How much do you tip?

[zhuzhu]

If you use the following services, I was wondering how much you tip your 1) cleaning person and 2) massage or facial services?

Thanks for sharing!

 

[mayachel]

I don''t have a cleaning person so I don''t know the range for that, or if you do it every time.

Massage therapist-$20 or 20% whichever is more when it is good. Good therapists have a lot of training and effort to do the work they do. It also has a relatively high burnout from overuse of the hands.

 

[gwendolyn]

Don''t use either of those services, but at restaurants, I tip between 20-25% back at home in the US. Here in the UK, I usually tip about 10% and my fiance always makes faces because he says we don''t have to tip here. I''ve heard varying things from people in different parts of the country, so I don''t really know what''s expected.

 

[kenny]

I've never had a massage in my life.
No cleaning service. I'm the maid.
We don't even own a dishwasher.

I tip 15% of the final bill at restaurants.
By final bill I mean AFTER tax and drinks are added in.

I know people who calculate their tip on the amount BEFORE tax and drinks.

 

[iheartscience]

I don't have a cleaning service (yet!

) so I don't know the norm for that. For a massage/facial/manicure I tip 20-25%, depending on how happy I am with it.

ETA nevermind-misread kenny's post!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 8/30/2009 1:07:29 AM
Author:zhuzhu
If you use the following services, I was wondering how much you tip your 1) cleaning person and 2) massage or facial services?

Thanks for sharing!

I don't have either. . .normally I tip 20% for everything else. If I've gone to a new hair dresser, I tip 15% the first time because often it's difficult to see how good of a job that gal has done until I've left the salon. If she has done a good job, I will give around 20% for future styling.

 

[somethingshiny]

I don''t have a cleaning person. I tip 20% for a standard massage or facial. If I get a massage or facial that takes the same amount of time as the standard and just uses different products, I don''t tip a full 20%. I''m not giving them an extra $10 just because they used a brand name product instead of their salon line. However, if I get a really great massage (I''m hard to please) I give more like 30% because I realize they''ve totally mangled their hands.

 

[elle_chris]

I don't tip my cleaning lady as she's not from an agency, so everything she charges me (by the hour) goes to her.

For everything else around 20%. I will give more if the service was really special.


eta: can anyone from nyc recommend a cleaning person? The lady I use keeps upping her rates and I'm starting to get ripped off. (sorry for the hijack)

 

[zhuzhu]

Thank you all! These feedback are very helpful. I was not sure about the cleaning lady, but it seems like the rule of the thumb is depending on if the servicer is an employeer(then flat fee), or an employee (then tip). Thanks again!

 

[Kaleigh]

I give the cleaning lady a bonus at Christmas. I don''t do the spa thing, but when I get my hair done, single process I give a $20 tip.

 

[LamborghiniGirl]

For cleaning, I don''t tip-- hourly rate plus $20 for transportation.

For spa services (massage, nails, hair, whatever), I tip 30% since I go back to the same people, and the added tip really pays off in their quality of work.

I don''t do presents at Christmas though.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I don't "tip" my cleaning lady...but I do give her gas money, she drives in from Chicago--she doesn't need to do that, so if I can make it worth her while, I totally will.

For my spa services, I tip based on the total, usually around 20-30% because I know that they don't make much from the service itself. However, I will say, if I get a lousy service the tip does suffer and I have no issue docking someone if they chat to much while I'm trying to unwind or rush me along. It doesn't happen often, but a tip, in any form, is a bonus--I want to tip, I enjoy tipping--but it's not a "given" for me.

I do give out Christmas gifts. Cash and a small token of my appreciation--usually a Yankee candle or something along those lines.

 

[phoenixgirl]

I don''t tip the Merry Maids. When I hired them, I googled the issue and found an article where some important person in the company reported that 17% of customers tip. I figured I''d have good company joining the 83% of people who don''t.

I would be more inclined to tip if I, say, hired my own person through Craigslist. That would seem more personal than an agency that sometimes sends different people; some weeks they send two, others three, etc. I would have to leave a tip that is always divisible by two and three!

For a massage or facial, I tip at least $20 assuming it takes at least an hour, up to 20% of the bill. It kind of depends on whether or not I''m tipping by cash (probably just $20) or adding it to the credit card bill (more likely to be 20%).

 

[LindaLo]

No cleaning lady here either. Though I would LOVE to get one!

For spa services including massages I tip 20%.

 

[UCLABelle]

Here is my typical:
*no cleaning person, but when I stay at hotels, I tip the maids $8-10 a day.
Massages-20%
Eyebrows ($20 service, $5 tip)
Hair-20%
Restaurants-18%
Pedi-($30 service, $5-8 tip)
Valet-$10

 

[Kay]

My cleaning lady is not from an agency. She sets her own price, which is not cheap, so I do not tip. (She is the "owner" of her business, not an employee.)

