When To Tip - And How Much

From Yahoo! Finance:

While most people tip at restaurants, many people are confused about how much they should shell out for other services -- or whether they should tip at all. Tipping, and determining how much to tip, depends on several factors including the quality, frequency and nature of the service rendered. According to Anna Post of the Emily Post Institute, customers should also consider the "length and strength" of their relationship with the service provider.

When it's your turn to tip, keep the following suggestions from the experts in mind.

Gas Attendants -- Suggested Tip: None

In certain states, full service is provided to every customer at the gas pump. But, regardless of how friendly and helpful your gas attendant may be, tipping authorities agree that no tip is necessary.

Shampoo Person -- Suggested Tip: $2

Before you make it to your stylist's chair, you will have a run-in with the shampoo boy or girl. Experts recommend a flat-rate tip for a shampoo, while a tip of 15-20% is recommended for the hairdresser.

Doorman -- Suggested Tip: $1 per Bag

The total amount due to the doorman depends on how many bags he or she helps you with; a tip of about $1 for each bag is reccomended. Hailing a cab is worth an additional dollar.

Skycaps (Airport Porter) -- Suggested Tip: $1 Per Bag

When you're at the airport, you really need to ensure that you keep baggage handlers on your good side. Don't skimp on tips here. The standard tip is equal to that of a doorman; however, the $1-per-bag rate doubles if the skycap takes your bags to the check-in counter.

Food Retailers and Coffee Shops -- Suggested Tip: None

Many smaller restaurants have tip jars located at the point of purchase, but according to tipping authorities, you shouldn't feel guilty for walking on by. Unlike most restaurant servers, employees behind the counter are typically paid at least minimum wage. That said, if you visit a place frequently and have a good relationship with the person behind the counter, adding a modest tip to the jar now and then is a nice way to say "thanks".

Bartenders -- Suggested Tip: 15-20% of Tab

If you choose not to go with the percentage of the tab method, your bartender's tip should be determined by the strength of what you are sipping. Soft drinks should carry a minimum tip of 50 cents per drink. Up the ante for mixed or other alcoholic drinks to about $1 per drink. (Does the expense of going out for drinks make you cringe?

Restaurant Servers -- Suggested Tip: 15% of Pretax Bill

Restaurant workers are part of a unique group, in that their minimum wage is $2.13 per hour. The low wage has been set since 1991, with the reasoning that tips will help bring workers up to, or above, minimum wage. So, tips for servers are not additional pay, they're how these workers makes a living!

Assuming you've received adequate service, the standard tip for servers is 15%; outstanding service should be rewarded with a 20% tip. Contrary to popular belief, bad service is no excuse to completely skip the tip. Even when the level of service is poor, experts recommend leaving no less than 10%.

Pizza Delivery -- Suggested Tip: 10% of Pretax Bill

Just like the precious cargo they carry, how much to tip the pizza guy is a hot topic. The Emily Post Institute suggests a tip of 10% of the pretax bill, with difficult deliveries earning the delivery person 15-20%. However, Tipthepizzaguy.com recommends a different set of guidelines, including a rate of 15% for normal service, 20% for excellent service and 10% or less for poor service.

Conclusion

Tipped employees often rely on gratuity for a substantial portion of their income. Since tipping is optional and how much to tip is debatable, the take-home pay of a tipped employee is often riddled with uncertainty. Regardless of the gray areas, remember that good service has value; tipping allows you to reward people who provide good service and helps to ensure that you and the service provider share a mutually beneficial relationship.

High/Low Week 8 2010

The old ethical test goes something like "Would you have said the same thing about that person if they'd been in the room with you?" I can think of at least three separate occasions this week where I flunked that test. It's a sign of weakness to backbite or feast upon the perceived missteps of others, a weakness I'd done well to address in recent months but slid back into this week. There's always another option than to complain. It's funny how easy it is to watch a high school player blame the referees for his misfortunes, nodding to myself self-assuredly at how foolhardy that is, and then to whine internally about my insignificant challenges at the office. "Head up, mouth shut!"

