Tipping ???????

[darph nader]

I'm not sure about housekeeping,but in 'some food services',the money is 'pooled',then 'divided ' evenly. To me this seems totaly 'unfair'. I beleive the minimum wage for a waitress in Calif. is about $3.00/hr,if not less.( + tips). Now,if I'm a darn good waiter/waitress,why should we split my/ our tips with a lousy one? And before I get flamed,I was a barback/bartender,and watched $40.00 worth of tips dwindle down to $13.00.

 

[Pooh's Purple Pal]

I never understood pooled tips. Doesn't that contribute to mediocrity when the great servers see their well-earned tips siphoned off to crummy servers and the crummy servers have no real incentive to step it up?

That being said, I've always wondered about the turn down housekeepers. Does anyone know if Disney housekeepers pool the tips? Sometimes we don't go back to the room between the original housekeeping visit and the turndown, but we would like to thank the "chocolate lady" as my kids call her. Especially at Christmas.

 

[disney-super-mom]

A hotel housekeeper won't take money out of a room if it's a stayover unless it is clearly marked as a "housekeeping tip". (A stayover is an occupant that's staying over another night.)

If the room is a checkout, and money is left, it is usually assumed that the money is a tip, whether or not it is clearly marked as "housekeeping tip".

We always leave tips on top of the dresser. Usually $2 per day, but on checkout day we leave a little more ($5) because on checkouts, the room gets a complete change/cleaning. (On a stayover day, the room gets a quick staightening up and vacuum, but on a checkout day, the room is completely stripped, dusted, vacuumed and scrubbed in preperation for new occupants.)

 

[minnietoo]

it cost $12.oo for valet parking and this is the tip guide for that Valet Parking $2-5 (arrival and departure) . There is no way I will tip after paying that much to use valet parking.

ITA.

I guess I am in the minority re: tipping housekeeping though. I feel if I am paying almost $200 a night in a hotel - this is part of the room charge.

 

[mdburd]

Whether you're paying $12 for valet or $200 (or much more) per night in a hotel room; those charges go to the hotel / company. They in no way reflect the low wages that the service workers are being paid.

It is true that each service you mention is part of the basic hotel charges; however, so, too, is getting the food from the kitchen to your table at a restaurant part of the entree's charges. Do you not leave a tip for your server at the local Denny's after your Grand Slam?

Price point of the overall experience aside--each and every service worker you encounter in life is way underpaid; tipping is a supplement to that low wage for them--some of them counting dearly upon it.

Just my two cents.....

Michael.

 

[minnietoo]

Whether you're paying $12 for valet or $200 (or much more) per night in a hotel room; those charges go to the hotel / company. They in no way reflect the low wages that the service workers are being paid.

It is true that each service you mention is part of the basic hotel charges; however, so, too, is getting the food from the kitchen to your table at a restaurant part of the entree's charges. Do you not leave a tip for your server at the local Denny's after your Grand Slam?

Price point of the overall experience aside--each and every service worker you encounter in life is way underpaid; tipping is a supplement to that low wage for them--some of them counting dearly upon it.

Just my two cents.....

Michael.

Thanks for your viewpoint. Being underpaid is one part of the picture. I guess if you think we have a social obligation to tip as part of charity that is another thing. Another is the business expecting the patron to subsidize the wages with tipping for what is average or mediocre service.

I always looked at tipping as something you gave for exceptional services above and beyond the minimum. I do not tip for poor or average service. I do tip for expectional service (which by the way I have yet to have gotten from a housekeeper in a hotel). I do not feel that I am obligated to tip because someone is being paid a "low" wage in their job. One reason is that it is no longer a tip - but becomes part of the cost of service. I am being decieved if it is looked at as a tip but yet it is expected. I would rather then it is just part of the actual bill instead of a game I am expected to play.

I do not feel that I should have to subsidize the worker of a for profit entity that is making a profit - just because their wages are low. As long as "we" (society) continue this practice - the for profit entity has no need to pay their worker a higher wage.

And since tips in some cases are not delared as income and taxes are not paid on them - I have another problem with that. But that is a different thread for a different board.

By the way - I don't eat at Denny's - but that is neither here nor there.

 

[woody73]

We leave it on the pillow at the head of the bed. Usually just a couple of bucks each day. . .

We do the same.

Woody

 

[mdburd]

Understood; I also don't believe that we should subsidize--however, I've also always given service persons tips; so perhaps that is part of the underlying problem... ??...

Oh.. and about Denny's--just an example; in fact, there was a commercial on for them whilst I was typing--hence it was right at the forefront of my mind.... I don't recall ever eating there myself, either..

Interesting analogy of tips and charity; however, too bad one can not itemize those and deduct them at tax time. It would certainly help with what my tax bill ends up at every year...

 

[minnietoo]

Understood; I also don't believe that we should subsidize--however, I've also always given service persons tips; so perhaps that is part of the underlying problem... ??...

Oh.. and about Denny's--just an example; in fact, there was a commercial on for them whilst I was typing--hence it was right at the forefront of my mind.... I don't recall ever eating there myself, either..

Interesting analogy of tips and charity; however, too bad one can not itemize those and deduct them at tax time. It would certainly help with what my tax bill ends up at every year...

