On tipping (again)
 

We had some furniture delivered the other day and I kept wondering whether I should tip or not. I prepared some money, but then in the end decided not to give it as I wasn't sure whether it would be appropriate. Anyway, today I'm thinking that perhaps I should have tipped...?

The building maintenance guy padded out the elevator for us - do we tip him???

Do you tip at a spa? If you have a massage, do you tip the therapist or at reception when you pay? How much do you tip?

If someone comes to fix something in the flat - do we tip?

Re: On tipping (again)
 

If you wish to; do so. The recipient is unlikely to complain

Re: On tipping (again)
 

Building maintenance guy? No. Furniture delivery guy? No. Tip at a spa? No.

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Pizza delivery guy? Yes. Professional movers moving all your furniture into your house? Yes. Hairdresser? Yes.

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Anyone? No!

Re: On tipping (again)
 

Always give everyone the right money and tell them too keep the change...works a treat:thumbup:

Re: On tipping (again)
 

I reacon you cheapskates are responsible for a lot of "guilt by association" that gets applied to the rest of us!

If you receive a service, then you tip.

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/20...h-and-to-whom/

Its a US based article, but Canada is basically the US with healthcare anyway, so these rules apply here too.

Not tipping is ignorant and reflects badly on the rest of us with that funny austalian accent!

Re: On tipping (again)
 

I'd tip you.

Off a cliff

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I would have saved the cost of delivery, borrowed someone's truck, had some mates pack it in.

That way you don't need to go to the spa because you threw out your back and you don't need to see the therapist because you're so stressed over whether or not to tip.

Cheap Scotsman

Re: On tipping (again)
 

Would my Canadian accent (I was accused of being American on many occasions) change the tipping expectation in the UK when I travel there?

I never had to ask for a vat receipt. It was always offered.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

i tip waitresses (if the service is good), taxis and fast food delivery drivers

that's about it

Re: On tipping (again)
 

So according to the link - 20% for spa services - I was given a fairly hefty spa gift at Spa Utopia DT Van = 4 hours. . the tip would equal $68! that seems a bit steep for a gift !

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Yes, I also think 20% for a spa service is a lot.

By the way, in my job, I also offer a service, but nobody would ever think to tip me. Something's just not right...

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Me too and no one offers to tip me :( although they do bring me stuff from holidays Etc ....

Re: On tipping (again)
 

Treat everyone equally - Don't Tip!!! :thumbsup:

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I get lots of tips in my job. Most of them have to do with dying or having sex with myself:eek: Id prefer the money though.

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One of my clients is a spa. The staff there get lots of tips. I think 20% is OTT but tipping is the norm.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

I get confused with tipping too. I have never tipped a massage therapist though, I paid $65 for an hour, I can't afford a tip as well. I tip food delivery drivers, waiters/waitresses, hairdresser, that's about it. Once I left a nicely wrapped food treat for the mailman at Christmas, didn't even say thank you.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

Then only have a half hour hand job. A spa is an obvious case of somewhere one should tip.

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I've never been to a spa, this is massage therapy. Why is a spa an obvious place to tip?

For some reason, these places don't really seem to offer hand jobs for women.

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A spa is an obvious place to tip because it's a personal service in the manner of, and often including, hairdressing. If one is having physiotherapy in a hospital or clinic then that's treatment and one would not usually tip. I suppose massage "therapy" to be a form of recreational rubbing closer to the former than the latter.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

Why is personal service an obvious place to tip if they're already charging you upwards of $65 per hour? Massage therapy can be spa-like I suppose, but it also covers things like deep tissue massage following sports injuries so therapeutic in that way, I think it depends on the type of practitioner you go to. My hairdresser says that tipping is around 50/50 for her.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

Thats just how it is... we dont make the rules, we cant explain the rules, all we can do is point out what is considered standard behaviour in Canada.

Dbd has it pretty nailed...if its something medical then you dont tip, if its something more like a haircut, then you do.

I agree though that 20% is taking the piss, but leaving a $5 or 10 wont break the bank.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

That's true, I just like to understand why I'm expected to do something :) All of my massages were for injuries so I guess that's the other side of the line anyway.

