A little tip goes a long way

I know not all countries tip, or even understand the whole tipping mentality.

Every Christmas I give my garbage drivers a nice tip (also mail lady, dog groomer etc.)
The garbage men will make sure nothing falls out and they push the can half way down the driveway. What is hilarious is that you can tell who is a cheapskate in the neighborhood if their cans are still by the street. (I don't think they know) I've worked for tips before and I know people are really cheap, so I try to go above and beyond. One year I was moving and I had so much garbage, so so much. I ran out and gave the garbage man some cash and he took it all. It was a lot cheaper than renting a dumpster and we both ended up happy.

My elderly mother had a downed tree, she gave her lawn guy some extra cash, and that tree removal didn't end up on her invoice. win win! There are a couple of local restaurants I frequent and know a couple of the servers quite well. I give a big tip, and they give me specials and discounts I know others aren't getting. For me the price ends up being a wash and the server gets a good tip, win win!
I know some of this is on a fine line when it comes to ethics, but in all reality, be generous and most people will be generous back.

Just the tip?

a reply to: JAGStorm

My daughter and I went to a snow shack in utah on our vacation. They make a snow cone type of thing that's more like snow than ice.
The friendly young lady handed out our treat and they were as big as your head.....
$2.50 each.
I gave her a 10 and said keep it.
She about fell over.

That's the type of thing that makes sleeping at night a lot easier.

a reply to: Bluntone22

I also find that being polite when someone makes a mistake goes a really long way. It did for me when I was in the service industry.

I always tip pretty good. I have wondered though how to tip the garbage men. Tape an envelope to the top of the can and hope somebody driving by doesn't take it? They take my trash when I am at work.

a reply to: Autorico

I agree with that.
I'm always patient when dealing with new waitresses, cashiers and tellers.

I have had a waitress running her butt off because they gave her to many tables. I never blame her.
I do give the manager a piece of my mind though.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Tipping just isn't apart of Australian culture, I really don't get the whole concept of it either... I see it all the time on American tv shows & movies, where a tip is expected for a job well done, with certain services... Whats that about?

Its like, a 'good job' is what they were supposed to do in the first place! If they feel their services are worth more, then it should have been included in the original price!

Yeah, it just makes no sense to me...

Besides, if you started handing out money to your garbage man (or whoever) over here, you'd probably be more likely to offend them than anything else.. It would imply you feel sorry for them, or consider yourself superior and want to give them charity.

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

I agree--I see it as an odd custom here in America.

Of course, those who do outstanding service generally earn more than they would if they just got a straight salary and hoped for periodic raises, so in that regard, I see the merit of it, but I would much rather not feel a need to tip.

That is especially true when I have terrible service for no obvious reason, because I hate giving a very small tip, but I have done it before. I will never not tip, though, because I don't want a bad server to ever think that I just simply forgot.

Garbage Man makes at least as much as I do, He's doing the Job He gets paid for. Same with the Mailman.

When it comes to food, dining out or delivery, I tip servers well because I know They work for tips.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I used to find that those with nothing tip better.
As a milkman years ago an old lady on a pension tried giving me a fiver tip.
Posh lot nearby couldn"t / wouldn't pay their bill.
Suffice to say the old dear was looked after and was politely refused the tip.

I tip 20% on food and 50% for bartenders when I used to go to bars, but the 6 dollar medium coffee I bought almost got a "quit ripping people off on coffee" in the tip reciept at the drive-through window.

It's bean flavored water for christs sakes.

What I do is tape a card to the top of the trashcan.

I say something like "Hey Garbageman, (yes seriously, I say hey garbageman) thanks for all your hard work. Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season".

They just love it. They give me a card back every year! Our mailperson gives us a card every year too.

For those that don't understand tipping in America. The sad fact is a lot of jobs just don't pay very well. Many do not get any kind of bonus or perks. Many of these workers deal with daily abuse from customers. A little holiday tip can mean the world to some of these workers. A lot of people think if they get great service first then they will tip, but the opposite is true. People are driven by money, if you give them a great tip then they will give great service (or at least remember you for next time).

That's what she said.

a reply to: JAGStorm

In my province most civil servants - mail, garbage truck drivers, public lawn mowers, hell even the guys who help bring groceries to people’s cars, are told they cannot accept any monetary gift for their services.
You can always tell who’s been with the company long.
They know they get crap pay, so every little bit extra helps.

Bravo! In my former days as food service person here in the U.S. (late 80's,early 90's fine dining waiter, pizza delivery, deli worker, etc.) I clearly remember generally being paid less than the minimum wage, this was legal because one's tips were considered as a large chunk of one's income, so restaurants had us report our tips separately for tax purposes. I am not sure if that practice of paying employees less than minimum is still legal, but it was back then. In my state at least. The regular pay was so low that one depended on decent tips to make ends meet. It was a sad fact but we knew if we were serving a table of foreigners we were out of luck for the night. Those were usually the tables one spends the most time at, with friendly chatting, local info, on and on. This had a trickle down effect as other tables nearby felt slighted on service, why did that waiter spend 10 minutes at that table and only 2 minutes at ours? and so one gets a lower, or no tip a all. Low tips cut into things like money for food and gas/transportation. I could go on and on and on, as I am sure anyone who has worked service industry jobs in the states knows. Tips really, really count here. Try to tip well.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Tipped my bartender 30% today despite the fact that:

a) she had her back towards me the entire time or was outside on her cell with her bf

b) took 15 minutes to finally pour my #ing drink when i was the only customer in the entire establishment

c) the one communication between us involved my complimenting her shirt and exclaiming "thats the california flag!" for her to snap at me with "Um, YA...im AWARE."

I literally dont even know this chick and she treated me like some kind of piece of crap.


I honestly dont know why i was nice to her, or tipped so much. Hell, i dont know why i just didnt walk out and tell her to go # herself.

Oh well. Kill em with kindness.

a reply to: JAGStorm

In my line of work it's somewhat traditional to tip, but not necessary, nor expected anymore.

It's super nice when I get one and I really just let rip 1,000 thank yous.

It can really balance out a lousy day.

I am a very generous tipper as well. Hell, my single mom raised me and my bro on tips.

In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make--the more you give, the more you get!