To Tip or Not To Tip (long)

[dbriggsq]

I don't feel the least bit GUILTY about someone cleaning my (rented) bathroom. I appreciate that someone who's not me is doing it, and I CHOOSE to tip.

You have already paid for that service when you paid for your room.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Thank you. I've traveled a fair amount, and I know what's included in the cost of my room. Again, I CHOOSE to tip housekeepers.

 

[dbriggsq]

Thank you. I've traveled a fair amount, and I know what's included in the cost of my room. Again, I CHOOSE to tip housekeepers.

Don't you worry that your tipping might be seen by management as an opportunity to keep wages at a lower level than they might have been. Perhaps this is the way that the practice of paying servers less than minimum wage started.

I've also travelled widely - including to parts of the world where tipping is not the norm and service is normally excellent.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I don't feel the least bit GUILTY about someone cleaning my (rented) bathroom. I appreciate that someone who's not me is doing it, and I CHOOSE to tip.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Don't you worry that your tipping might be seen by management as an opportunity to keep wages at a lower level than they might have been. Perhaps this is the way that the practice of paying servers less than minimum wage started.

No. I don't. I don't give a rat's patootie HOW much somebody is paid by their employer for performing their expected job. I tip where and when I feel appropriate, to show my own - not the person's employer's - appreciation for the work that was done on my behalf. At DisneyLand Resort/Walt Disney World, when a Cast Member goes out of her/his way and in my opinion deserves a tip, but can't accept one, I make sure to fill out a compliment card at Guest Services.

I have no fear that tipping hotel housekeepers would affect their eligibility to earn at least minimum wage.

 

[Had2stopLurking]

No. I don't. I don't give a rat's patootie HOW much somebody is paid by their employer for performing their expected job. I tip where and when I feel appropriate, to show my own - not the person's employer's - appreciation for the work that was done on my behalf. At DisneyLand Resort/Walt Disney World, when a Cast Member goes out of her/his way and in my opinion deserves a tip, but can't accept one, I make sure to fill out a compliment card at Guest Services.

I have no fear that tipping hotel housekeepers would affect their eligibility to earn at least minimum wage.

Actually, they CAN accept one, they just have to say "no" three times to accepting it before they do

I learned that from some CM friends.

Now whenever we do a tour, we just say to the guide at the end, "say no three times", then they do and we put the money in their hands. They realize then we know the rules so to speak.

Hope that helps!

p.s. The comment cards are also great though! Didn't want you to think I was putting you down for that!

 

[declansdad]

You have already paid for that service when you paid for your room.

The same can be said for every service.

 

[declansdad]

Cleaning toilets in a room doesn't seem to be any different to cleaning toilets in a restroom - I know which I would prefer. If people want to tip the housekeeper perhaps it is to help assuage the guilt they feel for someone doing a personal service for them. Housekeepers are paid to do that job - if people feel guilty about it perhaps they should put the 'do not disturb' sign on their door.

On is a personal service the other is not.

Everyone is paid to do the job.

 

[wilderness01]

But....the difference is this...at WDW, the housekeepers don't even come close to doing all that. They straighten the beds, empty trash, provide fresh towels and wipe down the sink area. I have yet to have my toilet cleaned or the bathtub/shower area cleaned. And dusting? Not on a bet. Same with vacuuming. I consider myself lucky if my room is thoroughly cleaned when I first checkin!! It takes about 10 mins, if that, to 'do' a room at WDW....not a villa but a regular resort room. I have stood there, watching to see how long a housekeeper has spent in my room. No, not right there, but across resort....at some you can stand along the railings and see your particular room...I've done that at Pop and POR. The average time is 9 mins. No way are they doing much more than a sink wipedown, trash empty and bed making. And they are not paid minimum wage. To the best of my knowledge, they have been making around $10 an hour, if not more.

This has also been our experience over and over and over.

 

[kaytieeldr]

p.s. The comment cards are also great though! Didn't want you to think I was putting you down for that!

Oh, heck no - I never considered this any kind of put-down! Thanks for the - "No. No. No" - tip!

