Tips for Service

Since the site is called SocialPrimer, SP attempts to relay information and offer basic advice. You already know this, but to kindly remind: to gift someone with a monetary tip is to thank them for a job well done. It is courteous, respectful and SP believes, necessary. You know how to tip a waiter, so no need to go through that. You encounter that situation on an every day basis. It is in the situations that we do not encounter often that send us into a spin of discomfort and embarrassment. As with every sprig of advice SP offers, temper with your own experience, judgment and wallet size.

Here are a few universal scenarios encountered in the service-oriented professions. SP is sure to have more to say on this topic as time goes by, but these seem to be the most common and confusing situations submitted by interested readers.

Bartenders – Tip bartenders $1 per drink. It does not matter if he exercized the muddler for a Mojito or merely popped the bottle cap on a Budweiser. It also makes no difference if a scotch and soda costs $5 at Stinky Pete’s Surf Shack or $15 at the Pretentious Palace. Tip one dollar per drink and you will be in line and the bartender will be happy. Exception to the rule: if you find yourself in an extraordinarily crowded bar and it takes thirty minutes to attract the bartender’s attention, you may want to slip him $10 so that he notices you the next time you break through the dam of people standing between you and your goal.

Baristas-Here SP does make an exception. If a barista is slaving away on a cappuccino or café latte, tip her a dollar. This may be a tad excessive, but SP has a soft spot for baristas.

Hair stylists, massage therapists, et al – We’re talking men’s haircuts in particular, give the stylist $10 and the shampoo person $5. Massages usually run from $60 to $80 and these hardworking people deserve $10 to $20 just for beating you up.

Valet – Tip the carhop $1. Perhaps SP falls on the flinty side here and perhaps this comes from spending too much time in LosAngeles where one is forced to valet one’s car three or four times a day and frankly, it just becomes annoying. I could be wrong on this and hence be seen as taking out my frustration on the poor carhop, but I feel as if he is making a bundle on all those dollars all day and night long. I suppose my exception to the tipping-for-service rule begins with any situation where you are forced to accept service, thus limiting the good will.

Hotel housekeepers – This must be the most overlooked situation where people forget or just do not know to tip. Remember that you tip for service. When the housekeeper cleans your room on a daily basis, you tip. The tip can vary from $5 to $10 a day depending on the quality of service (and the fanciness of the hotel), but shame on the guest who does not leave something for the over-worked housekeeper in a hotel.

Household staff – The same holds true when you are staying with friends who have permanent, live-in household staff in the city, in the country or at the beach. These staffers have their normal duties of attending to the household plus the added burden of cleaning up after you, especially if they make your bed, provide fresh towels and present breakfast and lunch every day. At the end of a trip, SP slides $10 for every day into an envelope with a little note, Thank you Matilda. If there is multiple staff, you should leave multiple tips (called “vails” in the Middle Ages). Present the tip in separate envelopes to the cook and to the housekeepers. One side note: make this action discreet. SP once made the mistake of offending a hostess when she discovered the tip to her staff. The misunderstanding, in her mind, was that her staff is taken care of by her and my tip was offensive. To set the record straight, this hostess was misguided. One does indeed tip household staff. SP stumbled by letting the hostess discover the tip in the first place. Hand the envelope directly to the staff or place it under an object that is impossible to miss.

Finally, a word about tipping an on-site proprietor who performs a service for you. In a hair salon, restaurant, bar or coffee shop, unless you know the owner well – such as a friend or family member – you tip. Again, you are tipping for service, and this person has served you.

Miscellaneous:

Bellhop or Skycap – $5 per bag, admittedly a little on the high end, but SP is always afraid his New York-bound checked luggage will end up in Miami if one stiffs the skycap.

Taxi Driver – $1 per every $10, plus $5 per bag if riding to or from the airport.

Delivery drivers – $3 for food, more if it’s raining. $10 for heavy items, like furniture or such.