Tipping etiquette - how do you know?

[sarahk]

I recently had a conversation with a couple people at work. One was having a mattress delivered and was wondering how much she ought to tip. Maybe I am just that ignorant, but my first response was, "why would you tip? You're paying for delivery aren't you?" This turned into an in-depth discussion about tipping etiquette and I realized I was operating under two assumptions: 1) folks that do delivery type stuff make decent money, and therefore don't rely on tips, and 2) a portion of the delivery fee goes to the delivery person(s). It appears that these assumptions are inaccurate (yes? no?). Additionally, I thought that offering a tip in these instances would be demeaning and pretentious to those that work hard - basically saying here's a little token, you poor (literally) thing. I didn't consider that by not tipping I was likely percieved as simply being cheap and not knowing what hard work is really all about.

I wonder how many folks I've ticked off by not tipping:

Furniture delivery
Appliance delivery
Water softener delivery/installation
Car wash

It is customary to tip for each of these things. At least I know for future reference. Now, what about an oil change??

[jamesglewisf]

It is not necessary to tip any of those people. If you want to tip them, the amount is shown on the findalink page.

It is traditional to tip at the car wash because they don't make much money. The others are paid better, but not necessarilly well. People tip large appliance and furniture delivery people because they are doing heavy lifting.

None of those professions is going to be insulted or offended by getting tipped.

[NYC_Guy]

You most certainly ought to tip delivery persons. This is coming from someone (with a college degree) who has held several of those types of positions in the past. Those professions aren't typically high earning. In fact, what makes the difference between a 'living' wage and a little something extra for them or their family usually comes from the tips.

That said, the amount is based on your discretion and is NOT calculated at 15% as in a restaurant. Its a few bucks on a small delivery (pizza) or service (curbside check in) a bit more on heavier loads and top it off a bit for bad weather (when the service is actually of greater value to you).

I've had several service jobs and often did feel a bit humbled in front of the client when they were counting out a tip, but you can bet I had a smile on my face when I met with my partner in the truck to divide it. Nothing demeaning about giving a tip.

[Justawoman]

Do people come on here Jim to see how much research you have done on tipping? Do they want to trip you up or what?

[jamesglewisf]

My point in the earlier post was that I provide the tipping guidelines for people who want to know how much to tip in particular circumstances. If you don't want to tip, don't come here griping about it. I was not saying to skip the tip on delivery people.

Again, here is what I recommend on tipping on my tipping page for deliveries.

Tipping for Deliveries

• Furniture or appliance deliveries - $5-10 per person. If the delivery is huge, then $20 per person.
• Grocery delivery - Usually included in the fee.
• Flower deliveries - $2-5 for normal deliveries and $5-10 for large ones.
• UPS/Fed Ex - None.
• Dry Cleaning or Laundry Delivery - Nothing. Most services instruct drivers not to accept gratuities.
• Liquor delivery - 10-15%.
• Pizza deliveries - 15%, but not less than $2.
• Delivering a big box like a TV to your car - Nothing. Most stores prohibit employees from receiving tips, and the employee may be subject to discipline for doing so.