How much should you tip?

[GaryMrMets]

http://money.cnn.com/2001/10/16/saving/tiptable

How much should you tip?

October 16, 2001: 3:20 p.m. ET

Who gets what in the world of tipping

NEW YORK (CNNmoney) - Just who should get a tip, and how much, has always source of debate. Should you tip a physical therapist? What about the cable guy? If you're wondering, we've got some suggestions.

Taxi drivers: 15 percent of fare

Hairstylists: 15 to 20 percent of bill

Waitstaff: 15 to 20 percent of bill

Bartenders: $1 for beer or wine, $2 for mixed drink

Take-out delivery person: $1 to $2

Parking attendant: $1 to $2

Gas station attendant: $1 to $2 for pumping gas, $5 for pumping gas and checking fluids

Hotel chambermaid: $5 a night minimum, $7 to $9 a night if staying more than a week

Room service waiter: 15 percent of bill

Bell hop: $10 for bringing you to your room with luggage, $5 for opening and showing a room

Supermarket bagger: $1 or more per bag

Contractors (Foreman): $50

Contractors (Worker: $30

Parking attendant: $1 for basic service

Sports arena usher: 50 cents to $1 per party if shown to your seats

Clown at children's party: $15 to $25
-source: Tipping.com(http://www.tipping.org/TopPage.shtml)

Wednesday April 3, 2002

Welcome to The Original Tipping Page!
This page is the first of its kind, and as far as I know, still the only one and the most complete. There is no right or wrong when it comes to tipping, just common sense. Also note that tipping is an option, not a must.

http://www.tipping.org/images/TipCardFrontLarge.gif
http://www.tipping.org/images/TipCardBackLarge.gif

[GaryMrMets]

http://money.cnn.com/2002/03/19/pf/saving/travel/q_tipping/index.htm

Tipping on trips

When travelling, remember to say please, thank you, and how much to tip.
March 20, 2002: 1:49 PM EST
By Annelena Lobb, CNN/Money Staff Writer

If you're getting ready to go abroad, your main concerns probably include finding your passport, buying enough sunscreen, and wether to pack your own toilet paper. Tipping etiquette in your destination of choice probably hasn't even crossed your mind.

Friendliness and courtesy are universal, yes. But the tipping norms that apply when it comes to taxi drivers, restaurants and hotel staff can vary just like any other social custom. Except, in this case, it's your money.

"You feel so vulnerable when you go to a country and you don't know the local tip customs," said Don George, global travel editor at Lonely Planet Publications. "You wonder if you're giving people money they don't expect, or so little that you've offended them."

Don't worry. Learning to tip abroad isn't really that hard. Things do vary from place to place, but you can stay on top of it. There are a few guidelines below that are flexible enough for many international situations, and more individualized guidelines for your destination can be found in good travel guidebooks and Web sites.

Getting ready
Step one: Go to the bank. Exchange your money for the foreign currency you need, and get small denominations -- tipping means you need change. And don't wait until you get there. Tipping issues will pop up as soon as you step off the plane.

"When you're dealing in the currency of the country you're in, make sure you're not over- or under-tipping," said Peggy Post, etiquette consultant for Good Housekeeping and Parenting magazines. "It might sound like what you're giving is a lot. The best thing is to do a little advance homework and find out."

This can be particularly daunting in countries with highly inflated currencies, said Douglas Stallings, an editor and travel expert at Fodor's. Two thousand Bolivares sounds like a lot of money. In Caracas, Venezuela, it's about $2.

After you know how much your new money is worth, get your hands on an up-to-date guidebook. It should tell you what amounts are customary in specific situations. (In a few destinations, like Iceland, New Zealand or Fiji, you might be surprised to know that people don't tip at all, Stallings said.)

Customary at dinner
At many international destinations, it's normal to find a 10 to 12 percent service charge added to a restaurant bill. "In most of Europe, there's always a service charge added to a restaurant meal, but it's expected that you'll add a little bit more," said Stallings. This can also be the case in the Caribbean or in more Westernized parts of Asia, like Hong Kong. You will see the service charge clearly marked on your bill.

But you don't have to add another 15 or 20 percent to the total ? just add enough so that the total gratuity, including the service charge, is about 15 to 20 percent.

Still wavering on whether you should leave 15 percent or 20 percent? Keep a few things in mind. You should always tip for quality of service -- that's universal. "If someone does something extra for you, of course you want to be more generous. If you get bad service, you don't tip a lot," said Sue Fox, author of "Etiquette for Dummies".

Next, keep in mind where you are. If you're in a big city, in a well-traveled destination, and in a posh establishment, your tip should be on the higher end. In big cities, or places like Italy or France, tipping will be more common and bigger tips will be expected, Stallings said.

