The recent thread on Room Service tips has got me thinking a little bit...

As stated in that thread, my family has always said I'm an 'extreme overtipper'. They are somewhat right. Of course I have my reasons for this behavior, and I know that they are highly subjective, but I also have had some interesting tipping experiences while travelling... and wanted to share them.

Also, I wanted to hear what fellow FTers tip in these situations... both in the US and abroad... So here are some scenarios and questions...

Valet Parking - Do you tip when you hand over your car, when you pick up your car, both, or never?

My response - To the eternal chagrin of my wife, I do both - but my car is always up front and ready quickly when I get back!

Tip Money - Does anyone else keep a stash of small bills with them all the time so you have appropriate "tip money" around?

My response - Yes, in my office, home and briefcase.

Service Charge Tipping - How often, if ever, do you tip above a stated service charge (hotel, restaurant, club, etc...), and if so, do you do it in cash or as a write in?

My response - Nearly always and nearly always in cash.

How much do you vary the above when travelling internationally?

My response - Not as much as I should, meaning I probably tip too much outside the US.

Do you have any experiences where you feel any "tip remorse"? Both when you've felt you've tipped TOO much and didn't get anything for it, and when you realized you didn't tip enough (or anything at all) and felt bad about it?

My response - For me the only times have been when I've inadvertantly not or undertipped... I still feel bad about those times.

Scenarios...

I've had some interesting scenarios internationally too. In China, I once hosted about 10 people for dinner. Great meal, wonderful service... all in a private banquet room - very common in China. The head server (a nice lady) took excellent care of us and even sang a song and was generally terrific. I tried to give her a supplementary cash tip as we were leaving and it scared her! She told my Chinese colleagues that she was afraid of getting caught by the management taking the tip - said it would get her in trouble. First and only time that's happened to me.

In Hong Kong, at a very nice restaurant, the service was mediocre but it was still my plan to slightly supplement the standard service charge that is common in Hong Kong. A practice, that I am usually chastised for by my HK colleagues. When the waiter dropped the check he specifically looked at me and said, "You do know that the service charge goes to the restaurant and we get none of it, right?"... he said it in a tone that was more than a little annoying, so I did not supplement the service charge. Very rare for me. I haven't been back to this restaurant.

So what are your thoughts and experiences on this stuff in the US and abroad?

Goodness - I imagine you must be quite popular when you go travelling!

Well, I guess I can be considered to be "abroad" since the vast majority of my meals are eaten in the UK and Europe.

The tipping culture is far less ingrained in the UK and even less in Europe. In fact, it's starting to make encroachments in recent years, much to the chagrin of many people. It's seen as another way for restaurants to line their pockets and, to be honest, this view isn't entirely wrong. It's also seen as the UK adopting an American-style "tip-for-everything" culture, which as you can imagine isn't universally popular.

I tip when it's appropriate. If someone helps me with my luggage, they'll get a tip. If someone serves me food and, they'll usually get a tip. This is usually between 5 and 10% of the bill - which is entirely normal.

In the past five years, it has become much more common for restaurants in the UK to add an "optional" 10-12.5% service charge to every bill. This is actually indeed optional, but you generally pay it unless you want to look like a cad. Very, very occasionally I have been with parties where the service has been so awful, we have refused to pay the service charge. I actually have no problem with this, as as far as I'm concerned, if it's optional, then it's optional.

There was an expose a few months ago which showed that some restaurants routinely keep a portion of the service charge for themselves. I believe that this was designated as "administrative fees" or some such bee-ess. One major chain was Pizza Express - where I have literally not returned since hearing that they kept 20% of all tips.

Anyway, I only tip where appropriate, have no problem tipping generously where deserved, but baulk when it is suggested that servers in particular are entitled to at least 15%. IMHO, they are entitled to 15% if I am entitled to good service. If they don't live up to their side of the bargain, neither do I.

I consider tipping to be an indicator of what kind of person you are. I don't really care what other people think of what I mean when I say that. I tip well and reap the benefits.

(warning slightly long-- but I think I have a good basis for tipping)

I usually tip around 15% at all restaurants, whether it is a cafe or an upscale dining arrangement. Usually I will round up in order to get an even charge. I tip $1 for drinks and when I am with Mrs. mjcewl1284, it will be $2.

I tip valet people, car rental shuttles, room service "waiters" $1 per ride, service, whatever.

