Ever wonder how much you should tip the barista? What about the pizza guy? Or your hair stylist? You’re not alone! Tipping can be pretty awkward, and feeling that way doesn’t mean you aren’t a generous person. It probably just means you aren’t sure what the rules are. We’ve got a list of how to tip in every situation imaginable (or at least a whole lot of them!).
Last week, we looked at tipping at restaurants, grocery services, and at salons and spas.
Hotel Housekeeping
A lot of people don’t even realize they need to tip at hotels. You should leave a couple dollars a night at a budget-friendly hotel and around $5 a night at a swanky spot. And remember to tip daily since you might not get the same housekeeper throughout your stay.
Concierge
If the concierge has secured impossible-to-find tickets to a Broadway show, then yes—slip them a $10 or $20 bill for going above and beyond with their connections. If they just gave you quick directions to the nearest coffee shop, you can skip the tip and offer a thanks instead.
Cab Driver
We all know to tip the cab driver for taking us safely to our destination. But how much is too much? This depends on the length of your trip and your driver’s ability to handle the road. If you feared for your life during the ride, that tip is going to be a big fat zero. If it was an overall safe trip, go ahead and tip 10–15%. Add an extra dollar or two if they helped you with unloading any luggage.
Uber and Lyft Drivers
You can easily tip your Uber or Lyft driver by using the app on your mobile device. Yay, technology! Since you can rate your driver, most of them go out of their way to win you over with perks like snacks, drinks and phone chargers. We think the same tip amounts for cab drivers also apply to Uber and Lyft drivers (10–15%).
Tipping Outside of the United States
If you’re traveling outside of the States, find out ahead of time if tips are expected for particular services. Other countries ’cultural norms are way different than ours, and you don’t want to offend anyone by leaving (or not leaving) a tip when you shouldn’t (or should).
House Cleaners
Hey, there’s nothing wrong with paying for a house cleaning service—it’s hard work! Plus, the folks who clean houses for a living are really good at what they do. No wonder 10% of households in the U.S. pay a professional service to clean their homes. So, how much should you tip these top-notch house cleaners? A good goal is 15–20%.
Flower Delivery
If you’re sending flowers, tip $2–5 per arrangement. On the flip side, if you receive a beautiful display of flowers (or a tasty fruit bouquet), it’s most likely a wonderful surprise. We don’t think you have to tip when receiving a gift, but take the time to say thank you. And if you get excellent service, recommend that company to others—a word-of-mouth referral could bring them more business!
Professional Movers
No doubt about it—if your movers go the extra mile and help you bring in and set up your furniture, they deserve a tip. (Think about all that hard work!) Or if they did an excellent job moving your exotic fish tank or your grandmother’s old piano up three flights of stairs, they definitely deserve a tip. We suggest $10–50 per mover depending on the level of difficulty, attitude of the crew, and amount of stuff they were lugging around for you. Every situation is different, so use your best judgement.
Cable Guy or Satellite Installer
Technically, your cable guy or satellite installer is doing their job when they come over to your house. It’s not a service they’re going out of their way to do for you. That said, if it’s a blazing hot day, go ahead and “tip” them a refreshing glass of lemonade or a bottle of water. And if it’s the dead of winter, why not offer them a nice hot cup of coffee or tea?
Contractor
Since your contractor is there to do the job you hired them to do—whether it’s marketing for your small business, helping you with your website, or filing your taxes—you don’t have to tip them. Now, if they’re making you dinner, picking up your dry cleaning, and cutting your hair, that’s a different story.
Wedding Officiant
Whoever officiates your wedding—whether it’s your priest, your pastor, a guy at the courthouse or an Elvis impersonator—you should tip them. If it’s not already required as part of the wedding fees, hand the officiant $50–100 in a nice thank-you card at the rehearsal. If they absolutely refuse to accept it, offer to make a donation to their church or their favorite charity instead.
Babysitter
If your babysitter really helped you out (like agreeing to watch your little ones on short notice or cleaning up the aftermath of your child’s stomachache from the carpet), then maybe you should tip them. But this isn’t an absolute must. It’s just a nice gesture acknowledging the trouble they went through. This can look like adding a little extra to their hourly rate or rounding up that half hour to a full hour when you’re figuring out what you owe.
Working during the holidays is really stressful for folks in retail or the service industry, so don’t be a scrooge! You don’t necessarily need to tip more than usual—unless your stylist or plumber was able to squeeze you in at the last minute during the holiday season. But adding a “Merry Christmas” or including a card with your regular tip can make someone’s day. And really, an extra $5 or a coffee gift card on top of your regular tip is a great way to make the day merrier and brighter for someone who serves you well all year long. It would also be a super kind gesture to give a present to the teachers, manicurists and hair stylists in your life.
If you’re going to tip a percentage of the bill, that means you’ve got to calculate the dang thing. That can seem difficult, especially if you’re in a hurry to get up from the table to make it to the movies or put the kids to bed. But all you really need is a little elementary school math and the calculator on your smartphone.
Here’s an easy way to calculate a tip:
Ta-da! That’s how much you should tip.
If that sounds complicated, we promise it’s really not. Here’s an example: Let’s say your total at the local Applebee’s is $28. Your server did an outstanding job of making sure your fries were piping hot and your milkshake was ice cold, so you decide to tip her 20%. (Good call!)
All you have to do is move the decimal two places to the left (.20), then multiply that by the cost of the meal ($28). And voilà, you have your tip: $5.60! You can do the same for any other percentage, whether it’s 15%, 20% or 25%! So, there you go! You’ll be an expert at tipping in no time.
No matter what tipping situation you find yourself in, you can’t go wrong with being generous. In fact, if you’re in a good financial position, why not be outrageously generous? Remember, your tip says more about you than the person you’re leaving it for. And if you budget for it, then tipping isn’t a big deal at all!
(Partially reprinted from www.ramseysolutions.com)
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