I have NEVER heard of tipping at a fast food joint. Even Culver's or Storheim's. Just never heard of it. Haircuts, yes. That's usually expected, I'd think. But, a Sonic? I don't think so.

Non-standard Tipping Situations
 

Okay, we all know to tip the pizza guy and the waiter at a restaurant. That's not what this is about. What I want to know about here is what you tip in all the other situations. For example, what do you tip when you get a haircut? I typically go to a chain discount place with $12 or so haircuts. I used to tip $1 until I saw another guy tip $2, so I upped my tip to $2. Another confusing situation is Sonic. Do you tip the person who brings you your food? I feel weird being expected to tip at a fast food place. Whenever I go to a Sonic that has a drive-thru I use it just to avoid that situation. But when I do get stuck at the drive in, I usually tip a buck, and always if they're on skates. Same goes for Subway and Quiznos. Sometimes they have tip jars, sometimes not, but I've never seen anybody use it. Are there rules for these kinds of things?

How in the world did you manage to reply to the post before it was even posted?
Anyway, how much do you tip for a haircut and is it relative to the price you paid for the haircut?

When I get a haircut, I usually do about 20%. I don't know if this is standard or not, but it usually seems to be about enough for me. As for things like Sonic, I never tip. I just don't see it as necessary. Places that have tip jars, I sometimes tip, sometimes don't. It really just depends on my mood rather than feeling like I "need" to. Employees in those types of places don't rely on tips to bring their wages up to at least minimum, and it seems like every where I go there are tip jars popping up. Tipping seems to have become a huge guessing game...who to tip, who not to tip. It can definately be confusing.

I tipped at the Quiznos by me, but that was because I got to know the owner and she would always toss an extra brownie or cookie into the bag or give me a free drink because of how often I went in there.

I tend to tip at coffee shops. Mostly because the people there will talk to me and be friendly and such. Especially at the neighbourhood Second Cup, where I know most of the employees by name.

I figure that you should tip when you think someone deserves it. Does it look like the guy making your coffee is having a rough night but is trying to look happy for the customers anyway? Then tip. If he's being a bitch, then don't.

I think this is a good rule of thumb. I usually tip when I go to a coffee shop, because the employees are usually very friendly, and very busy as well, and tend to be very prompt and courteous.

My friends and I rented a hotel room for New Years once, and between all the pizza boxes, beer and liquor bottles, and wet towels from the pool...the place was quite a mess. We all pitched in and left a tip for the maid, because we knew she'd be cussing us when she saw the room.

in general for non standard tipping situations, i only tip if the person really goes beyond there job expectation or does something to make happy... i never tipped a fast food person before, most of them just grudge though there job... nore have i really tipped a cashier... if i find someone worthy, they get it, i was a cashier for a few years as my first job, i did get tipped now and then when i made conversation with some of the older shoppers, which i did enjoy.


my general rule of thumb on tipping is based off how much the person did that they didn't have to do and how much work they had to do to serve me... i'll rather tend to tip the person who served me one five dollar meal just as much as the person who served me one twenty dollar meal... it's just as much work for them, and i'm sure the person who served me the twenty dollar mirror gets more money anyways

I tip repair people. SBC comes out, tip. Dishnetwork comes out, tip. It's hilareous because it's so awkward. They don't expect it and, while they're happy to get money, they're not sure if it's it's a compliment or an insult. I've gotten some varied results to my own amusement.

I love living in Oz - where tipping *anywhere* is not compulsory - now it becomes my choice to reward good service if and when I tip.

umm
the reason the guy serving the $20 meal makes more than the guy serving the $5 meal is bc people generally tip based on meal price. And generally, hte person serving the $20 meal does quite a bit more than the person serving the $5 meal. Some of the work you may see, some you don't. However, don't always think the person doing the $5 makes less. I know IHOP servers who make more than 5* restaurant servers. Then again, there are servers making more than managers in a lot of restaurants..but generally, in this situation, it is easiest to tip based on cost and maybe extra or less depending on great vs poor service.

soo, as for the original question...I dunno. I generally tip servers very well and most people who make at or near min wage a bit and those who make well over min wage, i tip based on performance/extra stuff. Then again, most people are generally nice to me, so i end up tipping whenever i can/should.

My parents are going to the US in september and in the guide book they've bought there's a whole section on tipping! Telling them exactly how much they should have to tip different people!

