve. We used to fight over who got to deliver to the known $5 tippers.
I’ve noticed ever since I started using the same pizza place once every 1-2 weeks, I get my pizza within 15-20 minutes after I call, no matter what time of day or how busy they might be. I suspect they’ve figured out I’m a big tipper and give me great service (on the phone I’m often quoted a 45min delivery time).
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“First of all, If you can’t tip your server at least 15%, you have no business eating out.”
That’s a rather stuck-up comment.
I’m a college student with a wife and one kid. I’ve only got ~$300 in the bank right now, and no job. I study from 9AM-9PM every day, with exception of Thursdays when I go into school at about 11AM. My wife’s business is just getting started, so income is pretty spotty.
When it’s our aniversary next month, I may only be able to aford tipping 10% or 5% or whatever, but it’s pretty presumptuous of you to say that I have no business eating out.
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You don’t. Servers make a lot less than minimum wage. You should be ashamed for tipping 5-10%.
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I am in the habit of giving my mail carrier a small gift at the holidays (usually a Starbuck’s card or some prepackaged candies- one year I baked cookies and he brought them p to the door to say “thanks but I can’t accept unwrapped food items”). It’s not so much a tip as a recognition of the individual behind the service. It surprises me how many people have never heard of this practice.
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Good article.
FTR at resturatunts I baseline at 15%, before tax of course. Good service gets you a better tip (sometimes as high as 25%) and poor service gets you less (sometimes nothing). Generally if you keep my drink full and don’t screw up the order your’e getting a good tip.
As far as the above comment, I’ll say this, while I beleive that a tip is not an entitlement and is earned through good service you should plan on leaving a reasonable tip when going out. If you don’t think you will be able to afford a tip of 20% (if you get above average service) then you should choose a cheaper resturaunt or eat at home.
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“When it’s our aniversary next month, I may only be able to afford tipping 10% or 5% or whatever.”
I’m with Robert on this: you should consider the tip part of the cost of eating out, not as an optional extra.
This rather harks back to JD’s post on frugality and ethics: while you *can* stiff your server to save money, it doesn’t mean that you *should*…
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Don, that’s a pretty ignorant attitude to carry around with you. A waiter is responsible for bringing your food and drinks to you, that’s pretty much it. If it takes forever for your food to be cooked, that’s not the waiter’s fault, nor is it something they can correct. I’ve worked in many a restaurant with poor kitchen staff who’d leave you waiting while your tip goes down and down. Do you take responsibility for everything that goes wrong in your company? Should you not receive a paycheck if some other department fails to deliver on their duties?
Anon, so? That tip is part of the dinner out experience. RKMase is exactly right, it’s not the waiter’s fault you are financially strapped and living beyond your means. Perhaps you should consider a nice meal in where the grandparents watch the kid, rather than going out? It might help you get rich slowly.
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[...] Get Rich Slowly » Basic Tips on Tipping: How Much and To Whom? (tags: Money Tips Howto) [...]
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at a real coffee bar (as opposed to a starbucks or the like) it is good to tip a buck for any espresso beverage. properly prepared espresso is harder to pull off than 99% of the drinks a bartender mixes and deserves encouragement in the handful of places where its done.
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I live in Australia where tipping is a rarity and only done if the service warrants it. I’m not going to tip someone because they carried a plate of food from a kitchen to a table.
In my opinion you get paid to do your job by your employer. Why should I pay you extra to do the job that you’re already being paid for. If you’re not getting enough from your employeer then talk to them about it. Don’t get annoyed with me because your employeer doesn’t value your abilities enough to pay you properly.
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What I don’t understand is why we need to tip. Period.
I mean, people are paid to do a job, and if the rate at which the job is being paid is so low that it must be made up in tips, then all that the employer/owner is doing is offsetting what is probably the second greatest expense of operating a business [at least a service/retail based business] – such as the retail store I own – and making it the customers’ responsibility to pay the employees fairly.
A tip for opening a bottle of beer? Are you kidding me? I’ll open it myself for $1.
If the business does not respect it’s employees enough to remunerate them fairly, if not generously, it should not be the responsibility of the customer to bear those extra costs.
Here’s a situation that is 100% authentic and plays itself out every day in my store.
Customers come in, look around, we help them, they like the product, like the service, love the atmosphere. What happens then? They ask for a discount.
Say WHAT!?
That’s right. You receive poor/mediocre service in a restaurant/bar, and you’re expected to tip, you get great service in a retail store, you get asked for a discount.
I pay my people fairly, with room to advance, but that is my responsibility to take care of. The success of the business only happens when those at the front-line, those that, by and large, earn the least in any and every organization – those people who are supposed to be your public face and are the lifeblood of any business – are able to do their job and be happy and treated fairly both personally and economically.
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as a server people that tip below 18 to 20 percent are generally looked at as cheap. there are many things people don’t take into account when deciding what an adequate tip is.
