Something I've discovered about regular tipping . . .
Tockk
tip, and the extra service they get. I guess I'm in a typing mood . . .
thought I'd share my observations . . .
I charge $18 for a haircut in my shop, $21 for a scalp shave, and $24 for a
face shave. In the process, I treat my customers pretty good, they get hot
towels, aftershave, hot lather neck shaves, reasonably good conversation,
and of course, I run the only sanitary barbershop in town (probably the only
sanitary one in Texas, but that's another story).
Some customers don't tip, which is fine by me, and other customers tip a
dollar or two, while others tip $5 or $10. As you may imagine, when it
comes to scheduling and working on customers who regularly tip 5 or 10 buck,
they tend to receive a few extra considerations in their service from me
(and my other barbers). If they tell me they might need a haircut
"sometime next Thursday afternoon" I'll make it a point to keep an
appointment time free just in case they might call. If they show up
unexpectedly in a busy rush, I'll "find a way" to work them in, even if it
means delaying lunch, or staying later than I expected. I'll give 'em a
freebie of something like a sample of an aftershave I'm working on, or I'll
keep an eyeball out for some helpful bit of advice or information they've
been looking for, etc etc etc.
Pretty much, the folks who pay $18 for a haircut and don't tip get a good
haircut (folks say it's the best haircut in town), and they get everything
they pay for, but usually that's all they get -- they probably won't get the
extra scheduling & services the other guys get. Guys who generously tip,
we know who they are, and they get treated with a bit more enthusiasm,
appreciation, and we tend to be a bit more flexible with their scheduling
problems.
So, it seems to me that if you're using a service (a barber or a waiter or
whatever) and you intend to return, if you want average service on your
return trip, then don't tip. If you want your service people to appreciate
you so that they are inclined to give you better than average service, then
give 'em a good tip.
That's what I've learned about tipping in my humble barber shop.
George Grapman
I spent most of my time in the race and spots book at one casino.
Each time the waitress came with a free drink I tipped at least a
dollar. I noticed some non tippers and a group of four college kids who
took turns giving her a quarter each time she delivered.
Each time they made their rounds they made a point of approaching
those who tipped while the cheapskates got served about once every three
times. This happened even when they changed shifts. Obviously they talk
to each other.
This exchange of information reminds me of my one job that depended on
tips, a cab driver. I would pick up a fare at the airport. Skycap would
tell me they were nice people meaning they tipped well. I would pass
that on the bellhop at the hotel. On the other hand if I heard "three
suitcases and a lousy dollar" I simply opened the trunk and let them
handle the baggage (NYC law said I could not charge for luggage but did
not have to lift it). If we went to a hotel they had to take it but I
would tell the door man.Word was passed to the staff and the people in
room 815 never understand why room service was so slow.
Wilson
"Tockk" <to...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:HbFii.385$bz7...@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net...
The word TIPS is an acronym for To Insure Proper Service. In the era when
this phrase was coined, ( don't pin me down, I'm not an expert ) one would
leave tips before hand to make their stay a more welcome one.
the_ver...@comcast.net
>
> So, it seems to me that if you're using a service (a barber or a waiter or
> whatever) and you intend to return, if you want average service on your
> return trip, then don't tip. If you want your service people to appreciate
> you so that they are inclined to give you better than average service, then
> give 'em a good tip.
>
> That's what I've learned about tipping in my humble barber shop.
Same thing works for Pizza delivery too. Order from the same place,
tip reasonably well, and suddenly your orders are delivered faster,
hotter, and may have a bit more topping.
Logan Shaw
> The word TIPS is an acronym for To Insure Proper Service. In the era when
> this phrase was coined, ( don't pin me down, I'm not an expert )
I think I'm pinning you down here, but if that's true, it's not a very
good acronym, because the correct word would be "ensure". (If you
"insure" something, you go to an agent and you get a policy number.)
Here's an article on it that I found by googling:
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-tip1.htm
- Logan
Anthony Matonak
...
> Same thing works for Pizza delivery too. Order from the same place,
> tip reasonably well, and suddenly your orders are delivered faster,
> hotter, and may have a bit more topping.
It works for the protection racket too. Pay them reasonably well
and suddenly your place of business isn't robbed, burned down and
you keep your kneecaps.
Anthony
Tockk
"Anthony Matonak" <antho...@nothing.like.socal.rr.com> wrote in message
news:468b31fe$0$31248$4c36...@roadrunner.com...
LOL . . .
Kinda reminds me of the last barber school I went to (I was looking to hire
some people). The guy who cut my hair started off the service by reminding
me that I should give him a good tip.
