\t\t\t\tI have a tip for you. It’s around 15 – 20%.<\/p>\n
Your mind races. Your palms are starting to sweat. Time is short, and indecision holds you fast.<\/p>\n
Lemme guess: you’re calculatin\u2019 a tip.<\/p>\n
Nobody wants to seem rude or unappreciative, but there’s no need for panic, either. So I decided to come up with a plan. With another business trip coming up, I decided to leave home prepared this time.<\/p>\n
Dining out: 20% and up for good service, 15% for adequate. When ordering an appetizer as a meal or sharing an entree, tip as if you’d had a full meal. Leave no less than 10% for poor service. In the U.S., tips go toward the server’s base wage. Only when the wage is met does a server receive a true gratuity, so leaving less than 10% may actually cost your server money.<\/p>\n
Hairdressers and spa practitioners get in on the 15 – 20% rule. Same counts for bartenders, but bump it up to $1 per drink if the percentage is less than that.<\/p>\n
Tip $3 to $5 for grocery loading, and 10% for counter meals or pizza delivery. Add an extra 5-10% for challenging deliveries. (The guys who package food in our facility here at the farm ordered pizza once just to see if they\u2019d deliver it all the way out here. They did drive it out, and even though my guys tipped them generously, they asked them not to call again. C\u2019mon guys. And I\u2019m not referring to the pizza fellas.)<\/p>\n
I suspect that if everybody got a bonus for challenging deliveries, the U.S. birthrate would be substantially higher. Just a thought.<\/p>\n
Caf\u00e9 tip jars: Tips here aren’t required (despite the implication), but give a little when you get a little. A barista who starts your regular drink before you order, sketches a heart in your foam, or slips a free cookie into your palm deserves a bonus.<\/p>\n
Traveling: A buck or two per bag for anyone who touches your luggage, including bellhops, doormen, or skycap attendants (at least $2 per person). $5 to $10 goes to the concierge. But the best tip you can leave is a room that\u2019s easy to clean for the next guest. (Pretend you\u2019re the chambermaid coming in after you leave, and yes, they get a tip too. I usually leave $10 to $20, depending on how long I\u2019ve stayed.) And I put the \u201cdo not disturb\u201d sign on my hotel room for several days running. If I need more towels, I call the front desk. I figure I\u2019m not only saving water, but helping conserve EFFORT in general.<\/p>\n
Of course, especially inspiring towel animals deserve extra. (Who knew you could make kissing antelope out of terrycloth?)<\/p>\n
And when in doubt about tipping … go for it. I’d rather seem overzealous than unappreciative any day. I even tip farmers at our market. (After all, they ARE a national treasure worth preserving, like a national park or an endangered species.)\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have a tip for you. It’s around 15 – 20%. Your mind races. Your palms are starting to sweat. Time is short, and indecision holds you fast. Continue reading