Do you tip?

[FionaH]

I tip in restaurants if the service is good. I have been a waitress in my day and both kids wait at the local hotel so I know how much it means.
I am a tight so and so for everything else

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

I tip taxi drivers but I only use one company. Drivers are very helpful towards Mr Frosty and the owner/drivers used to live in the same street as us in Glasgow (small world eh?). Don't really eat out in restaurants but then there are very few restaurants here. Mr Frosty and I have our weekly coffee and whatever - cake, sandwich... We have a choice of two cafes where service is excellent and coffee is devine. We always leave a tip. I don't tip as standard and have never tipped a delivery driver.

[basketcase]

I tip in restaurants if the service is good. I have been a waitress in my day and both kids wait at the local hotel so I know how much it means.
I am a tight so and so for everything else

I tip in restaurants - my daughter's doing a waiting-on job at the moment and the pay's not brilliant for a lot of hard work. Others I tip if 'above and beyond'. Never thought to tip the delivery man.

Don't tip bin people any more. Years ago, when we moved house after my father had died, our binmen refused to take (very neatly packed)stuff "because it wasn't in the bin".

A few days later, he knocked on the door, stuck his hand out and said to my brother "Hello, sir. Merry Christmas. I'm the man who empties the bins". Cheek! My borther's response? "Hello there! Merry Christmas. I'm the man who fills them!"

Service improved tremendously...

[janeyo]

I once worked in a estaurant where the boss used to pay us our wages from the tips jar... shocking! He was such an ********.
Fill in the blank
We had a bit of a falling out as after working for them for 3 christmas days and boxing days in a row, he then refused to pay me the double time he owed me for them! His wife chased me off the premises! ***** Fill in the blank

[piskieinboots]

.. (I think its rule of thumb 10% isnt it?),

I thought it was 15% - or is that yet another Americanism creeping our way!

.... people who are familiar with money or who have a lot of it become more independant and they assume you should be more independant too..

interesting!

[smallblueplanet]

...
One group of people was asked to count money, another group was asked to count pieces of numbered paper. As they left the session a woman would walk past and drop a pile of papers on the floor. The people who counted the paper would help her pick the paper up, those who counted the money would walk past.
Apparently this proves that people who are familiar with money or who have a lot of it become more independant and they assume you should be more independant too. There's definately some truth in it...

I'm sure you know what you mean but I don't...

[smallblueplanet]

I don't tip anyone. I pay for a service and I expect it to be a good service whatever it may be. I will thank them and even recommend them, but I don't tip.

I agree, although just occassionally if someone has gone 'above & beyond' I might consider a tip...

[FionaH]

I once worked in a estaurant where the boss used to pay us our wages from the tips jar... shocking! He was such an ********.
Fill in the blank

Thats just plain mean!

[Glutton4...]

Do I tip? Err yes, if I lean too far forward! Boom-boom!

Seriously, I'll tip waiting staff if I can make sure they get to keep it, otherwise the good ones have to share with the lazy wotsits, which I don't agree with. I don't add tips to my card, because I don't think they get passed on.

Personally, having waited tables in the past, for a pittance, it was always lovely to think I had done a good-enough job to warrant a tip. However, I actually disagree with the whole tipping system, and in general I don't tip. So, add me to the meanies list!

[Rhona]

Blimey! I thought I was about average but I might be a chronic over-tipper. The window cleaner got £7 tip yesterday because he caught me unawares and that was all the cash I had in my purse.

I've got little gift sets (port etc) for the milkman, postman and binman (they're really nice and give a 'special wave' to our little girl when they go by).

I always tip in restaurants if the service is good, and I always round up for taxi drivers.

Like TS, if someone gives a really good service, then I try to let their head office/boss know. A woman replaced a zip in a dress for me at John Lewis (I'd only asked her what type I needed to buy) and so I bought her a bottle of fizz and nominated her for employee of the month (her boss told me about it when he saw how pleased I was).

Clients have bought me beautiful gifts over the years, and I always received some lovely thank you cards from them which is touching and makes all the hard work worthwhile. I've been treated like that and effectively 'tipped' for my job, and I know what a difference it makes to your day, so I like to return it to others I suppose.

[binley100]

After my OH got made redundant he took on a job delivering peoples shopping for half the money that he previously earnt . Anyway, although he does get the odd tip here and there ,( and yes its usually from the havenots rather than the haves) the offer of a helping hand to carry the shopping in would be appreciated just as much as a tip.

[Glutton4...]

I must add; Were I in a better financial position, I would probably tip, as it does appear to be expected nowadays, and if I could afford it I guess I wouldn't mind. When visiting poor countries, I think it is important to tip, as the peoples' survival can depend on it!

[Rhona]

p.s... sorry Piskie, you asked about delivery drivers. I don't usually tip them, but 9 times out of ten, they're very chatty and friendly anyway. I might tip the one who brings the big Christmas week shop though. There's a LOT of bottles on that order.

[bubblewrap]

My tip for to-day is Sunny Lad in the 3.30 @ Kempton Park to-morrow.

[Alison]

I object being expected to tip as a right but will always do so if the service is good. Really annoys me when some restuarants just add it on without asking you - I know you CAN knock it off but a lot of people don't notice and sometimes tip on top.

Interesting point, when I was in Japan it soom became clear that tipping is a big no no and we were told that it was seen as offensive in that you were insinuating that somebody needed the money when they should have a proper wage in the first place. Saw a waitress in full traditional garb running down the street after two English guys trying to return the money they had left behind. Service was great over there too and not that horrible sickly type you get sometimes when some people work for the tip rather than concentrate on service. Think that this tends to put people's back up and may lead to genuine cases of good service not being rewarded.