Jump to content

Menu

Can we talk about tipping? I don't want to be a scrooge but...


Recommended Posts

I understand wait staff get underpaid. This puts the burden of earning decent money on the customer. So, I tip because I want them to make more than $2.75 an hour or whatever the going rate is these days. I will tip very little or nothing if the wait staff acts like we are a burden. If I am pleased, I tip 15-20 percent.

 

In Oregon, the minimum wage applies to EVERYONE, including wait staff. So even though they are getting paid something like $8.75 an hour, they are still expecting 15-20% in tips. I think THAT is ridiculous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In Oregon, the minimum wage applies to EVERYONE, including wait staff. So even though they are getting paid something like $8.75 an hour, they are still expecting 15-20% in tips. I think THAT is ridiculous.

 

Nevada pays their waiters minimum wage too. Personally, if I was a waiter and got paid minimum wage I would be happy for any tips, and I wouldn't expect them. So I agree with you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never heard of tipping garbage men/women, but I think with postal people you can put a card or small gift in the mailbox with a note on top that says TO POSTAL CARRIER or some such. What is appropriate to give? I always think 'fruit cake'. YUCK!

 

 

I don't tip our postal carrier... but that is because we usually end up with a new one every few months.

 

I stopped tipping at Christmas several years ago when a neighbor of mine became a postal carrier and she told me how much the pay was... $16-20 an hour plus full benefits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The reason that they expect 15% to 20% tip even if they get minimum wage is that they are taxed as if they received 15% tip. So they have to pay taxes on the amount whether or not they get it.

 

Waiters are taxed as if they receive 8% not 15%

 

They expect 15-20% because that is the correct amount to tip. Waiters are not just college students, when I waited tables several of my co-workers had families.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, so what about the Russian tutor? A small gift (hat and gloves, for example). The piano teacher? The newpaper deliverer? (I'm thinking of a small $5 gift card to a local coffee spot) The UPS guy(the same one is here often), the Fed Ex guy (changes), post office guy (very nice). Is a $5 gift card nice or kind of why bother? ( I think it is nice but I'm not sure they will think so)

 

 

 

I actually don't tip anyone but hair dressers and wait staff.

 

I tip a set amount as I rather avoid the brain exercise when I am going out for a self-treat. For meals/service that the bill comes up to $20 I leave a $5 tip. Crappy service gets them nothing. That is it... simple-LOL.

 

When Dh takes me out to eat, I leave the bill for him to deal with. He is a big tipper when his tummy is happy-LOL.

 

My Dd's music teacher charges $20 for each half hour lesson (she gets two lessons a week). That is way more than I would ever get paid working full time. I don't tip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:smilielol5:

 

I have lived in this house for 8 years, and I don't I think I have EVER, not once, seen the garbage man get out of his truck. There is no way he would ever get close enough to the can to notice a tip.

 

My MIL leaves a 6 pack of beer on top of her garbage can. It always gets noticed.

 

LOL, I think ours would accidentally throw away the beer. But then again, we don't have lids on our cans when set out to curb (if we did, they would be missing in 5 minutes- which is how we don't have them anymore-LOL).

 

We have so many trash people that serve our area. Like our mail carrier... they seem to rotate every few months (or even weeks).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tip my dog's groomer - my dog is a standard poodle and he's elderly, so I know he's a pain sometimes. So, even though she's the owner, I tip her. However, I don't do a special tip at Christmas - although he's going tomorrow for his "shave & a haircut".

 

I don't have garbage pickup, so I don't tip there. Our mailboxes are over a mile from our house, so no extra services such as home delivery or anything like that and so I've never considered tipping our mailman.

 

I do tip my hairdresser, but I only see her once or twice a year....

 

I always tip at least 20% for good service at restaurants - but I don't visit those very often, either!!!:D

 

Anne

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tip my dog's groomer - my dog is a standard poodle and he's elderly, so I know he's a pain sometimes. So, even though she's the owner, I tip her. However, I don't do a special tip at Christmas - although he's going tomorrow for his "shave & a haircut".

