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<p>Not in the military.</p>
<p>DH works for the city; they are not even allowed to accept cookies, etc from the public. They have to turn away those nice older ladies who show up with plates of homemade brownies… And they are not to take home the cardboard boxes that copy paper comes in; the boxes belong to the city! :eek:
I think tipping counselors is unnecessary and they should be paid a decent wage. (Noone around here would even dream of tipping camp counselors!)</p>
<p>For some people like my h, tipping is a concept he has difficulty with. Except for the waitperson, which he’ll tip about 18%, he doesn’t think of tipping anyone. He doesn’t understand when to do it, how much to do, etc., etc. It’s not from our world growing up, and it makes him, a person who doesn’t like feeling out of his element, anxious. He’d rather not tip then tip when he shouldn’t, or the wrong amount, or in the wrong manner, etc. It’s extremely intimidating for him I’ve discovered thru the years. It’s one of the reasons he will not valet park unless he absolutely has no recourse. And we always roll our luggage to our room instead of using a bellhop.</p>
<p>And, part of it I understand. There’s an expectation everywhere of tips, just noticing tip jars at the ice cream place or the receipt with a “tip line” at the counter service restaurant where no one serves you at the table, but they hope you’ll fill in a tip just because it’s on the receipt. </p>
<p>I must admit a frustration even at restaurants. Used to be 15% was the norm, now we’re told it’s 20%. But I see that as the restaurant’s way of having the consumer pick up more of the waiterperson’s salary so they don’t have to increase wages as they should. Part of me wants to tell everyone, don’t give in … don’t pay the extra amount and then management will have to increase wages or waitpeople will quit. But I know it’s more complex than that. So, more often then not, I get the money together discreetly for the taxi driver or the hotel maid, but even then … it can be confusing to me, too. And, yes, I’ve gone to sites explaining tipping protocol, but it’s still frustrating.</p>
<p>zebes</p>
<p>I still use 15% as my basic tip. I, too, have noticed the tip inflation.</p>
<p>I tip 15%. Meal prices have increased over the years, so the dollar amount of the tip has increased to keep pace with meal prices at restaurants. Whether meal prices at restaurants is a good indicator of inflation, I have no idea.</p>
<p>Tip inflation (in my opinion) has been caused by people who double tax to make tip calculation simple. Sales tax used to be 7.5%. Now it is more like 9.5% or even 10% in some locations. Therefore, tip percentages have risen.</p>
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<p>It’s funny when people say “should pay” or “fair wages”.</p>
<p>How much should a camp counselor make per day, including tips? What is the minimum amount they’d need to get paid for you not to feel obligated to tip them? $25 a day? $50 a day? $100 a day? $400 a day?</p>
<p>To the OP, did your D’s employer tell her that tips are part of her pay? If they did, then this information should be included in the brochure. If not, how can your D or you be so angry? I have never tipped any camp counselors or heard that’s expected.</p>
<p>I tip at 20% at restaurants if the service is what I expect. I don’t always tip according to the amount of the meal if I’m at a diner type place. If the meal for 2 people is $15 for example, I will still tip at least $5. </p>
<p>I don’t think people measure tipping by what the person you are tipping is making. I have gone to hair stylists who made more money than I did, but I still tipped them. I really have no idea what most people I tip are actually making.</p>
<p>I hope all those counselors are reporting their tips as income.</p>
<p>Wow, I have never in my life heard of tipping a camp counselor.</p>
<p>I was halfway through having little kid’s birthday parties (like the ones at bowling alleys, skating rinkis, etc.) before I heard you were supposed to tip the teenaged helper. So, two kids’ parties later, the teenaged helper screwed the party up so badly that the venue comped the party…but guilty me still tipped her!</p>
<p>A few months ago there was a discussion about tipping here, specifically about tipping one’s hairdresser. You big tippers made me feel horribly guilty about how little I was tipping mine, so I decided to ask her, pointblank, to charge me what she wants to earn so I don’t have to tip her.</p>
<p>We then had a long discussion about tipping. She told me that some of her customers tip and others don’t. And the tips range from a token to 20%. </p>
<p>She is an independent contractor; she told me she sets her prices by how much she wants to earn. She said she doesn’t expect a tip from anyone, and if someone doesn’t tip she doesn’t think any less of them or mess up their hair. We discussed the whole camp counselor tipping thing, too. Eventually she told me that she doesn’t want or expect a tip from me, and I should pay her exactly what she charges, and not a penny more.</p>
<p>And that’s what I did.</p>
