Is tipping for everything out of control?

We are starting to give some extra tips. They need it more than we do, and we appreciate their kindness. The driver n the Serengeti hugged us when we gave him a nice tip. He clearly appreciated it.

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For home repairs, do you guys generally tip? I’m talking about plumbers, electricians, painters, etc. If so, do you tip a percentage or a flat dollar amount.

Short answer - no. Those services already cost a small fortune where we live.

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Definitely not. I do tip for furniture and appliance delivery, I tipped when I hired a cleaning company for a one time clean, 4 hours, 4 employees (large company), but when I had a regular independent cleaning woman I just doubled paid for Christmas. People ask if we tip our gas attendants here in NJ, nope.

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Only the unskilled workers - not the owner or supervisors.

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During covid, I tipped for takeout but have recently stopped. I’m just no longer interested in supporting companies who don’t want to adequately pay their staff.

If people love tips and can get them, whatever. I think so many people would like to be able to make a fair wage and not have to see what happens on tips.

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Have you ever worked in the service industry in a tipped position?

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Do you know what companies are paying their people ? I don’t.

If places were to include tips, their price would go to the next level - and they might price themselves out of business in a competitive marketplace

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If everyone has to pay fair and legal wages, you would have more transparency and know the real price and can make choices accordingly. No one would have an advantage from giving workers lower prices and expecting tips to make up the difference.

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That’s no different than today though.

Bcuz no one includes tips so I expect to tip.

Now should a tip be based on effort vs price ?

I don’t know but the effort on a $50 steak is likely not different than one on a $25 steak.

But I tip double. Because I’m leaving 20% on the bill.

For all you know, someone is already paid a fair wage. You don’t know.

At many fast casual places by me it’s $18 an hr. They’re not sit down jobs but still get tips.

If a waiter is paid $2.70 (tn wage) or $6 or $20 an hr isn’t my concern. Tipping is the norm. I should not eat there if I’m not prepared to tip. Btw if they paid more, they’d have a better chance of having servers vs half the restaurants that can’t find them.

Finally, don’t forget - this is not an 8 hour job of tips. Many hours of waiting tables are spent rolling silverware - especially lunch servers that may only have 2 good hours on a shift.

It’s what you’ve signed up for before you walked in the door. If you’re not going to tip, then let another customer have your table.

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In Maryland the minimum wage is $15/hr. Tipped employees can be paid a lower wage but their wage plus tips must equal at least the sates minimum wage, $15/hr. If they don’t the employer must make up the difference.

The tipped employees I know do much better by making tips. They earn well above the $15/hr minimum wage. They are against giving up tips and just being paid a wage as obviously they’d be losing money.

The people that don’t understand this are pushing for legislation that in the end would lower the amount tipped workers make (take away their tips) and harm them financially.

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I am paid above the minimum wage. I get a car. Benefits, vacation pay, bonus. pension and more.

Should I not receive minimum wage because of those benefits ?

I get servers typically end up above minimum wage.

But it still irks me they are paid less in base. If the min in CA is $20, then both they and I should earn it.

And many servers - breakfast and lunch time - have hours where they aren’t making $15 but are rolling silverware, setting tables.

Those great tips from a few hrs keep them above min wage on the average for their shift, but they’re not necessarily crushing it.

Who decided 20% was an appropriate tip? I remember my parents tipping 10% and then it jumped to 15%. And now ā€œif you can’t tip 20% you shouldn’t go out to eat.ā€ These are just customs, there’s no contract between the diner and the server. It’s weird.

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In Maryland, when servers are doing work outside of their serving, cleaning the restaurant for an hour, etc, they must be paid at least the minimum wage, $15/hr. Their tips are only looked at for the hours they are working for them, not during other hours.

So, no matter what, each hour of their shift they will be making at least the $15/hr and most hours they’ll be making above that, many make well above that. That’s why tipped workers recently fought against a proposal that would mandate their pay be tied to an hourly wage and potentially greatly affect tipping.

It’s clear to see that, in Maryland at least, the actual workers working and receiving tips are happier with the current arrangement. I’m not sure why someone outside of that workforce should get to force them into some different arrangement that would be less beneficial to them and they don’t want. It’s really that simple. They seem to prefer to work for tips and make more money.

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No. I don’t tip home repair people.

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I will still pretty much only tip my hair stylist, bartenders, and waitstaff at sit-down restaurants.

I have upped my standard amount though. See I am not big on giving to charities as I don’t believe enough of the funds get to the people that need it, but when you tip a little bit extra it is helping not only the person receiving the tip, but it really helps the economy overall as generally people who receive tips end up spending those funds pretty quickly.

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Sorry you feel that way about charities. Can you share more about what you mean in the quote above???

Interesting -

In Tennessee, and our minimum is less than $15 an hour, but if you had a four shift, you need to make 4 hours x minimum wage.

So if two hours are $40 each and two hours are $0, you still made $80 - so divided by 4. so $20 an hour.

I wonder how they would manage that in MD - if someone fell short in an hour.

As for this statement - " I’m not sure why someone outside of that workforce should get to force them into some different arrangement that would be less beneficial to them and they don’t want."

Governments do this all the time - arming teachers (who don’t want it and law enforcement says not to) is an example…one of many.

Because in spite of those in tipped positions preferring to not be paid a ā€œfair wage,ā€ folks notin tipped positions are arguing for it for their ā€œbest interest.ā€

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Sure plenty of Charities have high admin expenses. Plus I am not giving money so a preacher can have a private jet or a mansion.

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