What? (Tipping)

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Ok.....what the f***?

Read the bold especially....we just changed gears on this article...somehow.


How to: holiday tipping
Provided by: Renee Sylvestre-Williams, Holiday Essentials Editorial Team
You know what you're buying for mom, dad, your spouse and your siblings. You also know you want to give something to your hair stylist, your housekeeper and the guy who walks your dog. The problem is, you're not sure exactly sure what to give them. Should you give them money, or those cookies you baked the other day?
Keep in mind that tipping is never obligatory. According to etiquette expert Loiuse Fox, tipping should always be based on merit. But if you do decide you want to tip, Fox suggests keeping these factors in mind:
-- How long have you used the services of the person?
-- The type of establishment: Is it upscale or more modest?
-- Do you tip throughout the year?
-- The type of relationship you have with the service provider.
If you decide to give a cash tip, there are some accepted guidelines:
-- For hairstylists, manicurists, babysitters, cleaning lady/housekeepers, etc., the recommended amount is the equivalent of up to the value of one visit.
-- For postal workers and newspaper carriers: gifts up to $20. However, always check to see if government workers can accept tips. Most government offices have a cap on the amount.
But in these trying times, the recession could have an affect on holiday tipping. Fox says, "It affects people's ability to pay a generous tip and consequently affects the income of those in the hospitality industry who have had to adjust their spending and their tipping of course as well. I expect this holiday season to see tipping reserved for only those very special service providers in our life, and to see people generally looking at other ways to show gratitude."
Fox says people should be appreciative. "Maybe give a nice card or a letter to their boss." If you still want to give a gift, she says, "Generally, avoid personal gifts like lingerie. It could be note paper,a candle or a CD that they like."
But there are exceptions to that rule. "Be attentive," says Fox. "If they mention a perfume that they like, then that's fine to give, depending on your relationship. Always listen and spend some time thinking about the gift. It doesn't have to be expensive."

Yahoo!

[Baixo Astral]

I tend to tip people 20%... by which I mean I give them 25¢ and lean them at an angle.

[Dirty Hazy]

Here's how I generally tip.

Hair Stylist: Keep in mind I am simple to cut and go to cheap places like Cost Cutters. I tip them nothing, on rare occasions $1 on a $10-15 bill.

Waiter/Waitress: About $1 per person if eating simple meals and bill is under $20. More if I am on a date. This depends BIG on how nice the server is, are they fun to talk with, did they get my special requests right if any, did she seem like she actually cared to be doing her job? I only tip more than $4-5 if on a date, or in a group of 4 or more. If we leave a mess, I'll tip for the hassle if the server has been deemed worth the apology. Generally though, I don't drop things on the floor and stuff and I also keep a pretty clean table when dining alone so that helps.

Mailman: Nothing ever so far, had one cool mailman that I think I offered a can of pop to on a hot day though.

Babysitters: I'll pay $10-15 per night for one kid, $5 more for each additional. Less if the kids are independant, more if there's diapers and such. Meals/Snacks/Treats are generally included so long as I have them, though my favorites I will politely leave off limits. TV... can pretty muvh watch whatever, don't mess with my DVR. If I have stuff set to record, tv is off limits and the DVD player or video games are available Or the little tv in the spare room. Tips if any will vary.

Paperboy: I don't have one, but if I did, I guess maybe $10-20 around XMas might be doable if I have met the person and if they alwats put the paper where I request them to and get it there at a reasonable time of morning, not late, wet, crumpled, and/or in general disarray.

Mechanic: Nothing

Street Musician: Around here, they are very rare. Only one I tend to see is in a nearby big city at a footall game. Don't recall if I ever tipped him before, but I might in the future. He plays QUITE well and from the looks of him, does play because he HAS to. And by that I mean he looks pretty average and not like a bum. I wouldn't call him professional though, but for all I know he could be. Maybe he dresses down in order to garner more tips. Can't say I blame him, I would too! Funny to think that this guy COULD be part of some well known Orchestra and makes good money as is, yet comes to perform after games for cash. I guess if he loves what he does AND he makes enough money top make it worth it, the guy is GENIOUS!

[angryfan]

Tipping always depends on service. My general theory is "round up" for smaller tips. If I go get a haircut and it costs me fifteen bucks, I pay with a twenty and tell them to keep it.

