Been thinking about this. When are you supposed to tip and how much?
I used to get my hair cut at a barber shop. I paid cash and never tipped. Now, one of our friends at a salon cuts my hair. I never would have thought about tipping until I over heard them talking about someone for not tipping. Ever since, I have felt bad not to.
Another scenario. Someone recently told me that when tipping at a restaurant they never tip on the total bill. They tip on the pre-tax amount. I had never thought about this before. I have always tipped on the total.
And when did we go to 18%? What happened to the old fashion 10%?
Ok dreaded question. Hiring a guide to take you out. If the trip costs $400.00 and you and a buddy split the cost. Are you expected or looked down on if you don’t tip on top of that? I have used a guide three times and have always tipped above the arranged amount, especially if we caught fish. One trip, recently in Florida, I tipped and really didn’t want to.
You ever offer a tip to someone at Advance Auto? They will not accept it. Had a guy change my battery once and I offered a tip and he said he could not take it. Against their policy. Who figured?
Tipping has kind of gotten out of hand. Go to Moe’s and some other like restaurants, they have a tip jar at the register. Same at some convenience stores. I do tip the lady that cuts my hair, always have. Known her forever, would feel bad not tipping her. I like your idea of tipping for food service and basing it on the pre-tax amount as regular taxes and “hospitality” taxes definitely increase the cost of your meal. I generally tip no less than 15% unless service was really bad, usually tip 20% and I don’t hold the food quality against the server.
Can’t help with tipping a guide, only been once and someone else handled everything.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
I always tip the lady who cuts my hair. If the bill is $15 I give her $20. She’s raising kids.
I always tip waiters and waitresses %20 if the service is decent. They work hard.
For a $400 guide trip, if the guide works hard and tries his/her best, I’d tip $100. Maybe more if we did really well. They ain’t making much money either. There were days running charter boats where the mate made more in tips than I did on the charter.
That’s just me. You usually get back what you pay for, in the long run.
Tip your guide similar to a server at a restaurant. Just remember that instead of serving you and a half dozen other tables at the same time for a couple of hours, they are busting their ass for the 4-10 hours during your trip plus a couple few hours before and a couple few hours after. If they are lazy or obviously aren’t making an effort, then tip accordingly. Remember that you’re not tipping the fish for cooperating, you are tipping on the effort the guide/crew put in to make your trip worthwhile, productive and enjoyable.
Interesting topic. I’m the same as cracker and dfreedom on the haircut thing… $20 cash to the lady that’s cut it for years.
Don’t eat out much anymore but when I did if food was crappy and service was great, I never put any tip on credit card but gave cash to server. If food was great and server was great, I would tip on credit card bill and leave cash.
What I always hated was going on a cruise and EVERYONE expecting a tip… It also bugs me when a server makes it very obvious they are expecting a tip. Then it also bugs me that some people totally ignore the fact that a lot of servers make their lively hood on tips and treat them poorly.
just babbling on a Friday Night… good night all.
“If Bruce Jenner can keep his wiener and be called a woman, I can keep my firearms and be considered disarmed.”
Those days are long gone and never missed, but… I’d say a dollar would do ya. Or you could be like some of my old running buddies and spend you last two pay checks because you know the girl is in love with you… Some people are just born suckers.
“If Bruce Jenner can keep his wiener and be called a woman, I can keep my firearms and be considered disarmed.”
Those days are long gone and never missed, but… I’d say a dollar would do ya. Or you could be like some of my old running buddies and spend you last two pay checks because you know the girl is in love with you… Some people are just born suckers.
“If Bruce Jenner can keep his wiener and be called a woman, I can keep my firearms and be considered disarmed.”
Never spent a dime, but the girls always loved me for that. They would sit down and have a conversation. Only been about a dozen times, and that was within a 5 year span. They would always ask me why I wasn’t interested. When I told them, they would cling to me like I was their pimp or something.
You should tip heavy at the Gentlemen’s Club, Law School is expensive!
If you have even been in the sack with an budding attorney you’ll quickly find out how to be interrogated (dinner), cross examined (69), trial (gettin’ busy time), and judged (BFF phone call next morning)…
I tip the hair salon lady 20%. She is a single mom, and $5 ain’t going to break me for the 20 minutes it takes her to cut.
For food. Always 15% pretax unless the service was horrible. Then sometimes I leave 0%. If it’s a quick service place, like IHOP or Cracker Barrell, I usually always tip 20% after tax. Same reason as hair salon.
When entertaining clients with drinks, 20% after tax. I try to base it on how long they worked and what kind of hourly rate they would be making. Over $25 an hour to wait tables is insane.
sorry…the one that gets me is sonics…I understand if they bring it to your car…but in the drive through they expect tips too…one of the people there told me that when I asked. So I drive up and order…pull around…and am expected to tip. so is this the same for at wendys and such also…after all…its basically just a handoff.
And Pizza hut delivery…you place order and they charge a 2.00 delivery fee which does not go to the driver…so you tip the driver and pizza hut I guess. One of the drivers told me that a lot of times folks think that 2.00 goes to them so they don’t tip.
I gave Donnie his dinner last night…Held out my hand and got a empty plate.
We always tip…even if the service is not good…just not as much in those cases. and yes we tip our hairdressers…
I always tip the lady who cuts my hair. If the bill is $15 I give her $20. She’s raising kids.
I always tip waiters and waitresses %20 if the service is decent. They work hard.
For a $400 guide trip, if the guide works hard and tries his/her best, I’d tip $100. Maybe more if we did really well. They ain’t making much money either. There were days running charter boats where the mate made more in tips than I did on the charter.