Following another tough home loss in hoops on Wednesday, it was refreshing to see how close the team has become during practice the next day. The defeat seemed quickly forgotten, and in its place the players were laughing, playing and even wrestling with each other good-naturedly. Forty-six practices and twenty games have molded this team into a unit that enjoys being together, and even a part-timer like me feels like a welcome part of the family. I look forward to seeing how they do as sophomores.

My little free-throw shooting exercises are paying off. Today I hit ten in a row on three different occasions, including 15 in a row in one stretch.

Planner that she is, Mom drafted and sent me a copy of her will. It reads in conclusion: "I love and have always been very proud of my children. You have grown up to be special people who care about others. A Mother couldn't ask for more."

I recently heard someone answer the question "How are you?" with the response, "I'm living the dream." What a fantastic refrain. Is life great or what?

The Crazies

The previews I read about this movie did a nice job about concealing the larger plot, so I'll extend the courtesy here. It begins with the death of a farmer shortly after he appears to lose his marbles, and a small town is quickly overcome with some kind of force that transforms folksy neighbors into disease-wracked killers.

I knew this would be one of those "look-away" movies for me. You know the moments - the close up shot, the dark room, the silence... and the fact that roughly two minutes have passed since something startling happened. So you listen peacefully for the explosion of dire music, wait ten seconds for the screams to fade, and then start watching again. Does wonders for the heart rate.

The interesting twist here, unlike "The Happening" in which the entire movie was spent trying to beat the mysterious force, "The Crazies" solves the riddle early enough to allow a different kind of enemy to emerge. And even though most every character who utters a line ends up meeting some gruesome finish, it ends with a small measure of satisfaction, even though the ending isn't completely happy.

So let your imagination run with that, find someone who doesn't mind being squeezed, and head toward the back row of a theater to wake yourself up with this one!

The Parke Hotel

Our romantic 15-year anniversary evening was a pleasure at the modern Parke Hotel on the east side of town. The top-floor suite was complete with whirlpool tub and big screen high-def television. Stepping into that tub - oh, my! The relaxation was so overwhelming in contrast to the wintry whipping winds outside that I sat transfixed for a couple minutes. The T.V.'s closed captioning allowed us to enjoy an episode of TruTV's Forensic Files show while the jets massaged away.

There was a lounge with bar and live music just off the lobby, featuring a smooth-voiced singer this evening. We didn't hop into the pool ourselves, but it did appear to be making waves even in the late hours of the night. And the convenience nook filled with snacks for purchase at all hours of the day was a delightful surprise, seeming to buck the trend on my business travels.

The staff was helpful and upbeat. The beds were soft and comfortable. I wouldn't mind going back!

Another Reason To Love Thy Enemy

"A common enemy brings opposing sides together faster than any other type of group cohesion technique." - David Lieberman

So why have marriage counselors not caught on to this? "Sorry guys, I was so sure hug therapy was going to do the trick for you. You know what the real problem is? Little Jimmy. Think about it, the crying, the spilled milk, the skinned knees. Who invited him anyway? It's time to bring him down. You can DO this!"

Or peace talks:

Flarfanian leader: "We may return your hostages, but we shall NEVER cede the river bank!"

United Fiefdom leader: "The hostages would rather perish than live without the river bank!"

(tense staring, then eye darting, followed by uncomfortable shuffling of feet)

Flarfanian: "Those Krankizites sure have lots of river bank and plunderable villages, don't they?"

United Fiefdom: "Our armies will crush them into the dust of history!"

15 Year Anniversary

Fifteen years ago today I attended a Baptist Student Union dinner theater at ISU. The Saturday night amateur event featured various forms of karaoke and performing home made scripts that was charming in a family-style way. About a dozen students were earning proceeds to travel from home and minister to those less fortunate. Avanti's spaghetti was abundant. And for the first time, I met a pretty young girl from Goodfield as part of a blind date, a prelude to several thousand wonderful days since. As fate would have it, our old favorite "Forrest Gump" is playing on television tonight. All that's missing is a DQ blizzard! Tomorrow night we'll spend a luxurious evening together thanks to a winning silent auction bid for a hotel suite as part of - yes - another fund raiser. What could be better?

Out There

"If you think that the problem is 'out there,' that thought is the problem." - Norman Vincent Peale