As to restaurants, I've never done a "screw you" tip, since that's pretty much the ultimate dick move. Yeah, an individual server might be a jackass, but knowing most tips get pooled, I'm nog gonna screw over everyone else, so my "low" is probably somewhere between 10 and 15 percent.

Largest tip I ever gave was around Christmas about eight years ago when I still worked for the Sheriff's Office. There was a little diner type place I'd go to every day for lunch, always tipping decently (three or four bucks on what was always around a seven dollar meal). Keep in mind I ate there every day, and knew the owner and staff well, so one day I tipped a hundred bucks on my usual meal. Overdone, perhaps, but it was as much a "thanks for making me feel like you're glad I'm here" tip as anything else.

[Alucard]

I always tip between 10 and 20 dollars depending on the situation. Obviously I'd do more depending upon the situation. People who work for tips pretty much live and die by them, so yeah.

[simplydurhamcalling]

See my problem with tips is that it seems to be a big thing in America that has slowly but surely made it's way to the UK. The thing is and, please correct me if I'm wrong, but the minimum wage in the UK is much higher than the US so people over here are essentially getting paid enough for their service anyway. Therefore I only tip if I get exceptional service or if it's rounding up, say £17 meal, pay with a twenty, keep the change. I despise forced gratuity where it is added onto your bill, for a long time I earned less then these people!

[angryfan]

Dec 3, 2009 11:01:49 GMT -5 simplydurhamcalling said:

See my problem with tips is that it seems to be a big thing in America that has slowly but surely made it's way to the UK. The thing is and, please correct me if I'm wrong, but the minimum wage in the UK is much higher than the US so people over here are essentially getting paid enough for their service anyway. Therefore I only tip if I get exceptional service or if it's rounding up, say £17 meal, pay with a twenty, keep the change. I despise forced gratuity where it is added onto your bill, for a long time I earned less then these people!

I know that much of the confusion comes from the fact that, in a number of European countries, a gratuity is already added into the initial bill, so "tipping" on top o fthe check would be doing so twice.

As to the wage, I do not know what servers are paid in the UK, but in the United States, "minimum wage" for an employee that is regularly tipped (waiter and so forth) is $2.13 per hour.

[Bam Neeley]

I've never tipped anyone

[Baixo Astral]

Dec 3, 2009 11:07:43 GMT -5 angryfan said:

Dec 3, 2009 11:01:49 GMT -5 simplydurhamcalling said:

See my problem with tips is that it seems to be a big thing in America that has slowly but surely made it's way to the UK. The thing is and, please correct me if I'm wrong, but the minimum wage in the UK is much higher than the US so people over here are essentially getting paid enough for their service anyway. Therefore I only tip if I get exceptional service or if it's rounding up, say £17 meal, pay with a twenty, keep the change. I despise forced gratuity where it is added onto your bill, for a long time I earned less then these people!

I know that much of the confusion comes from the fact that, in a number of European countries, a gratuity is already added into the initial bill, so "tipping" on top o fthe check would be doing so twice.

As to the wage, I do not know what servers are paid in the UK, but in the United States, "minimum wage" for an employee that is regularly tipped (waiter and so forth) is $2.13 per hour.

£2.13?

That's insanity!

[simplydurhamcalling]

I thought it was something like that and it has proven my point exactly. Over here it is £4.83 for those between 18 and 21 then £5.80 for anyone over 21. So yeah there is a hell of a difference.

[Tapout]

In the US, 15% is the generally accepted standard, and what Tapout usually shells out to any kind of service, be it taxi cab, waiter, or barber...except in the cases where service was exceptional, in which case the gratuity goes up, and in the cases where the service is abysmal, in which case the gratuity goes down.

And yes, Tapout will leave a tip of absolutely zero if the service is horrendous. Smartass cab drivers who run out the meter by slowing down at green lights, rude waiters who ignore you the entire time and screw up your order...you can sit there and wait the extra five minutes while Tapout fishes out his change purse to pay the exact amount on the tab up to the last penny, and no more.

[Big BosskMan]

Warning: language in the following

[Welfare Willis]

My hair stylist is a family friend so I absolutely try to tip within 15% - 20% amount. Now as for pizzamen/women and waiter/waitresses it depends on the level of service, but being a generally nice guy I do tip them their 15%. It is rare, however, that I tip 20%.

[The Booty Disciple]

I'd have gladly accepted lingerie when I was a server/bartender/manager/host.

What? Don't look at me like that!

