Heading to Isaac's for supper. Isaac's is a local restaurant that sells "Famous Grilled Sandwiches." Great sandwiches and great prices, especially if you are a Flamingo Fan Club member, as I am. Seems like they have a special every week and we usually take them up on it. Tonight's special is: Buy one regularly-priced sandwich or large green salad/Get One Free with the purchase of soup!Sounds like a deal to me. But, my question to you is ..... when you receive the bill, do you tip the waiter or waitress for what would have been the full amount of the meal, or the discounted price? And, should you tip on the tax? I have been reading about tipping for years on the travel forum that I read. When we travel to St. Martin/Sint Maarten in the Caribbean we encounter an even greater problem. The island is half French (St. side) and half Dutch (Sint side). Each side of the island has different customs and laws. The Sint side of the island is much as it is in the USA while the St. side of the island is totally different. On that side they add a 10% service charge to the bill which many say is the tip. The French government requires them to add the tip, since they tax a server's earnings based on the meal and the tip. Even some of the waiters and waitresses, when asked, will tell you that. It is customary to tip another 5% or more if you feel the service was outstanding. People new to the island or those who don't know the customs and laws on the French side will tip 15% to 20% anyway. So, assuming that they have already added 10% to your bill, and you add another 15% in a tip, you could be paying a tip on top of a tip. Make any sense? Same as adding a tip on the tax in Pennsylvania. But, most servers total their sales at the end of the night by adding the entire amount of the bill, tax and food. If they have to share the tip with others in the restaurant, they may be giving away part of their share if you don't tip on the entire bill, food and tax. And ..... do you tip 15% or 20%? When reading an article in Reader's Digest, I found that most people agree that you should tip 20% in a restaurant. My guess is that most responders to the question in the survey were either current servers or had worked in a restaurant years ago. My oldest son worked in a restuarant for a few years and always tips 20% to 25%. Says he knows how little they get paid and they count on their tips to make a decent wage. Another question for you would be .... When, if ever, is it acceptable to leave a bad tip or none at all. That one I don't need to read about. If I feel that the waitress or waiter has done an extremely poor job, they don't deserve a tip. To me it is called a "tip" because you are giving them something extra, above what you rightly have to pay, for outstanding service. I must admit that I have even given a tip in a restuarant for extremely poor service which was not the fault of the server. I eventually wrote to the restaurant and told them my thoughts and they returned a gift card with an appology. Too bad they closed shortly after that ....... maybe because I wasn't the only one who felt that way. Tipping, naturally isn't just for food servers. How about when you vacation and stay at a motel or hotel. How much should you tip your cleaning lady. Many say they leave $5 a day on the pillow since the same person may not clean the room every day and if you leave a lump sum at the end of your stay, only one of the staff will benefit. How about Valet parking. I am at a loss to tell you anything, since the one time that I used valet parking, I found a deep gash in my bumper. Couldn't prove who did it, but I don't use valet anymore. Vacation places we have stayed occassionally will have boys who bag your groceries for you in the supermarkets and take them out to your car for you. They expect a tip I was told, since they receive no money from the store. If you aren't buying a heaping cart of groceries, I would say $2 or $3 for the tip would be plenty. Figure they can bag and load maybe 6-10 people in an hour. Their tip may be more than the poor girl who is running the cash register is making. And it is all tax free I'm sure. And then you have the porter at the airport or at the hotel. $2 a bag is the standard rate for tipping. If you need the use of a wheelchair in the airport, $5 is the going rate to tip someone who would take you from the plane to your destination. I found a neat tipping list on a web site that lists what you should tip for Christmas. The list follows. See what you think. I know everyone tips according to what they can afford. But remember that at times, the tips received are most of the person's wages. Put yourself in their shoes! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an oridnary guy.- Maid - one week's pay. This is for maids in your employ whom you pay directly. If you use a service and never know who is coming out, don't tip at all.
- Gardener - $20-50.
- USPS Mail carrier - Non-cash gifts with value up to $20. This is for mail carriers that you know and see regularly.
- UPS - Regular driver - $15.
- FedEx - Not allowed to accept cash gifts, but a gift up to $25 in value is permissible.
- Apartment building superintendent - $50-200. Tip less if you tip throughout the year.
- Apartment Doorman/concierge - $10-80 or more each, depending upon building. The fewer doormen the building has, the more you tip each one. Those who serve you more should get a bigger tip.
- Apartment building handyman - $15-40 each.
- Apartment building elevator operators - $15-40 each.
- Shampoo - $10
- Manicurist/pedicurist - $15 or more
- Hairdresser/stylist - $15 or more
- Massage therapist - $15 or more.
- Newspaper carrier - Daily - $25 - 50, weekend - $10
- Regular overnight delivery person - $10-30
- Teacher - $25-100. Give a gift certificate to a bookstore or office supply store. If you know the teacher's hobbies or interests, then a gift certificate would be nice from the local movie theater, hobby shop, mall, fine restaurant or day spa. Some teachers might feel uncomfortable receiving gifts around grade time. If you are unsure, ask your principal first.
Hey, I need to stop you at this point to tell you that in the 33 years that I taught school I never, yep NEVER!, got a tip from anyone. I'm not quite sure how to read that. Did that mean that I was terrible or maybe I shouldn't have been a high school teacher.
- Coaches, tutors, ballet instructors, music teachers - A small gift from your child.
- Garbage collector(s) - $15-30 each. Nowadays, most garbage collectors are really truck drivers. The truck has an arm that does all the work. If this is your situation, there is no need to tip.
- Baby sitter - One night's pay, plus a small gift from your child.
- Full-time nanny - One week's to one month's pay based on tenure, plus a small gift from your child.
- Au pair - One week's pay, plus a small gift from your child.
- Day care service - $25-70, plus a small gift from your child.
- Parking attendants - $10-20 each
- Personal trainer - $60-100 upon reaching goal.
- Country Club - I believe in tipping at Christmas regardless of the club's tipping policy. I recommend a minimum of $50 for your waiters, locker-room personnel, front-desk employees, and golf professionals. For head waiters or special service, make it $100.
- Dog groomer - 1/4 - 1/2 cost of a session.
- Dog walker or sitter - 1-2 week's pay.
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