Funny little story about the cards - apparently, at least at Epcot, there are different forms for 'complaints' and 'compliments'. Last time I went in, they had to search for, and then blow the dust off, the compliment cards! Okay, not really - but these are used SO rarely, it's a pity

By the way, interesting user name

 

[dbriggsq]

On is a personal service the other is not.

Everyone is paid to do the job.

Someone cleaning a restroom after I've used it is surely a personal service.

Nurses do a very personal service - I wonder why we don't feel the urge to tip them.

 

[Texas Rob]

Someone cleaning a restroom after I've used it is surely a personal service.

Nurses do a very personal service - I wonder why we don't feel the urge to tip them.

Sorry, but nurses do get tips...it is very compensated wages.

 

[dbriggsq]

Sorry, but nurses do get tips...it is very compensated wages.

That's interesting - how are nurses compensated.

In the UK nurses earn very little above minimum wage but people donot tip them.

 

[Texas Rob]

I guess that was very nationalistic. I forget we have an integrated board with those outside of the U.S. on here. My apologies. Based on my geographic location and knowing several nurses (I work at the local hospital here as a chaplin), our nurses are compensated as a base hourly starting at $20.00. I thought that was kinda the going rate. I haven't compared it to any career websites though.

I think the point of the original post was to show there is a difference between those who are expected to earn a majority of their wages from tips and those who are not. Certainly, car mechanics are personal servants and do not get tips. So are many other professions. However, the difference is some professions you know going into it whether or not the company plans on allowing you to earn a portion of your wages from tips or bonus and whether you will get a flat salary. If you are unhappy because you don't get tips then move to a profession that does get tips.

Disney has done it's best to advertise to the public those positions that are expecting tips as a portion of their wages.

 

[wilderness01]

I guess that was very nationalistic. I forget we have an integrated board with those outside of the U.S. on here. My apologies. Based on my geographic location and knowing several nurses (I work at the local hospital here as a chaplin), our nurses are compensated as a base hourly starting at $20.00. I thought that was kinda the going rate. I haven't compared it to any career websites though.

I think the point of the original post was to show there is a difference between those who are expected to earn a majority of their wages from tips and those who are not. Certainly, car mechanics are personal servants and do not get tips. So are many other professions. However, the difference is some professions you know going into it whether or not the company plans on allowing you to earn a portion of your wages from tips or bonus and whether you will get a flat salary. If you are unhappy because you don't get tips then move to a profession that does get tips.

Believe me, if that is what your local nursing staff is getting, they are very underpaid. It is a hard profession and you do have to clean up very nasty things sometimes. We are lucky if we get a "thank you." Also, people have thanked me for my service, and I always respond with "you are welcome for the care." UGH.

 

[Texas Rob]

I guess my point was you know that when you take the job. You know whether your tip dependent or not.

Also, I agree...nurses do alot of work none of us would despise doing once a year!

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

I don't understand many of the controversial subjects on this site. THIS is one of them.

Tip if you want.

Don't tip if you don't want.

END OF DISCUSSION.

that's pretty much the same way i look at it lol

 

[C.Ann]

Having said that, when I believe service warrents it, I am a very good tipper. However, I also believe that there are now some folks who either think they deserve tips, or even ask for them (tip jar at the register) who shouldn't necessarily receive them.

A good example is in an ice cream store where the employee scoops my ice cream. How does that warrent a tip? How are they providing me with beyond the call of duty, excellent service. Frankly I find tip jars to be extremely offensive. This is true in a coffee shop as well. Why am I tipping somebody who pours me a cup of coffee? If you disagree with me on this one, I'm interested to hear the argument. I might be missing something.

Now..my list for Disney World employees:

Tip Worthy

-The bus driver who loads and unloads my luggage for the Magic Express ride. He/She is doing extra work so that I can relax. And it is common knowledge that this is a tipping job. Some of those drivers go out of their way to make our first Disney experience extremely pleasant. 1 dollar a bag? or more?

-Cocktails at an bar/pool lounge etc. This is a no brainer. Bartenders work for tips. I generally tip .50-1.00 per drink.

Waiters in a restaurant/AND buffet. This is also a no brainer. I'm not sure the buffet folks always get tipped. My husband and I always leave something on the table for the person who served our drinks and cleaned up.

-Cab Drivers. We don't really use this service, but if we did, we'd tip about 10 percent of the fare.

