A post in the teacher appreciation thread mentioned tipping the newspaper carrier. It got me thinking about tipping in general.

Do you tip regardless of service?? Do you express dismay when you get bad service or just reflect it in you tip, or lack thereof??

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Glad this came up - thanks allinaugust~

I do tip waitstaff in restaurants, and housekeeping in hotels and hair salon workers and pet groomers whenever I use their services. I tip pretty generously. There was one time that I found something gross in our hotel room (used tampon applicator), so I left a brief note explaining what I found, and that I wouldn't be leaving a tip.

I also give money gifts to the sanitation workers at Christmas. I don't tip the mailcarrier (just because mine is mean), and I don't get the paper, but if I did, I'd tip weekly. If I wasn't tipping all year long, I'd tip at Christmas. I wouldn't do both, though.

I give Christmas/holiday gifts and end-of-yeargifts to school teachers, CCD teachers, music lesson teachers, teacher aides, the office staff at school and bus drivers.

As a piano teacher, I receive gifts 2 times a year from almost all students. As a CCD teacher, I am given gifts from about half.

Yes, I always tip. If the service is just basic - 10-15%. If the server talks with us, jokes with us, is very friendly - 20% or a bit more.

There's only been ONE time that I left a bad tip. This woman was the worst I'd ever been served by in my life. I was with my then fiance, up in Pennsylvania. Granted, not too many up north know what "sweet tea" is, but she gave him an impatient, weird look and just said 'HUH?". She could have so easily said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what that is, could you describe it?" or something of that nature. He explained it was sweetened iced tea - so she brings him hot tea. We ordered an appetizer which we never got - and thank goodness, never got charged for.

She never gave us any refills, forgot extra things we asked for, like ketchup and steak sauce - we had to ask her 3 times. During this whole thing, she rarely made any eye contact with us, just kept glancing around the restaurant. She came back during dinner ONCE - I use "came back" loosely, it was more like she passed by us slowly - and asked if dinner was okay. There were hardly any people there, the place was almost empty, it's not like she was busy.

We sat there for a while after eating, waiting for her to come back, we wanted to order dessert. She tossed the check on the table - while walking away - saying I'll take that when you're ready. We called her back saying we wanted to order dessert - she again, didn't look at us and just said "What do you want?" - kind of impatiently.

I hadn't finished my steak, so I handed her my plate and said "Would you mind putting this in a to-go box?" She didn't say anything, just took my plate to the back. She brought out dessert, we finished and got ready to go. I still didn't have my to-go box, so I asked her, "Do you have my to-go box in the back?" She says, "Oh, I thought you didn't want it, I threw it out." I say, "I asked you to put it in a to-go box, how did you hear me say I didn't want it?" She says, "Well, I can have the cook make you another one". By that time I just wanted to get out, so I just told her to forget it.

I left her a penny.

I've had servers make mistakes, no problem - but this woman's attitude was horrible. She acted like we were some sort of inconvenience to her. That was quite a while ago. If that sort of thing happened today, man, I'd be all over some manager's butt instead of leaving saying nothing. I figured the penny would say it all, but her manager should have known about it too.


In dealing with services, other than restaurant - yes, I do tip.

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Good service at a restaurant will get them a 20% tip. Standard service will yield 15% and bad service will yield just under 10% along with a discussion with the manager.

Hair salon: 20% (this includes spa services like massage, nails, etc)

I do not tip the mailman (unless I am shipping an ungodly amount of packages which I have done in the past). I do not tip the person who delivers my newspaper. I pay out the nose for the paper in the first place (which I know is not the fault of my carrier). If I had a kid riding their bike delivering (like when I was a kid), I would tip but a guy I've never met in a van delivering...nope.

I don't really tip any other people that I can think of off the top of my head. I think tipping is out of control honestly. I do not tip the trash man. I mean, they make more money than a lot of people around here. I tip people who get sub-pay (or whatever that is called) because tips are an EXPECTED part of their salary.

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

We are generous tippers.

I tip my stylist 25%. I tip the kids stylist $5 on a $9 hair cut. I tip 20% on waxing. At restuarants I tip atleast 20%. If the server was exceptional we tip more and tell the manager. If the service is bad, we tip 5 - 10% and tell the manager.

