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First trip to the USA - tipping

C DM said:
I think part of it is access too--it's somewhat hard to tip a dishwasher or even a chef since they are away from you and are not easily accessible so the tip ends up basically being a waiter/server one, even if you meant it more for the chef perhaps because the food was so amazing, but not much else was that amazing.
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Bollocks. You write the tip in on the receipt. I can't remember the last time I handed cash to anybody at a restaurant. Being "accessible" has nothing to do with it.

Scepticalscribe said:
No, you don't tip them because they are female - you tip them because they do a job that can be unpleasant, and yes, it is your own personal mess that is being cleaned.
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If this is the standard, then the US is WAY off.

We tip parking valets, yet there's nothing unpleasant or messy about parking your own car. We tip delivery drivers, yet there's nothing unpleasant or messy about picking up dinner from a drive thru. The same can be said of barbers, hairdressers, cab drivers, etc. And it's customary to tip all of them.

HOWEVER - there are plenty of other services people perform where they do an unpleasant job cleaning up your personal mess, and they don't get tips: janitors, busboys, dishwashers, dry cleaners, gardeners, etc.
 
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Tomorrow said:
Bollocks. You write the tip in on the receipt. I can't remember the last time I handed cash to anybody at a restaurant. Being "accessible" has nothing to do with it.



If this is the standard, then the US is WAY off.

We tip parking valets, yet there's nothing unpleasant or messy about parking your own car. We tip delivery drivers, yet there's nothing unpleasant or messy about picking up dinner from a drive thru. The same can be said of barbers, hairdressers, cab drivers, etc. And it's customary to tip all of them.

HOWEVER - there are plenty of other services people perform where they do an unpleasant job cleaning up your personal mess, and they don't get tips: janitors, busboys, dishwashers, dry cleaners, gardeners, etc.
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The assumption in much of Europe is that you are paid some sort of half decent wage to do many of these jobs. Hence, tipping is not part of the culture - and is completely discretionary - unless you specifically want to reward excellent service.

Unless a cab driver has been exceptionally helpful, or pleasant, or courteous, or professional, I'll not tip except perhaps, to round up.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
The assumption in much of Europe is that you are paid some sort of half decent wage to do many of these jobs. Hence, tipping is not part of the culture - and is completely discretionary - unless you specifically want to reward excellent service.
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It's a fallacy to believe that tipping exists only to supplement a worker's low income. As far as I'm aware it's ONLY restaurant servers who are paid below minimum wage. Delivery drivers (I used to be one) are paid above minimum wage AND receive commissions for deliveries, in addition to their tips. Barbers and hair stylists can make pretty good money without tips.
 
Tomorrow said:
It's a fallacy to believe that tipping exists only to supplement a worker's low income. As far as I'm aware it's ONLY restaurant servers who are paid below minimum wage. Delivery drivers (I used to be one) are paid above minimum wage AND receive commissions for deliveries, in addition to their tips. Barbers and hair stylists can make pretty good money without tips.
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Different customs in different continents, then.

What I don't get is the almost mandatory nature of tipping in the US, especially when it is in lieu of a living wage.

In Europe, it is entirely discretionary, but then, wages for those positions tend to be somewhat better.
 
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oneMadRssn said:
If you feel so strongly about this that you will use your own money to subsidize the things that should be paid for by billionaires like Arne Sorenson (CEO of Marriott), Christopher Nassetta (CEO of Hilton), and Thomas Mangas (CEO of Starwood), I won't object. But it is my opinion that those guys, and their respective companies, that should make sure their employees are paid properly.

If you really care about the wages and working conditions of hotel workers, then I suggest you make sure the hotel you are staying is approved by http://www.fairhotel.org (a website that supports unionized hotels, and encourages hotel workers to organize), and not on their boycott list. That $10 or $20 you leave for the housekeeper isn't really addressing the underlying problem, is it? If you insist on voting with your wallet, check out that site.

I think the OP understands now that tipping culture in the US can be summed up as a shtishow. :) No single website or book can explain it fully. Also, OP, most tour guides expect a tip. Bus tours or biking tours, that sort of thing.
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American culture and American labor laws should be a lot of things. But for as long as we have the status quo, the right thing to do is tip.
 
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Tomorrow said:
We tip parking valets, yet there's nothing unpleasant or messy about parking your own car. We tip delivery drivers, yet there's nothing unpleasant or messy about picking up dinner from a drive thru. The same can be said of barbers, hairdressers, cab drivers, etc. And it's customary to tip all of them.

HOWEVER - there are plenty of other services people perform where they do an unpleasant job cleaning up your personal mess, and they don't get tips: janitors, busboys, dishwashers, dry cleaners, gardeners, etc.
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Another example: When I went heli skiing, I tipped the guide because he showed us an amazing time, found the best terrain, and made sure we didn't die. However, he also got to ski from a helicopter with us. I can assure he had a very pleasant time, loved what he was doing, and did not get messy (unless being covered in snow is dirty). Everyone in the group tipped him.
 