Bell Hops. This too, is a no brainer. They work for tips. I'm not certain of the proper tip, though. $1 per bag? or $2? Just not sure.

I agree with all of the above.. I tip waiters or waitresses based on the level of service I receive directly from them.. (Meaning I would not punish them because the cook sent my eggs out of the kitchen half cooked.)

I will not tip in places that have hopped on the band wagon with "tip jars" - who formerly didn't have them.. (Dunkin Donuts; Sub shops; 7/11 type places; etc.) They are not on the same level as waitresses and waiters - only making $2 an hour or whatever.. The people in those places are making a regular wage - one they agreed to when they accepted the job..


--------------------------
-Housekeeping. This is the one that I think may raise the most eyebrows. We don't generally tip and I'll tell you why. Housekeeping comes in, cleans my room and leaves. This is their job. They don't interact with me and generally my family is pretty clean and does not leave them any extra mess. I'd be curious to hear info about their hourly wage as this might change my mind on this issue. But if they are getting paid 7 to 10 dollars an hour as are most other non tipped cast members, I don't believe this should be a tipping position.

If housekeeping does a good job, I will tip them.. If they don't, I won't..

-Bus drivers that take folks from resorts to parks. I don't believe this is meant to be a tipping position. There is one example, however where my husband tipped one gentleman. We had arrived at MK and realized that we left our park entry tickets in our room. DH had to catch the next bus back and retrieve them. The nice fellow who picked him up actually waited for him at the bus stop while he ran to our room to get our tickets. DH tipped him 10 dollars and was very thankful for not having to wait for the next bus.

No tips.

-Food court employees. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this one.

No tips.

-Restroom attendents.

I've never seen one in a restroom, so I guess that point is moot..

If anyone wants to add to either list, I'd be interested to hear what you have to say. Thanks for any input.

I will tip a hair dresser that does a good job.. The ones that insist on cutting my hair in the style "they" like best don't receive a tip..

I will tip any employee (grocery store or department store) who brings items out to my car..

I'm probably forgetting other possible situations, but what I've listed above is pretty much how I feel about tipping in general..

 

[PrincessShell]

Just a thought...There seems to be a significant amount of discussion about how much servers, or mouse keeping, or whomever is providing a tipping-based service to customers, is paid hourly and whether that is fair or not. It is an interesting discussion and I too empathize for the service workers who are not being paid enough. However, it is the employer's duty to fix that problem, not the customer's, and at the same time, unless we request a pay stub from every service person that we interact with, we will never truly know how much each person is being paid or if they are being compensated enough by their hourly wages (some employers provide high hourly wages while others do not). The real issue here, when it comes to this tipping thread, is not how much service personnel are being paid by their employers, but rather the simple fact that service personnel should be tipped according to the quality of service they are providing to the customer, period. I, as the client in these situations, shouldn't have to tip someone more than I am comfortable tipping, or shall I say, more than the quality of their service deserves, because their employer isn't paying them enough - I am their client, not their employer. By all means, as concerned citizens go to your legislative representative if you feel strongly about this, but I don't think that as customers, we should feel obligated to tip service personnel based on how much they are paid hourly.

 

[PrincessShell]

I would like someone to explain to me the difference between:

1) the woman behind the counter at a donut shop boxing you a donut and taking your money

2) the woman behind the counter at JCPenney boxing you a pair of earrings and taking your money

And since I am fairly sure the only difference is you walking away with a donut vs. a pair of earrings, why would you tip the donut lady?

Nicely said! Great point On that note, I once purchased a simple cup of coffee from a Dunkin Donuts and I paid cash for it. To my surprise, the cashier took it upon herself to take her own tip from the change that I was owed, so instead of giving me my change back, (no she did not forget I was owed change) she held onto it in her hand and was about to put it in the change cup when I politely requested my change. She gave it back to me with some attitude. I was flabbergasted at (1) the presumption that someone felt that a cup of coffee (pouring coffee into a cup) deserved a tip and (2) that the cashier felt entitled enough to think that they could make a decision of what to do with my money that I earn through my own hard work!! Mind you, the change was under a dollar, yet regardless of the amount of money, the principal of it is what matters!