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The 7 - Random - tipping Register and log in to post!
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count olaf
Goetta
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#1 Posted on 22.1.03 1817.33
Reposted on: 22.1.10 1820.32
So my main point, I think, is that I'm a cheap bastard, but I'll tell you about today. The property manager at my building has, for the first 6 months I've been here, signed for and held packages for me while I am at work. Today he did not. When I asked him he told me that he only does that for people who "take care of him" and I haven't.
So he's right- I've never tipped him for signing for my packages and I certainly didn't remember to give him a Christmas present. I understand that signing for my packages isn't his responsibility and it's not in his job description. I have no complaints about him- when something needs fixing he does a good job.
What I'm wondering is, should I have tipped him? I do all the usual tipping- delivery guys, bartenders, barber, waitresses, etc. I just didn't think I need to tip him for signing for a package 4-5 times a year. I suppose I could've thrown a fiver his way each time, but I didn't think about it. What do you think?
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Pool-Boy
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#2 Posted on 22.1.03 1828.36
Reposted on: 22.1.10 1829.01
It is actually customary to tip your mail carriers and your property managers/supers once or twice a year (Christmas usually). As far as amount goes- I am not sure, depends on where you live and etc- sadly this practice really has died in the last decade or so, leaving you in the position you are now in.
I would apologize for being a poor sap who was raised with no manners (self-abuse works well in situations like this), give him a 50, and say "see you in July! *wink wink* I don't think $50 twice a year is unreasonable... I like to give my mailman $100 each Christmas...

(edited by Pool-Boy on 22.1.03 1628)
Freeway
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#3 Posted on 22.1.03 1848.22
Reposted on: 22.1.10 1849.00
Well, in my experiences, I'd slip the guy either a twenty every time he signs (like, say, when you pick up the stuff he signs for 4-5 times a year) and say "Here's a little something for your troubles" or something to that effect. The guy's probably just a little disappointed. But, if as you say he is a swell guy with the fixing of things, he should think nothing of the oversight.
Scooter Trash
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Y!:
#4 Posted on 22.1.03 1853.44
Reposted on: 22.1.10 1854.48
This is a very interesting question, and one that I struggle with constantly. Never being formally raised in the tradition of tipping, I've had to learn the hard way (bartend and waited tables through college) on the merits of tipping. From this experience, I'd say that I'm pretty good at tipping at bars and resturants. But outside of there, I'm pretty clueless.

A couple of years ago, my girlfriend and I stayed at a hotel while spending a weekend out of town and she had to remind me to tip the valet. Had it not been for that, I would have completely spaced it.

Is there a rule or standard for who you should tip? I've often heard that you should tip somebody who gives you a service that is part of their job, but their wages wouldn't usually cover.

Somepeople tip their barber or hair dresser, but should you if they own the shop? What about a bagboy? Or a hooker that acts like they are enjoying it? The possibilities are endless.
Quezzy
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#5 Posted on 22.1.03 2056.53
Reposted on: 22.1.10 2059.03

    Originally posted by Scooter Trash
    Is there a rule or standard for who you should tip?


Ah yes there is, go to http://www.howstuffworks.com/tipping.htm for the answer.
count olaf
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#6 Posted on 22.1.03 2154.45
Reposted on: 22.1.10 2154.56
Having been to the above site, I feel fine not tipping the property manager. However, I probably should've given him a simple Christmas gift. Too bad. I'm a happily self-centered guy. If that means I've got to drive over to pick things up at Fed Ex every once in a while, so be it.
Parts Unknown
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#7 Posted on 22.1.03 2218.14
Reposted on: 22.1.10 2218.27

    Originally posted by count olaf
    Having been to the above site, I feel fine not tipping the property manager. However, I probably should've given him a simple Christmas gift. Too bad. I'm a happily self-centered guy. If that means I've got to drive over to pick things up at Fed Ex every once in a while, so be it.


No doubt. I guess I'm a tight wad, but I can't freakin' imagine giving my mail carrier, of all people, $100 DAMN DOLLARS for Christmas! How much do you make, Pool-Boy, and can you get me a job there?

I also only tip waiters if they go above and beyond the call of duty. I know they make peanuts every hour because the customers are expected to tip them, but I have to pay my bills, too.

One time I was at a restaurant and the waiter was being very annoying. He would come and talk to us for like five minutes at a time while we were trying to eat and be alone, and my drink STILL went dry.

