To Tip or Not To Tip. Review on General Tips on Tipping

Tipping is something nobody teaches you - I am sure many of you would agree. You learn as you go along. In the current business environment with so much emphasis on the service industry and Customer Satisfaction, the Shakespearean-like dilemma of “To Tip or Not to Tip” is moot. The question du jour would be “How much to Tip’? Is it “too much” or “too less”, has become more of an art than science.

Some Basics(taken from https://tipping.org - an interesting site)

The word TIP is also considered by many to be an acronym:

T.I.P. -'To Insure Promptness' or'To Insure Prompt' service and Webster dictionary defines tip(noun) as: a gift or a sum of money tendered for a service performed or anticipated.

Types of Tips(based on Industry Classification)

Food Industry:

Restaurants and Bars

Tips constitute a big chunk of change in restaurants and bars. The acceptable amount is 10% - 20% of the total bill. In some restaurants, even though a gratuity of 15% is levied on parties of six or more, it is customary to leave a tip over and above the gratuity. For average service, 15% is the norm. The degree of satisfaction is dependent upon the how much the server helped in choosing / recommending the menu, the serving of the drinks and the food items, the overall cleanliness of the table etc.

In Bars, both the bartender and the waitresses survive on tips. It is interesting to note that the bartender will deposit your change on the table and the denomination of notes is an indication of the tip expected.

Delivery

You are better off tipping the Chinese delivery and the Pizza delivery guy if you want your food to be delivered on time the next time. The norm is 10% of the bill.

If you have reservations about tipping and are lazy to cook, then the best place is the fast food joints like McDonalds, KFC or pickup your own order.

Hospitality Industry:

The AAA book recommends$1/night of stay to the housekeeper who cleans your room. Personally this has helped me a lot – once at a Hilton I had forgotten my wallet and panicked. I rushed back and the housekeeper whom I had tipped in my previous stays – had noticed it and kept it aside. The tips I had left for her far outweighed the value of my wallet.

The bellboy who carries your luggage from the car / taxi to the elevator – tip him about$2/piece.

There is no need to tip anybody else in the hotel.

Transportation Industry:

The biggest ticket item here are the Taxis. It is customary to tip about 15% - and round upwards to the nearest$. You can be generous if you have luggage and he/she has helped you.

Same would applicable for shared cabs and shuttle services.

Additional Tips can be used as a reward if the taxi driver helps you reach your destination on time by using short cuts, by lanes etc. But please do not promise him/her additional tips for breaking the speed limits – provided a hospital bed is not your desired destination.

Labor Intensive Services:

The delivery guys who deliver the furniture, the appliances – it is customary to tip about$10/person.

The skycab guy at the airport – who hauls your luggage – it is customary to tip about$5 / piece.

Personal Grooming Services:

The hairdresser/ barber – a tip of 15% to 20% will ensure that you do not have to cover your crowning glory with a bowler hat or a baseball cap till it grows back.

I am sure for the ladies, a visit to the beauty parlor has its own tipping etiquette.

Miscellaneous

Paper Boy:

During Xmas time, the newspaper delivery guy slips in an envelope expecting to be tipped for bringing you the news every morning.

Tip Jar:

In certain places like Starbucks, I have noticed that even though tipping is not allowed, there is a tip jar conveniently located, which is an indirect hint. This is a good place to deposit your loose change.

Chai-Paani:

This is the Indian way of tipping. After a service is rendered, the servicer asks the servicee for “chaai paani”. The servicer can be the postman, the building jhadoovaali, the gas cylinder deliverer etc.

Tip v/s Bribe:

There is a fine line between tipping and bribing. Anyone whose telephone needs repairing will appreciate that the fastest way to get it repaired is to offer some money as TIP to the lineman. Is this Tip or is this Bribe – depends upon how urgently you need the phone working.

Tools for Tipping:

Tipping has gone high tech. You have tip rate cards which can be conveniently carried in wallets and the PDA’s(Personal Digital Assistants) from Palm has a Tipper software which automatically calculates tips. Also I have seen some senior citizens carrying calculators to restaurants to calculate tip to the last decimal place.

To Tip or Not to Tip? When in doubt, Tip.