Tipping Service Staff -- Where does it end and begin?
By breepeace
@breepeace (3014)
Canada
April 17, 2007 10:12pm CST
I always tip when I go out to eat at a restaurant. Not necessarily fast food, but if I'm sitting and eating and there's a server bringing food and clearing away things then I'll always leave at least 15% but probably more if they were pleasant and attentive. If I'm at a bar, I'll drop about a dollar per drink in their tip cup if they're nice and didn't ignore me.
Normally if I'm getting a haircut, I leave about $5, but I'll admit I rarely tip for getting my nails done since I'm already paying $35-50 for the service and I've NEVER tipped the housekeeping staff at a hotel (I used to work front desk in one, and the HK staff told me they rarely got tips anyway), so where does it end and begin?
I worked as a gas jockey when I was 16, would pump people's gas, wash their windshield's, check their oil and often their tire pressure, and I got a grand total of $2 in tips my 6 month stint there. As I said, I worked front desk, and I NEVER recieved a tip working there. I worked retail, ditto.
I worked in a bank as a teller, got $5 once from a guy who evidently tipped EVERYONE $5 at least once.
It just doesn't make sense to me that everyone who works a service job is supposed to get a tip. $1 seems so insulting, but if you tipped EVERYONE who did something for you $5 you'd be broke in a month.
But I'm curious, what service staff, aside from restaurant wait staff are you SUPPOSED to tip and how much?
Are you supposed to tip your mechanic? Your florist? Your grocery bagger? Your checkout girl? I'm so confused.
1 person likes this
5 responses
@cynddvs (2948)
• United States
18 Apr 07
I only tip at restaurants and when I get my hair cut. I don't really do anything anywhere else that would require giving a tip. Most places aside from restaurants pay a descent enough wage so you don't have to tip the service workers. Like grocery baggers and cashiers for example, that was my first job. And while it didn't pay much at the time it was minimum wage. Every now and then when I would take someones groceries out to their care for them I would get a tip but it's not required by any means.
3 people like this
@rony1989 (22)
• India
18 Apr 07
tip as much as ya pocket allows you to.do not try giving more than you should, or in near future you will be in their end they on yours!!!
you should tip one who really think deserve, or simply them whom you like enough for that. so spend wisely!!!
@huggiebear22 (2007)
• Canada
18 Apr 07
Check this out it will tell you when you should or should nto and how much me i will tip the server at restaurant but that about it.
http://www.findalink.net/tippingetiquette.php
1 person likes this
@cynddvs (2948)
• United States
18 Apr 07
That's an awesome website for reference. I added it to my favorites. Thanks for that! Now if only more people read that and went by it. Although there are a few things on there I think are going a little overboard. But overall it's a great website.
2 people like this
@huggiebear22 (2007)
• Canada
19 Apr 07
I agree some are too much I just use it as a guide to follow and go from there in some places the tip is added to the bill already.
1 person likes this
@KarenO52 (2950)
• United States
18 Apr 07
My husband and I went on a cruise, and we were supposed to tip the maitre'd, who did nothing that I could see, except stand there and look snotty. On the last day of the cruise, we were given envelopes in which we were supposed to leave the tips, but we just left them there. We did tip our regular waiter, as he worked his butt off for us. We also tipped our room steward, he was great, and really helped us out a lot. I can't remember how much we tipped them, but I remember we had some kind of guidlines in the cruiseline booklet that we followed.
I used to work as a chiropractic assistant, and I would do ultrasound therapy on patients. I had a few people who tried to tip me, but I thanked them, and turned it down. I just didn't think it was ethical. Some of the patients would give me a little gift, like something they made, and I would accept something like that, because I thought it was very kind of them.
@whywiki (6066)
• Canada
19 Apr 07
My hubby and I have differing views. He comes form Australia where they don't tip. Or at least that is what he tells me. I tip only when the service is good. I worked a cab driver and pretty much lived on my tips. I found that the people who tipped best were people in the service industry. It seemed to me that the richer people were the less they tipped! I leave tips in hotel rooms because I know what a horrible job the chamber maids have and I figure they are probably underpaid. I tip the hair dresser about $5 as I appreciate the service.
I draw the line at tipping in a fast food place or a coffee shop where all they do is pour a drink and hand it to me. I am already paying too much for the coffee I don't want to pay more.
The whole thing of tipping confuses me though I have to admit.
@breepeace (3014)
• Canada
25 Apr 07
That was another one I didn't understand. I don't drive so I take cabs fairly often (which is EXPENSIVE) but I rarely actually give my drivers a tip just because I don't make enough money to tip everytime I catch a cab. I normally just don't take change back.