Well, I didn't tip him. As we were leaving, he went to the table and looked for some money. Not finding any, he yelled across the restaurant, "SIR! Did you want to leave a tip?"

Everyone stared at me.

I gave him a curt "No." and left. What an incorrigible pile of dung! The nerve!
emma
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#8 Posted on 22.1.03 2239.52
Reposted on: 22.1.10 2243.00

    Originally posted by Parts Unknown
    I guess I'm a tight wad, but I can't freakin' imagine giving my mail carrier, of all people, $100 DAMN DOLLARS for Christmas! How much do you make, Pool-Boy, and can you get me a job there?
Isn't it perfectly clear that Pool-Boy works as a mail carrier? :-) And as to how much he makes, would that be the amount on the books or off the books? (Decades ago when the mail carrier came to the door daily to deliver the mail, people would do a Christmas gift. But no adjusted-for-inflation $100!!)
Teppan-Yaki
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#9 Posted on 22.1.03 2242.50
Reposted on: 22.1.10 2248.20
Just to make a suggestion:

Click Here for an earlier thread about tipping, if you already haven't seen it.

Regarding the property manager, I never had one, so I never had to worry about one.
Zeruel
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#10 Posted on 23.1.03 0039.52
Reposted on: 23.1.10 0040.02
my experiences have always been that if there aren't food/drinks/hair/make-up involved, or if they make minimum or higher, or if they are providing a service that you could have done yourself, the 15% tip doesn't apply.

and yes, there are people who make less than minimum, and they get $2/hour and live off of tips...hence the tipping...


who i tip? bartenders, waitresses (just the gals, not the blokes), those who deliver food, and the gal that cuts my hair. that's it.

the mail man is a gov't worker, so i don't tip him, and i live in a house, so have no property manager nor doorman, and nor would i tip them.
NickBockwinkelFan
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#11 Posted on 23.1.03 0110.27
Reposted on: 23.1.10 0113.41
I've always given my mail carrier a nice bottle of scotch for Christmas. I've been living on my own since 1987 and have been doing since. I lived in the same apartment building since 1993 and we have no true mailbox, so instead of just putting the mail in the slot (where it just falls on the floor), she always rings the bell and sets the sorted mail on the stairs. We appreciate it since we get our pay checks in the mail and our stuff never gets wet. She seems really suprised each year, but we are grateful for her doing her gig so well.

(edited by NickBockwinkelFan on 23.1.03 0211)
Pool-Boy
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#12 Posted on 23.1.03 0145.11
Reposted on: 23.1.10 0145.35
lol ... I work in Real Estate- but not the area where I make loads of cash. NOT YET ANYWAY! lol.. give me 2 months...
I just like to take care of the people who take care of me. The way I see it, the mailman delivers mail to my house about 275+ days a year. $100 is less than 50 cents a day for his services, and this sort of "bonus" makes sure that he not only remembers me, but he remembers what I want DONE with things like packages and the like. However, a nice gift is an equally appropriate form of compensation.
I am not saying that $100 is the best amount to give. I know this amount has gone UP for me over the years. But it is a kind thing to do for someone whose job is working for MY benefit, and who is usually very underappreciated.
I guess my point is that you should give SOMETHING. And if the Super's job is NOT to sign for your packages, but he does anyway as a help to you, you should help him out in return. Maybe not monetarily, but SOMEHOW. Hell, the occasional lunch or beer would probably do the trick just as well...
Karlos the Jackal
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#13 Posted on 23.1.03 0755.18
Reposted on: 23.1.10 0755.35

    Originally posted by Parts Unknown

    I also only tip waiters if they go above and beyond the call of duty. I know they make peanuts every hour because the customers are expected to tip them, but I have to pay my bills, too.


Yeah, well, in that case, maybe you should save your money by NOT EATING OUT, you selfish bastard.

--K
Parts Unknown
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#14 Posted on 23.1.03 0952.20
Reposted on: 23.1.10 0954.52

    Originally posted by Karlos the Jackal

      Originally posted by Parts Unknown

      I also only tip waiters if they go above and beyond the call of duty. I know they make peanuts every hour because the customers are expected to tip them, but I have to pay my bills, too.


    Yeah, well, in that case, maybe you should save your money by NOT EATING OUT, you selfish bastard.

    --K



Yeah, I usually get that response. I'm used to it.

Hey, if waiters need me to give them money so they can make enough to live, they need to go find another job. There are plenty of things available.