Hotel stays
At the hotel, tip according to quality of service and the location, as you would in a restaurant. Anyone who does something extra for you should receive a tip.

There are a few unique situations: If you go to a resort destination in the Caribbean, for example, they may add service charges to your bill for restaurant meals and for the hotel stay. At some resort chains, like Sandals in Jamaica, no tipping is allowed.

"Sometimes, a substantial service charge is added on ? say, 11 to 17 percent ? but it usually includes taxes. In Aruba, for example, you'll see an 11 percent service charge, taxes included. Even so, you should still tip if it is allowed. If the service charge is about 10 to 12 percent, I'd add about 5 percent more," Stallings said.

It is customary to tip the maitre 'd, the hotel maid, and anyone who carries your bags. "If you want really good service, expect to tip," said Fox. "If you tip the maitre 'd, for example, you will be more likely to have a taxi when you need it, theatre tickets when you want them, and so on."

Remember to keep in mind who probably gets paid out of that service charge, and who might not. People like the hotel maid, for example, or a hotel tour guide, generally get paid less -- and depend more heavily on tips as part of their income.

"Of all the people in the hotel, the maid is least likely to see any part of that service charge and they make the least of anyone on the staff. Those are the people you should try to recognize in a direct way. Leave the money on top of your pillow, and leave it every night -- you may not have the same person making up your room every day. They will appreciate that, and you will get better service," Stallings said.

Getting around
Others who expect tips include skycaps who carry your bags and taxi drivers (except, of course, in countries where no tipping occurs at all). Those who carry your bags for you should always be tipped, Post said. "The rule of thumb here is $2 a bag, but don't just hand out the equivalent amount abroad. Find out what is normal and customary," she said.

As for taxi tips, a little small change is fine in destinations where tipping is not so pervasive, Stallings said. In a more tip-friendly place like Paris, a cab driver could get up to 10 percent.

"In Japan, I never tip a taxi driver or someone who carries my bags, because tipping is culturally inappropriate. In England, I think taxi drivers expect a 10 percent tip and some sort of equivalent for carrying bags," George said. "I think the 10 percent rule is about right for cabs in tip-oriented destinations."

Whatever the situation, remember that tipping is really the way to say thank you for a service, Post said. "Say thank you -- don't just throw over the money," she said. "Be thoughtful about it. Be sure you're extending your gratitude. That's key for being a good ambassador, after all."

http://money.cnn.com/2002/03/19/pf/saving/travel/q_tipping/q_tipping.gif

[GaryMrMets]

http://money.cnn.com/2001/10/07/pf/tipping

Advanced Tipology

October 8, 2001: 7:00 a.m. ET

The logic and history of tipping
Annelena Lobb

NEW YORK (CNN Money) - It seems like everybody expects a tip these days. Even the folks who make coffee at Starbucks have a tip jar -- and they never even step out from behind the counter. According to the Internal Revenue Service, Americans paid out $14 billion in tips last year, and that is almost certainly a severe undercount.

But have you ever really stopped to think about this strange custom? Not just the "how much" part, but why we do all this in the first place. For example, the restaurant could just charge more for the food and pass it along in the staff's paychecks. Banks pay tellers that way - why not restaurants?

The logic of tipping
It may seem odd, but tipping some people and not others really does make sense. Some service employees, argues Michael Lynn, associate professor of market and consumer behavior at the Cornell University School of Hotel Management, offer a highly personalized service -- and tipping is an efficient way of rewarding them.

In a restaurant, for example, what constitutes good service is really a matter of the customer's opinion. "It's much rarer to tip a chef than it is to tip a restaurant server," says Lynn. "The chef's job is not customized -- whether or not he did a good job is easily evaluated."

Status also comes into play. "A chef has a rare skill that requires a great deal of effort and study," says Lynn. "People may feel less guilt because of that. I don't feel bad that a chef cooked me a meal, but I do feel bad that a waiter had to serve it to me."

Tipping exists around the world, but there are different customs in different countries. Lynn researched these variations, counting the number of service professions that were tipped in various countries. He then compared these numbers with the results of personality tests given to people in those countries.

It turned out that countries with the most extroverted and neurotic citizens (the United States leads in both categories) tipped the largest amounts and to the greatest number of professions. "Extroverts are outgoing, dominating, social people -- and tipping is an incentive for the server to pay you attention. Neurotics are prone to guilt and generalized anxiety -- maybe they tip more because of guilt over status differences between themselves and the server," Lynn says.

