Holiday Time: Do you tip your "service" people?

[yellow]

Well it's holiday time and we're in our first (purchased) home.

One thing I was taught (or learned) is to recognize (and reward) your service people around this time of year. By service people I mean, your mail person, your garbage-person, etc. Anyone who does a constant service for you. For me, it's going to be a small cash "tip" ($10) and some home-made cookies.

My wife has never heard of such a thing. Am I really out there with this?

 

[rockthecasbah]

Well it's holiday time and we're in our first (purchased) home.

One thing I was taught (or learned) is to recognize (and reward) your service people around this time of year. By service people I mean, your mail person, your garbage-person, etc. Anyone who does a constant service for you. For me, it's going to be a small cash "tip" ($10) and some home-made cookies.

My wife has never heard of such a thing. Am I really out there with this?

you aren't out there, my mother does it to some extent (bus drivers, etc). The problem is the majority of individuals nowadays in developed societies are so busy running around doing God knows how many tasks at the same time that we either: forget, don't have time for, or are too pampered and believe that these are rights not priveleges, to spend time thanking these men and women, especially with a gift. I have to admit, i don't take part, but thats for none of those reasons, im 16

Good for you Yellow, and tell your wife you aren't crazy because rockthecasbah on MacRumors.com said so

 

[Jaffa Cake]

We had a bit of a debate at work this morning about whether or not we should tip our milkman. We decided not to, although seeing as he'd already been and gone it was a bit of a moot point.

 

[rockthecasbah]

We had a bit of a debate at work this morning about whether or not we should tip our milkman. We decided not to, although seeing as he'd already been and gone it was a bit of a moot point.

woah, you honestly HAVE a milkman?!?! Where do you live by chance? That's so awesome, i wish i had a milkman, how rustic

 

[Jaffa Cake]

woah, you honestly HAVE a milkman?!?! Where do you live by chance? That's so awesome, i wish i had a milkman, how rustic

We do for work. And being slap bang in the middle of the city centre we're not that rustic...

 

[freeny]

we tip;

our buildings maintenance man- $50
our sons teachers- $20 each X 6
our parking garage- $20 each attendant X 6
our nanny- 2 days pay (she quit two weeks ago so this = $0 )
Grand total=$270

New York City is heavily based on tips.


We leave out our mailman because they only seem to deliver our packages in December, otherwise they just leave a note that we need to go to the post office 10 blocks away to get them.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

our buildings maintenance man- $50
our sons teachers- $20 each X 6
our parking garage- $20 each attendant X 6
our nanny- 2 days pay (she quit two weeks ago so this = $0 )
Grand total=$270

I've got to say that I'm surprised to see teachers on your tipping list! I've honestly never heard of anyone doing this before.

 

[strider42]

Well it's holiday time and we're in our first (purchased) home.

One thing I was taught (or learned) is to recognize (and reward) your service people around this time of year. By service people I mean, your mail person, your garbage-person, etc. Anyone who does a constant service for you. For me, it's going to be a small cash "tip" ($10) and some home-made cookies.

My wife has never heard of such a thing. Am I really out there with this?

I'm not tipping anyone. I think tipping has gotten out of hand. I don't tip the people at a coffee shop either. All they did was give me my drink. its not exactly difficult. The only people I tip are waiters and waitresses, everyone else can suck it up. Oh, I tip bartenders to, but that's only because if you don't, they tend to give you horrible service or weaker drinks. Most service professionals are well enough paid that tipping seems ridiculous to me (many make as much or more than I do or did recently), and others don't do enough actual work that affects me directly to warrant me tipping them in my opinion. Tipping really irks me most of the time. Especially when its considered mandatory. I mean, why not just build the cost into the service if its going to be considered mandatory anyway.

 

[freeny]

I've got to say that I'm surprised to see teachers on your tipping list! I've honestly never heard of anyone doing this before.

It really is more like daycare. All his teachers are mostly college kids in some type of child psychology major. He's only 3 so a tip is necessary. If it were grade school it would be illegal and unethical for the teacher to accept cash gifts.

 

[freeny]

I'm not tipping anyone. I think tipping has gotten out of hand. I don't tip the people at a coffee shop either. All they did was give me my drink. its not exactly difficult. The only people I tip are waiters and waitresses, everyone else can suck it up. Oh, I tip bartenders to, but that's only because if you don't, they tend to give you horrible service or weaker drinks. Most service professionals are well enough paid that tipping seems ridiculous to me (many make as much or more than I do or did recently), and others don't do enough actual work that affects me directly to warrant me tipping them in my opinion. Tipping really irks me most of the time. Especially when its considered mandatory. I mean, why not just build the cost into the service if its going to be considered mandatory anyway.

You can expect three large pieces of coal in your x-mas stocking this year.