In restaurants, I tip 20% of the pre-tax total, including drinks. For hair and spa services, I tip 20%.

 

[Burberrygirl]

My regular hair stylist and massage therapist always get 25-30% with a bonus around the holidays. For other spa treatments I don't have people I always go to so I tip them anywhere from 20-30% depending on how good of a job they did. When I go out to eat I usually tip 20-25%. My parents don't tip the cleaning lady, she works for herself. They do give her a big bonus for the holidays. They give our mailman and paperboy money around the holidays too. My parents are big believers in bonuses, everyone gets one especially the guys working for my dads business.

 

[roverchic]

My cleaning lady is a private hire and I pay her a weekly rate no matter how long she is here, as long as she gets my list accomplished (some days she does 4 hours of laundry and baseboards, some days she may have to do a quick wipedown of countertops and drop off / pick up dry cleaning). I also provide her with a monthly gas stipend and have her treated to manicure and pedicure every 8 weeks. Her yearly bonus / holiday present is a week long stay at my beach condo. I usually rent it out at a rate of $900+ per week during season, so it is a nice gift for her and her family. She has been doing my home for the past 6 years...does a fabulous job and most importantly, I trust her 110%. I don''t have to hide or lock away anything, and I never stress about her being there alone. I try to treat her as well as I can bc I don''t want her to decide that she really doesn''t need the income, lol. (Technically, she is retired...drawing SS and simply likes having a little extra $ to spend on her family and grandkids!)

I have had bad luck with hairstylists since moving to W-S...the turn over rates of "master stylists" is amazingly high. In three years, I have visited 3 salons and had 8 different people as my stylist. Prior to moving here, I went to the same man from 1998 until 2005...followed him from VS (London) to DC to NYC back to DC (even when I was living in NC). He passed away suddenly in the Fall of 2005 and since then I have not found anyone who comes close to being half the hairstylist (not to mention friend) that he was. The worst part is that I am very loyal when I find someone / something I like and for whatever reason, younger stylists, as talented as they may be, do not appreciate loyalty in my area. I have extremely long hair...it is baby fine and I have a ton of it. With sp color and cut, I am easily a 2+ hour appointment...but I tip well and buy product. For example the average haircut and color for me is $125-145...if I liked the experience, get a cut I like or have asked for and feel the color looks great, I tip $40-50. I tip this amount if I want to come back, bc sometimes I am bad about not giving a lot of advance notice, or need to come in early morning or in the evening. And I want to get to the comfort level of...ok, you have done my hair enough to know what I like, what looks good on me, trends I enjoy and you understand my line of work...be creative, do something different...I trust you.... Maybe I was spoiled in that respect before, but that is what I ultimately want to have again. I don''t mind paying or tipping a lot bc I can sometimes ask a lot...but 90% of the time they enjoy having me in, it is relaxing, fun and we both end up happy!

In restaurants, I expect to leave 15-20% on a total bill and approx $1-2 per drink while at the bar. Of course I leave more on exceptional service with a compliment to the owner or a manager, or if it is my first time at an establishment that I have enjoyed, I tip more so they remember me the next time I am in If service is sub standard or complete garbage, I allow for one night of mistake / bad night with a 10% gratuity. If I am in a second time and have the same experience, I speak to the manager and owner to let them know why I had a bad experience and give them the opportunity to remedy the situation and keep me as a customer for 1 more visit. Because I was a waitress and a bartender while in college, I tend to expect a certain level of service and usually overtip when I am satisfied. But I have no problem letting anyone know I am dissatisfied...I ultimately think it is doing them a favor by letting them know what they are doing right and what needs improvement. That way they can decide to improve and build a successful business or they can ignore it and watch their customers flock to establishments which know the meaning of customer service and consumer satisfaction.

 

[Kelli]

I only tip my cleaning lady 10%, because she''s her own employer and gets the entire check. She even tried to give it back the first few times saying tipping wasn''t needed, but I still do. I usually tip a little over 20% anywhere else, unless the service was really terrible.

 

[miraclesrule]

Too much according to my daughter. I am an extremely generous tipper having been a food server in my younger days. But I always reward those that work hard. I even share my bonuses with my staff because without them I wouldn''t even get them. I hate pay disparity. The more you make, the more you get...and that is not fair in my eyes.

 

[atroop711]

you''re supposed to TIP a cleaning person? Why? You''re paying them a salary...anyway I don''t have one (but would LOVE one)

As for a massage..I usually give $20

In a restaurant I usually give 20% or more if the service was great. If the server was rude or horrible in any way...it''s reflected in the tip amount

 

[gemgirl]

To my haircutter - 20%. The shampoo girl - $3 to $5.- To my dogs'' groomer - 20%. In restaurants my husband does the tipping and he usually leaves 20% to 25% because he usually feels bad for how hard the waitresses work.