I tip pizza delivery people up to $2 per pizza I get or if it is a large order (over 4 pizzas-- at work) I'll go down to $1 per.

I tip cab drivers up to $2 per ride, $5 for a longer ride over 2 hrs. $5 flat for limo services.

I tip luggage attendants $2 per bag.

I tip parking attendants $2 if I drive my Buick. $5 if I take the Mercedes out

I tip barbers $2 per visit.

I tip my house-sitter (yeah weird I know) $5 per day she sits.

On tours if my tour guide did a great job, it would be $5 per day. Otherwise, $2.50 per day (round up)

I used to not tip housekeeping and when Mrs. mjcewl1284 found out for the first time I got a talking down to. So they usually get $1/night I stay.

I usually give my mailman around $20 worth of gifts around Christmas time.

I gamble a lot. I tip Blackjack dealers $2/$2.50 (if $2.50 chip is used) per blackjack I get (and higher if they do pool tips). I will leave extra $1s for the dealer upon leaving the table as a tip. I tip Poker dealers (Texas Hold'em) $1/per pot I rake in and $2-$5 per pot over $150 that I rake in (I do NOT reneg on tipping for any pot I recieve). For exceptional dealing, I give them $1 when they leave for another table. I tip cocktail waitresses $1 per drink I ask for.

For tip jars I deposit change up to 4 pennies. I don't believe chain store establishments such as Starbucks should be using tip jars at all.

I think I might be missing something but I'll add it in when I think of it.

This is nonsense. I know because I worked a year as a waiter overseas and I got the 10% plus whatever was left for me by guests.

No, because it's not necessary. Say I only have $20 bills, but I want to tip someone $4. I simply hold up the $20, and say 'Do you have $16 in change so that I can give you a tip?'. I've never been turned down (although I did once end up with 18 singles when giving a $2 tip!).

Tipping is out of control. It should be limited to sit-down restaurants.

I don't mind tipping in general, but tipping housekeeping in a hotel just feels like a scam to me.

Since you go out of your way to mention how well you tip (especially when driving your Mercedes) I'll answer directly.

I think pretty much all but two of your items are low, some very low. Anyone else?

I guess it may depend on where you are/what you are buying/using. $1 for room service at the Ritz Carlton New York Battery Park would be embarassing. $2 for a valet that ran 7 blocks for your car at the Delano in South Beach would be plain offensive.

So everyone tell me now, am I an idiot overtipper?

I thought some of those numbers were rather low, as well. In addition to the examples cited, $1 for a 20-minute cab ride here in NYC would be considered somewhat less than adequate.

Thank you for your feedback.

To be honest with you, this scenario has not presented itself to me. I may drive a Mercedes but I usually rough it out with some run of the mill hotels. I will splurge when I am out to, say Atlantic City, but the room service scenario has not presented itself to me. And granted, I don't totally splurge, I stay at Harrahs Atlantic City rather than The Borgata so...

I have bumped into valets that say they are greatful to see bills instead of change . Or maybe I'm just not associating myself with the correct people.

This is kind of a side note, but I had to share because these tipping threads get to me...

Recently we rented a restaurant for a reception. The service was amazing. The restaurant is known for it's food and service, but really it is one of these places that is above and beyond. The restaurant is not the cheapest place, but given that I've had pretty good service at cheap restaurants and pretty bad service at expensive restaurants I think that fact is unimportant.

The tip was included in the bill, at 15% before taxes.

If 15% before tax is what a restaurant with amazing service expects, why do people expect more?

I always viewed this as a restaurant trying to curb the amount of people who DON'T tip. It's shocking how many people receive excellent service, only to jip on the tip. Of course, the arguement against this is how do we know the 15% that is added it on is given to the waiter? That is something I'd like to know.

And for your answer, I tend to believe that the restaurant DOES give the 15% to the waiter/waitress. But what do I know? I just dine at those restaurants and do my part by giving a tip.

The execution of adding the 15% into the check is despicable. Most of the time, dining establishments will state that the 15% has been added, but many of them WILL NOT explicitly state such facts and that's just not right.

Here's an ignorant question: Why is it that parties over 6 always get the 15% added it on?

I can understand adding the tip to the bill in this situation (there were 70 people there).

I'm not sure how much of the tip actually goes to the staff, but in this case I'm not sure it mattered. I have a feeling that the staff is well compensated (by tip or otherwise) as when we commented to the restaurant manager on duty that the staff were wonderful and she told us that they do everything possible to keep the staff happy so they stay working there.

