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Reading this thread makes me shudder as we find the tipping culture so difficult when we are in the US, try as we do to do the right thing.
We may tip in restaurants here when there is table service, there are very few buffets but many places where you line up to place your order and it is either brought to you or you go and collect. We never tip there. Nor do I tip my hairdresser; at Christmas I wish her Happy Christmas. We do not tip taxi drivers though a few people do. And we most certainly do not tip anyone who delivers a parcel, or fixes a broken pipe. I confess to tipping my nail person $5 before Christmas and she was very worried that I had forgotten my change.
So in the US we often do not think about needing to tip when we apparently should. It is the worst aspect of travelling in the country for us.
Yes, it's really all out of control. I find myself tipping for fewer and fewer things these days, which wasn't the case years back.
When I get a taxi or Uber (which I tend to do only when traveling to and from the airport), I'm not tipping especially as I always put my own bags in the car myself so there's nothing "extra" for me to tip for; I paid for the ride and that's exactly what I got. Same for pick-up/take-out food services. I've actually had some cashiers turn that screen around for a takeout order and say "enter a tip amount and then sign for a receipt" (or something similar), which I feel like probably makes some uncomfortable and creates a psychological aspect with some where there is added pressure to provide a tip. But I got over that a long time ago now and will not leave a tip if all I'm doing is picking up/taking out.
Hotel stays are a bit trickier. I do tip for maid service if I'm staying multiple days and don't put up the "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door. But as I'm generally going to put that sign up and am not a messy person in general, I provide an appropriate tip upon checkout day, which certainly does not cover my entire stay as there wasn't cleaning work being done for my entire stay.
When I was in your country while living in Sydney for 3 months some years back, the tipping culture over there was wonderful
Another thing we've noticed is that many businesses are starting to preprogram those machines/hand held card readers to have a default 22% tip We noticed this again when dining out today for brunch.
Its New Years Eve.........6pm and I don't have a reservation anywhere.
I can walk into a dozen restaurants tonight at 7pm and be seated in 5 minutes or less.
Why?
Because I'm a great guy and tip well. I worked at 2 high end country club's as a high school kid, those who tipped well got everything under the sun, the cheapskates got ridiculed. I'm that guy who wants people to enjoy their job.
Met a brand new waitress the other night, she took a job at a friend's restaurant. Bianca was so pleasant, she got about a 40% tip. I really enjoyed chatting with her and she did a great job. So dinner cost me $100 instead of 85........who cares.
Anyone who doesn't tip is simply a cheapskate but then again my car is upfront, my drinks are served literally as I sit down, my golf clubs are waiting on the cart and I don't wait for tables.
If you can't tip then you can't afford to order/eat out whatever.
i dont mean to tread on another post but its kinda related and i dont know where to put it
subject: tipping, lunch time
so my bill was a hair under $16 the other day, meal was good, just bbq, nothing fancy, just me. nothing abnormal. So I left a twenty, so four dollar tip, thats like 23%
Was that enough? they didnt go out the way for me, one glass of tea, had no issues, it was a nice meal. I know time is hard for wait staff. I didnt think nothing of it till I got down the road. $4 good enough?
That is PLENTY.
No sense in wasting brain cell energy on thinking about it.
Ibtip well, but on a $16 bill, 10% is $1.60x2=$3.20, so just $3.20 is VERY good. I'd have left $3.25 (just easier), but even easier is just leave a $20 and be on my way.
What REALLY disgusted me is we were at a restaurant, and they had a special deal on "gift cards".. buy a $100 gift card, and you get a $20guft card for yourself.
We planned on buying two $100 gift cards anyway, so took the deal.
But, you have to have your waitperson get the cards.
Our actual meal, 2 cocktails was $60 (fancy place, rarely spend that much, but our "Christmas dine out dinner)
So..the tab comes, $260. 20% on the meal was $12.
20% of the CHECK TOTAL ($52) was what the waitress EXPECTED. I gave her $275 CASH, and told her to 'keep the change '.
She grimaced at that, apparently EXPECTING $312, the CHECK TOTAL PLUS 20% on it ALL.
She wasn't happy.
Hey, if I'd have just bought the gift cards (which I later learned you can get..but only from the manager..IF they can "find him"..I'd have not had to tip at all.
Yes, I agree, tipping has gotten out of hand.
The delivery order fee of, say, $5 on a pizza frya pizza joint DOESN'T go to the driver. I know that and I tip the driver's $5 cash when they get here. The joint I'm referring to is exactly 1.2 miles away, straight shot, then quick short right, and an even quicker right, 6th house up. Short front yard, no steps, always clear of snow and ice.
I've never seen the same driver twice, so it HAS to be going through Uber, or other such. (Or they can't keep drivers because that $5 tip ISNT ALL going to their driver.
On a $30 extra large pizza, and an extra topping.
My 20% tip should only be $6, but it costs me $10.
It also ALWAYS takes 50 mins from order checkout to delivery at our door.
