ironporer

I have heard of and tipped: Paperboys, waiters/ess, Concierge/doormen, barbers and hairdressers...even mailmen- but I have never heard of tipping a mechanic. Bastards already hitting me for $75/hour...

Celtic_Angel

huh where I lived before we managed to find out about a mechanic that came to you, had all the tools of the trade in this big van..he was great always managed to fit you in affordable etc...I always tipped him too.......I've never thought about tipping the mailman.....I hardly ever see them and if I do it always seems to be a different person

I even tipped the Home Depot guy who helped stick my Christmas tree on the van roof I'm just a glowing person filled with generosity modest too

gruffbrown

Tip your mechanic? Robbing bastards that charge like wounded rhinos, they should tip you

kevntrace

I've never tipped the mailman or the paper deliver over here - don't really get to see them. Although the paper deliverer did include an Xmas card with one of the papers, listing his address - so that might have been a subtle hint (which I didn't take).

But I have tipped on many occasions;
- carpet cleaners
- furniture deliverers
- appliance deliverers
- backyard landscapers (oh the joys of buying new construction)
- removal men
- christmas tree man (for putting the tree on the roof rack)
- waiter/waitress
- bellboy/girl
- skycap
- and the guy who looked after our baggage before we boarded our cruise ship. I was a bit naive on that one - he had to tell me a second time that he would take "great care" of our baggage before I got the hint

Celtic_Angel

what's skycap??

AmerLisa

The guy you pay outside the airport terminal to check your luggage. Or to haul your luggage.

ukemigrant

Sorry to be obtuse with the double negative there - I do tip - there I said it. My local mechanic has tried to rip me off a couple of times with huge markups on parts. I won't be going back there. Only serving staff get tips (and valet parking - that sort of thing). No tips for: delivery people, starbucks drive through windows, anywhere I'm paying for delivery and installation etc etc.

Celtic_Angel

oh, thanks, no wonder I didn't know I never get to fly and if I do I end up hauling my own luggage

kevntrace

I was going to say "skycap - a.k.a. pilot" but AmerLisa blew it for me. Still, I can keep the image of you trying to tip the pilot on your next flight.

CalgaryAMC

I was at business dinner a few weeks ago. 8 of us with a $3,000 bill (the customer liked the good wine). So the server gets $600 for two hours work.

After we paid the bill, the customer decides he wants another cup of coffee. The same server then brings us a bill for the cup of coffee. Moron.

Pimpbot

Do you tip the valet on the way in or on the way out after you get the car back? In Vegas where valet is free, I usually tip 1 or 2 dollars both ways, but here where they can charge you upto $7(Hyatt downtown) to park your car, I just tip on the way out.

The paper boy sends us a card each year with his address on it, but until he stops blaring his music at 5am right outside our bedroom, he isn't getting jack shit.

BlightyBoy

What I can't stand is tipping the barman. I'm told a dollar per drink!!! What's that, about 30% tip?

peacelover

I always tip well but a week before Christmas staying in a hotel I did not. The reason I didn't was that "Housekeeping" had put a card in my room with two candy "kisses". Had she/he not done that they would have had a nice Christmas tip instead not a bean.

BlightyBoy

Talking of tipping the barman what I really don't like is when you go to a wedding and it's an open bar and you think great, freebie drink! But guess what? Everyone is giving big tips so you feel you have to too. Bah humbug!

Scouse Express

Tipping???? An Interesting Topic, to say the least.

I always tip well (between 15-25%) if I get excellent service. If the server gives poor service then it will reflect in the tip. I have only refused to tip a handful of people because the service was so bad.

I was at the Hard Rock Cafe, in St Louis, recently driving a Group of well known Irish Entertainers (not U2 or Val Doonican I hasten to add), and the service was really Bloody Awful!.....the worst I had encountered in 20 years of taking groups to restaurants. It was so bad, the manager ended up knocking $41 off of one table's bill. Despite the fact that there was only 15 of us in there (the rest had scattered elsewhere) we had to wait more than 1.5 hours for our food to arrive. And there was no one else in the place, either.

As for tipping Motorcoach Drivers, if you are on a trip, the recommended amount is $2 per day, per person, if they do a good job....less or even nothing if they don't. A lot of people are under the impression that we are handsomely paid a base salary, but, the companies are so economical with our wages, considering the huge responsibility we have to undertake, we rely on gratuities to top up our income.

Jim.