I had my FR carpet cleaned less than 2 weeks ago. Actually half of my FR since I left all my furniture and Christmas tree in place. They did 2 runners also. The minimum to come out is $99 and that includes 3 rooms. It’s owners operated and I gave a 20% tip, which I think was generous considering there wasn’t much to do.
So after this holiday I have 3 stains I can’t get out that are about 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter. I called and asked if they could remove them and I just had them out. He said the minimum is $99, but since he was just out he would charge me $50.
Here in my neck of the woods, people do not tip rug cleaners. I just checked with my brother who has a rug cleaning business. Never heard of doing this.
I think tipping is out of control and it’s getting to the point where everyone expects a tip. I’m also fed up with tips increasing astronomically. Don’t get me wrong, I agree that some professionals need to be tipped, especially servers, who make low wages. There is almost never a reason not to give a server a tip, and most of th time I tip 20%.
I agree with @sherpa , and would add hairdressers to the list. These are all professions where tips have traditionally been expected. I never tip people who work at my house, such as a contractor, lawn service, etc… That’s why you get estimates or pay monthly fees. They should be quoting you a price that ensures they are paid reasonably for their services. However, on occasion, I tip people who have done an exceptional job on contracted jobs or who put in an inordinate amount of work.
^It is especially important to tip anyone who gets a “special” wage of much less than minimum. Waitstaff, bartenders, bus boys, etc. in MA are paid $3.75/hour and the tips are their real income. They also must claim 10% (might be more now) of their total sales at the end of the night so the tips are not tax-free by any means. There are some businesses, generally locally-owned, that will pay their servers more per hour to keep good help in the off-season. I also believe the law dictates that a business must make up the difference between the tip income reported and minimum wage if the server doesn’t make it.
I did tip the guy who last cleaned our carpets, but he was an employee and not the owner. The rule of thumb is you don’t tip the owner of a business - their wages are what they’re already charging with profits built-in. If it’s not enough for them to live on without tips, they should charge more.
I never would have considered tipping a carpet cleaner before reading this thread. I would put them in the same category as lawn care, tree trimmer, appliance repairman, … all of whom I do not tip.
Does anyone tip their pet groomer? Does it make a difference if they work at a small, privately owned business vs. the grooming department of a chain pet store?
I will tip restaurant staff, hairdressers, and pizza delivery, but that’s about it. I haven’t used cabs or valets in a while, but if I did, I would tip them.
I live in a village where there are beautifully wrapped gifts on top of the garbage cans before Christmas. One on the trash can and another on the recycling bin.
I stopped tipping hotel cleaning people. If the hotel is in a area with numerous 5-star high end hotels I think it is up to management to reward their top employees to maintain that level of service.