[default]

When I used to get my hair cut, I usually tipped $2 as Cost Cutters was $8 for a haircut. Then I started going to JC Penney which had one and found a woman who cut my hair really, really well. It was $15 for a hair cut, so I just gave her the $20. (It was my parents money, but my mom just always gave me $20.) If she wasn't there, I didn't tip as for $15, they gotta be getting paid well. On those occassions though, I'd always buy a clearance t-shirt or something with the other $5.

Food it depends. I usually go 10-15% because I'm not a picky customer. I've never sent food back and likely ever will, don't flag them down, etc. If they're generally nice or refill my drink a bunch or whatever, I usually go up to 20-25%. I also usually go up more if it's a cheaper meal. I did once tip a waitress more than the food, as I bought a $5 burger/fries combo and a $2 Yuengling tap. She refilled the glass four times and charged me $7. So I dropped a twenty.

I usually tip pizza deliveries well. My friend worked at a mom & pop shop and Domino's and I know what it was like with him. He pretty much survived off of tips. My friends and I used to tip Domino's incredibly well as they'd cut us deals (always 4 or 5 large one toppings for $20) then send a delivery guy to meet us at a church that was where their map cut off for delivery (we lived in a rural area). My only exception was my friend's dad who was my bro's 5th grade teacher. He delivered pizza because he loved doing it... and drove a FREAKING PORSCHE. If you show up to a house in a luxury car, you don't need much of a tip. Apparently he got stiffed a lot and didn't care. Last I knew, he retired from teaching and was still delivering pizzas.

[Banjo Is Broken]

Dec 3, 2009 5:56:06 GMT -5 Cranjis McBasketball said:

I expect this holiday season to see tipping reserved for only those very special service providers in our life, and to see people generally looking at other ways to show gratitude."
Fox says people should be appreciative. "Maybe give a nice card or a letter to their boss." If you still want to give a gift, she says, "Generally, avoid personal gifts like lingerie. It could be note paper,a candle or a CD that they like.

Yahoo!

That's ridiculous! If I want to give my cleaning lady a black lace teddy to show my appreciation, then dammit I should be able to!

[Alucard]

Dec 3, 2009 15:59:09 GMT -5 default said:

I usually tip pizza deliveries well. My friend worked at a mom & pop shop and Domino's and I know what it was like with him. He pretty much survived off of tips. My friends and I used to tip Domino's incredibly well as they'd cut us deals (always 4 or 5 large one toppings for $20) then send a delivery guy to meet us at a church that was where their map cut off for delivery (we lived in a rural area). My only exception was my friend's dad who was my bro's 5th grade teacher. He delivered pizza because he loved doing it... and drove a FREAKING PORSCHE. If you show up to a house in a luxury car, you don't need much of a tip. Apparently he got stiffed a lot and didn't care. Last I knew, he retired from teaching and was still delivering pizzas.

Haha.

I drive a Land Rover Freelander, it's by no means a luxury car nor is it even really a good car period. It's in constant disrepair but the exterior is fine. Just because of the name people tend to immediately associate it as a rich person car (it bluebooks for about 3k now, that's...really pretty cheap, car wise), but because of all of that, and since I am a delivery driver, I always find a way to park my car out of view. I feel bad for the dude who drives a Land Rover Discovery, which IS a rich person car.

I really gotta get rid of that car, period. I'm sick of it's repair bill.

In general, being a pizza guy has given me a new respect for people who work for tips, which is why I always go out of my way to tip people well. I like it when people do it for me, I might as well return the favor.

[Jay Peas 42]

Dec 3, 2009 11:21:05 GMT -5 Baixo Astral said:

Dec 3, 2009 11:07:43 GMT -5 angryfan said:

I know that much of the confusion comes from the fact that, in a number of European countries, a gratuity is already added into the initial bill, so "tipping" on top o fthe check would be doing so twice.

As to the wage, I do not know what servers are paid in the UK, but in the United States, "minimum wage" for an employee that is regularly tipped (waiter and so forth) is $2.13 per hour.

£2.13?

That's insanity!

Wrong! It's actually 1.28 pound sterling. For reasons I'm not entirely clear on, the GBP is one of the few currencies with a favorable exchange rate over the USD.

However, it's not unsound at all. Ultimately, a server is working for her patrons, not the restrurant, and his or her pay should reflect the quality of service. Second, if the workers had a higher min wage, it would mean the establishment would have to hire less of them, which would mean more tables for each server, which would decrease the quality of service, which would result in fewer tips.