Questions of Tipping and Xmas Gifts

[Fern]

Do you feel compelled to tip, or even make a little holiday $ gift, to certain people if they're just doing their job? You know, like the postal carrier, the guy who picks up the garbage, etc.

Waiters and waitresses don't earn much and rely largely on your tips to make a decent living. Do you tip 15% even if they were unfriendly, unattentive or nowhere to be found?

[Ima saver]

I always tip 20%, to our regulars at our regular restaurant, I tip about 30%. I like to give a little gift to others, but I prefer food items. I use to give a gift to my postal guy and I would to the lady, but she weighs over 400 pounds and Imight hurt her feeling.

[boefixepa]

I'm split.

No I don't give xmas gifts to people for diong their job. Those when I was a kid I delivered paper and a few of my customers did and I liked it. I just don't see that as very effective. I didn't give them better treatment, but then I was a kid.

Now tipping....I've had way to many friends, especially in college, who worked as waitresses. They earn nothing without tips! So yes I leave a 15-20 percent tip most of the time. Sometime a little less if I felt their service was bad, but if the food was bad, that is not their fault...that's the cooks.

[PrincessPerky]

You cant take food as a postal carrier here, so it would be a waste. And I can't afford cash!

I don't see any other service people, but if I did I would like to offer food as a gift...we do for Sunday school teachers.

[PRICEPLUS]

35 to guys who pick up the trash. They are very accomdating during the year.

30 to the mailman. He is a pretty decent guy and we have zero problems with our mail.

10 dollars to the guy who delivers the paper.

30 dollars to the bus driver who takes my DD to school.


We will tip others depending on what they have done during the year.

[lrjohnson]

I don't give Christmas presents to service people. As a civil servant myself, the idea of tipping a postal worker feels weird. I do tip wait staff very well.

[jodi]

Hmmm...I was told that postal workers are not allowed to accept monetary gifts. We wouldn't tip ours anyway because he is terrible. Nearly everyday we get a piece of mail belonging to someone else (makes you wonder where your mail is going???). And our paper person never brings the paper at the same time two days in a row. In fact, it has been hours late on many occasions.
I tipped my regular babysitter this year, about half a night's pay. I plan to give her a little something too when she graduates high school in June.
I don't have a regular hairdresser, and we don't get garbage pickup. As for waitstaff, I always tip at least 15% unless the service was absolutely atrocious. And I tip 20% for excellent service.
Does anyone else ignore the tip jars in self-serve type restaurants though? We have some delis, pizza places, etc. that put them out - but I'm already paying for them to make the food, and they expect me to tip when I have to go to the counter, order it, and carry it to my table? That's where I draw the line - the counter workers are not getting paid waitstaff wages, so I guess I feel they are already being compensated more than waiters are.

[CJsoccerchic]

Just because I was a bartender and waitress, I always tip them well, sometimes 100% dependingon how high the bill.
Service people working for the goverment... Nope, My taxes take care of them and I pay them WELL with the taxes I give each year!

[funnyvalentine]

I always tip waiters, bartenders at least 15% unless the service was horrible; the food is not their fault; complain to the manager, don't punish them...

Tip jars on pizza and coffee counters? No. Putting a bagel in a bag and coffee in a cup is not service....it's the job.

Mailman and UPS guys; big gorgeous cookie platters (I'm a caterer).

Newspaper delivery guy; when I can find my paper, they can find a tip.

Hair people, nail people, dog groomer, gym people; also a nice fat cookie platter.

[PrincessPerky]

I have had great pizza and lousy pizza from the same place, so I don't think a tip is out of line..but I tend to be more the repeat customer than the wealthy one (IE look for said cook, avoid others)

[nanamom]

i tip according to the type of restaurant and the service received. I don't leave 20 % at a 24 hour place but might at a nice place. When we had 30 people at a dinner two weeks ago they were going to add an 18% tip and I had them make it 20%, she had to go up and down stairs tons of times and deal with teens, toddlers, parents, and got it mostly all straight. Yesterday we went to lunch and he got it mostly all wrong. He got 10%. I give fudge to the local post office staff (and they love it). Our paper boy is an adult I have never met so we don't tip but when we have a kid that has introduced himself to me I give $5.00 at Christmas and tip during the year by rounding.

[Ima saver]

I don't put money in the jars either. Waitresses are still making $2 something an hour , the counter people are making at least $5.15