Comments on: Holiday Tipping Guide 2008

By: ashlee

ashlee — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:37:00 +0000

How do you tip people such as the garbage/recycling folks? Do you wait until they come and then run out with a card? I work strange hours and am often not home when such services are provided. How do I tip them??

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:56:50 +0000

I also tip the garbage / recycling guys who pick my trash and recycling. I at least buy them a 12 pack of beer for picking up my waste …

By: ellie

ellie — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:49:30 +0000

I realize this may be terrible in your mind, but I regularly only tip 2 dollars for pizza, and if they are rude or ridiculously late I take away the tip. I had one driver once that made me leave my apartment to come pick up the food at the car. No tip for you! But seriously… if you are out delivering 6 pizzas an hour (which is a seriously conservative estimate), 2 bucks a pizza, thats 12 bucks on top of your normal wage. That is sufficient in my mind.

By: Frugal Dad

Frugal Dad — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:02:39 +0000

@Craig: I probably should have clarified this point–thanks for bringing it up. What I really meant was for those that you do business with throughout the year, but tip on a regular basis (such as hairstylists, etc.), consider simply doubling the amount of your normal tip. People you don’t traditional tip throughout the year, or that you do infrequent business with, may deserve a higher “Christmas bonus” tip, assuming their service is top notch.

@DavidK: Yes, are still planning the Christmas Eve tip for someone in our area. It is a tradition I look forward to sharing with my children this year!

By: TStrump

TStrump — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:18:44 +0000

Having worked in the service industry, I usually leave a generous tip.
It can be a challenge dealing with people so I will allow for honest mistakes, bad days, etc.
Of course, if the person is downright rude or nasty, they can kiss the tip goodbye.

By: Craig

Craig — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:46:21 +0000

@FD I’m curious why you recommend to tip more to someone you tip throughout the year. I can understand from just a nice perspective since it’s the holidays, but the reality is you are tipping for the service. So hairstylists, waiters, etc to me shouldn’t be dealt with differently.

Where it matters is more the once a year people who rely on the holidays for a substantial amount of their income like a doorman.

By: DavidK

DavidK — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:56:16 +0000

It is usually not customary to tip when picking up your food yourself. Tipping a delivery person is done because you don’t want the inconvenience of having to do it yourself.
Also, servers and drivers don’t get paid the same as the cooks who prepare the food.

By: Brian Lang

Brian Lang — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:51:34 +0000

How much should you tip when you get take-out (non-delivered) meals? I typically don’t tip when I pick up my own food at a restaurant mainly because I don’t know what’s appropriate in such a case. Any ideas?

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:49:53 +0000

Wow, I had no idea you had to tip all these people. . .

Thanks for the heads up!

By: DavidK

DavidK — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:19:10 +0000

FD, are you still going to do the generous tip to a restaurant server right around Christmas? I remember you mentioning it a while back and was just wondering. Now that I’ve been able to get ahold of the money situation in the last year, I’ve made sure to tip generously (when deserved) to make up for those college years when I couldn’t afford to tip very well. I tend to tip those who work for it rather than just give to charity. I’ve personally seen way too many non-profits waste funds and not give a damn about determining if the recipient really needs the charity or is just standing in line for a handout.