Tipping etiquette?

[ben1993]

I tip 20% (ish) if it was good service and a bit more if it was really great service (like the girl at Rose & Crown who actually found time to have a chat with us about how long she was working at Disney for and when she was going back home to Scotland etc.)

Not gonna' lie though, once at TGI Friday's in Orlando though we didn't have enough cash on us for a tip so we just legged it!

 

[GirlDreamer]

The taxi driver my Brother encountered thought he had been tipped the wrong amount. It was his first visit to NYC quite a few years ago now, he tipped a couple of dollars in coins for a short journey, the taxi driver wound the window down and threw it at my Brother.

That might be because they find it rude to be tipped in coins

I'm a strict person when it comes to tipping, but that's because I've been a server in WDW and know the service standards they have. I'm also very thirsty when I eat, so I hate servers that don't give refills quick enough

Anyway, just remember that in WDW there's only a few tipped positions. So anything that isn't a TS or a bar in the parks, you normally don't tip. Like in CS and snack carts. They're actually not allowed to receive tips as they're not in a tipped position, and accepting tips might cause them trouble. That being said, Disney will never deny you to tip if you really want to. The trick is to know that the CM has to decline the tip 3 times before they can accept it. Even then, they're not allowed to keep the tip, it should go right back to Disney, but some CMs chooses to risk it and keeps it anyway.

I actually had to laugh once I was standing at the Norwegian snack cart and some guests obviously knew about this saying no 3 times rule. Here's the conversation:

Guest: "Do you want a tip? Say no."
Me: "No"
Guest: "Do you want a tip? Say no."
Me: "No"
Guest: "Do you want a tip? Say no."
Me: "No"
Guest: "Here you go"

And they handed me the tip

 

[Dead-metal]

I dislike the "expected tip"

I only tip for good service at restaurants or if someone has done something extra that deserves a cash reward.

If the person has done their job and nothing more then they get nothing.

 

[donaldpeter58]

I hear what you're saying, but that's a semi irrelevance. My OP was about appropriate tipping situations, not avoiding tipping after good service or how to exercise your right to be a tight wad.

 

[Altymark]

What about the guy who packs your shopping at the till of a supermarket?
Last time we shopped, we ignored him (well politely declined his offer) and packed our own groceries - he didn't look happy so I assumed maybe he was hoping for a tip?

 

[Guyton dis lover]

I dislike the "expected tip"

I only tip for good service at restaurants or if someone has done something extra that deserves a cash reward.

If the person has done their job and nothing more then they get nothing.

this is exactly what i do

 

[Guyton dis lover]

What about the guy who packs your shopping at the till of a supermarket?
Last time we shopped, we ignored him (well politely declined his offer) and packed our own groceries - he didn't look happy so I assumed maybe he was hoping for a tip?

He gets paid to do this job. Do not tip him and he should not expect it.

 

[Guyton dis lover]

I tip 20% (ish) if it was good service and a bit more if it was really great service (like the girl at Rose & Crown who actually found time to have a chat with us about how long she was working at Disney for and when she was going back home to Scotland etc.)

Not gonna' lie though, once at TGI Friday's in Orlando though we didn't have enough cash on us for a tip so we just legged it!

Sometime it happens that way.

 

[Elise79]

What about the guy who packs your shopping at the till of a supermarket?
Last time we shopped, we ignored him (well politely declined his offer) and packed our own groceries - he didn't look happy so I assumed maybe he was hoping for a tip?

In Publix they actually have either on their apron or a badge that they are not allowed to accept tips - we always let them help as it nice to chat to them

 

[higgy66]

For our last couple of visits we've been on the dining plan and to be honest we just tipped all our meals $15 or $20

We had great service in all the restaurants - plenty of refills and activity sheets pens etc for the kids which is an important thing for us until the girls are a little older.

If the 18% "suggested tip" came in below $15 we left $15 if it was over this but below $20 we left $20 - we didn't eat at any signature places so no tip came in over $19

I can't be doing with waiting for change and in the scheme of things what's a few cents over the suggested tip when you calculate it back to stirling?

