Tipping Question

[vicki_c]

Yes i consider $12000 a year in tips, to be insane for a part-time job.

Why do you think these are part time jobs?

On the assumption that they get 2000 hrs per year (and that's probably a high estimate), their salaries would be $16k per year. Even if they did get an extra $12k in tips (also high I believe for an estimate), you're talking about a salary of $28k.

I wouldn't want to support myself or my family on that salary. I think I made that much after working about 3 years, more than 20 years ago, and stretched to cover my rent, car payment, etc. and that was just me.

Oops-missed the posts above saying what I just said already, sorry I didn't go to the next page of the thread by mistake!

 

[jahber]

Another difference is that housekeepers work extremely quickly and efficiently, at a faster pace than most people realize. They have a number of rooms they must clean in a certain amount of time or they can lose their jobs. It's NOT like other jobs.

I applied for a housekeeping job as a college student. I had excellent grades and references and I was turned down--for a housekeeping job--because the manager doubted my commitment to show up every day and slave away for 8 hours cleaning up other people's messes. I was premed, so I thought I knew hard work. I could have done it, sure. And I would have, to pay the bills. But my restaurant (non-tipped) job turned out to be easier...even though I ended up cleaning toilets every Friday and Saturday night anyway.

 

[AliceIn]

so lets say, you leave $5 a day, the mousekeeper may clean 20 rooms that day. lets assume that only half of them tip. thats $50 per day extra on top of their wage. working a 5 day weeks thats $250 a week, $1000 a month in tips.

on top of their wage. This is insane money.

Tipping for non-tipped posistions such as Mousekeeping is not needed and should only be done after you receive service above and beyond the norm which is worth tipping extra for.

Insane money, really? If someone is making $8.50 per hour, their gross pay per year is only $17,680 per year. If you are trying to support a family of four, this amount of income is under the poverty line.

If you add on the tips, it's $29,680 per year. Even with the tips, this is level of income would qualify someone for the federal free lunch program, WICC, and other assistance. It's hardly insane money for what is a very tough job physically.

If people don't want to tip -- don't tip.

For the rest who want to appreciate those who are working hard and hopefully easing what is likely a very tough life -- you are a blessing.

 

[AliceIn]

Do you offer a tip to the staff in the parks who clean the toilets? That has to be a disgusting job. And I'm sure they don't make any more than the housekeepers. Do you tip the groundskeepers who pick up the trash?

Unless, like a PP stated where her daughter got sick and threw up all over the bed, housekeepers don't require tipping for doing their regular job. Extra stuff like vomit? Yes. If you keep the room like a pigsty and they can't even find the towels or beds? Yes.

If you don't want to tip, don't tip. I'm going to continue to tip, because I feel it's the right thing to do.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you don't want to tip, don't tip. I'm going to continue to tip, because I feel it's the right thing to do.

And that is your prerogative. But it isn't requested like with food servers, bell services, etc.

 

[lbv7]

so lets say, you leave $5 a day, the mousekeeper may clean 20 rooms that day. lets assume that only half of them tip. thats $50 per day extra on top of their wage. working a 5 day weeks thats $250 a week, $1000 a month in tips.
on top of their wage. This is insane money.
Tipping for non-tipped posistions such as Mousekeeping is not needed and should only be done after you receive service above and beyond the norm which is worth tipping extra for.

1)The math is wrong. Housekeepers are responsible for cleaning up to 14 rooms per shift. So assuming that 50% tip $5 (and a lot of people leave less) that is $35 per day, or $700 per month.
2)Who says that housekeeping is a non-tipped position? Certain posters on Disboards maybe, but I have never seen anything in writing from Disney saying that housekeeping IS NOT a tipped position.
3 )Do you tip servers at WDW restaurants?. Even with a minimum server wage of $4.65 / hr my guess is that workers at busy upscale WDW restaurants make thousands of dollars a month in tips, wth any cash tips most likely never getting declared as income by the server. You must think that their "tipped income" is really insane.

 

[*Fantasia*]

Does anyone dare to ask the mousekeepers and custodians at the parks how much they get paid? It would be sad if they have been employed for over 20 years and they only get $8.00 an hour. For mousekeepers to come in our room to clean the bathroom, the shower, fix the bed, clean the counter and the sink, and vacuum the room.. I think they deserve to get tipped. I know it's their job, but I appreciate their work, the work I couldn't imagine doing when I'm on vacation!

 

[BanditsMommy]

I respectfully disagree. I'd bet that groundskeepers make at least $13 to $15 an hour. They may classify housekeeping as a non-tipping job, but they pay them a wage that shows that they know they will be tipped. Tipping housekeeping at a hotel is a universal thing.

