First of all, let’s be honest with each other. The culture of tipping has turned into the world full of manipulation, emotional blackmail, and calculations. You come to some counter to buy a bottle of water and see the screen spinning in front of you with suggested tipping percentages starting with 20. It is hard to follow the social etiquette as it is hard to survive in inflation that eats up your salary. But being tight with the wrong person could give you a bad reputation that you do not deserve.
The coffee shop situation is the place where you go crazy almost every day. When it comes to buying a regular coffee or taking some pre-cooked sandwich, leaving your spare change or even one dollar is fine. But when you order some complicated latte with oat milk and three shots of espresso during a morning rush hour, it should be tipped at least with two dollars. In such cases, baristas practically perform some chemistry. Do not make them regret about the drink they have prepared for you.
And now it is time to talk about the iPad swivel. I think everyone knows what I am talking about. You buy some ten-dollar cookie in a bakery, and the screen suggests to tip 25%. Actually, in cases with counter-service when you help yourself, one or two dollars will be more than enough. Do not let these preset buttons scare you into tipping like you just had a fancy dining experience there. By the way, staff probably did not set the software options anyway.
Regarding the restaurants in general, fifteen percent is the minimum amount of tips, and twenty percent has already become a norm. If the waiter or waitress was particularly unpleasant or just ignored you, fifteen is fine. Do not drop the number below that point unless he or she actually threw the food at you. Remember that servers in most of the US states receive a base wage of two dollars per hour. They need tips to cover the rent, which means that this system is pretty flawed. But unfortunately, we are living in it.
Drivers who deliver your food are heroes of your lazy Sunday afternoons. Five dollars would be enough if you order your lunch using the services like DoorDash or UberEats. But if you order the food delivery during a blizzard or from a restaurant that is situated fifteen miles away from you, then you need to increase the amount of tip significantly. The drivers use their own gas and put the miles on their personal vehicle. Do not make them regret about taking your order.
The tipping of rideshare drivers is surprisingly simple and easy to mess up at the same time. Five dollars or even less is the nice tip for the usual Uber or Lyft ride. If the driver helped you with luggage or brought you somewhere in crazy traffic without a complaint, five dollars is the minimum tip for him or her. The rating system is some sort of feedback but cash still speaks louder. It is the small payment for the opportunity not to drive yourself back from the bar.
Tattoos and haircuts are the places where you cannot afford being cheap. After all, the barber or stylist makes the impression that people have of you for the next month. In such cases, twenty percent of the bill is the norm. And if you get some complicated tattoo, tip correspondingly because you pay for something that is staying on your skin forever. That is the basic of smart financial management.
Housekeeping and bellhops of hotels are often forgotten. And it is completely wrong. You should tip five dollars per day for the housekeeping staff. Per day? Yes, because different people clean your room every day. And if the bellhop delivers your baggage to the room, give him or her five or ten dollars depending on the size of the baggage. It is just the price of civilized travel.
To conclude, tipping is the tax for participating in social life. It is annoying, math-based, and emotionally exhausting. But as long as we need to operate within the system of wages in service industry, it is inevitable. Take it into consideration before going out. You will thank yourself in the future for the fact that you do not need to make any calculations in your head standing at the counter.
Thanks for reading this post! – MyPlugin