1. servers have to tip out. at big popular restaurants we have to tip out pretty large amounts. if you are leaving 15 percent we are usually taking home 11 percent of that. i know customers shouldnt be worried about how much we have to tip out but i think thats why we appreciate it so much more when people tip you well. you have to take into account that your server isnt the only one getting paid here. how was the food, the enviroment..etc..
2. is it really that hard to make someone that is working their butt off for you feel like they did a good job? the difference between a crappy tip and a good one is usually only a few dollars. i will never understand someone that leaves a 4 dollar tip on a 30 something bill. why not just throw in a couple more dollars and make it good?
3. lower your expectations to a certain extent. people get so upset soemtimes for things that are simply out of our control. you are not always going to get a refill before your drink is empty. why you ask? because you are not the only table in the restaurant. not to mention the fact that a lot of places have their servers doing other things besides waiting on their tables. if we do not do these things you would never get your food, things would be dirty and the overall dining experience would such. people never take this into account when they are getting pissy about not seeing their server for 2 minutes.
all that being said i can understand when people don’t tip for bad service. that is what you are paying for but people need to be a little more aware of what we are doing for them and how hard of a job it really is.
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It used to be easy tipping here, because the tax (HST) was %15, so you just tip the tax! But I think it’s gone down to %14. I don’t really follow rules with tipping, I guess because I don’t often have a lot of money on me. But I tip at restaurants and at bars. I often forget to tip my hairdresser though.
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For those of you who think waiters shouldn’t be tipped: waiting is one of the few jobs where relatively bright students can work part-time and still make enough money to make ends meet. Removing the tip, and making waiting (once rated as one of the most stressful jobs, because so many factors are beyond your control) a minimum wage job, would send most of those people somewhere else. As someone who waited tables for seven years, I think you’d see a dramatic decrease in the quality and helpfulness of your waiters–who wants to work for minimum wage?
I agree that relying on the customers to cover labor costs is an odd model, but it’s the system we have. Unless people like Chad are willing to lobby to change the system and raise the minimum wage for the servers, I don’t think you’d actually like the results.
That said, how does service compare between the U.S. and non-tipping countries? Anyone with a great deal of experience want to commment (and let’s not forget the “service charge” many of these countries seem to tack on).
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Universal tipping guide…
The financial wunderkind over at Get Rich Slowly has created a handy universal guide to tipping, with everything from barista tips (“No tip required, though many suggest throwing coins into the tip jar”) to general holiday tipping guidelines (“News…
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In Asia at least as well as 3rd world countries, tipping is unknown; waiters may try and return money left on the table. In Russia, tipping happens occaisonally, but is generally only done by tourists or at nice restaurants. Really, America is the one place I know where tipping is so important that we debate over tip amounts.
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“When it’s our aniversary next month, I may only be able to afford tipping 10% or 5% or whatever.”
The net effect of your action is having the waiter pay for your action. The 15% tip should definitely be considered part of the bill. If you can’t afford it, order less or don’t go to the restaurant at all.
There’s a line between being thrifty and being cheap. Leaving a small tip is cheap.
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I have also submitted this great article to digg. Keep the great content coming!
http://www.digg.com/business_finance/Basic_Tips_on_Tipping_How_Much_and_To_Whom
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I think tipping a gas station attendent is really old school, and if it happens at all anymore probably only happens with working drivers.
A long time ago I drove a cab in Boston, and the other cabbies schooled me about tipping at gas stations. At our garage we all tipped, but I started noticing other cabbies and limo drivers doing it at other stations. These days everyone pumps their own. Which is all the more reason to tip on the rare occasion when someone else does the pumping.
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I don’t feel too sorry for the server who received $.20 on their paycheck. I have a lot of friends (who are college students) bringing home $100+ a night in tips. And only a percentage of that is claimed as income, where a percent of that goes to taxes.
When I dine out, I look around to see how many tables a server has. If he/she has 5 tables, and the tables turn over in an hour, and everyone leaves $5 (which is pretty light), the server is still making $25/hour, plus the hourly wage (which typically all goes to taxes). In my opinion, that is pretty good money for a person without any formal professional education to make!
I do agree, extra inconveniences caused by myself to the server deserves an extra tip.
I also tend to tip heavier at restaurants where the server is working the “graveyard shift” – probably out of sympathy.
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Gas station attendants in New york should be tipped if their is bad weather.
I always give at least 2 bucks to the guy who is standing in the snow while i am in the car.
I know other places it is mandatory to have the attendant pump your gas – then it would be different.
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[...] ~Thu~ Oct 12th 2006 from http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/10/12/basic…; [...]
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Mail carriers are Federal employees. giving them gifts is against the law.
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I would just like to comment on post #14
Debra Says: “Tipping 15% actually turns out to be a 7% tip.”
In reality what that means is that you are not paying taxes on more than half of your tip! They calculate the taxes on your pay check based on getting an average tip of 8%.
It is common knowledge that most servers do not pay taxes on their full income.
Not only that but they often get tax breaks based on a low reported income and expect everyone to feel sorry for them. For example I know of people reporting an annual income of $10,000 when they really made closer to $30,000.