<p>I tend to overtip because I think oh well, it is only a few dollars. Sometimes I feel like maybe I am being patronizing? When you get your hair cut or colored, do you tip a total of 20% to cover the stylist and the shampoo person or do you tip 20% to the stylist and then a few dollars more to the assistant? I never know how much to tip cab drivers, I am sure I overtip. It causes me anxiety!</p>
<p>Wow, tipping camp counselors?!? Just when I think I’ve heard it all, something new comes along.</p>
<p>always tipped my kids counselors, as my parents tipped mine when I was a kid. These kids do not make very much money. My daughter is now a counselor, works very hard, and there is an expectation of tips, at least at her camp, serving middle class kids. This will go toward her spending money at college.</p>
<p>If I could change the title of this thread to “Parents whose kids go to camps where tipping counselors is the norm, tip those counselors!” I surely would. Just as many of you had never heard of tipping counselors at a day camp until you read my original post, I had never heard of NOT tipping counselors until I read the responses. As I’ve said, in this area, tipping day camp counselors at private camps is the norm (and tipping airline pilots is not the norm, just in case there is some confusion on that point). Some camp directors mention it in their materials, some feel antsy about it, but just as parents manage to find out about the best day care and pediatricians through the parent grapevine, they manage to find out about the tipping tradition at local camps. The counselors AT LOCAL CAMPS IN MY AREA expect tips to provide a part of their compensation and make their employment decisions accordingly. They may find working with children rewarding, but they are working to earn needed funds. So yes, D is disappointed and I am not happy at the action of some of the parents. Would we prefer a higher salary and an explicit no tipping policy? Sure, it would provide certainty. But we don’t run the camp. Meanwhile, some very affluent but stingy people are not doing the right thing. </p>
<p>I think I’ve explained myself enough. Anyone who purports not to understand is just being argumentative, so I think I’ll bow out. Enjoy the rest of the summer, everyone.</p>
<p>So, MommaJ–what is your area? Thanks.</p>
<p>well said, when these parents’ kids become counselors they will understand</p>
<p>Just to let you know, today was the last day of camp for my D who was the head Counselor for a group of 10 and she received tips from every family in that group. This was not expected, the camp made no solicitation for tips and she is very grateful and thankful to those families’ generosity who recognized what she did to make their kids have a fun experience and kept them safe. The grand total was a little over 100.00 dollars with 2 gift cards and perfume. Not exactly a back breaker for those families. The gesture means more than the actual amount. So yes, people don tip without provocation or expectation.</p>
<p>Missed this thread while I was away. </p>
<p>Tipping is customary at each and every day camp my kids attended (various states on the east coast - <em>not</em> NY) and at the ones where I was a counselor and camper years ago. No guidelines were ever given by the camp directors - it was always considered an optional, but in practice a very customary thing among the parents. I tipped the individual counselors, the bus counselor and the bus driver. </p>
<p>BTW, I can assure you that the camp mentioned earlier in this thread that printed out a list of 40 names of all the counselors and specialists did not mean that each of them was meant to get a tip! This was just as a point of reference if there were a particular specialist that had a big impact or influence on your child. In my experience, specialists are generally paid somewhat more because of their expertise and because they don’t have their own “bunks.” They don’t expect tips in general. </p>
<p>Sleepaways are different - here policies can definitely vary (as apparently they do in other regions of the country for day camp). I attended sleepaway as a kid and worked as a counselor; my children were both campers and counselors at different camps. My camps all allowed tipping years ago and still do, but none of my kids’ sleepaway camps ever permitted it and are, in fact, quite strict on the subject. Counselors are all specialists AND bunk counselors at my kids’ camps and the feeling is that they would rather pay them decent wages to begin with. Letters were written home to the parents that clearly stated the no tipping policy and this was very well enforced.</p>
<p>I participated in this thread earlier and then bowed out after certain statements were made. Again, I live in an area where tipping of camp counselors is customary, and I found it interesting that it is not so in many areas of the country. I took it as a “live and learn.”
I am pleased to report that all of the campers families in my son’s group tipped quite generously and he is thrilled. He had 4-5 year olds, boys going into kindergarten, and it was a brutally difficult summer for him. He bought the kids prizes during the course of the summer and although the boys were very difficult to control, they all seemed to love him and camp. Obviously, that came through to their parents.</p>