It's too bad most restaurants aren't that way. Then tipping would be moot.

Gotta agree. Here's what I do ...

Car rental shuttles usually handle my bags. Minimum tip of a buck a bag, plus a couple of bucks for the ride if the service is good.

Don't use room service or car valets.



10%

15%

$3 per night. Longer stays of two to five weeks - common for me - $30 for two weeks, $90 or so for the month, $100 for five weeks.

I will tip a barista the same as a bartender that serves me a measure of whisky: 15 - 20%

From waiterrant.net - Tipping tips from Experts


http://waiterrant.net/?p=276

Tipping Tips From ExpertsBY LORE CROGHAN
DAILY NEWS BUSINESS WRITER

It�s hard to know when and how much to tip.

From a customer�s point of view, tips are a reward for a job well done.But for service workers in the city�s low-wage jobs, tips make the difference between earning a living - or not.Some workers are counting on you to make their hours of standing on their feet, wiping your children�s noses, fixing a burst pipe or cleaning up your cuticles pay off.But what is right?
The rules are more elaborate than you might think.

FOOD
Restaurant service: The average restaurant tip in New York City is 18.8%, said restaurant-guide guru Tim Zagat. Leave 20% if you�re really happy with the service, 18% if the service was good and 15% if you�re unhappy, he advised. �Tip because you want to say �Thank you� - reward good performance,� Zagat said.Even at modest coffee shops, where New Yorkers used to leave tiny tips for sit-down service, they�re now putting 15% to 20% on the table. �People have more money in their pockets - they�re feeling more generous,� he said.

Drinks at a bar: 15% to 20%.
The worker who makes your take-out salad or sandwich: Put money in the tip box only if you want to. �Do what you feel good about,� Zagat said.

The Starbucks barista: Needs no tip - at least that�s what management said.
�We don�t expect our customers to pay anything extra to receive our legendary service,� Starbucks marketing manager Dan Lewis explained.The tip boxes at Starbucks registers are there �to avoid loose tips on tables and counters throughout the store,� he said.

Pizza or other restaurant delivery: 10% - or 20% if you live on a high floor of a walk-up, said Joe Pasquale, the owner of Joe�s Pizza in Greenwich Village.# Grocery delivery: $5 is fine, $10 is generous.�It depends on how heavy your stuff is, and how far it was carried,� Zagat said.

TRANSPORTATION
Cab rides: 20%. �Taxi drivers depend on tip money to earn a living wage,� said Bhairavi Desai of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.

Parking-garage attendant: $1 or $2 if you park at the garage once in a while. If you have a monthly account, give the manager $20 to $25 each month to divide among employees - and for a Christmas-holiday tip, give each person $100, an industry source suggested.

BEAUTY SERVICES
Hairdresser: 15% to 20%, whether it�s for color or a cut, for men�s or women�s hair, said Liz Russell, co-owner of the Jeffrey Stein Salon on Third Ave.And don�t forget - give the person who shampoos your hair $3 to $5.Many European visitors ask Russell what�s appropriate, because tipping�s not customary back home.
Manicures and pedicures: 20% is standard, said a staffer at Bliss, the SoHo spa.
Leg or lip waxing: 20% is good for these as well, the Bliss staffer said.

IN YOUR APARTMENT

When the doorman unloads the car and carries luggage or shopping bags to your apartment: $5 or $10 is a nice gesture.�Building workers feel they�re well-paid, and they get holiday tips,� an industry source said. �But they appreciate the �Thank you.��

When the super does repairs in your apartment: Again, $5 to $10 is fine - or $20 if the repair project takes a long time.

IF YOU HAVE KIDS
Baby-sitter: Not your full-time caregiver, but the person you hire for a night out or an emergency. One hour�s pay, or if the assignment was short, cab fare to get home.�The sitters are always happy with either one of these,� said Stephanie McComb, founder of a baby-sitting service called To the Rescue, Mom.

Day-camp counselor: Tips range from $20 to $100 at camps that allow tipping. Some camps don�t.Wait until summer�s end - and be discreet - if you do tip, said Jon Libman of Camp Hillard in Scarsdale, where families from Manhattan, Brooklyn Heights and Riverdale send their kids.�The counselors work very hard - and take very good care of the children,� Libman said.