No one ever tips me, that's for sure. I'm a journalist, so not only do I never get free money, I usually get death threats and cold shoulders.

Here's an idea, Karlos: send me $100 and I promise it will soften my heart.
astrobstrd
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#15 Posted on 23.1.03 1009.22
Reposted on: 23.1.10 1010.23

    Originally posted by Parts Unknown

      Originally posted by Karlos the Jackal

        Originally posted by Parts Unknown

        I also only tip waiters if they go above and beyond the call of duty. I know they make peanuts every hour because the customers are expected to tip them, but I have to pay my bills, too.


      Yeah, well, in that case, maybe you should save your money by NOT EATING OUT, you selfish bastard.

      --K



    Yeah, I usually get that response. I'm used to it.

    Hey, if waiters need me to give them money so they can make enough to live, they need to go find another job. There are plenty of things available.

    No one ever tips me, that's for sure. I'm a journalist, so not only do I never get free money, I usually get death threats and cold shoulders.

    Here's an idea, Karlos: send me $100 and I promise it will soften my heart.



My advice to you is this then Parts Unknown, never become a regular at a restaraunt you don't tip at. Many of my friends and family have been in serving at one time or another, and they remember people who don't tip. They also have access to your food when it is out of sight, and they have the kitchen on their side.
dunkndollaz
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#16 Posted on 23.1.03 1029.46
Reposted on: 23.1.10 1033.05
I couldn't imagine not tipping a waiter/waitress or bartender - I have even left tips behind on the table when someone else has paid and then stiffed the help. I was a bartender once so that probably skews me a little in their direction. I also tip the lady who cuts my hair $5 - every time she cuts my hair - I also give her $20 at Xmas. The mailperson gets a box of Godiva and/or a plate of homemade cookies to go with the $20 we give her. We get a lot of mail and it really adds up when we go away for a week - she also drives up our driveway and delivers packages to the door in rain or shine. I tip delivery people (in college I delivered flowers every xmas and got two tips and bit by a dog), the hotel valet, the coat check girl, the parking attendants and I leave a buck or two for the maid when I check out of a hotel.

It's your own call - do what you think is right
MoeGates
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#17 Posted on 23.1.03 1047.12
Reposted on: 23.1.10 1053.43
Wow, from $100 to the mailman to not tipping the waiter.

Here's why I don't tip the mailman (actually, to be honest I never tip the mailman because it never really occured to me. But here's my rationalization).

Tipping the mail carrier falls into the range of "tipping for doing the job they're supposed to do," like a bellhop, a coat check, or a waiter. Let's take the waiter.

There is a lot that goes into making your food and bringing it to you at the restaraunt. But you only tip the waiter. Maybe the waiter splits it somewhat with bar or kitchen, but the waiter is making the vast majority of the tips.

The waiter gets $2.00 an hour. The Dishwasher gets $6.00 an hour. The cooks get $10.00 an hour. The manager gets 35 g's a year. The waiter also has the biggest impact on your dining experience. He can make your dining experience very pleasant, or very bad. That's why you tip the waiter, and why you have the discretion to tip a lot or a little. (You also tip your coat check, but I always though they should get paid a higher hourly wage and not take tips. First of all, it's been $1 a coat for, like, 30 years. Second of all, taking your coat and giving it back isn't really something that you can do badly or well. You just do it. I've never heard of tipping the coat check extra for good service).

Now, a lot also goes into delivering your mail. Sorting, trucking, etc. Your carrier makes $17.93 an hour (or whatever). So does your sorter. So does your trucker. In addition, your carrier doesn't really have that much of an impact on your mail. If it's late, or mail gets lost, or whatever, it's probably not their fault (maybe lateness). If the mail gets to you a day early, it's not because of them either.

Plus, if unionized government workers are going to get tips, I want in on that action.

That all being said, I do like the idea of a gift at Christmas, even though I don't do the whole Christmas gift thing.

As far as the waiter thing goes, really bad service gets 10% in my book, and regular bad service still gets 15%. These guys are making less than minimum wage, and for better or for worth, nowdays tips are counted on as regular income. If I screw up my job, I still get paid. Restaraunts should institute a policy of adding 15% gratuity to the bills, with the option of leaving a few extra bucks for good service. It'd take while to get used to it though.

(edited by MoeGates on 23.1.03 1148)
Rudoublesedoublel
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#18 Posted on 23.1.03 1048.05
Reposted on: 23.1.10 1054.44
I read through the linked thread about tipping so I'm going to throw in my two cents from that part first.

