Tipping for services...

[Fire Me Boy!]

Not like restaurant tipping for the waiter, but tipping gardeners, postman, house cleaners, etc. Do you do it, and generally how much?

This is the first year we've paid a guy to handle our lawn. It's a business, but he's the only guy doing it. What's appropriate? Is cash preferred, or is a personal gift (wine, homemade goodies, or something) better?

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Originally Posted by blaise

I do notice that our one neighbor always turns his can the wrong way toward the street. And then after the garbage men empty it they end up leaving it on its side in his yard. I think they do it on purpose as a sort of "Eff-you buddy."

in general ours are just lazy. I've watched them drop stuff and just leave it laying there, cans strewn about, etc.

I actually called right after we moved in and registered a complaint as the truck came barrelling down our street about 7:50AM one morning easily going 50 in a hilly, curvy residential street with a 25mph limit.

[The Franchise]

I tip waitresses, my tattoo artist and the lady that cuts my hair.

[The Franchise]

For everyone who says that they tip the mailman....

Do you still have the personal mailbox in front of your house? Or do you have the neighborhood mailboxes that are halfway down the street?

[mike_b_284]

mail on the porch in kc. streetside here.

[luv]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

For everyone who says that they tip the mailman....

Do you still have the personal mailbox in front of your house? Or do you have the neighborhood mailboxes that are halfway down the street?

They put mailboxes at the end of the street? Worst scenario here is living in an apartment and walking to the nearest parking lot entry.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by luv

They put mailboxes at the end of the street? Worst scenario here is living in an apartment and walking to the nearest parking lot entry.

I lived in a townhome complex in KC a few years ago... my mailbox was like two blocks away.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by luv

They put mailboxes at the end of the street? Worst scenario here is living in an apartment and walking to the nearest parking lot entry.

End of the street? No.

But they have a box about halfway down each block which contains mailboxes for each house on the block.

They look somewhat like this.

[luv]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

End of the street? No.

But they have a box about halfway down each block which contains mailboxes for each house on the block.

They look somewhat like this.

Yeah. Those look like apartment mailboxes. Houses here have street side, but their mailbox is in front of their house.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

End of the street? No.

But they have a box about halfway down each block which contains mailboxes for each house on the block.

They look somewhat like this.

The one where I lived was like 8 of those side-by-side.

[trndobrd]

I generally don't tip the yard guy, daycare lady, etc. They set their own prices and can raise them if they think their services are worth more than they are getting. I do give them a Christmas gift (usually a $10 starbucks gift card or something) with a Christmas card.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

The one where I lived was like 8 of those side-by-side.

Yeah. They're kind of a double-edged sword. It sucks when it's not in front of your house because you end up having to walk down the block to get your mail. If it is in front of your house....you have to deal with all of the douchebags who park in front of your house and read their mail.

[ciaomichael]

I never even imagined tipping a postman. U.S. Postal Service employees are paid very well, have great benefits compared to the average private sector employee, so I've never seen the need.

A service provider who I used to tip, but don't anymore, is the pizza delivery man. A few years back, the national pizza chains began adding a $3 delivery charge to your ticket. I just refuse to add a tip to that. If it's an explicit delivery charge, then the customer shouldn't be expected to pay twice. Otherwise, it's just double dipping and no doubt a huge profit center for the employer . (For the local pizza places that usually don't add a delivery charge, I still tip.) At first I felt guilty for "stiffing" the guy, but then I just decided to explain to him the reason why. Sorry, but not going to pay $16 for a pizza advertised at $10.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by ciaomichael

I never even imagined tipping a postman. U.S. Postal Service employees are paid very well, have great benefits compared to the average private sector employee, so I've never seen the need.

A service provider who I used to tip, but don't anymore, is the pizza delivery man. A few years back, the national pizza chains began adding a $3 delivery charge to your ticket. I just refuse to add a tip to that. If it's an explicit delivery charge, then the customer shouldn't be expected to pay twice. Otherwise, it's just double dipping and no doubt a huge profit center for the employer . (For the local pizza places that usually don't add a delivery charge, I still tip.) At first I felt guilty for "stiffing" the guy, but then I just decided to explain to him the reason why. Sorry, but not going to pay $16 for a pizza advertised at $10.

I'll tip the pizza delivery guy if the weather is shitty.

[Dayze]

I tip our Chinese delivery driver pretty well. he gets the food there and it's still piping hot. I think they recognize our address by this point. he even caught that we had got another dog.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by ciaomichael

I never even imagined tipping a postman. U.S. Postal Service employees are paid very well, have great benefits compared to the average private sector employee, so I've never seen the need.

A service provider who I used to tip, but don't anymore, is the pizza delivery man. A few years back, the national pizza chains began adding a $3 delivery charge to your ticket. I just refuse to add a tip to that. If it's an explicit delivery charge, then the customer shouldn't be expected to pay twice. Otherwise, it's just double dipping and no doubt a huge profit center for the employer . (For the local pizza places that usually don't add a delivery charge, I still tip.) At first I felt guilty for "stiffing" the guy, but then I just decided to explain to him the reason why. Sorry, but not going to pay $16 for a pizza advertised at $10.

Our pizza delivery is terrible where I live. After the third or fourth time of getting refunds because of 2-, 3-hour waits and/or lukewarm/cold pizza, we've just stopped delivery. They're not that far away, we'll order online and drive there and pick it up ourselves. It's hot, and from order to home it's 30 minutes.