OT: Tipping

[George]

I'm 36 years old and in my life I have gone back and forth on tipping.  As my job requires me to travel and my company has a "tip what is proper" policy, here are my guidelines:

WAITRESSES:
Sit down establishments where they do the work   20% base +/-
Buffet                   $1.00 per person
Fast Food          nothing unless it's a drive-in like Sonic, then $1.00 per person.

CONSIERGE:
If the consierge does a good turn or favor for you, tip to show your gratitude.  If they get you tickets to a sold out show, pony up cheapskate, probably 1/4 of the price of a ticket ($80.00 seats warrent a $20.00 tip).  If they simply make dinner reservations, a $5.00er will do.

MATRE DE'
Screw the matre de'.  He/she gets a cut of the tips and doesn't do anything to deserve more money.

VALET or BELLHOPS
$1.00 per bag up to $5.00 per person (in other words, 2 people with 11 bags is         $10.00)

CHAMBERMAID
$1.00 per day per occupant of the room, given at the end of the stay

TAXI / LIMO DRIVER
$5.00 for short distances
$10.00 for anything over 15 miles

Understand also, the more consistantly you tip, the better your service will be.  Maids, bellhops, doormen,....they all talk.  If you take care of one early, they all know that you will take care of them later.

[Susan]

Brother Ragnarok wrote:

> I suck at head math, even something as simple as calculating
> 15% of a bill.  But I estimate that since I usually don't get
> that much expensive stuff, my tip is rarely  over $3.  


Be sure to watch those figures, sometimes I may go to cheap places and tip about that but forget when getting a pricier meal that may be undertipping. The best thing I ever got was a little tip card at some grocery store or target or something years ago. It gives you 5 dollar incriments of meals and 15% tip and 20% tip so I never have to think about it. I suck at math too ;-)

[Susan]

George wrote:

> I'm 36 years old and in my life I have gone back and forth on
> tipping.  As my job requires me to travel and my company has a
> "tip what is proper" policy, here are my guidelines:
>


How do you tip the pizza guy? I have to admit it, if he had to drive through torrential rain, tornadoes or ice I tip high. i know they don't make crap and some of them aren't teens but grown men trying to support their family..not only that but they have to pay gas

Btw I think i tip higher at a buffet in certain circumstances. Some buffet's the waitresses are VERY attentive - they bring rolls, refills, ask if you need anything, more food, napkins, straws (oddly enough i've had better service at some of these places). And you know they earn crap money at a buffet..it depends on how much the total of the meal was (not all buffet's are cheap)



Post Edited (03-08-04 08:18)

[Blankman]

>Be sure to watch those figures, sometimes I may go to cheap places and tip. >about that but forget when getting a pricier meal that may be undertipping. The b
>best thing I ever got was a little tip card at some grocery store or target or >something years ago. It gives you 5 dollar incriments of meals and 15% tip and >20% tip so I never have to think about it. I suck at math too ;-)

Best way to figure it out? Tax is usually 5% of the meal, just multiply the tax by 3 and you have your 15% tip - or multiply by 4 if you want to tip 20%.

[AndyC]

Funny, I've never even considered tipping anybody other than waiters and waitresses. Then again, I've never used a concierge, and I always carry my own bags. Come to think of it, I've only needed to use cabs on rare occasions.

Interesting that you should mention limo drivers. A coworker of mine used to date a limo driver (until his idiotic driving got him fired). This guy used to be tipped very well. Apparently, there are some celebrities and rich people who will hire a limo for anything when they're away from home. It's unthinkable to me, but I guess it's like an extra-nice cab for them. In that light, it's not hard to believe some of them like throwing money around. In the case of something like the Toronto film festival, with lots of celebrities all using limos, I'm told this guy could easily rake in a couple of thousand in tips.

[daveblackeye15]

I don't normaly go to a sit and wait resturant without my mom or an adult to pay for the meal but when I do I always tip. I haven't gotten a bad waitress yet and I also smile at them and say "thank-you" when they do a good job. Often it's inbetween $3:00 and $6:00 that I tip. I often give a good tip to my barber also.

[Brother Ragnarok]

You only tip between 3:00 and 6:00?  A.M or P.M.?

Brother R

[wickednick]

I do believe in tipping, but Im also very picky about who I tip. My standards for a waitress or waiter are high, so I'll tip any where from 0 to 30%. Looks also play an important part of it and I usually will tip a really hot waitress big.

[Eirik]

I tip 15%.  Period.  It's what I learned growing up.  I know people who are/were waitresses who try to sell me the "Oh, it's not 15% anymore, it's 20%."  Yeah right.

I've spent some time around restaurants and waitresses, and I have NEVER been around at the end of a night and NOT seen all the waitresses with huge wads of cash crowing about how they made hundreds of dollars in tips.  I also know that at most places if they tell their manager they got stiffed, the manager will actually pay them what the tip should have been.  Furthermore, if you think a waitress declares all her tips (which get taxed AND are shared with the just-as-hard-working bus boys and kitchen people) you're nuts.

15% is plenty.

[Scott]

Ok, I have one for all of you. Do you tip at a Buffet? We went to a Chinese Buffet that is very good and a bit more expensive than average buffets. Well, I would only tip when my wife would order hot tea (which was often) because they make the extra effort. Went there many times, but once my wife didn't order tea and I didn't tip. The waitress followed me out of the restruant and said "sir you didn't tip" and I was a little surprised, then I said "well I don't always tip" and she said "never come back ! " , so we haven't and she saved us plenty. We have gone a couple times for special events like birthdays and anniversaries, but not for a regular buffet. Thats my little tale for today. Again I ask do you tip at a Buffet?

[daveblackeye15]

Brother Ragnarok said:

No I said $$$$$$$$$$$$ 3.00 to $$$$$$$$$$ 6.00 as in DOLLARS not TIME.

[Brother Ragnarok]

Ah yes, but you used a colon to separate the 3 and the 6 from the 0's.  You see, I was making a joke.  

Brother R

[daveblackeye15]

I'm sorry I wanted to say "I hope you were making a joke" but I was afraid you'd take offense. I'll remember your tip(ha ha *sigh*) now, and since  you've made it clear that it was joke it's pretty funny (snickering while typeing)

[Brother Ragnarok]

Afraid I'd take offense?  Dude, what have I ever said on this board that made you think I was such a tightass?  ;)
Chances are, if I make some droll statement that doesn't have any emoticon :0 ;) :) stuff after it, I'm actually joking.  I've been told by most everyone I know that it's really hard to tell when I'm joking because about 90% of what comes out of my mouth is monotone sardonic humor.  So hopefully no one else on here ever thought I was being a dickweed when I was saying something that was, to me anyway, pretty funny.

Brother R

[George]

Forgot about the pizza guy.  I usually pay with a check and round up to even dollar amnout plus a buck.  If the delivery is $15.50...I go to $17.00.

My question would be.... What do you tip an "exotic dancer"?  I haven't been to an establishment like that in years.  Is it still $1.00??