Personally, I'm with Mr. Pink on this one:

"I don't tip because society says I gotta. I tip when somebody deserves a tip. When somebody really puts forth an effort, they deserve a little something extra.
But this tipping automatically, that shit's for the birds. As far as I'm concerned, they're just doin their job."

"So's working at McDonald's, but you don't feel the need to tip them. They're servin ya food, you should tip em. But no, society says tip these guys over here, but not those guys over there. That's bullshit."

Does anyone else find it odd that the first post in this thread shows up as #2 and the first reply by DEI37 is #1? Hmmmm... something amiss here. Also along the line of a simlar thread -- the numbers aren't working correctly either (replies over views).

*shrug* --- oh well --- end of thread jack. :)

They all look fine to me, #1 - #13 all in order :)

Just the other day I tipped at a KFC. I've NEVER done that before, but it was because I felt kinda bad for the girl in the kitchen making my meals. I was ordering for everyone at work, so I had quite a large order. It was her first day and she was alone back there. So when I was done, I gave the guy at cash a $5 and told him to give it to her. When I walked by the window outside, I saw her smiling, so that made my day.

Now I know $5 is a lot for a tip, but I thought she was damn hot, and while me tipping her was 50% being nice, it was also 50% me hitting on her. Hopefully she'll be there next time I go. ;)

I tip at coffee shops. No matter what. Well, as long as it's not Starbucks.
I tip at bars. No matter what. When the service is fast and my drinks are made well.
I tip at resurants. No matter what. But more if the server makes an extra effort for me.

I've worked in all these situations and I would expect everyone else to treat me with the same respect.

We tip the Sonic waitresses here, sometimes, because of the summertime heat.

Living in SoFL, I tip if I get decent service. I've worked in the catering business - I know what to look for. Fast food - thats an oxymoron here.

tattoo artists/piercers?
when i got my tattoo i was unsure of if i was supposed to or not. i didnt but a friend of mine always tips her artist.
i generally tip for good service, although in sit down restaurants its usually just 15% as a you have to rule, but ill give more if they did good service.

I don't tip fast food usually, unless they go beyond the pale. For a while I was hosting a men's get-together at my house, and I'd go in advance to a Togo's sub shop and have seven or eight different subs made in advance; at Togo's, one person usually makes your entire order while you watch them, and usually asks questions to takes directions as they go. I made these people sweat, so I usually tipped.

We generally tip deliverymen (more like boys, these days) who work for cheapjack outfits that don't pay much. Our house is a bear to get furniture or appliances into, and we appreciate careful work. We don't usually tip people from name places like Sears who have benefits, but these days Sears is outsourcing most of its service. The one time we tipped a Sears guy is when he reversed the door on our refrigerator for nothing, on top of the repairs he made.

Hairstylists I usually tip unless they own or part-own their salon. I figure owners set their own prices, so what's the need for a tip?

On the other hand, I always tip whoever serves me food, even if I know he's the owner. It's just simpler. In a lot of places, all the tips go into a pot anyway. At one place where we're regulars, the owner comps us a meal or throws in free stuff at long but regular intervals. I suspect he's refunding us his tips!

When I tip for my haircut, I basically tip the change. The cut is around 13, and I normally pay with a 20 so I tip around 2 dollars.

What makes the car hop bringing you your food any different than the waitress who brings you your food in a 'regular' restaurant?

When I did my stint running a Sonic restaurant, no less, we expected the car hops to do the job of a regular waitress (side note: AFAIK, they were classified as servers/wait staff/whatever, which means we could have paid them much, much less than we did. A lot of other franchisees in the area did, which means the car hops tips supplemented the adjusted minimum wage). They were expected to take orders (for those uncomfortable or unable to use the speaker) serve, and bus trash (you'd be surprised what some folks will leave behind). We sent them around the lot with courtesy trays to make sure that the customers didn't run out of anything and we sent them around to hard sell ice cream to the masses.

It's a physically demanding job. Running orders (sometimes trays full of food & drinks) for hours at a time during the hottest part of the day; many, many more tickets than a regular waitress as the average time from placing the order to the food at the customer's door was under four minutes. Running back and forth across the hot ass pavement on the hottest day of the summer just to make sure that they get their food on time
hoping that the customer will slip them an extra buck for their trouble.

