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Tipping


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There are jobs where a tip is expected. Cab driver, beautician, waiter.

 

Then there are jobs where a tip is not expected. Just about everybody else.

 

If you have (or had) a "non tip" job, and someone attempted to tip you for doing your job, would you take it? Refuse it? Be annoyed? Be upset? Be grateful?

 

My first job was a bagboy. Two whole dollars an hour. Tips were greatly appreciated. The normal tip was a dime. A good tip was a quarter. And we almost got into fights trying to bag the groceries of people that we knew tipped a dollar.

 

10 years later I was a security guard at a campground. When people came in after the office was closed I would assign them  overnight campsites, and they could if they chose get a different site the next day at the office. Someone tried to tip me one night. Pissed me off. It seemed to me did he was trying to buy a better campsite. I saw it not as a tip, but as a bribe.

 

There is a thread on another board about how, because of the plague, all restaurants for carry out. And how few people were tipping the waiters that were bringing the food out to the cars. then someone told about how he had tipped at the drive-thru at a fast food place. And how the guy did not understand what it was. Many people congratulated him on tipping this fast food worker.

 

My wife used to work at McDonald's. If they found out you were taking tips they would fire you.

 

That thread got me to thinking about tipping in general. And my wonder.

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I'm an electrician. I'd accept the tip thankfully and gladly. Over 40+ years, I've had tips from $5.00 to $300.00. I remember who tipped and where they lived. I sure didn't mind going back there again.

 

One thing that I found is that the poor and lower middle class are generally the ones who tip the people in my trade. For some reason, people from New York City seem to tip often. I asked one why once. He told me that in NYC, it's the only way that you can get them to come back if needed.

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Our children paid for their college education with the tips they received.  Between working, studying and classes there was not any time left for them to get into trouble.  Waitress and waiters will receive a nice tip from me and a larger tip if they appear college age or working Sunday shifts.

 

In my last profession, tips were not expected.  Once in a while a customer would bring in a plate of homemade baked goods in appreciation of the service they received.  Cookies went on the kitchenette counter for ALL employees to enjoy.  Service at our company was a group effort, not an individual effort.

 

If someone offered me cash I would say, "Thank you for the thought but no thank you."

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I used to deliver pizza when I was going to trade school. I got a tip from a guy that used to date the pizza parlor owner's wife, with the understanding that I tell her how much he tipped me. It was a large tip for the time. The amount he gave me I would have taken out a newspaper ad to tell people!

At that same job I had a guy that I was in class with tip me a nickel. 5 cents... I felt insulted.

Now I make good money doing commercial/industrial heating and cooling. During the Covid thing the local Texas Roadhouse was offering raw steaks for sale at reasonable prices so we ordered $100 to grill. When I picked it up the curb guy was filling out the order on the iPad he was using and asked if I was wanting to add a tip. I said no but then realized how I had been in his place many years ago and how I have been blessed now. I told him I had changed my mind and I gave him $10 for walking the steaks out to my car. His face truly lit up.

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We like to show appreciation for folks who provide us with their service and skills to help us with our everyday routine.

 

The garage that does most of our auto maintenance work, gets a mammoth pizza (almost 4 feet across) every December.

 

When the house had a complete tear-off and new roof, we kept a washtub of iced bottled water for them and a fan in a shady spot. One day some of the crew were short for the collection for lunch, so we bought them all lunch.

 

We tip our trash collectors, USPS carrier and our UPS guy.

 

Probably 30 years ago we were traveling over Christmas, and stopped for a brunch buffet at a hotel. Our waitress was not having a good morning and was a bit short and terse. First thought, no tip for her. But then I looked at the big picture. As we left I put a generous tip in her hand. I told her that we were not from the area and were just passing through, and knew she would rather be with her family, but we appreciated her service and wished her a Merry Christmas. Instant change. She almost followed us to our car, thanking us all the way.

 

Don't have a hard a fast rule on tipping, just go by what feels right.

 

But many years ago Shortcake and I relied on that tip jar to pay many bills, so that figures heavily into our decisions.

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Like others I tip based on how I read the situation. 

 

Local Grocery doesn't allow the kids that bag and bring your groceries to your car to accept tips. However they can still be rewarded simply by addressing them by their name. You can see their faces light up when you say their name and ask how they are doing. Some have rather unusual names and getting the pronunciation correct can be a challenge but they really light up when you get it right and tell the young ladies how pretty their name is.

 

I make a point of walking beside the young man or lady pushing the cart out to my truck. Just make small talk but you can tell that they appreciate the recognition.

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I tune and repair pianos, been doing it for 33 years or so. I get tips from pretty ladies!! :wub:I love my job!!

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