(Yeah, when we order we're too tired or just lazy, but in 50 mins, I could drive there, wait the 15 mins for it to be made, drive home and have two slices!)
And we never order at prime lunch or dinner time, or on special busy times (like super bowl), so why the 50 mins??
But, for the convenience, I'm willing to pay a little extra. That's on ME.
No sense in wasting brain cell energy on thinking about it.
Ibtip well, but on a $16 bill, 10% is $1.60x2=$3.20, so just $3.20 is VERY good. I'd have left $3.25 (just easier), but even easier is just leave a $20 and be on my way.
What REALLY disgusted me is we were at a restaurant, and they had a special deal on "gift cards".. buy a $100 gift card, and you get a $20guft card for yourself.
We planned on buying two $100 gift cards anyway, so took the deal.
But, you have to have your waitperson get the cards.
Our actual meal, 2 cocktails was $60 (fancy place, rarely spend that much, but our "Christmas dine out dinner)
So..the tab comes, $260. 20% on the meal was $12.
20% of the CHECK TOTAL ($52) was what the waitress EXPECTED. I gave her $275 CASH, and told her to 'keep the change '.
She grimaced at that, apparently EXPECTING $312, the CHECK TOTAL PLUS 20% on it ALL.
She wasn't happy.
Hey, if I'd have just bought the gift cards (which I later learned you can get..but only from the manager..IF they can "find him"..I'd have not had to tip at all.
Yes, I agree, tipping has gotten out of hand.
The delivery order fee of, say, $5 on a pizza frya pizza joint DOESN'T go to the driver. I know that and I tip the driver's $5 cash when they get here. The joint I'm referring to is exactly 1.2 miles away, straight shot, then quick short right, and an even quicker right, 6th house up. Short front yard, no steps, always clear of snow and ice.
I've never seen the same driver twice, so it HAS to be going through Uber, or other such. (Or they can't keep drivers because that $5 tip ISNT ALL going to their driver.
On a $30 extra large pizza, and an extra topping.
My 20% tip should only be $6, but it costs me $10.
It also ALWAYS takes 50 mins from order checkout to delivery at our door.
(Yeah, when we order we're too tired or just lazy, but in 50 mins, I could drive there, wait the 15 mins for it to be made, drive home and have two slices!)
And we never order at prime lunch or dinner time, or on special busy times (like super bowl), so why the 50 mins??
But, for the convenience, I'm willing to pay a little extra. That's on ME.
best
Yeah that sounds insane. If you ordered the drinks at the bar, you would have tipped what? $1-2 a drink? It's crazy that the waitress thought she deserved more than that. You more than tipped fair in that case IMO.
Door Dash and like local delivery carriers have especially since the pandemic entered the business of delivering items from local chain businesses that you have ordered online outside of restaurants and grocery order delivery.
** I see no problem in tipping these drivers if you the customer have requested same or next day delivery, but its a different story if the merchant unilaterally chooses these services instead of using USPS, FedEx, or UPS. Two recent situations:
* Ordered item on eBay for $5, the seller hundreds of miles away. Checked first a couple of other local retailers who simply did not carry the item. eBay seller chooses two days after my order to drop ship from my local Walmart less than five miles away with less than 15 minutes notice by text message, which the text message gave option to leave a tip for the Door Dash driver. Lets see 15% tip on $5 order is 75 cents. Most Door Dashers expect a few dollars which on this order would be a crazy 50-100% tip for something I did not request their service. To add insult the eBay seller emails out a fake USPS tracking number on the order, right city but wrong zip code and delivery date/time not match. And not the first time have experienced drop shipping with eBay unexpectedly.
* Ordered online two small light weight OTC pharmacy items, one $10 and one $30 from Bed Bath Beyond (could have also happened with Walgreens or some other local chains who now uses these local delivery carriers). I requested shipping of the order. Bed Bath Beyond makes the 'executive' decision to do 'same day delivery' on my order, but in doing so, they failed to check local store inventories, so the Door Dash Dasher only brought the $10 item that was fulfilled. From text messages received with less than an hour notice, I watched the Door Dasher make *multiple stops* on the online map before arriving at my home. Even if I did tip, getting the side item but not the main dish, I did not have the cash on hand on short notice nor time to run to a bank, nor no option was provided to tip through the text messaging. No wonder Door Dashers feel shorted on tips such on such parcel deliveries. My Door Dasher had limited English proficiency, so there was no way to explain the complications with the delivery so he would not have harsh feelings.
Don't get me wrong as a cheapskate. Assuming service was adequately performed, I do tip on grocery delivery of a couple bags or more, restaurant meals delivered where the expectation Door Dash, Instacart, or the like will be delivering; or even a single very heavy or bulky item such as 24+ pack of water. Even extra tip if the delivery person has to go through extreme circumstances such as heavy snow or multiple flights of steps.
In sum the problems:
- What to do in tipping on parcel deliveries, outside of sizable grocery deliveries or restaurant meals, where did NOT request this type of delivery service. Seller saves money, but stiffs (or tries to) the customer.