Seems I went off on a little spiel there... It's just irritating to hear stuff like that. These guys and gals work just as hard and do just as much as the folks in a regular restaurant, but aren't tipped as well because they wear a visor on their head and a changer on their hip.

Edit: Oops...forgot to answer the question..

If I suspect their wage relies on tips, I'll tip. Or if they perform above and beyond (I tipped the guys who delivered and set up my furniture).

What is the difference between a Canadian and a canoe?

Sometimes, the canoe tips...

I try to tip, and will always round out the tab to the nearest bill ($15.25 worth of beers? Leave a $20) and sometimes this simple math is not appropriate. If my bill comes out to $28.40, I feel like an asshole leaving a $1.60 tip. Then I search for a $5, but wait! That means I am leaving a $6.60 tip, which is too much... Aw shit. I don't know.

At least I TRY to tip, unlike most of my friends.

bigben: Canadians generally tip in a fairly standard way. Germans, however, rarely, if ever, tip at all. French people are random tippers. Very general, i know, but that seems to be the trend with most foreign people i serve.

Well, this has been illuminating. I didn't know that Sonic carhops could be paid differently from regular fast food counter workers. If I ever do go to a Sonic, I'll be sure to leave a tip.

One of our tenants, Jen's wife, used to work at a Hardee's, and it was actually against policy to accept tips, which could be a firing offense.

I don't tip my hairdresser, and until last year, it wouldn't have occurred to me to do so. I read about it in an advice column last year, but there didn't seem to be any consensus regarding it. Some said tip employees, but not owners. Some said always tip. Some said tip for appointments but not walk-ins, and some said tip for walk-ins but not appointments.

So I asked my hairdresser the next time I went in what she expected when it came to tipping. She told me that some people tip, but most don't, but there's no rule, and the price she quotes when she makes the appointment is what she expects me to pay. So that's what I pay.

I don't tip anywhere that I order and pick up my own order at the counter, but I always tip at coffee shops and any other place where I sit down and the server comes to me to take my order.

My theory is this:

The server at a coffee shop gets paid significantly less than minimum wage and depends upon tips to make the bulk of her income. Tipping is just part of the cost. When you order at a coffee shop, the product you're paying for is primarily the food, and giving a gratuity for the service is reasonable. Buy the product, the food, tip for the service. Just as at the grocery store, I buy my food, and tip the boy or occasionally girl who brings it out and loads it for me. Buy the product, tip for the service.

But in a hair salon, it makes no sense. Getting your hair cut/styled/colored is what you're paying for, the haircut is the product. Tipping just seems like paying extra for something you've already paid for in the first place. I would if it were the standard thing to do, but as it isn't expected, I'm fine with it.

Where Grace and I differ is on tipping delivery men (UPS or FedEx) and our postal carrier. They're already getting paid a full salary, so I see no need, but Grace insists.

I asked at the post office and was told that USPS workers are not allowed to accept cash gratuities, but a holiday gift with a cash value of less than $20 is permitted.

This policy makes sense for cops and firefighters and teachers, as a gratuity could easily become or be misconstrued as a bribe. But there doesn't seem to be any benefit to bribing a postal carrier. Nonetheless since it is against the rules, I don't.

Gilda

I found this guide and was flabbergasted at the number of people you're supposed to tip, at least according to this guide.

Grace grew up with money, and all of this stuff is second nature to her, while having enough money to stay at nice hotels and go to nice restaurants in still relatively new to me, so I just defer to her judgement most of the time, which, come to think of it, makes this like most other aspects of our life :).

I do find it dubious, though, as it suggests teachers should get $25-100 at Christmas. :eek: This is wrong, wrong, wrong. As a general rule, it is illegal for teachers to accept tips/gratuities, is potentially a firing offense, and it is definitely unethical. I've offended at least a couple of parents by refusing or returning Christmas gratuities, but I am not going to risk getting fired and risk the appearance of bribe taking even if it is innocent just to make someone who doesn't know the rules feel better.

Gilda

i have never...EVER..heard of tipping a teacher. a gift, sure, something very small andnormally from the suckup kid in class, but never ever heard of giving money to a teacher...

kinda sad, really, as their hourly wage would be significantly below minimum if all hte hours were counted that they put in during the year...

