The airline I work for, we are NOT allowed to accept tips. That would be a huge mistake to accept a tip. One could lose their job.

I would doubt any airline employees are to accept tips.

I think most people agree that tipping has gotten out of hand in general. However, from a larger perspective this highlights the real issue. Is the condition of employment providing excellence service, or merely competent service? I tend to take the latter view.

If someone is hired to drive the shuttle bus, and they drive the shuttle bas safely, without incident, and in a timely fashion, they have successfully met the conditions of their employment and should be paid accordingly. If the driver goes out of his/her way to assist the passengers, by carrying luggage, as a commonly cited example, then tipping to me is an appropriate reward.

Likewise, someone hired at a Starbucks to make me a cup of tea isn't going to get a tip. Making the tea is part of providing the service, so there's no need/reason to provide additional compensation.

over and above
 

very
The operative phrase here is "true service over and above." Wasn't "tip" originally an acronym for "to insure promptness?" However, I would never stiff restaurant or bar staff. On the (very few) occasions when service has been really bad, :mad: I have asked to see the manager on the way out, explained the problem, and given him the tip to be handed out among the staff as he/she see fit. It's not fair to those who bus tables, serve drinks, etc. to suffer for the poor service of the waiter, or for the waiter to be slighted because the kitchen staff was slow.

I always tip valet parkers. When dropping off the car, I ask if they split tips--they usually do--and tell the person I will catch up with them on the way out. When picking up the car, I hand my claim ticket and tip to the one managing the valet desk. When my car is driven up immediately, :D I smile at those who were "ahead" of me in line as I am driving off.

I always tip the person who--if I don't do it myself--takes the bags to the room. It's amazing what the bellstaff can do that is "over and above." Once, after he hung my garment bag in the closet, checked the thermostat, bathroom for towels, filled the ice bucket, etc, I gave a good, not extravagant tip, to the bellman. He looked down at the room key and said he had picked up the wrong key at the desk. He was back five minutes later with a key to a room on the executive floor. ^ ^

I usually leave a tip for the hotel maid on a pillow before I leave the room. Especially if I am on vacation. I get the impression that many who service hotel rooms are sending money to their families out on the country. Regardless, my hat goes off to anyone who does that job well. If I get a couple more of the exta fluffy towels, all the better. :)

I've never tipped a shuttle driver because I travel lightly and they usually just open the door to let me in or out. Well, except the few, well several , times I have let the driver know I'm in danger of missing my flight and have been whisked to the terminal forthwith. I don't understand, however, the people who get on the shuttle with "just got back from Europe on a steamer" luggage who let the driver load and unload all they are carrying and then don't offer that "extra" thanks.

Don't know if these were helpful "tips" or not, but except for those who literally work for tips, it's "over and beyond" for me.

Love those emoticons.

When do Tips become Bribes?
 

From reading the previous posts, it seems many subscribe to the idea that 'tips should be given to reward service above-and-beyond the requirements of the job'.

My problem: In the case of the shuttle bus driver being tipped for helping with luggage, he or she is at least being rewarded for his or her own labours. Not so for some of the other instances described above, such as seat upgrades or (as on another thread) extra towels in a hotel. In such instances the employee is using something *not his or hers to give* in order to secure financial reward.

A seat upgrade is a service improvement that is 90 per cent provided by the employer, not the employee, since the employee did not install the business class seats, nor pay for the extra drinks or higher quality food, etc. If arranged for by the ticket desk clerk, it is unlikely they will even be the ones serving the premium class drinks, etc. ! So, this is not a matter of compensating the employee for THEIR higher standard service but for SOMEONE ELSE'S higher standard service.

The same is true for the hotel towel scenario, in which people enthuse about all the greater-than-average-number of towels provided by housekeeping in response to being tipped. Now, I figure those extra towels cost housekeeping extra labour to provide, true. But the extra towels also cost the hotel extra money to launder; even if the laundry is done in-house, there is the capital and operational cost of the laundry machines, plus the labour of those whose job this is to perform (frequently not the chambermaid but someone else) not to mention the cost of periodic towel replacement (they eventually wear out). So again, the major cost of the service - of laundering and towel replacement are borne by someone other than the employee. So, I wouldn't call it tipping in such instances, I'd call it...well, what would others here call it?