I do not tip the mailman, garbage men or recycling men.

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I usually do the same as what has been posted for restaurant service. I don't tip garbage men or the paper delivery person. I do tip my mailman though, he is a great person. everyone in the neighborhood is very friendly with him (it propably takes him 3 times the amount of time to deliver to our neighborhood than it does any other!).
I had a tipping question the other day and wasnt sure if i should have tipped or not (but i did).
I went out to my car to take my son to school and noticed I had a flat tire (not low on air, but pancake flat). So I called AAA and withing 15 minutes the tow company was there and changed my tire in about 5 minutes. I tipped him $10. I was kind of torn as to tip or not, but I did anyway. Knock on wood, this was the first time I used AAA since we have had it, so I wasnt sure if i should tip or not.
Opinions would be appreciated.

The tipping standard, for eating out at least, is 20% so I always tip around 25-30% if the service is great. If the service is so-so I still tip 20% and if the service is bad I'll tip 15%.

Everyone has bad days--even the wait staff and they are only making $2 something an hour so you can't punish them for having a bad day.

It also completely bugs me when people take out on the server things that they have no control over. Your order isn't prepared the way you want, you find something in your food, your drinks and meals don't come out as timely as you'd like....all are things the server may have no control over. There are many people and many factors that come into play like the cooks, bartenders, food runners ,etc.

I always say, give them a break cuz their job is tough and these people survive on tips alone. Their paychecks are almost always just enough to cover the taxes that they claim on their tips.

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Shauna

My husband and I are generous tippers for good service. Servers get taxed for 15% of their income for tips and if you don't tip them at least that much they are losing money.
Of course if the service is bad no tip or a small tip like a nickel just to show we did not forget but that's all the service is worth.
My son was a newspaper carrier for many years and he did a great job. Some people were cheap. I thougth they could at least tip him 50 cents a month. A newspaper carrier gets up every single day of the year (even Christmas when it's your birthday like my son) and do it in all kinds of weather.
I tip my carrier $3 a month.
I would not think of not tipping.

On the other hand I found a perfectly wonderful salon and they have a no tipping policy to make everyone feel comfortable about the services they are receiving. I have to tell you I feel weird everytime I leave as I have been on this planet almost half a decade and going to salons since I was a little girl and have always tipped so this feels funny to me.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Generous tippers here.

But do not tip mailman, trashman, etc.

First of all - I hate to have society determine what I should tip - I don't tip by percentage.

I tip by how good the service was. I honestly believe that the person who serves my order at my local Taqueria should get just as good a tip as the person who serves my order at Ruth's Chris Steak House. I've often left a 50% tip at a small restaurant before and a 10% tip at a fine dining restaurant. They get paid the same horrible wage - less than $3 an hour here in Texas - and should be able to get comparable tips for the work they do. Because I was a waitress (it was waitress back then, not server) I know what it takes to provide good service and I am generous to those who do a good job.

I tip hotel housekeeping if I'm there for more than one night - usually $5-$10 a night depending on what services are provided. I leave the tip on a table when I check out.

I tip my mailman because I DO leave a huge amount of packages each week for him to take in for me.

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Mary

I tip waitresses, car wash detailers, bartenders, my hairdresser and that's about it. I think tipping has gotten totally out of control. I save my tipping for people who work for tips usually.

Why should I tip my mail carrier? He/she is a government employee, makes much more than I do, has great benefits and retirement benefits. Plus we are the ones who pay the mail carriers with our tax dollars. They have a set salary and don't work on commission/tips.

If you're going to tip the garbage man, the mailman, the newspaper man, then why not tip law enforcement, firemen, the clerk at the grocery store, etc. Gosh, I could go on and on.

We had an accident in front of our house this morning and the state trooper came to my house to get some information. Should I have tipped him for walking to my house and getting some information? Most all of you would say no because that's his job. Well, IMO, that's the job of the mailman, garbageman, newspaper guy, etc. There shouldn't be tipping for these people. Tipping should be reserved for people who work for tips to make a living.

Now I can offer the trooper, garbageman, mailman, etc. a cold drink or a hot cup of coffee (on a winter day), which I do. But tipping - no.

