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You can leave your friends behind. Because your friends don’t tip and if they don’t tip, well, they’re no friends of mine. I say.
Tip Of The Day: The tip of the day is to tip. No, I’m not being coy – I’m saying that if you are in a situation where tipping is required, you should do so, lest EVERYONE IN THE WORLD think you are a cheapskate.
To help you with your tipping, read on and watch Fox 9 News at 5 PM.
Tip For Tomorrow: It will be a veritable potpourri of frugally frugalness – a free-n-fabulous event to attend, a not-so-free-but-still-fabulous event to attend, my cheap fat-free ranch dressing recipe, and a reminder to give back with your time if you can’t with your money. All coming at you on Hump Day, you lucky things.
Further Elucidation Of My Cheap Deal: I used work as a waitress – both at a cocktail bar and plain old restaurants. That much is true. What also is true is that on occasion, I would be stiffed on a tab by someone not willing to part with a few cents more of their hard earned money. Granted, they were willing to part with juuuuuuuust enough to cover the bill, but not enough for there to be any left for yours truly.
Bastards.
Now, I fully understand not leaving a tip for truly horrific service – when the waiter is rude, when the stylist ignores your screams of horror, when the cab driver punches you (true story). However, punking out on a tip because you’re a cheapskate or because you “just don’t tip” is never acceptable. You don’t tip? Fine, then don’t put yourself in a situation where tipping is required. I hear you don’t have to tip for service at McDonald’s, bucky.
However, some folks don’t always know when or how much to tip. To clear up the confusion, here’s a quick and handy tip guide for your edification:
Hotels:
Taxi or Limo Driver, to and from the airport – 15 to 20%. Nothing if they take the freeway route from McCarren Airport to the MGM Grand in Vegas, thus running up the tab an extra $10.
Shuttle Drivers – $1 to $2 per person, especially if they handle your luggage.
Bellman – $1 to $2 per bag, if they bring them up to your room.
Maid Service – $2 to $5 per day. Be sure to tip daily, because different maids clean each day.
Doormen – $1 to $2 per bag, if they handle them. $2 if they hail you a cab, $5 if they have to call for one.
Concierge – If they make a basic reservation for you, $5. If they get you a table in the hottest restaurant in town, $20. If they get you front row seats to Spamalot on Broadway – your first-born child.
Dining Out:
Servers – 15 to 20% of the total bill. Yes, you heard me, not 10%. 10% is BOGUS, PEOPLE.
Bartenders – $1+ per drink (+ if it’s a complex cocktail), 15 to 20% of the bar tab.
Servers at buffet-style restaurants – $1 to $2 per person in your party, $2+ if they also serve you your drinks, like at a Vegas buffet.
Why You Should Tip Food Service Professionals – Bartenders and servers make minimum wage, if they’re lucky. When I waited tables in Omaha, I made $2.79 an hour. So yeah, your tips are their wages. Without them, a server can’t afford to serve you. Also? If you stiff a server, they still have to claim your non-existent tip on their income taxes. So they’re actually losing money waiting on you.
Furthermore, if you are using a gift certificate or coupon, tip on the full amount of the bill, not the portion left after your discount.
Salon:
Stylist, barber, masseuse, waxer, nail technician, person giving you a facial (what is their title, anyway?) – 15 to 20%.
Someone other than your stylist shampooed your hair – $2 to $5.
As for the conventional wisdom that says you don’t tip the salon owner? Not true. If they performed a service for you, you can tip them. If you’re unsure whether the owner will accept tips or not, ask first. Don’t just assume they won’t.
Delivery:
Flowers – $2 to $5
Food delivery – 15 to 20% of the tab, like you would at a restaurant
Mail carrier – they say $25+ annually. Uh oh. Have you ever tipped your mailman before?
Paper carrier – $25+ annually. That’s why I read my news online; “I want my two dollars!”
Pizza – they say $2 to $5. I say $2 is not 15 to 20% of a typical pizza delivery bill, so aim for the $5.
Remember, if you don’t know how or when to tip, it is okay to ask. If you feel weird asking the person providing the service, call ahead and ask their manager. Bosses know well-tipped employees = happy, non-spit-in-your-food employees.
Question Of The Day: What was the worst or best tip (dollar amount, not advice) you ever got?
8 Comments
Ok, quick question. How does one know when and how to tip a maid in a hotel? I've never done this and now I'm wondering… Every hotel? Only nice ones? Do you just leave it out? Is a note needed?
As for tip, I've actually never worked in the service industries so I've never been tipped! But as a nurse, I've had patients bring me things, especially food, and flowers.
I usually leave my tips for the maid on the pillows on the bed, sometimes with a quick "thanks!" note from the hotel stationery, and sometimes just by itself.
I leave the tip when we're leaving the room for breakfast and then I'll flip the do not disturb card to the opposite side (if there is one) to let them know the room is ready to be made up.
I try to tip in every hotel– and if it's a bigger room (like a suite if we're lucky), I'll leave a larger tip because there's more to clean.
Hope this helps! Now I'm dreaming of being on vacation.
Here's another question– should people tip at Sonic when they're parked in the drive-in area? On the one hand, it's a fast-food restaurant, but on the other hand, they're bringing the food to you.
My boyfriend tips extremely well when he knows it's a place he will frequent. Granted, he's got carrot-orange hair, so he's highly memorable.
A friend and I once left a really large tip when I didn't have change, and she wanted to match what I was paying. The service was amazing, so we felt it was justified. We had fantastic luck all day. I believe what they say about it coming back to you.
I worked at a cafe once and we had a small group come in and order the most expensive items on the brunch menu, but wouldn't leave a tip. The worse part was that one of these people was a former waitress. If I ever see her as a waitress…
In Romania I didn't tip because I was told by friends that they don't do that there…but I always tip here in the states at sit-down restaurants. Even if my meal only costs $10 I always tip at least $2…any less seems cheap. I don't always tip at Sonic, though I always round up my bill at least to the nearest dollar.
"Person giving you a facial" is called an "esthetician"
They also do waxing or pretty much any kind of skin grooming.
Love your blog…except for the fact that I will now be alternating "Safety Dance" and "Don't You Want Me" in my head all day long!
My hairstylist and I recently discussed tipping in these tough times. She brought up a very good point, regarding clients who don't tip — at least they're there spending money — at *that* salon, and not elsewhere. While that may be true, it's just not within ME to not tip, especially when I get great service, and I know the people who help me work very hard and need the money, just as much as I do. I may have to temporarily stop going to this salon, and go to a beauty school for haircuts and highlights. But I would still figure out some sort of reasonable tip. I simply can't get a good result at home, doing it all myself.