FWIW, I worked for many summers as a hostess with my pay starting out at $8.25. It was not a tipped position, in fact we were PROHIBITED from taking tips from customers. If we did we could lose our jobs. No one who worked with me would ever consider making hostessing their full time job because there was no way it would ever pay the rent. For those who actually worked the job 40 hours a week - full time - they were usually college kids who lived with their parents and did the job for their own pocket money and car expenses, and maybe tuition. $8.25 is minimum wage, what the government expects is the minimum amount you can live on in your area. If you choose to make that your full time job, you know what you are getting into. Also, anyone who has been working there for 20 years is making WAY more than $8.25/hour because otherwise that would mean the person never got a raise (I got a raise every year that I worked as a hostess).

That said, it is great if you can give a tip to help them out, and especially if the room is very messy and they'll be doing more work, or if they go above and beyond, but please do not think that most people take this job on as full time and expect anything more than what they are given. Just like us, they appreciate a little pixiedust here and there, but they know what they are getting into when taking the job.

ETA: I forgot to mention that part of my hostessing duties required me to clean the bathrooms. So if you think that I didn't get tipped because hostessing isn't gross, think again.

 

[CalSea12]

Do you offer a tip to the staff in the parks who clean the toilets? That has to be a disgusting job. And I'm sure they don't make any more than the housekeepers. Do you tip the groundskeepers who pick up the trash?

Unless, like a PP stated where her daughter got sick and threw up all over the bed, housekeepers don't require tipping for doing their regular job. Extra stuff like vomit? Yes. If you keep the room like a pigsty and they can't even find the towels or beds? Yes.

I 100 percent agree with this! Does everyone tip all service professions? No. I am a teller at a bank, granted I make decent money, but it is a service position. Do I get tips no I do not, so why should every other service position? Taking me out of the picture do you tip your local cashiers? They are service position why do they not get tips, or janitors? Just because I am on vacation does not mean my wallet is open for everyone.

As a matter of fact, I usually keep the Do Not Disturb Sign up because I would rather them just leave a bag of toiletries for me, but should I tip for that? I just do not think so.

 

[Deb & Bill]

1)...2)Who says that housekeeping is a non-tipped position? Certain posters on Disboards maybe, but I have never seen anything in writing from Disney saying that housekeeping IS NOT a tipped position.....

I quoted you the information that states that Disney doesn't suggest tipping housekeeping. Those are official Disney publications.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Do you offer a tip to the staff in the parks who clean the toilets? That has to be a disgusting job. And I'm sure they don't make any more than the housekeepers. Do you tip the groundskeepers who pick up the trash?

Unless, like a PP stated where her daughter got sick and threw up all over the bed, housekeepers don't require tipping for doing their regular job. Extra stuff like vomit? Yes. If you keep the room like a pigsty and they can't even find the towels or beds? Yes.

I tip everywhere else I sta. I'm not going to not tip just because I'm in a Disney-owned hotel.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I 100 percent agree with this! Does everyone tip all service professions? No. I am a teller at a bank, granted I make decent money, but it is a service position. Do I get tips no I do not, so why should every other service position? Taking me out of the picture do you tip your local cashiers? They are service position why do they not get tips, or janitors? Just because I am on vacation does not mean my wallet is open for everyone.

As a matter of fact, I usually keep the Do Not Disturb Sign up because I would rather them just leave a bag of toiletries for me, but should I tip for that? I just do not think so.

Janitors aside - you, and retail cashiers, handle money as your job. Do you really want the headache (or worse) that would come with explaining why you pocketed cash during your workday?

Given that we're discussing tipping for housekeeping - the actual service of having your room cleaned by someone employed by the hotelier to provide that service - when you don't use that service, why would you think anyone would think you should tip?

 

[cjsm&d]

FWIW, I worked for many summers as a hostess with my pay starting out at $8.25. It was not a tipped position, in fact we were PROHIBITED from taking tips from customers. If we did we could lose our jobs. No one who worked with me would ever consider making hostessing their full time job because there was no way it would ever pay the rent. For those who actually worked the job 40 hours a week - full time - they were usually college kids who lived with their parents and did the job for their own pocket money and car expenses, and maybe tuition. $8.25 is minimum wage, what the government expects is the minimum amount you can live on in your area. If you choose to make that your full time job, you know what you are getting into. Also, anyone who has been working there for 20 years is making WAY more than $8.25/hour because otherwise that would mean the person never got a raise (I got a raise every year that I worked as a hostess).

That said, it is great if you can give a tip to help them out, and especially if the room is very messy and they'll be doing more work, or if they go above and beyond, but please do not think that most people take this job on as full time and expect anything more than what they are given. Just like us, they appreciate a little pixiedust here and there, but they know what they are getting into when taking the job.

ETA: I forgot to mention that part of my hostessing duties required me to clean the bathrooms. So if you think that I didn't get tipped because hostessing isn't gross, think again.

How many years ago were you a hostess? $8.25 an hour ten or fifteen years ago is not the same as $8.25 today.

 

[BanditsMommy]

How many years ago were you a hostess? $8.25 an hour ten or fifteen years ago is not the same as $8.25 today.

5 years ago?

ETA: That's when I started. I stopped working there two years ago and the intro salary was the same.

 

[cjsm&d]

5 years ago?

