Comments on How to Tip Properly

-Always tip at least 15 percent. -Do not "punish" your waiter by stiffing him; rather, speak to the manager about the service. Waiters live on tips. I don't know how much I can stress this. My sister, a waitress, makes $2 an hour, and all of that goes to pay her taxes. She regularly brings home paychecks for less than $10 a week. -If you sit in the restaurant a long time, tip more than 15 percent (20 percent or more). You are either A) taking up space where another table could sit and give the waiter revenue, or B) keeping the waiter waiting for you to leave so that she can go home. If you're going to do that, be prepared to tip accordingly. -If your children are messy or loud, tip more than 15 percent.

If a latte is made (or 5 lattes because you took orders from all your work buddies), $1 is appropriate at least. More should be given for multiple orders. If you order a coffee and it comes out to $1.75, just throw your quarter in the tip jar. It adds up for the workers and builds rapport if you plan on coming back. As a former barrista who is now in the "real business world" myself, I advise tipping your barrista. They make minimum wage and many of them are trying to make ends meet with rent and gas prices rising. A little generosity goes a long way while building a strong rapport. Believe me, if you are a regular and you tip regularly, you will get special treatment.

When traveling with a group and a tip is not included, $1-$2 dollars per person is fair. Remember, luggage is handled twice by the driver.

I work at a golf resort, taking golfers' carts and cleaning them up when the golfers are done with them. I get minimum wage for this strenuous job, walking about three miles a day, but my employer told me that the tips would make up for it. Problem is, the golfers never do! They must either forget or don't think they need to. I know others with the same kind of job that have the same problem. So, you golfers out there, when a golf cart maintenance person helps you with your bags and takes your cart for you at the end of the day, make sure you show them that you appreciate their help!

I work at a golf resort, taking golfers' carts and cleaning them up when the golfers are done with them. I get minimum wage for this strenuous job, walking about three miles a day, but my employer told me that the tips would make up for it. Problem is, the golfers never do! They must either forget or don't think they need to. I know others with the same kind of job that have the same problem. So, you golfers out there, when a golf cart maintenance person helps you with your bags and takes your cart for you at the end of the day, make sure you show them that you appreciate their help!

If I'm paying over $3 for a cup of coffee, I am not leaving a $1 tip. I really hate those tip jars that are springing up everywhere.

Delivering pizza got me through college and I made about $16/hour gross. This was 10 years ago. The drivers with ambition, and who aren't stoned, actually do very well. It is win-win. If I get the pizza there quickly, everyone is happy -- the customer, the shop and me, because I would get back first and be ready for the next delivery. It really depends on where the shop is. If it's a small town, then the drivers probably don't make much. I worked in a university city of 200,000 (with a student population of 43,000). Our prices, however, were on the higher end, knocking out the cheap students and the poor. As a customer, I always hoped on a minimum of $1 + change for any order under $18 and $2 tip for any order of $18 or more. I made my money, not by speeding and driving recklessly (that brings about traffic tickets), but by being a cartography major, so reading maps was a natural interest! I knew every back road in that city. The dirty little secret of pizza driving: especially in this era of technology, drivers know if you are a tipper or not. I knew every stiff who was a regular. Because of that, the stiff was always the last stop on my route -- the $2 and up tipper was always the first stop. It wasn't a matter of keeping the food hot, as we all had portable Sterno warmers in our backseats, but it was a matter of timeliness. Often, during busy football Sundays, I took take five separate deliveries out and return within 30-35 minutes. Unless we had major staffing or weather problems, 98% of my deliveries arrived within 45 minutes of the order (our promise time was 30-45 minutes or 45-60 minutes for a deep-dish pizza). Being 6'5", 220 pounds, I never feared for my safety as a pizza driver but I was also in a fairly safe city. We also gerrymandered out the six bad blocks of the area because a precedent has been set with pizza drivers before in that area (robberies).

Most people leave 10% but the expected is 15%, so I always leave 20% just to make up for those less educated that may be next. :)

You only tip dealers when you win, at which point you tip a percentage of your winnings. It makes no sense to tip during your time at the table -- you might need that money to stage a comeback after a round of bad luck!

Depending on the price for a round of golf and other course characteristics tipping is as follows: (Note these are the bare minimum for a basic public course) Outside Service Guy: $1+ Starter (if busy and squeezes you in for a tee time): $3+ Private Clubs:(depends on how private the club is) Bag Drop Attendant: $1+ per bag Practice Tee (Range) Attendant: $3+ (if supplies balls, cleans clubs, etc.) Note: Pre-tip at the range for quicker and overall better service ($2+) Outside Service Worker (after round): $3+ per bag for cleaning clubs, cleaning cart, etc. Valet: $2+ Starter (if busy and squeezes you in for a tee time): $5+ Tipping is also customary for exemplary service anywhere else in or around the club.

Many websites that provide guidelines for pizza delivery are way out of date, nor can you say that there is one set rule as the way drivers are paid can vary between shops. Unless you are ordering from one of the national or regional chains, tips should be a minimum of 15-20% of the bill. but no less than $6 to $7 less the delivery charge if one is charged (providing the employer pays the full amount of such charge to the driver - many don't). More if you are more than 3 miles from the store or there is inclement weather. Most drivers are not paid an hourly rate nor reimbursed for fuel and maintenance costs. As such with each gas hike, drivers take a pay cut. According to U.S. Dept. of Labor, pizza drivers are the third most likely to be murdered on the job, just behind police officers and taxi drivers. Unless a vehicle is provided by the employer, drivers pay their own insurance and in some cases may not even be aware that they may not even have proper coverage as the vehicle is now being used for commercial purposes rather than transportation. How do you know? Look at the car - does it have the name of the pizza shop painted on the side? If it is, the tip may be reduced. Most shops send the driver out with a single order so as to assure the customer receives a freshly baked product. Good for you, and the store, but bad for the driver. This means most drivers only make 2-3 deliveries in an hour. If you tip only $2-$3 drivers are working for $4-$6 an hour after they pay the cost of fuel. Most shops will overstaff to make sure they have a pool of drivers ready as the orders come out of the oven. The shops don't care because they don't pay the drivers anyways. If a driver slides a pizza, they are charged back the cost of that pizza and as well they will have to re-deliver the new one without any additional compensation. I don't have an objection to this practice when the driver is driving recklessly. But think about this, how many times has someone cut you off in traffic causing you to have to stop suddenly. For a delivery guy that just cost him most of his night's earnings. Drivers do not work because they are bored. They do so because their financial condition mandates it. And remember, delivery is a convenience provided by the shop and requested by you! It is not included in the cost of the pizza. If you don't like paying for this service, please come and pick the order up yourself.