Tipping is such a controversial subject. I have worked both as a waitress and as a bartender so I consider myself pretty fair with tips. I start at 20% and then wait to see how my service pans out. If the service is good, the tip goes up depending on how much my server actually participated -- good contact, suggestions, didn't hover, etc. If the meal was not so good and it appears to be the server's issue, I reduce the tip and make sure that I speak with the mgr. As far as automatic taxing of 15%, I don't think that is accurate....at least not anywhere I have worked. It is up to the server to claim his/her tips. You can't be taxed on money you didn't earn. Any employer who is doing so should be reported.

I have to say, I am not normally a hotel tipper. I never really have thought about that so much except when I have been on a cruise where the steward really took care of us. I expect my room to be cleaned thoroughly as a part of the room rate. I will say that I have tipped if I have noticed that the attendant did something special or if our kids had made a significant mess. Wow, I hope I haven't been shunning folks.

I do tip my mail carrier or at least purchase a small gift at Christmas. I don't tip the garbage (we pay for a private company and it isn't cheap) or my newspaper for the same reason as the poster above. If it was a kid, I probably would. I guess with the price of gas, it might be a nice gesture though. I am going to start giving the UPS guy something every so often, he is awesome!

We tip in restaurants, whether it's full service or a buffet type where they just clean your table, or just bring drinks or whatever. We also tip the people that cut our hair, I don't tip much but my husband tips a lot more (making his haircuts cost more than mine lol). We dont' get a paper, don't tip the mailman, don't really use many services I guess?

We do tip food delivery people a bit more than we used to. Even when there's a delivery fee because I don't think the delivery person gets all of that. Back when I did delivery there wasn't a delivery fee and some people would tip just the change to the next dollar.. so I'd get $.05 and $.15 tips even when I had to drive out into the rural area to deliver to them. At least gas was cheap back then.

I agree - that's not fair. Even if something has gone drastically wrong with the meal and the management removes it from our bill, I still tip the wait staff what I would have tipped if the cook/chef didn't mess up. It's not the wait staff's fault.


This I don't agree with. I held at least 6 different jobs as a server in 'my time' - and whatever $$ I was tipped -- I hope it reflected my good service to them, and not pity they had for me.

It isn't the customer's job to help to supplement the waitstaff's income - it's the customer's responsibility to tip based on service. If all wait staff provided their best service so that their tips would be optimal, we'd have better service than if they just expected people to tip them based on knowledge of their low wages. JMHO.

I'm not by any means saying tip them out of pity. What I am saying though is that EVERYONE has bad days--including servers and bartenders. If you see that your server is having a forgetful day or is extremely busy, give them a break. I was a manager at one of the busiest restaurants in Pittsburgh and our staff was swamped everyday. It would make my skin crawl when people would leave w/o tipping or blame a server for their food taking a little bit longer than it should. That is the price you pay to want to be at the "trendiest" or "hippest" place in the 'burgh.

It isn't the customers job to supplement the waitstaff's income, no. If your server is downright rude to you, then don't give them a good tip. If they are trying their best and being polite to you and trying to be as attentive as possible then tip them the standard-20%.

My opinion is that if you can't tip your server then you shouldn't eat out. But again, that's just my opinion.

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Shauna

I agree with devinmom. If it's something the server has no control over, I don't reduce the tip. I base it on the server's actual service. I also agree with the 2nd part. I won't tip well for bad service. It's like giving your child a treat for bad behavior. Yes, we all have bad days but we also have to learn from them. I don't deserve bad service because you are having a bad day.

I thought I would also add that like another poster, I will tip extra at a low-end restaurant because I KNOW they get crappy tips. There is a Waffle House in town (which I've only been to a handful of times) and I've seen the tips left by the peopele leaving...horrid. Mostly seniors that pay cash so it's on the table. I usually spend about $7-8 on my meal and leave a $20. I get out fast and peek in the window to see their reaction Makes me feel good

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

I always leave a tip at a restaurant, and since my DH is in the F & B industry, it is usually 25 to 30% of the bill!! I always tell him I want to be his server, so I can get tipped that much!! Hotels - we usually don't tip the housekeepers unless we stay more than 1 night, and then we only tip a couple of dollars, the main reason being I am in the hospitality industry, and housekeepers get paid about the same as a GSR at the front desk, we were usually not allowed to accept tips, I never knew until I worked in hospitality how much money they made!! If you are a union worker in hospitality, you are (or should be) making double digits for your hourly pay. Haircare, I usually tip bout 20%.