That’s just me. You usually get back what you pay for, in the long run.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
This is my position as well. I had to eat at the waffle house for breakfast the other morning. Single mom from the other side of the tracks. She called me "sweetie" because she didn't know any better. Meal was $7, tip was $5. She needs it more than me. I tip $10 on a $24 dollar hair cut. Dinner is an automatic 20% from me. Unless you go out of your way to be rude. I can only remember 1 time where I was brutal on the tip, but I thought the waiter was a jerk and I actually told him that (at the end of the meal). You've never experienced directness until skinnee looks you straight in the eyes and explains to you that your behavior is unacceptable.
Most people in the lower end food service businesses couldn’t survive without tips. In many places the tips they get are all pooled and divided between the staff, and taxed. Many of them are down and out, single moms… whatever. Like SJ said, they need it worse than I do. I even tip the lady at the Krystal drive thru. And when they see me coming they always have my food ready too
I don’t tip doctors, or lawyers, or other such professionals, but I tip almost everybody else. I had to hire some movers a couple of weeks ago, cleaning out my mom’s house. They sent out 2 Rastafarian looking guys in dreadlocks, with a big truck. They worked their butts off, were extremely polite and conscientious, took great care of everything, hauled it 100 miles, set it all up again, took all day. I could not have asked for a better crew or moving job. They charged me $300. I gave them $400. It was worth every penny of it.
one person I know tips everyone: door man, hotel room maid, valet, luggage man, taxi driver, curb check man at the airport, the person that opens your door at the rental car place, etc.
Here are a few questions:
Why should tips be a % of the bill?
the only difference between a Waffle House $8 plate and
Applebee’s $16 plate is the distance they walk to the kitchen
at 20% one is $1.60 and the other $3.20
tip = $2 to $3 per person at that type place?
What about a buffet where what the server does is bring liquids and deliver a bill?
like a Chinese buffet place
tip = $1 (~12%) for liquid delivery?
What about a place like Bowen’s or Melvin’s where you order and pay at the cash register and all the staff does is bring the food?
does the server get a 20% tip
tip = $2 (~13 - 18%)?
What about the same cut of steak at Longhorn’s vs. Outback?
One is let’s say $16 and the other is $22
at 20% that’s $3.20 vs. $4.40
tip = $3 - $4 per person?
What about Ruth Chris vs. Outback? A ribeye is $60 vs. $25 In theory what you’re paying for is a higher quality building, food, etc.
at 20%, $12 vs. $5, the amount of work is about identical
If your hair cutter raises the price from $15 to $18 does the tip rise also?
I’m just wondering if the tip should be based on the amount of work and quality of the service rather than the cost of the meal.
Interesting subject & replies. I’m bald as a cue ball so no tipping for hair cuts for me.
Generally, I tip about 20% at restaurants unless the service is bad, which is usually rare, or if a gratuity is already added. I give a round $ amount, don’t calculated it.
Other services, the tip % might vary. For example, my wife & I had our car washed at a hand wash place & the guy charged us $35. He did one of the most thorough jobs I’ve ever seen anyone do. The car looked great! We tipped him $25. Took him a little over an hour, and he worked quite fast. Back in MD that same service would have been $100 or more easy.
I don’t mind tipping well. My wife, one son & daughter all at times have worked as waiters/waitresses/bartenders & it can be hard work & some people are not pleasant to deal with. I try to keep that in mind when tipping. IMO a tip is an extra reward for “better” customer service, not simply for being there.
I know I will get some slack for this but I base tipping on whether or not the person is actually performing a service to me and then whether they are primarily making tips or a higher wage or some cases, own the business. Waiters/waitresses are easy. They only make 2.15/hrs or something like that. They actually work for tips. Fast food places with the tip jar out, not so much, they are minimum wage, plus they are not really providing a service. I do tip the girl that cuts my hair, but she doesn’t own the joint. I used to get it cut by the woman that does own it and did not tip her. She is the one that explained that to me. Now the guides, if you own your own business, why is the overhead you need not already in the fee? I have tipped the few I have used but it ain’t going to be the same 20% as a waiter as suggested earlier in this thread. Now, if the guide is working for a business, that is different to me. This for I think tipping is warranted. One can always give someone else money in any case they want. I do this to if I have a conversation with someone and it hits me that they need some help.
Having worked in the restaurant business before as a waiter and a bartender, I have had to depend on tips in order to pay the bills. I can definitely see your point Bluesky, what is the difference of tipping more for a high priced meal and a somewhat mid-priced meal, considering they are about equal in quality?
I think it comes down to the ratio of service expected, and what the waiter/server has to pay out. Better service and a higher cost of the meal/drinks usually calls for larger tip. The average tip is usually between 15% and 20%. The person who receives the tip has to pay out to the servers under them, as well as the bus boys, the bartender and usually the food runners. So by the time they go home for the night, they walk away with only a portion of tips they received for the night. Not only that, a waiter only makes $2.15 an hour, even though I’m not sure about a fine dining restaurant. Waiters also have to claim tips of at least of 8% of their sales for their shift for tax purposes. Those taxes come out of their paycheck, which means their actual paycheck is usually very small.
That being said, I definitely don’t care for the tip jar that is placed by registers at places where they don’t provide any service except ringing you up. Especially when I have put a tip in the jar (sometimes a place looks like they might have had a slow day, and I try to add a little to their income), they see me do this, and they don’t even acknowledge it. Just a simple “thank you” would be appreciated. I guess it just kills some people to say thanks, like it is beneath them.
Speaking of saying thank you. I can’t stand it when someone is clearly opening, or holding a door open, for someone and they don’t say thank you. I usually answer that arrogance by saying “you’re welcome!” while looking at them dead in the eye. Sorry for the tangent rant.
One trip, recently in Florida, I tipped and really didn’t want to.