Someone mentioned carhops. My first job was as a carhop. Where I worked the carhops were paid minimum wage, but we never received raises and were paid less than anyone else because we had the "potential" for tips and would usually do "OK" on tips ($5-$10 per shift from '84 - '88), so I do tip carhops.

I asked my wife if she thought we should give our mailman a Christmas present, she said "No" and I said "Yes, maam". The way I look at it, the mail carriers make pretty good money to start with and I never receive "special" service from them.

I always tip at restaurants where they wait on me and I don't use a plastic fork to eat. Poor service usually gets 10% to 15%, average service is around 15% (I use a debit card and round to the nearest dollar), good service around 20% (assuming we haven't run up a ridiculously large bill).

We were at a restaurant once and they were having problems in the kitchen or something and we were brought our appetizers late. When the waitress brought it out she had the audacity to say something along the lines of "This isn't my fault, remember that when you give me my tip." My jaw hit the floor. She did get a tip, but her telling me not to hold the kitchen's slowness "against her" reduced the tip by about 3-5%.

I do tip my barber, but only $2 on $11 haircut.

I tried to tip a guy at Auto Zone who put a battery in my car for me one time. He happily refused, stating it was against their policy, then thanked me. They gained some customer loyalty that day.
Parts Unknown
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#19 Posted on 23.1.03 1050.08
Reposted on: 23.1.10 1055.30
Alright, just because everyone is so incensed and think I'm a neanderthal, let me elaborate.

When I say I never tip unless they go "above and beyond the call of duty," I mean I only tip for good service. If they are sullen, never come by the table, let my drink go dry, or the opposite - they won't leave me alone - then I will tip less or not at all. I certainly do reward good service with tips, but they have to earn it. I'm not going to give my money to someone just out of obligation. If you tip just because "it is right," I find that spineless. You shouldn't reward people with tips if they suck.

Secondly, I'm not "a regular" at any establishment, so I hardly think anyone would remember me and spit in my food.

Thirdly, I wish I made as much money as you guys, seriously. Oklahoma is an impoverished state, I guess, because there's NO WAY I could afford to tip as lavishly as you fine people. Therefore, I evaluate my tips carefully.

And finally, the whole tipping thing is not nearly as common where I live. It is unheard-of to tip grocery carriers, car-hops, hairdresses, mail carriers, librarians, meter maids and all that. Waitresses and waiters, yes, but not all the other supporting cast of life.

Maybe that sucks, but I don't care. Maybe you think we're all a bunch of stingy hillbillies here in the south, but at least I'm not flinging money at every sad sack who has his or her hand out.
Pool-Boy
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#20 Posted on 23.1.03 1111.29
Reposted on: 23.1.10 1115.35
Best tipping story EVER-
A friend of mine and I popped into Dennys LATE one night, and we were the only people in the restaraunt.
Well, our lovely waitress throughout the entire course of the meal decided that she had far more important things to do than to help us.
Again remember, we were the ONLY people in the restraunt. So when the little bell rang, and two plates popped up on a counter, we could only assume that they were ours. But our waitress was far too busy flirting with the host, so it took us 10 more minutes to get our food. We ran out of coffee, and after a long time waiting, we called her over to refill. She went BACK to the guy she was flirting with, and started talking shit about us! (She was under the impression that we could not hear her.)
Well, we went up and paid, and then sat back down to drink the rest of our coffee and to leave "the tip." Now I am all for generous tipping when services are performed for me, but quite conversly, I am a miser if I get bad service. But this was the worst waitress I have ever had, so it deserved something extra special.
We took the salt and pepper shakers and emptied them all over the table. I mean, it was COVERED. we cleared out a circle in the middle, and placed a penny there. Then we drew an arrow to the penny, wrote "TIP" in huge letters, and then wrote "Thanks for the shitty service, bitch!"
We left and waited in the car. We could clearly see where our table was through the window. She came up to collect her tip, and the look on her face was priceless. She called the host guy over, and he started LAUGHING so hard, and she got madder and madder. They left, and a bus-boy showed up- who did NOTHING. He laughed and turned around and left. A moment later, the waitress was back, pissed as ever, bussing the table herself.
Mean, yes, but the damned bitch deserved it. And what a great laugh we got out of that.
I guess my point is that while I am all for tipping, I do not think that tipping is AUTOMATIC. :)
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