There are also safeguards in place to ensure that servers are not over taxed. When the restaurant gives you your tips if they are lower than 8% of your total bills they will adjust the taxable income on your paycheck.
You will rarely hear of anyone pushing for the actual tips to be calculated because more often than not they will end up paying out more because the average will be well above the 8% they were taxed on.
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Always tip your barista! Pulling a good shot and making a good velvet foam require skill and practice, not to mention how hectic it can get behind the counter on a busy morning.
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Here’s a question that will surely rile up folks. FWIW, I tip 20% for food service almost without exception.
Let’s say you and 3 other people go out to dinner. Your total bill comes to $300. There were no problems and your service was “normal”. Your average dinner for 4. No special drinks. No extended stay at the table, chatting.
20% would be $60.
Are you actually going to pay your waiter/waitress a $60/hr salary just for YOUR table?
I sure as hell don’t, and never will. I believe there is a “percentage method cutoff point.”
As an aside, the whole “we have to tip out” thing is bogus to me. That’s between you and your employer to solve in salary negotiations. Not my problem.
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Great guide but have disagree on cabs and doormen.
If you’ve called for the cab (or sedan service) it’s right on. If you’ve hailed the cab from the street, as is common in NY and other metro areas, there’s a very decent chance the total cab fare is going to be in the $4-$7 range.
A 10% tip would be in the $0.40 to $0.70 range, 2 dollars would be over double the ‘percent’ amount, not even considering $5 high-end min option. The guide I’ve heard most NYers use, for intercity travel (not to airports, etc.) is round up to the nearest dollar and add one (e.g. a fare of $4.60 would get $6). Given that it would take a bit of doing to get a ride within Manhattan over $15 this usually ends up being more than the 10% rule, but nowhere near the $2 min.
On doormen, I know a number make significant (tax free) cash at the holidays (from 1/3 to 1/2 of their annual salary. Given that my middle-of-the-road bldg has 400-500 units, at $20 per unit (minimum, most tip more) it’s a significant amount.
Food and wine don’t cut it alone. The better course, and more economical, I’ve found is to tip when you receive a service. I’m young and can carry my own packages, I get the doorman cart myself and don’t ask the doorman to watch my dog while I check the mail. If they hail a cab, hold something unusual for me, or do something else above and beyond I tip. During the holidays it’s a modest tip b/c in June they aren’t going to remember if I gave 20 or 50, but they will remember I give when helped.
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I almost always pump my own gas. The last time that I didn’t, it was a cold, windy day in Boston and I had just tipped the car wash guys who were freezing as they dried off my car. Without thinking, I tipped the guy pumping gas two dollars or so. He was surprised but happy.
When I lived in Switzerland, a guide like this one suggested only leaving the change as a tip at restaurants (leaving more would be taken as an insult). A bunch of us noisy Americans loved to eat on Sundays at a little Auberge in the countrysid. We’d tip something approaching an American rate. The proprieter loved to see us. She’d come out with her bottle of grappa at the end of the meal pouring generously.
One of the joys of tipping well is that people remember you. At most bars or restaurants where I tip well (or coffee shops if I tip at all), I get much friendlier service. It works anywhere.
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anon:
USPS employees are allowed to accept certain gifts. Here’s more info.
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“One site recommended $1-$3, though I’ve never seen one tipped in my life”
Some grocery stores forbid tipping, and put up signage to that effect. In other places, tipping is actively encouraged. When my husband was an enlisted guy fresh out of Basic Training and we had a new baby, he bagged at the commissary on weekends – working for tips only, they did not pay baggers – and that really helped make ends meet. I don’t know what the practice is now, or whether it varies from base to base.
Something I haven’t seen mentioned – a tip is, basically, a thank-you. In situations where tipping is discouraged or forbidden, fall back on the actual, verbal, effusive thank you. And if you tip well, for heaven’s sake, tell the service person why. A nice tip is nice, but so is a detailed, articulate statement of appreciation for a specific service executed with grace, poise, enthusiasm, and efficiency.
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To Jeff #44:
When I worked for a year as a waiter during college, I experienced your mentality towards tipping 20% on big bills all the time. You should always tip 15-20% no matter what the bill is. Anyone who has ever worked as a waiter will agree. I don’t know what restaurant you are going to that $300 is “average” for 4 people (without drinks or anything special!), but if you are going to a place where you have to drop $75 for yourself, then you shouldn’t have a problem tipping $15 on the bill (as your share of the $60). In my experience, when people spend that much on a dinner, they are drinking and getting all sorts of special things, and spending a good amount of time at the table – which is fine – but they should then tip 20% if the service was good. It’s not right to have the mentality of limiting your max tip to a certain amount. Waiters don’t make $60/hr, unless they work at some 5 star ridiculously expensive restaurant. Over the course of the night it always averages out to much, much less than what the largest single tip was. So if you spend $300 on dinner, tip the $60, because at the end of the night the waiter is probably making more like $20/hr.
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tip your barista cause we invented the idea of tiping
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“Empty class”. Pretty good self-description there, Desouza.
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