I was also somewhat amazed at all the people you are supposed to tip, according to this guide. I was especially interested in knowing that you're supposed to tip at funerals. That seems so absolutely out of place. "Thank you, Father, for the lovely message at the funeral service today. Here. Shake my hand. A little extra something for your hard work." Weird.

I tip my hairdresser (First Choice, lol) about $1 to $2 depending on the change I get back. Upon Gilda's advice, I've decided I'm no longer tipping there anymore. $13 is expensive enough.

the culture of tipping is out of control over there, don't you have lower minimum wages for waiters/eresses to take into account tipping, you should stop tipping and start increasing wages

That is one comprehensive list.

I'll never remember any of that... :)

My sister is paid servers' wage. She's pretty good at her job and on a good weekend she'll make hundreds of dollars in tips, which sounds nice, but, in reality, after she cuts the host/hostess in, the busboy in, and 'claims' the tips, she's really not making all that much more than a regular minimum wage paying job.

I mentioned that our store in particular paid the regular minimum wage, and that that wasn't the case for all the franchisees. What I didn't mention was that at the annual meetings where all the numbers were crunched and the stores compared, the stores that paid the full minimum wage to their car hops always had a much, much lower turnover rate than the stores that paid the servers' minimum wage.

So..keep the tipping. Just pay them all minimum wage. Maybe then the stigma of working in the service industry won't be quite so bad.

I still occasionally work as a cashier in the store I am employed at. If I accepted a tip, I could get fired. I assume most stores are like that.
I've tipped hairdressers, deliverymen, cab drivers, etc. I usually tip at restaurants, unless the server is very negligent. For a mediocre job I pay a mediocre tip. If someone is outstanding, I tip much more. In Canada, even though waiters & waitresses are paid at least minimum wage, I think extra effort should be rewarded.

:eek:
I tip my hairdresser well. She does a good job, and I'd hate for her to look at my little gratuity & make me look awful next time. I usually tip $5 for a $15-20 cut.

Same I like my barber, good conversation, takes their time, none of the electric shaver 80% of it, good haircut.. 5$ tip for 15$ cut.

UPS, mailmen, fedex, doorman, all get tipped once a year near Chanukah (sorry no chrismtas for me).

As far as resturaunts, fast food no tip. At anywhere else i start at the 15% rule, you can earn more, but you can earn less too, based on quality of service.

Basically if the person serving me is doing more than ringing me up and handing me my food I will consider a tip. If they just come, like at Culvers, and plop a tray of food on my table, I'll usually skip the tip. IF perchance they bring my food and do something extra like bring napkins, straws, or say "is there anything else I can get you" I will consider a tip. If their attitude if very helpful and pleasant and I've got some change or small bills in my purse they'll get a tip. Otherwise It's not PLANNED for so they're not expecting it. I will occaisionally tip the bag boys at my grocery store on my side of town. This is because they will regularly take the groceries out for you. I've had a few practically insist on carrying a single grocery bag to the car in the rain because they knew I could use the help. They get a good tip when they show inititive and concern for the customer. I have actually skipping tipping a waitress at a restaurant because the girl was snotty, dirty looking, and had long nails with brown (yes brown as crap) nailpolish that she accidentally stuck into my spagetti sauce. Not the type of service but the quality of service is what I tip. You EARN your tip - I learned that LONG time ago when I waitressed.

:lol: That's great. Looks like we need to call in Mr. Steven Hawking once again to explain the strange goings on in the tfp...

It all depends on the situation and how the person is with me, i cant say i tip here or there! just when it feels right.

I have a problem with how tipping is looked at here in the US. It seems that people think that a tip is a mandantory thing. If the person waiting on us is not friendly, and service is bad we will leave barely anything and sometimes no tip. However, if they actually put some effort into their job, are friendly, or I can see they are working their butt off, we will not hesitate to go way over 20% We also go out of our way to let a manager know if the server is very good; I know that at all the retail or food places that I've worked positive customer feedback was a rarity.

I like to tip those people who don't entirely expect it when I have the cash. When I don't, I know they won't be offended. Even if they're having a bad day, I'll tip if I have it. Unless they're flat-out mean. builds karma.

If they don't get paid minimum wage, tip them. But as far as sonic goes... my mother always told me men should tip a female carhop, but women should never tip any carhop. So I'll go with that :)

I, uh, I don't usually remember to tip. Anyone. Ever. It's a bad habit I guess.