Tipping Tips: Who to Tip and How Much

When we go out to dinner, we know tipping is a requirement at the end of the meal. Servers only make a couple bucks an hour so they depend on tips in order to make a living. As a result, tipping your server is not only appreciated, it is a necessity. But many of us tend to tip too much and we also tip others who provide us with a service even when it is not a societal norm. Here is a quick guide to tipping so you can save a few bucks by putting some dollars back in your pocket rather than unecessarily in a tip jar.

Your Doorman

If you live in a building that is affluent enough to have a doorman, experts agree that you should tip the doorman one dollar for every bag he carries for you. You should also tip your doorman another dollar if he hails a cab for you.

Coffee Shops

If you are like many people, you squirm at the sight or a tip jar sitting on the counter at your local Starbucks or other chain coffee shop. You are already paying $4 for a cup of coffee and they want you to throw an extra dollar into the tip jar, too? But according to tipping experts, there is no reason to feel guilty about ignoring that tip jar. Workers at coffee shops get paid at least minimum wage so they do not depend on tips in order to get a decent wage. However, if you frequent a particular coffee shop and generally deal with the same baristas, throwing a dollar or two into the tip jar every once in awhile is a good way to let them know that you appreciate the way they serve you. It may even get you free stuff or some other special service every now and then.

Bartenders

When you go to the bar, the amount you tip your bartender should be dependent on what you are drinking. If you are the designated driver for the night and just drinking soda pop, you should tip the bartender at least 50 cents for each fill up. If the bartender is actually mixing drinks for you, tip at least $1 per drink. However, you can always go with the tab method in some places and just tip an extra 15 to 20 percent of the total. Depending on how much you drink in a given night, this could be the more cost effective way of enjoying your evening out.

Restaurant Servers

When you tip a restaurant server, you are not giving them “extra.” Instead, you are helping them reach the minimum wage for the hour. Restaurant servers make significantly less than other workers because of the reasoning that their tips help them make minimum wage. For adequate service at a restaurant, you should tip your server about 15 percent. For great service, 20 percent is the norm. However, even if the service is horrible, tipping experts say you should still tip the server. A 10 percent tip in this case is recommended.

Pizza Deliverers

Tipping the pizza guy is important. According to the Emily Post Institute, you should tip your pizza deliverer about 10 percent of the pretax total. If your home is hard to find or if it sits on the outskirts of the delivery area, 15 to 20 percent is a respectable tip. Many times, pizza guys have to pay for their own gas and they make minimum wage or less because they get tipped.

Flower Deliverers

This profession is close to my heart because I did it for several years to help work my way through college. Flower deliverers rarely get tips from customers and tipping authorities do not recommend tipping them, either. These workers make at least minimum wage and they often do not even use their own vehicles in order to make the deliveries. If you want to be gracious, there is nothing wrong with tipping the person who brings the flowers to your door, especially if they have to walk through snow, rain or ice to get your flowers safely to your door. But it is not required the way it is with other service workers.

Tipping is something that you can do to show someone your gratitude for his or her service. Throughout the course of your day, you may run into several people who provide you with a service. One thing to keep in mind is that it is that if you are unsure about how much to tip, err on the side of over-tipping rather than under-tipping, especially when you receive great service. You could insult a person with a low tip, but no one will be insulted by a large one!