I guess it comes down to what you're used to too.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

Best tip you can give someone...

"Don't eat yellow snow"

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Half an hour? I would be able to walk afterwards! :)

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I hate tipping hairderessers, they don't seem impoverished.

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My daughter is one and like servers at a restaurant, that's actually how they make most of their money.

Good hairdressers get good tips - Crappy hairdresser don't get tips. So I'm being told.

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Sooo if 20% is considered excessive ... What would the great BE massive suggest I tip when I use my gift certificate that is worth 350???

Re: On tipping (again)
 

My tipping policy:

- Restos get tipped at least 15% of the amount before tax.

- Dog groomers get rounded up. Usually comes to $90 and I give them a $100.

- Taxi drivers get an amount that depends on how convenient the rounding is.

- I *think* I tip my barbers. I don't know how much he charges, so I just hand over the cash and he hasn't complained so far.

- I tipped the movers who delivered our own furniture $40 (for the two of them). I don't tip delivery people who deliver furniture we just bought.

- I tipped the workmen who finished our basement with a case of beer. While working they didn't want cups of tea, but I made sure they had ready supplies of pop + crisps + biscuits. Apparently Canadians don't do this, but they appreciated it.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

I'm sorry , I'm reading this thread and all I can think about is Cow tipping!

and i think I've just randomly given someone Karma , by way of an inadvertant mouse click.

is it time to go home yet?

Re: On tipping (again)
 

I've been googling around and it says almost everywhere that you should tip 20% for a massage at a spa. Well, I'm planning to get a $169 massage and there's no way I'm going to leave a $35 tip. That just feels way too much. I was thinking more around $20 and that's probably what I'll do.

In your case, I'd probably see how much the most expensive treatment is that you're going to have, and give 12-15% of that.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

I get my little bit of hair cut at Marvel Beauty School for $9.50 and give the student a $2 tip. At the noodle house where we go for lunch often, dinner for 2 is around $16 - $17 and we always leave a toonie. If we have a larger party or order some side dishes we'll leave a larger percentage. I won't go to the trendy pubs where the server automatically takes a dollar for serving a $4 beer.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

My tipping policy

17% at the local - cos they're boss
$10 at the hairdresser for the shampooer - nothing for the hairdresser as he owns the place
$5 at the eyebrow place
Round up tip or 10% to the taxi driver
15% - 20% for other eating out occcaisions, but most often 15%

I hate tipping almost as much as I hate HST

Which reminds me of a recent quandry. We ordered a pizza a couple of weeks ago that had a guarenteed 40 min delivery window or free. It arrived after 3/4 hour, so I refused to pay. Other half thinks I was being too Yorkshire. What does everyone else think?

Re: On tipping (again)
 

As an "innocent foreigner" just starting out here I see no harm in being blunt with someone at a spa and saying "look, whats normal for tipping in this situation?"

They may try and pull a fast one on you and say 30%, but most people I suspect are inherently decent and are happy to try and explain things to a newcomer to their country...

Re: On tipping (again)
 

I would not pay for the pizza but would offer the deliverer a tip. I used to set the stove timer and delight if it buzzed before the pizza guy arrived. Usually the deliverer would refuse the tip, very often spitting at me or on the floor. One went completely beserk, he opened the pizza box and threw the content face down on the rug. Indian food is safer to have delivered.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

I wouldn't order from them again if I were you.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

OMG! Mr Prettyflowers said that the delivery guy would have to pay for the delivery out of his wages, which made me feel pretty bad. But on the other hand, they do advertise that on their site. Normally I wouldn't have bothered, but this was the third time that the delivery had arrived outside of that 40 min window, and I was in a bad mood. Good idea about giving the driver a tip though. I'll remember that for the next time.

Re: On tipping (again)
 

I wish we had an option of food being delivered to the door:thumbdown: All I ever get is the dogs left overs of local wildlife!

Re: On tipping (again)
 

Anybody remember the Dominoes policy years ago 30 minutes or its free.
Well guess what happened some delivery driver in the US was rushing to deliver within the 30 minutes and ended up killing someone in a fatal vehicle accident. Thats why they dont do it anymore.
Any food joint that offers this is being reckless IMO.