I tip reasonably well at restaurants and getting my hair cut. I never thought about tipping the housekeeper. Is there a list somewhere of who all you're supposed to tip?

My husband, on the other hand, doesn't tip well at all and grumbles at me for how much I tip. I tend to tip in cash when I can just to avoid that. Shhhh.

Michelle

I tip depending on service. When a waitress is really bad I do not tip at all. If a waitress is awesome, I tip 20%. I go down from there. I was a waitress and I was a damn good one so I expect good service... I take points off when they screw up (like not ask if I need a refill or stuff like that). At Buffet's I usually tip a buck or two depending on service as well. I'm not sure what to tip my hairdresser. I tipped her 4 bucks last time I was there, but my bill came to 70 bucks too, so I wasn't sure if that was enough.. no idea what to tip them... if you do, please let me know... I left change in a hotel room before but figure they get regular pay (unlike waitresses who depend on the tip)... I used to clean for a living as well and hardly ever got monetary things... mostly they left stuff in the rooms they didn't want to take home (like candles around Christmas time, or butter...).

Butter... interesting. lol I also tip based on service. If the waitress is excellent I'll tip as much as $5 if the bill was at least $40. If the service was ho hum then $2. But if the waitress was horrible then I just leave a penny so that s/he knows I didn't just forget but that they were bad. Pizza delivery gets $2. I've never tipped in a hotel. At my hairdresser I usually leave $5 but thats only because I finally found one I love and want her to want to keep doing a good job with my hair. If I go to Cost Cutters or somewhere like just for a trim I'll leave probably $3. I don't have a house cleaner... I wish! Otherwise I don't think theres anyone else I ever think to tip even though I'm probably not aware I'm supposed to. I never thought about tipping at a buffet. Who else are we supposed to tip?

Yup, nobody wants to take butter home..lol... we found al kinds of stuff in the fridge before... a lot of it not used, like beer even, or frozen foods.

I used to clean lodges in Park City, UT (rizzy resort town) and mansions as well... never got much of a tip at either place... maybe it's the not so well off that tip more...lol. I have heard that there are some stars that do not tip at all.

Yes, it is polite to leave a tip at a buffet if you have someone cleaning off your table while you eat, like at the North Country Steak Buffet or Old Country Buffet. Somewhere like Pizza Doctors I would say no too, cause you don't have one particular person helping you.

I usually tip the Pizza delivery 2 bucks and the change.

If things haven't changed since I was a waitress, you have to claim 10% off your bill as tips, regardless if you actually get this or not. That determines your taxes, so tipping less is actually kind of mean and should only be done if the waitress sucks. I also leave a penny if the waitress is bad... I know some people think it's mean, but it does show the person she did something wrong. However, if the service sucked and it was a new waitress, I still leave 10%, cause it's a hard job and it's a job that takes some getting used to.

I don't normally tip at buffets, though I have a few times when the kids left a horrible mess. I figure someone has to clean that up and they should get a little extra for that. That or I try and clean it myself as best I can. It depends at the time if it's easier to take the time to do it or throw money at it.

I worked at Pizza Hut many moons ago as my first and only waitressing job. I sucked. I got small change for tips all the time and was glad to get anything. I didn't realize at the time that it was a message. Seriously, though, I did so badly in tips that they actually had to pay me minimum wage because I wasn't making that with the tips. So I do take pity on the wait staff and rarely tip less than 20% unless the service is really awful. Even then I still leave more than change.

My husband doesn't believe in tipping. He says if the job doesn't pay enough without tips then they should get one that does. I think he's missing the point... Sigh.

Michelle

I made $2.13/hour for my wage and I averaged $7.50/hour during the night shift (10pm - 6am) We-Su. That was in 92. I was a damn good waitress...lol. I hated the people who "stiffed" me (waitress term for not getting a tip). There were a few people who left little, but i knew them and knew they didn't have it to give, so I didn't mind... what I hated was when I did an excellent job and you could tell the person had money and they left a buck as a tip for a 30+Dollar meal.

When is the minimum wage going up again? Isn't it soon? With the economy making living more diffucult they really need to make it so waitresses get minimum wage to start.

Trouble with raising the minimum wage is it only helps people making minimum wage. I remember my fast food days when I was making a touch over that and then the minimum wage went up. I didn't get a raise so effectively I lost money because prices go up when people are getting paid more. I'm no economist so I'm sure I'm dreadfully simplifing it but that's what I went through.

What we need is for the prices of things to come down to a sane level so people can afford them. Yeah, I know, I'm dreaming. :P

Michelle

You're exactly right though..... prices do go up if wages go up, cause people have to pay for the higher wages somehow. And a lot of people who make more than minimum wage do not get a raise.