I tip waitresses, I tip the guy who cuts my hair cause the jackass charges me $13 but always has a sign up saying he needs ones and I feel bad (Its actually a good friend of mine). I tipped the guy at the hotel I wasnt staying at who not only let me and the lady store our bags when we were in boston, but had the shuttle drivers take us and only us to the metro.

otherwise I refuse to tip. Job pays too little----tough ****, get a new job, I am sure there are tons of people who would take your job and a 10% pay cut. Go the extra mile---come on, **** that, if you really went "above and beyond" your job fine, good for you, hopefully the boss will notice, and if not he is an *******. mabyee one day that attitude will make you a boss....hey if your a waitress and only get paid on tips, kiss my ..., actually provide me with service and yeah, I will provide you with tips, and good ones too, but I am not going to pay your proverbial lifes salary for you to sit there and gossip about how juan the busboy is hung like a horse. I have no qualms about leaving a 50 cent tip for 50 cent service.


tipping is outrageous in this country---hey here's an idea DO THE JOB YOU ARE PAID TO DO, AND DONT EXPECT ANYTHING EXTRA. I am not goign to pay you extra for doing the job you were paid to do. you are here to serve me (as I would be if you called upon me), so I expect you to do everything necessary and within reason to accomidate me (as I would do for you) and never assume you will be getting a tip, with the exception of waitresses, that drives me nuts.

here's an idea, if you follow the logic that somepeople have when It comes to tipping....open the door for your boss (tip). satisfy a client request (tip). cook dinner for your family (tip), have great sex with a significant other (tip),


just you wait.....:)


end rant

I never forget to tip. If service is as abysmal as you can get, I'll leave a token amount ranging from a dime to a dollar. As for NY cabbies, I tip them based on their ability to get me to my destination the quickest way possible. If a cabbie ends up sitting in traffic and does nothing to get out of it, his tip will suffer. And I let him know that from the getgo so there is no surprise.

I don't experience that at all. If the service is mediocre, I tip 10%. If the service is what I expect, I tip 15%. If the service is fabulous, I tip 20-25%. I rarely experience a lackadaisical attitude from a waiter. When I do, I just don't sit there and take it. I make it very clear to the manager how poor the server is doing and either the server improves or somebody else waits on us.

I agree completely.

Exactly my point! You are a lot like me: you get mediocre service, you leave 10% I think a lot of people do this. You get great service, you leave 20-25% That's pretty much what I do as well. Again, my point is that mediocre service should get zero. But it doesn't: at gets 10% from people like us - who actually pay attention - and probably the "standard" 15% from the broader majority. And that majority also leaves 15-20% for wonderful service: they don't jack it up to 30% or anything. I admit that I'm part of this problem: I don't want to think of myself as a bad tipper, so the service has got to be very, very bad before I think about not leaving a tip.

So the waiter knows going on that mediocre service will average him/her in the low teens - really good service, high teens - averaged out across the night. The "spread" that he/she really has to work hard for is so little at most restaurants, that why work hard?

Fortunately, at expensive restaurants the competition to get those jobs (professional waiters) is strong enough that you usually do get great service. At least in my experience, the problems I get with a bad waiter are at the Chili's level (not to pick on that chain in particular) - not the gourmet level.

Don't get me started. :rolleyes: I always use the off-airport lots and the drivers are sometimes a little too eager to "help" me with my bags. I usually have a very manageable carry-on and/or garment bag. They jump out of their seats, and yank the bags off my shoulders or from my hands. It's pretty clear I don't need much help and he just ends up annoying me with his aggressiveness.

I never tip shuttle drivers unless I have unusually bulky/heavy luggage (or lots of luggage) and really do need help. And then its $1/bag. Nothing for Mr. Yank-Let-Me-Have-That...

I think you're wrong. If a waiter sells $500 a night, the income for poor and excellent service (using you percentages) is $50/night or $100/night. I think doubling your salary is pretty good motivation to work hard.

I think it's unfair to expect restaurant customers to provide waiters with their salary. I would much prefer restaurants to pay their staff a good wage, and build it into their prices. It shouldn't be my job to evaluate your staff.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way in the US. The waiter at Chili's is making 2 bucks an hour. I would never stiff a waiter, because I don't think you should be docked your entire salary for what may be just a bad day. Hopefully, if the person gives consistently poor service he will be fired.

I must respectfully disagree. I have encountered great service in diners and horrible service in more pricey restaurants - there does not appear to be any correlation though the more expensive restaurants usually have additional staff to pour water and clear plates (but not to bring your food or check in a timely manner).

I generally tip 20% or more if the meal was $20 or less - the extra dollar is appreciated by those who are mostly unappreciated. By contrast I rarely tip above 15% for an expensive meal - the service is rarely noteworthy and I don't see why the waiter deserves a $20 tip for providing the same service that I get on a tab that's 1/4 as big.

I don't think it's communism, more like levelling the playing field...

I usually tip the captain. $1 for a successful landing, $2 for an exceptionally smooth one. I tell him to divide it up between himself and the co-pilot as he sees fit.

;)

I had the pleasure of having dinner with two female FT members this week who were in NYC. One of things we chit chatted about, among other things, was this very thread! :D

All three of us were in agreement on several things:

1. We will tip the shuttle driver if he helps us with our heavy bags.
2. We will not tip the Starbucks employee who makes our beverage even though a tipping cup is on the counter.
3. It's wonderful meeting FTers in person!!