 

[yellow]

I'm not tipping anyone. I think tipping has gotten out of hand. I don't tip the people at a coffee shop either.

But does the coffee shop chick have to smell your week's worth of cat-box scraping once a week?
That's worth $10 and some freaking cookies, IMO. Particularly if it gets me into their good graces in the future when I try and dispose of a body or something.

 

[dan-o-mac]

I'm not tipping anyone. I think tipping has gotten out of hand. I don't tip the people at a coffee shop either. All they did was give me my drink. its not exactly difficult. The only people I tip are waiters and waitresses, everyone else can suck it up. Oh, I tip bartenders to, but that's only because if you don't, they tend to give you horrible service or weaker drinks. Most service professionals are well enough paid that tipping seems ridiculous to me (many make as much or more than I do or did recently), and others don't do enough actual work that affects me directly to warrant me tipping them in my opinion. Tipping really irks me most of the time. Especially when its considered mandatory. I mean, why not just build the cost into the service if its going to be considered mandatory anyway.

This post pretty much sums up how i feel about tipping. Excellent post!

 

[dan-o-mac]

You can expect three large pieces of coal in your x-mas stocking this year.

He can use em as tips.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

It really is more like daycare. All his teachers are mostly college kids in some type of child psychology major. He's only 3 so a tip is necessary. If it were grade school it would be illegal and unethical for the teacher to accept cash gifts.

Ah, that does sound a bit more sensible! Even so, I've not come across cash gifts like this before, although it's in my experience not uncommon for a teacher to receive some chocolates or something like that.

 

[mpw]

I tip nobody unless they've earned it.

That means they've got to do more than just their job.

My garbage man takes my garbage away and gets paid very well for it through my taxes. No tip.

The girl in the coffee shop serves coffee and gets paid for it. No tip.

My window cleaner does a piss-poor job of cleaning my windows and I still pay him. No tip (and a new window cleaner next year)

My mailman delivers my mail, sometimes to my neighbors but it gets here eventually, and gets paid very well to do that. Plus this time of year half the mailmen are students who can barely find my street let alone my house so why would I tip them? No tip.

I can't think of a single person I'm going to tip, maybe the waiting staff if I go out to dinner and they do a decent job of smiling when they serve my food etc.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

~snip~

That is pretty much the convention on this side of the Atlantic, where we generally only give a tip if we've received really good service. It just seems a bit daft to tip everyone you come across – if you do that, then giving a tip doesn't show you genuinely appreciate the extra effort shown by the tippee. That said, it is a bit of a tradition to give a Christmas box to various people, like the binman, the paperboy or the milkman.

Of course, I'm a Yorkshireman so I like to keep my hand firmly in my pocket wherever possible.

 

[EricNau]

I don't think Gov. workers (including Post Office Workers) are supposed to accept money tips. But most take them anyhow.

 

[dan-o-mac]

That is pretty much the convention on this side of the Atlantic, where we generally only give a tip if we've received really good service. It just seems a bit daft to tip everyone you come across – if you do that, then giving a tip doesn't show you genuinely appreciate the extra effort shown by the tippee. That said, it is a bit of a tradition to give a Christmas box to various people, like the binman, the paperboy or the milkman.

Of course, I'm a Yorkshireman so I like to keep my hand firmly in my pocket wherever possible.

What the hell is a binman.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

What the hell is a binman.

Binman = Garbage man.

 

[rdowns]

Townhouse porter - $50
Security Guards at gatehouse- $25 each
paperboy - $25

I have food delivered a lot and am a good tipper- even better this time of the year. people marvel at how fast my food arrives after ordering.

 

[Peterkro]

What the hell is a binman.

Garbage/Trash collector,Garbo or whatever.

 

[Applespider]

I've got to say that I'm surprised to see teachers on your tipping list! I've honestly never heard of anyone doing this before.

Yet most teachers, at least at primary level, get a present from their pupils. I read a recent article saying that some, in schools with large PTAs, get gifts where all the parents donate and they may get a spa day rather than a set of smellies from M&S.

I don't tip my postman since I've never met him and he doesn't turn up until after midday. I don't tip my binmen since I'm not in when they're here and I'm not going to leave something taped to the bin in case it doesn't get to them. I don't have a paperboy so I don't do that either (Mum does)

I will take a box of sweeties into my local Starbucks for the staff to share. I go in there most mornings (and don't tip) but they know my order (triple grande skinny latte) and often have it ready so I 'skip' the coffee queue.

 

[mpw]

..Of course, I'm a Yorkshireman so I like to keep my hand firmly in my pocket wherever possible.

So all Yorkshiremen ARE wa**ers

 

[Jaffa Cake]

So all Yorkshiremen ARE wa**ers

Better that than nearly French.

 

[mpw]

Better that than nearly French.

Touché