Tipping - Where and How Much

[Mike]

I'm curious how much people tip and where you do. A restaurant is a given in the U.S., but I wonder if it is in other countries. Assuming you tip at restaurants, please check off 1 choice for how much. You can check off on any number of the other places.

You can change your votes if you rethink it.

 

[Theofilus]

I live in Iceland and tipping isn't customary here.

 

[Caroline H]

At restaurants we usually tip a $5 minimum even if it's more than %15. If the service really stinks we'll give $2 or $3, but usually that isn't the case. I also tip my hairdresser when I get it cut (which isn't often).

 

[jasoncran]

i cut my hairmyself, i wont pay 10 plus for military spec haircut, so i shave my head bald,. i tip the carryouts and also the pizza delivery persons.

if you all get the paper delevered and its good service, please tip that person on christmas. we carriers do remember who tips us. i do!

 

[Mike]

This is off topic of my own topic, but here is as good a place as any to say this. Starting today, I've begun giving myself haircuts. I have been increasingly follically challenged since after college. The chrome-domia had advanced to the point that required drastic measures, so I officially rock the clean-shaven head with the goatee. If I was covered with tats throughout my body, I might be a pretty imposing figure. But I'm not, and I usually dress pretty neatly, so hopefully I project myself as even neater than I did having something just short of the George Costanza.

No more spending $17 for a 3 minute #3 buzz, no more shampoo, no more bed-head. And no more tipping my barber! More in my pocket!

 

[jasoncran]

bald is sexy! i will shave my head this week, got drill and that is the cheapest way to get ready.

 

[Nick]

Hehehe....tipping is not customary here in Australia. If we're in a group and the meal from a restaurant is excellent, we MAY tip, 5 to 10% but that's it. I've only ever done it no more than 5 times in my life. It's just not done here.

I'm neither for nor against tipping per se, but I would hate the thought of almost having to pay to go to the toilet. I hear many stories of the like coming from tourists to the US and Europe. Having said that, if I was in the US or Europe I would respect their culture and tip them. But I've never really understood the whole mindset behind tipping.

 

[Mike]

Hehehe....tipping is not customary here in Australia. If we're in a group and the meal from a restaurant is excellent, we MAY tip, 5 to 10% but that's it. I've only ever done it no more than 5 times in my life. It's just not done here.

I'm neither for nor against tipping per se, but I would hate the thought of almost having to pay to go to the toilet. I hear many stories of the like coming from tourists to the US and Europe. Having said that, if I was in the US or Europe I would respect their culture and tip them. But I've never really understood the whole mindset behind tipping.

In the U.S., we have a minimum wage, but waiters actually earn less than minimum wage, because tipping is figured into their wages in an estimate. If no one tipped them, they would be earning much less than minimum wage. But, this variation in their paid earnings wouldn't be necessary if tipping wasn't so ingrained into our culture. In nicer restaurants, waiters make Huge tips and earn more than many other people do in a whole week by waiting on customers for a weekend.

I'm really bothered when a business like an ice cream store has a tip jar out with a note like "tips are appreciated". That makes me not want to tip all the more!

 

[Nick]

Hehehe....tipping is not customary here in Australia. If we're in a group and the meal from a restaurant is excellent, we MAY tip, 5 to 10% but that's it. I've only ever done it no more than 5 times in my life. It's just not done here.

I'm neither for nor against tipping per se, but I would hate the thought of almost having to pay to go to the toilet. I hear many stories of the like coming from tourists to the US and Europe. Having said that, if I was in the US or Europe I would respect their culture and tip them. But I've never really understood the whole mindset behind tipping.

In the U.S., we have a minimum wage, but waiters actually earn less than minimum wage, because tipping is figured into their wages in an estimate. If no one tipped them, they would be earning much less than minimum wage. But, this variation in their paid earnings wouldn't be necessary if tipping wasn't so ingrained into our culture. In nicer restaurants, waiters make Huge tips and earn more than many other people do in a whole week by waiting on customers for a weekend.

I'm really bothered when a business like an ice cream store has a tip jar out with a note like "tips are appreciated". That makes me not want to tip all the more!

Yeah, see I feel weird actually paying the waiter's wages. However if I am in a nice restaurant, you do see some people tipping out of appreciation. That's where I draw the line.

I've seen some ice-cream stores even here in Sydney ask for tips. :o

 

[PouringRain]

In a restaurant I tip a standard 20% unless the service is really bad and then I only give 15%. I do not go to a beauty salon, but if I did then I would tip the hairdresser/ barber. I also think it is customary to tip delivery guys, masseuse, etc. although I never use these services either. LOL One that I have a dilemma on is tipping in buffets restaurants. Usually I will tip if the waiter is one of those who is attentive, brings drinks/ rolls, new plates, etc. But I do not tip if it is literally a "help yourself" type of place. I also do not tip a full 20% there. We do not tip the mailman or others, but we do give gifts. The other day we took a homemade pumpkin bread to the mailman and police station. We have also taken breads to the hardware store and other places before. Another thing that I had a dilemma with is whether or not to tip the guy who takes my groceries out. I was raised that it is customary to tip him, but after I moved to this new place I realized that no one tips the guy(s) and also it is a part of their assigned job duties to carry out groceries for ALL customers. Even the store manager will run over and carry out groceries if there is no one else available. So, I tipped at first, and then stopped when I realized I was the lone tipper and it is not customary here. Other things that I would tip if I ever used the services would be: cab, minister, etc.