- If so inclined, how to tip if lacking in small currency on short notice, if electronic tipping option not provided. Not everyone has a Door Dash account or for reasons want one.
- More notice than an hour especially if not expecting such a delivery. In some neighborhoods, there are big problems with porch pirates or stray wildlife. If more notice or if know day before, can possibly make arrangements to be home or have a good neighbor to be on the lookout for the package.
Your answer to the next to last paragraph is: if you're going to order ANYTHING delivered, ALWAYS keep a jar of $5, $10 on hand. It's not that hard. $100 in those bills will last a while.
I had a similar issue from an Amazon order. The postman came to me (I usually meet him) and said 'i have a package for you, but have a disclaimer: it comes with $6 postage due. The shipping label is a repeat print of one postage was paid on, the shipper just changed the address to yours and reprinted it, not paying for the postage, and the return address is bogus. The postmaster is aware of this, and the postmaster general is investigating this, and has made Amazon aware. It's happening a lot. I'm sure you paid for delivery on the order, so you can refuse it, or pay it. Feel free to take a picture of the label if you want."
I asked him to hold it and let me check it out, could he bring it back tomorrow? He said yes.
The only thing is...I could not find what it was that I ordered that this was on (I had a couple of orders...none showing "out for delivery "... because, well, without the postage paid, they had no idea or record of it.
I paid the $6, opened it, back tracked my orders and entered a complaint on Amazon. Amazon replied they were aware of this scam and would "look into it", and the seller would be banned from Amazoni had no recourse on the shipping I'd paid, because, well my order was over the "free shipping "minimum "so I paid none to Amazon.
I learned a long time ago in my 20s, when there was no online ordering, Amazon or the like.
If you order from a catalog, you paid shipping, sent a check or money order, and waited 4-6 weeks for delivery.
What I learned,vand my subsequent "saying ' was: IF you've got ANY money, SOMEONE wants it and will do ANYTHING to get it from you'
I suppose "caveat emptor" says it all.
But who knows what that Latin language says anymore?
One thing WE ALL can do..is vote with our wallets!!!
A business who has no customers will go out of business!
MAYBE with enough complaints of this crap, they MIGHT get the idea WHY they have no customers?
Oh, one other thing..money guru Clark Howard calls it "Customer NO Service"...and when I'm not getting anywhere with on the phone with a so Called "customer service agent", (or one who DOESN'T know their job) I just give up and clearly state "OK, you HAVE NOT been helpful at ALL" and d hang up.
As they are "recorded for training and trouble shooting purposes ".. I hope someone higher up ACTUALLY listens to it, and makes changes.
Likewise, when I DO get great customer service, I politely say 'thank you. You've been MOST helpful. Have a great rest of your day "
No sense in wasting brain cell energy on thinking about it.
Ibtip well, but on a $16 bill, 10% is $1.60x2=$3.20, so just $3.20 is VERY good. I'd have left $3.25 (just easier), but even easier is just leave a $20 and be on my way.
What REALLY disgusted me is we were at a restaurant, and they had a special deal on "gift cards".. buy a $100 gift card, and you get a $20guft card for yourself.
We planned on buying two $100 gift cards anyway, so took the deal.
But, you have to have your waitperson get the cards.
Our actual meal, 2 cocktails was $60 (fancy place, rarely spend that much, but our "Christmas dine out dinner)
So..the tab comes, $260. 20% on the meal was $12.
20% of the CHECK TOTAL ($52) was what the waitress EXPECTED. I gave her $275 CASH, and told her to 'keep the change '.
She grimaced at that, apparently EXPECTING $312, the CHECK TOTAL PLUS 20% on it ALL.
She wasn't happy.
Hey, if I'd have just bought the gift cards (which I later learned you can get..but only from the manager..IF they can "find him"..I'd have not had to tip at all.
Yes, I agree, tipping has gotten out of hand.
The delivery order fee of, say, $5 on a pizza frya pizza joint DOESN'T go to the driver. I know that and I tip the driver's $5 cash when they get here. The joint I'm referring to is exactly 1.2 miles away, straight shot, then quick short right, and an even quicker right, 6th house up. Short front yard, no steps, always clear of snow and ice.
I've never seen the same driver twice, so it HAS to be going through Uber, or other such. (Or they can't keep drivers because that $5 tip ISNT ALL going to their driver.
On a $30 extra large pizza, and an extra topping.
My 20% tip should only be $6, but it costs me $10.
It also ALWAYS takes 50 mins from order checkout to delivery at our door.
(Yeah, when we order we're too tired or just lazy, but in 50 mins, I could drive there, wait the 15 mins for it to be made, drive home and have two slices!)
And we never order at prime lunch or dinner time, or on special busy times (like super bowl), so why the 50 mins??
But, for the convenience, I'm willing to pay a little extra. That's on ME.
best
I don't tip on buying gift cards because those will be used later. Gift cards are usually rung up separately from anything else. I don't think your waiter did it right.
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We noticed this again when dining out today for brunch.