The history of tipping
In 1972, George Foster, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at UC Berkeley, looked at the origins of words meaning "tip" or "gratuity" in several language. He found that, frequently, it evolved from 'drink money' -- supporting the idea that the practice began in eating establishments. Foster theorized that tipping started with a desire to avoid envy on the part of the server and to send the message that the server should have a drink at the customer's expense.

The origin of the word English word "tip" is less clear. One popular theory says it's is an acronym of "to insure promptness." Jesse Sheidlower, Principal Editor in North America for the Oxford English Dictionary, says that's wrong, because acronyms weren't popular in English until the 1920s. "'Tip," says Sheidlower, "began as a verb in the seventeenth century, used in the language of thieves, meaning 'to give'." By the early eighteenth century, the meaning included "to give a gratuity to a servant or employee".

[GaryMrMets]

http://aol1.bankrate.com/aol/news/advice/20020313a.asp

Tipping Quiz
By Laura Shanahan • Bankrate.com

Are you tops at tipping? Get a grip on your grasp of gratuities with this all-expenses-paid quiz.

1. We are a generous people, we Americans. How much in gratuities did we collectively give last year to those who wait and serve?
$1.4 billion.
$14 billion.
$41 billion.

2. Ah, you've just finished another fine meal at the Belch 'n' Bolt, bypassing the counter for the swell-and-swift sit-down service. How the eatery continues to maintain both its fine standards and reasonable prices, what with the Gorge 'n' Go and Slurp 'n' Sprint encroaching on its turf, is anyone's guess -- but you'd like to give your roller-skated waitron a fair, by-the-books tip, which would be:
10 percent of the bill, pre-tax.
15 to 20 percent of the bill, pre-tax.
20 to 25 percent of the bill, including tax.

3. Lately, when you cry in your beer, your favorite professional mixologist lets you bawl alone. Maybe it's because you don't know that many of these fine keepers of the bar consider this to be standard tipping:
50 cents for beer or wine; 75 cents for mixed drinks.
75 cents for beer or wine; $1.50 for mixed drinks.
$1 for beer or wine; $2 for mixed drinks.

4. Sheesh, first the bartender, now your doorman: Ever since the holidays, the Keeper of the Door has been deep-chilling you. Could be because you didn't realize his holiday tip should've been a bare-bones starting minimum of:
$10
$25
$100

5. Well, at least there's the comfort of comfort food -- which, if you're like us, means food someone else has cooked and delivered. When the kid from Great Gobs o' Lard comes calling with your bag of Chicken-Fried Chicken, side of mashed potatoes and weapons-grade chocolate cake, you reward him with:
$1 or $2.
50 cents.
20 percent of the bill up to $10; 15 percent after that.

6. It may seem every palm you professionally cross is asking to be greased -- but you would be wrong. Which of the following fine service-folks should you not tip?
Taxi drivers -- sure, they're commonly tipped; but an archaic, much-ignored law specifically forbids giving gratuities to transport workers of any stripe.
Dog groomers.
The kindly head nurse who gave you extra-special treatment while you were a patient at the hospital.

7. All right, let's take a little break from rules, regulations and etymology, which is the study of bugs. Oops, just told another whopper -- we can't stop! No, of course you know it's the study of words. OK, now that you've answered a bunch of academic-type stuff, let's have a little fun with a couple of pieces of gratuity-based celebrity gossip. We've all heard the tales of famous tightwad moneybags, which we won't repeat here, 'cause who needs the lawsuits? Instead, we'll concentrate on two super celebs who believe in spreading the wealth, bless 'em. First up: Who did The Washington Post recently dub ''The Godfather of Gratuities''?
Marlon Brando.
Al Pacino.
James Brown.

8. Relatively speaking, he's one cool cousin, having given a Dairy Queen server a $10 bill for a $2 Blizzard, and telling her to keep the change. He's:
Joe Pesci.
Cousin Brucie.
Norman Cousins.

9. Ah, here's a little psychological insight as to why some celebs, in addition to just being swell folks who have the means and desire to be generous, might tip extravagantly: They're generally extroverts, and, according to Michael Lynne, an associate professor of market and consumer behavior at the Cornell University School of Hotel Management, ''Extroverts are outgoing, dominating, social people -- and tipping is an incentive for the server to pay you attention.'' Lynne says besides extroverts, there's another group of people who tend to tip well -- wanna guess?
Psychopaths.
Neurotics.
Southpaws.
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How much tip do you normally leave?
I usually tip 10%
I usually tip 15%
I usually tip 20% or more
Tip? What's a tip?

Do you still tip when you receive bad service?
No
Yes, but less than I normally would
Yes, I always tip the same amount
==============
http://www.tipping.org/calculator/CalculatorPage.html

[Fullabull]

Stiff em! Stiff em all !!!!:eviltongu