 

[Nick]

Tip a mailman or minister? That's weird.

 

[Pard]

Tipping. Did I mention I hate tipping? I mean, if you do a good job, then I will tip you and be happy about it. However tipping has become a mandatory thing. Wait staff expect a tip no matter how terrible a job they do. They use their less-than minimum wage as an excuse for demanding a tip.

Well, unlike my parents and friends, I only tip when someone actually does a good job. When I do tip it's in the 20% range or higher. That's for restaurants.

I do not tip the guy who delivers my food, I let them keep the change (maybe you can call that a tip ) but man, they have an easy job and they do get full minimum wage, plus in CT the employer has to reimburse them for gas money. OK, I lied. I tip one delivery guy and that's it. He is the chinese guy. He actually owns the store and I am like his #1 customer. We are on a first name basis and my dog doesn't even bark when he comes anymore. He usually gives me free food, free drinks, stuff like that. He's a really nice guy and sometimes we will shoot the breeze for a few minutes, other times we talk politics (he came here because he hated communism... now he is a crazy conservative!).

I always tip the barber. The dude has a lethal weapon in his hand... you best lubricate those fingers of his, else that blade might slip! Tip is usually whatever I have left after my monthly haircut and shave (12$ total). So he gets either 3$ or 7$, depends on what kind of day it is.

Never tipped the hotel staff... never had them do anything more than give me a key.

Never even been in a taxi... Actually, do they have taxis in CT?

We give the mailman (well the old one) stuff now and then. My mom always gives him soda or coffee. We are on first name basis with him too. We gave him our old snowblower last winter. He's helped me fix the lawnmower before. We get him money or a gift for Christmas and stuff.

Tipping a minister? Isn't that what the collection plate is for? I actually think we have an option on our envelopes for "Tips"

I never stick money in the tip jars, unless they did something WAY good. I usually put the money into the donation jar right next tot he tip jar. The donation jars usually are for a place called MARC, which is the area mental hospital/housing.

 

[Nick]

Yeah, put stuff in the collection plates, so it may indireclty go to the minister but it goes overall to the church. In our church the ministers have a fixed wage, usually. I would not feel right giving a minister a tip.

 

[jasoncran]

lol, no one commented on tipping the paperboy.

 

[Nick]

lol, no one commented on tipping the paperboy.

LOL even though I am a'paperbody' I would say no to it. (although the pay isn't that great, so feel free to tip me ). Aren't you a paperbody as well Jason? Have you ever gotten tipped? People often tell me to go away. I don't blame them - I am in reality spaming their letterboxes with advertisments.

 

[jasoncran]

lol, no one commented on tipping the paperboy.

LOL even though I am a'paperbody' I would say no to it. (although the pay isn't that great, so feel free to tip me ). Aren't you a paperbody as well Jason? Have you ever gotten tipped? People often tell me to go away. I don't blame them - I am in reality spaming their letterboxes with advertisments.

no, i get told if i do this for them i will get more tips. i deliver papers, not spam, the free paper thrown is mostly ads but it has news, and i have a person who wants that one.

scrippshoward is the owner of the food network,home and garden network, and owns alot of papers, i have shared some news from my own paper here. racheal ray works for scrippshoward.

i made 800 usd(tips given around christmas) last year and a 1500 usd a few yrs before that, sadly those days are gone.

 

[Nick]

lol, no one commented on tipping the paperboy.

LOL even though I am a'paperbody' I would say no to it. (although the pay isn't that great, so feel free to tip me ). Aren't you a paperbody as well Jason? Have you ever gotten tipped? People often tell me to go away. I don't blame them - I am in reality spaming their letterboxes with advertisments.

no, i get told if i do this for them i will get more tips. i deliver papers, not spam, the free paper thrown is mostly ads but it has news, and i have a person who wants that one.

scrippshoward is the owner of the food network,home and garden network, and owns alot of papers, i have shared some news from my own paper here. racheal ray works for scrippshoward.

i made 800 usd(tips given around christmas) last year and a 1500 usd a few yrs before that, sadly those days are gone.

You deliver papers. I deliver brochures. Mainly becasue they pay slightly better . But ethicaly I would prefer newspapers. But realistically I need to get a better job soon anyway, now that I'm almost out of school.

Is that amount only on tipping? I'd be hard for me to resist that kind of money just in tips.

 

[jasoncran]

yes, that was all given within weeks of christmas. what we are allowed to do is put christmas cards in the paper with our address.

i aslo get tips from customers that renew(these dont tip on christmas) and i have gotten cards on easter. with money.

 

[GeorgeRollins]

I give myself haircuts for the same reason, all my years in the military is was just easier to do it myself. I give a standard 15% but more for good service, but never less than 15%. If the service is bad I still give em 15% but let em know what was wrong. I also will give a minimum of 5 bucks too.

I was a paperboy and seldom got tips, but did do pretty well on christmas so I guess I'd do that if I got the paper.

 

[PouringRain]

yes, that was all given within weeks of christmas. what we are allowed to do is put christmas cards in the paper with our address.

i aslo get tips from customers that renew(these dont tip on christmas) and i have gotten cards on easter. with money.

I saw an article in the reader's digest once about how people do that: card in the newspaper, on the garbage cans, mailbox, recycling, etc. The article likened it to extortion, where people feel obligated to pay or else they will conveniently not receive services. The article then talked about how high the tips are for those people and once you tip them all how much you could be out that they didn't anticipate in their budget.

I didn't have time to finish reading the entire article.