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My opinion is that if you can't tip your server then you shouldn't eat out. But again, that's just my opinion.

I so agree with this. I deliver pizza and it's unbelievable how many people think we (at least the company I work for) think we make big bucks. We're paid under minimum wage. I depend on my tips to make up the difference and help pay for the gas. We get so much for gas, but with the price constantly going up it really hurts. We also have a delivery charge and unfortunately we don't see anything of it although some people think we do.

I tend to over tip so I know what it's like. I also take into consideration how busy the place is and how hard the server is working. If it's slow and takes them forever to get our food, drinks etc, I'll tip less. If they are trying their hardest I'll tip more.

I dont believe its legal to tip a mailman...he/she is a federal employee, and not allowed to receive tips, gratuities etc

You can tip a federal employee. The max your gift can be in value is $25 I believe. I only know this because in the past, I DID give gifts to my postman because I had over 20 boxes a day picked up (ebay biz). My tax preparer told me the regulations of gifting them.

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

If I get good service in a restaurant, then they usually get a bit more than a 20% tip-we just round it up from the check-otherwise w/ mediocre service we'll do 15% A few mos. ago, we took our son to visit a college. We wanted to give him the "college experience" so we took him to the local wing shop (a big chain) across from the school. Well, we were the only family in there. The place was loaded w/ a lot of ppl-mostly not eating, and drinking a soda. We ordered drinks, an appetizer, entrees, etc. Her service was horrible! The mild wings that my son ordered (and he does like them spicy) were way too spicy to eat. He just pushed the plate aside. We did not see our waitress from the time she brought our food to the time she brought our check. I mentioned that the wings were way to spicy to be medium. At most establishments I have ever been to, those would have been removed from our bill. She looked down @DS's full plate, said, "Do you want them to go?" And then she laughed and said, "Well I guess not." And I said, "Do you want a tip?" And then laughed and said, "Well I guess not." She got 67 cents. I have not ever, ever done that in my life, I was just so over it, and not even wanting to deal w/ the manager at that point. As a family, she would have probably gotten a $15 tip, versus what she was getting from those college kids drinking coke!

Gosh, linny - where were you? We had the same exact experience at the BW3s at UVa-Charlottesville! The waitress was non-existent. She even went outside to the parking lot to talk to friends while we were there. Very disappointing. I don't remember what we left for a tip, but I'm sure it wasn't much!

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

too funny-same chain, but in Harrisonburg (across from JMU). I literally grabbed what change was in my pocket and that was what she got. On the other hand, we have a brand new BW3's here. We went once for a fundraiser and the service was wonderful-and the place was packed.

Lynne, you crack me up....I love it!

"Do you want a tip?"

I think we would get along just great....lol

I usually always tip waitresses even if the food is bad I dont feel that part is her fault thats on the cook KWIM & for haircuts I may tip if I am really pleased I am not a huge tipper though I only tip $1 but thats only cause I am so broke

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mom of 3 greats girls

Sounds like something I would say

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

Not a wing joint, but, we went out to eat and they forgot to bring DH's salad. All of our main courses had come, and DH didn't want us to wait for him to get his salad, so he just mentioned it to the waitress who asked if he wanted it now ?? He said "no thanks, that's OK", she then asked "would you like it to go??" he said "oh no, that's fine", very pleasant exchanges, and really, DH was fine with it. Well, at the end of the meal, she brought us our ticket, and had taken off 15% off the whole bill for the "mess up". I don't remember what kind of tip she got, DH handles that, but, I'm sure it was a good one...DH is a good tipper anyway.