We ate for "free" in all those lovely restaurants so what's $20 for a meal for 4?

The only tip I find strange - but before you shoot me down I do tip - is the bar staff. As an ex bar maid I find it strange that we have to tip for each drink served and more if it's a mixer - especially when you've gone to the bar yourself and it's not served to you at a table? i.e. Pool bars. In the UK you wouldn't tip for each round you buy? If you stayed in there all night you might buy the staff a drink at some point but even then only if you're a regular to that pub. If only I could go back in time and be a bar maid in Florida.......

 

[flortlebap]

What about the guy who packs your shopping at the till of a supermarket?
Last time we shopped, we ignored him (well politely declined his offer) and packed our own groceries - he didn't look happy so I assumed maybe he was hoping for a tip?

I could be wrong, but was he maybe collecting for a charity? That happens quite frequently at our supermarket - volunteers will pack your bags but you're expected to make a donation.

 

[212456]

I dislike the "expected tip"

I only tip for good service at restaurants or if someone has done something extra that deserves a cash reward.

If the person has done their job and nothing more then they get nothing.

Just to clarify, if you are at a TS and the waiter 'does their job' you don't leave them anything?

 

[chmurf]

I only tip at table service, never at counter service, and it depends on the quality of the service.
15% seems ok to me. lousy service will get 10% or even less. Outstanding service ... well don't know, never felt like it was good enough to deserve a higher tip, but who knows, I might be surprised one day

mousekeeping ... well I wonder, I guess $4 a day for a party of 3 is correct. I tip daily, I avoid tipping on a weekly basis or at the end of the stay, because you know, the mousekeeper who gets your tip might never have cleaned your room at all. Day to day basis seems to be fair.

People giving me directions, I sure won't tip. I consider that it's a service they are supposed to render to the general public
come on, next time you forget your watch you're gonna tip the first guy who happens to tell you what time it is ? no way !

I may live in France but I long lived in the US and I know times are tough. But I know what being on minimum wages imply. Tipping is a "thank you" gesture in exchange for a service.
might as well tip the security guard at the entrance because he pushed a button to open the gate for you.

where does it stop ... ok come on, let's tip the lady, she allowed us to breathe the air when we passed in front of her house, thank'ya lady, here's a fiver ...

The main question is : does that service deserve a tip, or "in my country, would this kind of service be rewarded with money included in the paycheck, or as a bonus

 

[dc1964]

It's not a bad idea to treat the tip as if it is part of the bill, try not to think about it. Just add the 15% to the ore tax portion of the bill, like as it's vat. Not worth getting upset about..

 

[wayneg]

It's not a bad idea to treat the tip as if it is part of the bill, try not to think about it. Just add the 15% to the ore tax portion of the bill, like as it's vat. Not worth getting upset about..

Thats roughly how it should be treated. The big difference between the UK and US is restaurants here include the service charge in their bill and they pay the staff with that. In the US they do not pay the staff (only the absolute minimum which is currently £2.73/hr) so its upto the customer to pay that part of the bill direct to the wait staff. If that member of staff gives excellent service then they should be rewarded for it.
Although I do not agree with an earlier suggeston of 10% for lousy service, personally I think they should get nothing and find another job as long as it is their service at fault and not the kitchens fault.

 

[Kath2003]

We tip 15-20% in restaurants as standard. Only a few times have we had poor service; in that case we've tipped slightly less. Tipping is not optional for us; we know it's expected and it's part of the cost of the holiday.

Cab drivers - anything between 10-20%, whatever's easiest when sorting the fare.

Housekeeping - I know it's not a requirement but I tip at least $1 per person per day. It's not a great paying job and most housekeeping staff do a superb job at it.

We don't tip anyone else: we haul our own bags (we take a backpack each) and ride the bus, so nothing else really comes into it.

 

[canadiankim]

I would sometimes like to be able to tip the cook/chef but not the wait staff. If you have a really fantastic meal that taste wonderful but the service was poor, wait staff poor, you should be able to get that money to the place that deserves it.

Okay, moan over!