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oneMadRssn said:
Another example: When I went heli skiing, I tipped the guide because he showed us an amazing time, found the best terrain, and made sure we didn't die. However, he also got to ski from a helicopter with us. I can assure he had a very pleasant time, loved what he was doing, and did not get messy (unless being covered in snow is dirty). Everyone in the group tipped him.
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Great example. I had forgotten that I once tipped a fishing guide, much the same thing, I think.
 
oneMadRssn said:
Another example: When I went heli skiing, I tipped the guide because he showed us an amazing time, found the best terrain, and made sure we didn't die. However, he also got to ski from a helicopter with us. I can assure he had a very pleasant time, loved what he was doing, and did not get messy (unless being covered in snow is dirty). Everyone in the group tipped him.
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Now that I think about it, I don't know if we tipped our guide when I was in Mexico City last year - we got a tour of the pyramids, National Palace and the cathedral nearby. I know I paid money, the tour was organized by my employer (not paid for though), but I wasn't the one that handed the cash over. She was great, knowledgeable but when it came time to climb the pyramids she stayed at the bottom.
 
there shouldnt be any tipping.. the employer is paying your salary and im paying to your employer to get services or whatever. the employer should pay the whole salary and charge me as much as it is needed and i know exatctly how much im going to pay for whatever.

you need to change your archaic system and the employer charge me at once and pay your whole salary.
 
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C DM said:
Any particular explanation behind it all? Or mostly "that's just how it is" type of thing?
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I think the basic mindset is that in the US a termite inspector or an HVAC repair person are considered tradesmen and furniture delivery people are considered more of a service industry / transient job.
 
mrex said:
there shouldnt be any tipping.. the employer is paying your salary and im paying to your employer to get services or whatever. the employer should pay the whole salary and charge me as much as it is needed and i know exatctly how much im going to pay for whatever.

you need to change your archaic system and the employer charge me at once and pay your whole salary.
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I worked in the food industry for 7 years, ending in 2004. My knowledge may be out of date, and my state and employer may not apply to all of the US. Wait staff in some cases are paid BELOW minimum wage, with the expectation that tips will make up for the rest. This is actually allowed by state labor laws, there is (or WAS) a defined "tipped-worker minimum wage". So, an employer could increase prices, pay previously-tipped workers a living wage from their payroll and advise that tips are no longer part of the culture of that establishment, as has been done in at least one establishment in my area.
 
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Mildredop said:
Probably hard to explain, but why would I tip someone who carries my bag to my room, but not someone who scans my shopping and packs my bags? Aren't they both giving me a service?
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This has probably been covered already, but the answer is simple: the person in the store is paid at least, but probably more than, minimum wage. The person who carries bags is likely making a "tipped wage", just like restaurant servers do. Typically, this is only a couple dollars per hour. it is expected that tips will cover most of their income.
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mrex said:
there shouldnt be any tipping.. the employer is paying your salary and im paying to your employer to get services or whatever. the employer should pay the whole salary and charge me as much as it is needed and i know exatctly how much im going to pay for whatever.

you need to change your archaic system and the employer charge me at once and pay your whole salary.
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I think it would be great if tipping was solely a personal decision, and that people were making the wages needed to get by. But I don't agree with "there shouldn't be any tipping". I think a tip is always a good gesture when exceptional service has been given.
 
samiwas said:
the answer is simple: the person in the store is paid at least, but probably more than, minimum wage. The person who carries bags is likely making a "tipped wage", just like restaurant servers do.
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You say the answer is simple, but as the customer, how do I know this? Should I politely ask the person if they earn below minimum wage?
 
Mildredop said:
You say the answer is simple, but as the customer, how do I know this? Should I politely ask the person if they earn below minimum wage?
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To make this as confusing as possible, in some states they actually do make minimum wage, but you're still expected to tip them.

Welcome to America!
 
Mildredop said:
You say the answer is simple, but as the customer, how do I know this? Should I politely ask the person if they earn below minimum wage?
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Well, the answer was simple to the question as it was asked: why does a guy who carries the bags get tipped, and not the person bagging groceries?

For visiting people, I can definitely see it being tough. But, if you've grown up in America, and are an adult, you should know by now which jobs are expected to be tipped and which are not.
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SwitchFX said:
Tipping a delivery person? Where is that normal?
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Ummm...pretty much everywhere in the US. Always has been.
 
Are we talking about specialty shop deliveries or even the FedEx, UPS, etc. guy? I've tipped for fresh flower deliveries and catering deliveries, but never UPS and the like.
 
SwitchFX said:
Are we talking about specialty shop deliveries or even the FedEx, UPS, etc. guy? I've tipped for fresh flower deliveries and catering deliveries, but never UPS and the like.
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Not Fedex or UPS, but other delivery people for furniture, appliances, etc.
 
C DM said:
Old thread?
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As the OP was traveling to New York in a couple of weeks as of the 25th, this can be considered an old thread. The timeline is ~2 weeks and a week and some change has already passed. The OP may have already found a good enough answer and no longer cares, or saying old thread might make people check the original post date before posting.
 
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