Once when we went to NJ, where they pump the gas for you, it's the law, DH gave the gas attendant a tip. He's a big tipper

I tip my hair stylist. I don't tip the newspaper carrier monthly, but, give them a XMAS "bonus". I set out cold drinks for the garbage handlers (take a plastic milk jug, cut the top off. Fill with ice and put 4 sodas or whatever in there-place on top of the trash can and be sure to put a note or something on there) in the Summer, and give them baked goods at XMAS, with a few wipes in a baggy.

Personally, I think tips have become "expected" and no, I'm sorry they are not a given in my book. If you don't like to work for $2.xx an hour, get a job where you don't HAVE to rely on tips. JMO on it.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

The way we determine how much to leave for a tip is how the server treats me not DH. He usually gets great service no matter what mine is like.
One time we actually had a server keep his glass filled and made sure everything was good for him and never once asked if I needed a refill. I had to ask for it twice before she brought it. She was kind of rude to me even though I was polite the whole time and always asked nicely if I needed something and always thanked her when she brought it.
Well, she brings the check at the end and hands it to Dh who in turn hands it to me and says you decide on a tip honey. Her mouth just kind of feel open, and then she looks at me and smiles and sweetly says I'll be happy to take that as soon as your ready. I pulled out the money and she left. 10mins later she hadn't returned so I asked Dh to please go ask her for our change ( It was about $10.00). She had the nerve to tell Dh she thought that was her tip. She gave him the change and I was going to leave a dollar for the tip, but Dh had had enough at that point that he said nope she gets this and left an upside down penny. Needless to say it was awhile before we ate there again, and ever since I determine the tip. If you treat my family nicely to include me, Dh and kids then you get a great tip if not then you get a lousy tip and usually a chat with the manager.
I do not tip mailman, trash collectors etc. I don't get the paper so that is a non issue. I do take brownies or cookies or cupcakes into the teachers and staff at my daughters school every other month or so, and I do get a gift for the teachers at Christmas and end of the year to show my gratitude to them for quality education my daughter is getting. The staff at her school is awesome.

Yes you must certainly can. When you job is dealing with the public you keep your bad day to yourself.
I say this from experience. Why ruin someone's meal because you had a fight with someone or something else is wrong? It doesn't kill you to smile and be polite. For all you know this might be a special ocassion, why would you ruin that because YOU are having a bad day. How selfish can you be?

Your server is your representative, of course you are going to take it up with them. The cook doesn't come out to serve your meal. As a server you are a liaison for better or worse.

Boo Hoo, who doesn't think they have a tough job or doesn't think they don't make enough money??? No one forced them to take the job. If you can't do it well then don't do it. Go and spread your misery somewhere else.

Frist of all you have no idea of the actual interactions going on there, you can observe from a distance but unless you are sitting at every table you have no clue. And it makes my skin crawl that you are so arrogant and obnoxious about it. Mommy's little precious servers couldn't possibly have done a bad job waiting on all those nasty demanding patrons.

There is no standard. People are free to tip whatever they like based on whatever criteria they have set up.

Well MY opinion is if you can't be a proper server then go work somewhere else. Again it isn't hard to slap on that smile and be pleasant for 30 second increments. And even if it is hard then FAKE IT.

Lunia, you are free to feel anyway you'd like

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Shauna

Holy Cow, lunia24, that was really harsh. Of course you have your opinion, but you don't need to attack someone elses. Really uncalled for.

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Mary

People take jobs for different reasons and not too many I know "pick" their jobs they have a mortgage or rent to pay.

People need to be treated with dignity and respect. I agree. If you cannot afford a tip then go to a self serve or a fast food resaurant.

Some people in the world are grouchy and some are cheapskates. You might find a grouchy waitperson most likely it's the customer who is grouchy.

It's a very hard job and often thankless.

If I could not afford a tip (and I always assume the service will be great and we will be leaving a big fat tip if it turns out differently that's a rare case) I would not go out to eat in a place where the staff depends on tips.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I wouldn't say necessarily it is always a matter of "affording" it. Some of the most wealthy people I know are the tightest tippers you'll ever meet.

Also, has anyone else noticed that EVERYWHERE you go has a line for a "tip" or a "tip jar"??? Dunkin' Donuts has a tip jar. The other night we went in for Chinese, ordered there, took it home, and there was a spot for a "tip".

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Oh my gosh, I know! It's crazy.

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Mary