Knowing the proper tipping etiquette
is important to anyone receiving personal services. These etiquette tips for personal
services will provide the reader with gratuity protocol.
“When we can't get away for a
vacation, we get the same feeling by staying home and tipping every person that
smiles.” I must credit the source of this clever quote to Susie Spanos of the
website Famous Quotes and Authors. It
whimsically captures the exasperation and confusion we sometimes feel about
gratuities or tipping etiquette.
I remember when I took my mother on
a trip to Atlantic City. She became frustrated at feeling obligated to put a
tip in the tip jar of the Casino’s restroom attendants every time she needed to
use the facility. She asked me if it was necessary. I explained to my mother
that restroom attendants provide somewhat of a personal service by maintaining the cleanliness of the restroom and by being
of assistance when needed. I explained
to her that the restroom attendants probably make a very low salary and the
tips help supplement that. My mother responded with her typical wry wit, “I’ll
give them a tip – Get a different job!”
Not knowing the proper tip to
provide for a particular service can make you as confused and exasperated as my
mother was in the Casino restroom. This is a guide for those who want to
tip and want to know the customary amount. This article covers some of the main
tipping options or opportunities.
Tipping
at Restaurants and Bars:
It
is customary to tip10-15% on alcoholic drinks and 15-20% on food. Tipping 10%
on the wine is perfectly acceptable. Deciding whether to tip the wine steward 10
or 15 % for the wine depends mostly on how helpful the server was in choosing
the wine and serving it. Tip your waiter/ waitress 15 to 20 %, and tip the same
amount for counter service. Your cocktail server and bartender should be tipped
15 to 20%. For free drinks in some Casinos, you should tip one to two dollars
per round. It is customary to tip the restroom attendants and coat check
attendants one dollar. Don’t feel obligated to tip the busboy unless he had to
provide an extra special service such as cleaning up a mess that was above and
beyond the call of duty. Tipping the Maitre d’ is unnecessary as well, unless
he secures a special table for you or he provides seating for you in a fully
booked dining room when you had no reservation. Tipping a musician that visits
your table is discretionary, unless he played a special request. If such is the
case, it is customary to tip him two or three dollars.
Tipping
at Airports and on Amtrak:
If you are unaccustomed to
traveling, knowing when and whom to tip
at the airport or on Amtrak can be unsettling. If you are traveling by air, the
first place where you will encounter the gratuity dilemma is at the airport. It
is customary to tip the porter
or skycap two dollars per bag, or more if the bags are heavier than normal. Paying
two dollars extra for curbside check-in is discretionary. If you arrive late
and the porter or skycap helps you get to your flight on time, tip an extra five
to twenty dollars. It is not necessary to tip charter pilots, flight attendants
or other in-flight personnel.
If you are traveling by Amtrak, it is recommended
that you tip dining car waiters, stewards and bar
car waiters 15% of the bill. Tip porters one dollar per bag. If you are
traveling in a sleeper birth, tip the sleeping car attendant five dollars per
passenger per day.
Tipping
at Hotels:
When staying in a hotel, tip the
valet or parking attendant one to two dollars for parking or returning your
car. If the Doorman or the Bellman for the hotel helps you with your bags in or
out of your car, tip him one dollar per bag, but if he carries them to your
room, tip him one to two dollars per bag.
If he hails you a cab, one to two dollars is a fair tip. For room
service, if the gratuity is not included, tip 15 to 20% of the total bill. Tip hotel maids
three to five dollars per day. If you are especially messy, tip up to ten
dollars per day. It is customary to tip maids daily because you may have a
different maid each day. Be sure to tip on the last day as well. If the hotel
Concierge helps you with particularly hard to get theatre tickets or dinner reservations,
tip him or her five to ten dollars, which can be made at the end of the stay or
at the time of the service.
Tipping
on Cruise Ships:
Check cruise ship policy in advance,
but most tipping of staff for services rendered is done at the end of the
cruise. Tip waiters and cabin stewards three dollars per day, per person. Don’t
forget the bus boy. You should tip him $1.50 per person, per day. Tipping the
Maitre d’ is optional. Normally a 15% gratuity is automatically added to your
bill to cover the tip for the Bar Steward.
Tipping
for Ground Transportation:
The
customary tip for taxi, limousine, shuttle, or van driver is 15% of the total
fare. You may want to tip up to 20% if the driver helps with the bags. Check limousine
policy in advance because the rate charged for limos frequently includes
gratuity.
Tipping
at Hair Salons and Spas:
There are a variety of services
offered in hair salons and spas. Tip your hair stylist 10 to 20%. If an
assistant other than your stylist shampoos your hair, tip him or her two to
five dollars, and make sure you give the tip directly to the assistant. The
customary tip for a manicure or facial is 15%. Normally you should tip the spa
massage therapist 10 to 15%. If you have purchased a spa package and the gratuity
is not included, tip 15 to 20% to be split among the various service providers.
Tipping
for Deliveries:
If you are having furniture or
appliances delivered to your home, you should tip five to ten dollars per
person. For flower deliveries, it is customary to tip anywhere from two to five
dollars for normal size flower deliveries. For especially large flower deliveries,
tip $20.00. For food and liquor deliveries, you should tip 15%, but never less
than two dollars. For your daily newspaper delivery, it is customary to give
only a Christmas bonus of $25.00 to $50.00.
Miscellaneous
Services:
Tip the person who washed your car
at the car wash two to three dollars per car. If your car is an SUV, tip three
to five dollars. Tip the groomer of your pet 15% of the bill or two dollars per
dog. Tipping pet sitters is discretionary, but if you do, you should tip the sitter
15%.
Tip
Jars:
Dealing with tip jars can be really
perplexing because we are beginning to see them everywhere. I get particularly
perturbed at tip jars on the counter at coffee shops, such as Starbucks. Tip
jars are out of place in coffee shops, such as Starbucks, fast food restaurants
or any restaurant that does not actually bring your food or drink to your
table. Tipping is not necessary in such establishments.
In
conclusion, remember that gratuities are discretionary. If you don't think
tipping is necessary in certain situations, then don't tip. If you think tipping
in general is foolish and a nuisance, then don't tip. Remember, however, that
tips help out workers who do a personal service for you. Such workers generally
make a low income salary. Though you
aren’t morally obligated to tip, if you are using a service that is commonly
known to be a service dependent upon gratuities, such as restaurants, bars,
hair salons, valet parking and a few others, then one could argue that you
should feel a moral obligation to tip if you were given good service.
Picture credit: Foxumon
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