Thanks for being willing to talk about this without making me feel like I am cheap or discriminatory. I appreciate your willingness to have an open dialog. Tipping has always confused me and the more I think about it the more I tend to equate tipping to exceptional service as thinking about someone expecting a tip for just doing their job sometimes makes me angry. I really don't understand the tip jar at the drive thru Starbucks at all - all they did was make my coffee (and in some cases pour my coffee) - the minimum expected service - I just don't see what I would be tipping for in these kinds of cases.

That would be great if we could itemize our tips on taxes - then more folks might tip

We found somethings in common - willingness to talk, open mindeness, and neither of us eat at Denny's.

 

[woody73]

We found somethings in common - willingness to talk, open mindeness, and neither of us eat at Denny's.

Amen.

 

[darph nader]

We have a guy at work that decided today to put up a sign about tipping. Well that went over like passing gas in church. I told him that loading customers furniture 'is' his job,and any tips are TOTALLY voluntary on the customers part. His 'tipping' sign lasted about 2 mins.

 

[woody73]

. . . I told him that loading customers furniture 'is' his job,and any tips are TOTALLY voluntary on the customers part. His 'tipping' sign lasted about 2 mins.

That long!?!

Woody

 

[azgal81]

I have never tipped housekeeping in all the hotels I have stayed at. Never even knew you were 'suppose' to until I became a disboards member.

Usually I tip the shuttle/taxi a few bucks.

Bell hop doesn't apply since I always lug my own bags up to the room.

 

[darph nader]

That long!?!

Woody

Well ,I had to explain to him that people who get tips make a heck of alot less(hourly) than he does. He just thought it was a given. What i'm going to do is ask him if he tips 'everybody' he comes across.

 

[mdburd]

We found somethings in common - willingness to talk, open mindeness, and neither of us eat at Denny's.

Very true... Too often people forget that we are social animals--willingness to talk (hopefully with open minds) is an integral part of who we are supposed to be.... (closest thing I could find to those rose colored glasses)..

 

[tirby]

As a mother of 4 children let me say it is nice to be thanked for the things you do EVERY DAY!!! I know what it's like to pick up after 4 kids let alone 100.
Now with that said, it's usually the ones who leave a huge mess that dont tip.
So the little we leave is a nice reminder that someone does appreciate their effort.
Mind you if it's not clean well say something or just don't tip.
But if you politely mention it. Chances are you will not have a problem again.

 

[minnietoo]

As a mother of 4 children let me say it is nice to be thanked for the things you do EVERY DAY!!! I know what it's like to pick up after 4 kids let alone 100.
Now with that said, it's usually the ones who leave a huge mess that dont tip.
So the little we leave is a nice reminder that someone does appreciate their effort.
Mind you if it's not clean well say something or just don't tip.
But if you politely mention it. Chances are you will not have a problem again.

Not according to this board. Many have said they tip because they feel they have left "a mess" or extra work for housekeeping. I don't leave a mess and I feel that housekeeping does very little in my room - and I consider this part of their job. Now if the houskeeper did something extra or their servcie was above the norm - I would gladly tip. I don't tip for people doing their job - at the standard. Sure its nice to be thanked - but thanking and tipping are not the same IMO.

 

[minnietoo]

Amen.

That seems sarcastic - how did you mean it to sound?

 

[fidoprincess]

When we stay at the DLH, 4 of us, we use the daybed and have a rollaway too so we always tip each day $10. We do not make a mess but the fact that the maid is making up 4 beds each day is enough to warrant a nice tip.

We always get great service and the housekeepers go that extra mile by setting up all the toys really cute and the kids each have their own special blankets so she puts them on top of the bed too and the kids feel as though they are treated so special! Last trip, the housekeeper even folded up their pjs and put them under the kids pillows. They do a great job too of keeping each kids things seperate too. Never once did dd's Pooh end up on ds's bed. I find that pretty remarkable considering by the end of the trip, they have accumulated so many tink toys, even I have trouble remember which is which-lol.

Early on, we would just leave the tip at the end of the stay but the great housekeeper we had all week would have the weekend off and miss the tip on Sunday! So now we tip each and every day and sometimes the kids write little "thank you" notes too.

I love getting good service and don't mind paying a little extra to be sure that I always have extra packs of "regular coffee" (instead of the one decafe and the one reg), lots of towels and fresh bags for the ice bucket every single day! We add the tip into our budget and always make sure we have enough cash on hand for the maid's tip when we head back to the hotel for the night. I am shocked how many people here never tip or didn't even know to tip the housekeeper!

That said, I am still fuming over tipping our waitress the other day! She was fairly good but it just so happened the bill for lunch was exactly $20. I had no ones so gave her $5 and she never even said thanks for the 25% tip!! Never even acknowledged it or offered to bring change! Makes me think twice about leaving more than 15%. DH always leaves exactly 15% and I had always left 20% or more but I am now inclined to think his method is best!

 

[zonamom]

I love getting good service and don't mind paying a little extra to be sure that I always have extra packs of "regular coffee" (instead of the one decafe and the one reg), lots of towels and fresh bags for the ice bucket every single day!

But I see towels and fresh bags for the ice bucket as normal things you should be getting anyway. And I would just ask for more regular coffee if there wasn't enough left.

I don't tip housekeeping. I too think that this service is included in my total cost for staying at the hotel. Yes they may work hard but so do many other people who don't get tipped. I think tipping has become too expected in our society. I also feel a lot of people use tipping to make up for low wages. I don't think it's our responsibility as a consumer to make up wages for services we receive. They have a price and we pay it.