 

 

 

 

Oh, c'mon, you could at least give her two bits. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tip my hairdresser because she's a superstar at a no-name salon because she sees cutting hair as her calling and doesn't want to mess with the big egos at the fancy places. She charges us way less than she's worth.

 

I also tip my mailman because he goes above and beyond and is super nice guy. He even writes thank-you notes!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I forgot to tip the UPS man. And he is good. He lives in the next neighborhood over and will bring our wine delivery to our house after his regular route to make sure we are there to sign for it. Should I UPS myself an empty package so I can tip him when he delivers it? Or can I wait until January? I feel really bad.

 

I tip my hairdresser very well. He does a great job and fixed my daughter's hair when she decided to give herself layers.

 

We always tip well at restaurants because our daughter has Celiac and our waiters need to be extra careful, and they are.

 

I tip the pizza driver.

 

We don't have a dog, but I suspect I would tip the groomer.

Edited by Caroline
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As much as I don't like it, the reality is if you tip/give a holiday gift you are more likely to be remembered and recieve better service.

 

 

Tipping aside, we feel it's very important to tell people when they've done a good job and you are happy with their service as excellent customer service can be hard to find. If they really go beyond, we take time and write the company or their boss to share our experience. I will pay more to buy from companies or stores where I have a more pleasant shopping experience.

 

I am in agreement with you, Michele. I just wish I acted on it more, thus the "I hate where my heart goes" sentiment. I really *want* to be more giving. There have been time when someone went above and beyond and I thought, "I need to call their boss and let them know how outstanding they were", but then life gets in the way between then and getting home and I forget. I hate that about myself - really I do. Because people have shown kindness to me in such instances, it's only right (and fair) for me to do the same with them. *sigh*

 

I see a New Year's resolution coming on, LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Christmas tips for us include:

 

UPS guy - he's our regular guy throughout the year and totally goes out of his way around this time of the year when my package delivery numbers go way up with Christmas (Amazon Prime)

 

Garbage guys - at my business, we don't have regular pick-up at home since I have to load the bags into the trunk anyway to get to the end of the driveway and already pay for a dumpster for work, so I just take it there....the guys who do the collection are the same guys, week after week, so I tip them since they'll take anything and everything and even take stuff on the side of the dumpster on the rare occasions we're full to the brim

 

--------------------------

 

I don't tip our mail carrier since we're a rural route and our carrier changes often....I know who our main carrier is, but she seems to only be the carrier two-three times a week, the other days it's other people, so who knows how many actually deliver our mail?

 

I don't tip the FedEx guys since it's always someone different throughout the year....and I don't get many deliveries from FedEx

 

----------------------------

 

DS's piano teacher gets a small gift, not a tip

 

----------------------------

 

Throughout the year I do tip my hairdresser because she works in a small salon and isn't the owner - when I used to live in another location, and my hairdresser was the owner of the salon, I didn't tip her. I also tip the shampoo girl separately.

 

When eating out we usually tip between 15-20%, depends on the restaurant and service we receive. I leave 10% if the service was poor though and do speak with the manager so they're aware of why I'm leaving only 10%.

 

If we have delivery of something like furniture, I do tip the delivery guys...same with other things like carpet installation or other large deliveries that require inside set-up. Big deliveries just to the "curb" - no tip.

 

When traveling, I tip valet for in-out service with the car, the porters with luggage and housekeeping.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought everyone tipped the pizza delivery guys! We always tipped the food delivery guys, even when we were in college. Actually, we usually over-tipped, because we used to order a lot of take-out in college, and it helped us get our orders faster.

 

That's awful that so many people don't tip.

 

Cat

 

When we were in college, DH delivered pizza. He didn't even make minimum wage. Like a waiter, his salary was dependent on tips. He used to come home so mad at working 6 hours and not making much in tips. I reminded him we lived in a college town. He didn't last at that job very long. It was too hard of a job for not enough pay.

 

I'll have to ask my BIL what he pays delivery guys. He owns a Domino Pizza.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess I'm a grinch. Mail carriers are federal employees who should not accept any cash gift whatsoever. Even if they weren't federal employees, I don't think I'd tip them. We have a different mail carrier almost every day of the week and lately, they've been coming at 9pm at night. Our service is terrible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...