ETA: That's when I started. I stopped working there two years ago and the intro salary was the same.

Thanks for the answer. I guess Disney is just cheap then.

Just makes me want to help out the hard working help with a tip for their efforts even more. I can't do anything about tipping hostesses or bartenders at EPCOT at those little stands (I wasn't allowed to tip them either), but I can help out the housekeepers.

 

[BanditsMommy]

Thanks for the answer. I guess Disney is just cheap then.

Just makes me want to help out the hard working help with a tip for their efforts even more. I can't do anything about tipping hostesses or bartenders at EPCOT at those little stands (I wasn't allowed to tip them either), but I can help out the housekeepers.

Well it's great if you want to and can help them out! I am sure they greatly appreciate it and I really think it's very nice of people to at least offer. Even if the person can't accept it, the gesture means a lot.

 

[TDC Nala]

No matter what is said here, WDW does not list housekeeping with customarily tipped positions. In the information sheet they give out at the resorts, they list tipped positions, and housekeeping is not one of them. This is because they are paid at least minimum wage. If you think minimum wage is not enough and you would like to supplement with tips, nothing says you shouldn't. You may leave a tip for the housekeeper if you prefer to do so. It seems to be that most people on the boards have a preference for leaving a tip, if that makes a difference to you. The amount is up to you.

People do stay at the DVC resorts on cash and have regular housekeeping. It is not astonishing that the same positions are considered tipped positions there. The information sheets I have are for POR and AKL (which at the time was not a DVC resort).

I don't understand the reasons behind lambasting those who choose not to leave a tip when it's not a tipped position, but hey, whatever. I would assume the Mom's Panel quote is meant to show that tipping housekeepers is the official Disney position, but all it shows is that the panel member quoted prefers to tip the housekeepers.

I do not believe there is any correlation at all between the amount of tips and the possibility of receiving a towel animal. Others may differ in their opinion. I do know that tipping will not guarantee you a daily towel animal.

 

[CanadianPaco]

If I can afford the thousands of dollars I'm spending to visit WDW, I can afford $5 a day to show appreciation for someone working hard to keep my room clean.

Just my opinion.

And mine too! It's about appreciation!

 

[goofy4tink]

The minimum wage in Florida is $ 7.67 / hr. The starting salary for a houskeeper at WDW is $ 8.35 / hr. If someone makes minimum or a little better than minimum should have no bearing if you leave them a tip or not. You tip for service, plain and simple. If you don't want to tip, then fine.
I wonder how many people making $ 8.35 / hr would be able to afford a vacation at WDW, or be a DVC owner.

But, here's the thing....that's a 'starting' wage. The vast majority of housekeepers are making more than that. Some are making more than my dd who works in a preschool/daycare center!!!
I don't think that by saying these people can't afford a trip to WDW has any bearing on the issue. There are plenty of people that are making low paychecks that can't afford WDW or DVC either.

When we stayed at POR 2 years ago we forgot to leave a tip each day (so we tipped on the day we left). The only "washcloth/towel figure" we got was the one left for us on the day we checked in. My parents got one everyday. Knowing my father, he probably left a small tip everyday. I was just wondering if there is a correlation between the them. In other words, tip= fun washcloth figures?

No correlation at all. We have the vast majority of towel animals upon arrival. One time, at Pop, we noticed all the windows along our walk back to our room , had towel animals. But we never had any. And I left a $3 tip every single day...after making the beds myself and tidying up the room. Not much left for housekeeping to do. Come to find out..our housekeeper must not have known how to make the darn things!!!! No one in our immediate area had them!!!


Do I tip housekeeping? Sometimes. Last Oct, we finally got into our villa at Kidani. We had checked in about 10am, and it was now about 4:15ish. We got the text that our room was ready, with the room number. So, up we went. Well...we found a notice on the door telling us that the room was being serviced, and sorry for the inconvenience. Ah, no. Dh knocked, then used the key to get into the room. There was the housekeeper, on the couch, feet up, watching tv!!! She jumped up, saying she was just about done...killing time until her shift ended!!! Well...we found the toilet didn't work, there were used tissues on the floor of the master. And trash beside the sofa, behind the end table!!!! She flew out of there!!!! So, no, there are times I just don't tip. That kind of behaviour is unforgivable.
I tend to tip more often if at a non-DVC resort. But, I have started putting out the 'privacy please' placard on my door most days. I don't need fresh towels every single day. I don't need the toiletries replenished (if they actuallyl remember to do it). I prefer to have no one in my room during the day.

But if people want to tip, then fine. Do it each day as your housekeeper will change during the stay. But, Disney doesn't include housekeeping in their tippable positions.

 

[NHKristy76]

Yes i consider $12000 a year in tips, to be insane for a part-time job.

I personally don't care if you tip or not. I do because I want to.

With that said, I find it majorly offensive that you would think that 30k is "insane." The vast majority of these CMs work very hard for very little by way if an hourly wage. The tips *might* bring them up to some semblance of a living wage.