I dunno why he would suspect that prompting me beforehand would do him any
good. Despite my annoyance, I remembered my days in barber school, and
gave him a tip I would have liked. But certainly no job offer.
John Weiss
> In my humble barber shop, I've noticed a thing or two about my customers who
> tip, and the extra service they get. I guess I'm in a typing mood . . .
> thought I'd share my observations . . .
>
> I charge $18 for a haircut in my shop, $21 for a scalp shave, and $24 for a
> face shave.
Hmmm... Tipping happens to be a "hot button issue" with me -- NOT because I
don't like to do it, but because some service providers try to make it a
"mandatory" practice.
NOTE: I am NOT accusing Tockk of being one of those less-than-amiable
practitioners! I may be the ONLY person from Seattle to ever set foot in his
shop, and I WILL vouch for everything he said about his shop!
My view of tipping regular service providers is of a more practical nature...
My local barber sets her price at $17. I pay $20. Why? It's a convenient
amount. I don't use a credit card, so I don't cause her additional fees. Is
that a "good" amount or a "bad" amount? Frankly, I don't know!
I am not a cheapskate, but I don't want to overspend, either. When I visited
Tockk's shop for the experience (and it WAS worth it!) I paid $25 -- again,
solely because it was convenient; I happened to have a 20 and a 5 lying next to
each other in my wallet. I might not pay the $25 EVERY time if I were a
regular customer, but I might alternate $20 and $25. If I happened to catch a
different barber (of the 3 I met) each time, one might feel slighted and one
might feel "victorious" if they each happened to be on the "wrong" or "right"
week...
Does it really matter? Beyond the "extra effort" described by Tockk, I HOPE
not! I would still expect the same quality of haircut. OTOH, I might
understand if one barber didn't have time to fit me in after closing one
night...
BTW, Rebecca and her daughter at my "home" shop have not given any sign of
complaint yet. I HOPE I'm not a closet cheapskate...
Mark Anderson
> That's what I've learned about tipping in my humble barber shop.
Is there any reason why I should tip the cashier at the Starbucks or the
local 7-11? What about the firefighter who put out my fire or the
garbageman who picks up my garbage every week? Or the mailman or the
guy who changed the oil in my car at Jiffy Lube? Where does the tipping
end? Why can't vendors just charge what they think their service is
worth and forget all this gratuity BS? Is it so hard to pay waiters and
bartenders a decent wage and just charge more for the food like they do
in Europe?
Tockk
"Mark Anderson" <m...@nospambrandylion.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.20f4fb075...@chi.news.speakeasy.net...
That's a good question.
If it was up to me, nobody would tip. But, some people do, and when a
fellow comes in my shop and routinely gives me an extra $5 or $10 or $20
for a service (one of my customers gives me and my two other barbers an
extra $20 regardless of who gives him a haircut), well, that's something I'm
going to appreciate and remember. And the next time he comes in, we'll find
some way to express our appreciation in a tangible way . . . That's just
the way it seems to work.
I had one fellow who came regularly, tipped $5 each time. He had an
operation, couldn't get to visit in my shop, he called to see if I could
visit him. In my mind, he did something extra for me, so I went the extra
mile (27 miles, actually) for him. No problem. But, if he was a
complainer, annoying, hard to deal with, didn't tip, didn't seem to like my
service, well, I might have thought that the extra effort wasn't worth my
time and extra effort.
That's the difference. Tip the service guy who regularly provides you with
a service, and when push comes to shove, you'll probably get a little extra
something that the other guy who doesn't tip can't have.
Tockk
"John Weiss" <jrweiss98155nospamatnospamcomcastdotnospamnet> wrote
> Hmmm... Tipping happens to be a "hot button issue" with me -- NOT because
> I don't like to do it, but because some service providers try to make it a
> "mandatory" practice.
> NOTE: I am NOT accusing Tockk of being one of those less-than-amiable
> practitioners! I may be the ONLY person from Seattle to ever set foot in
> his shop, and I WILL vouch for everything he said about his shop!
Hi, John -- thanks for the kind words . . .
Sorry I didn't get a chance to chat when you were in, but I had a customer
at the time . . . and I hate to neglect a paying customer . . .
> My view of tipping regular service providers is of a more practical
> nature... My local barber sets her price at $17. I pay $20. Why? It's a
> convenient amount. I don't use a credit card, so I don't cause her
> additional fees. Is that a "good" amount or a "bad" amount? Frankly, I
> don't know!
I'll bet that she's happy with $20.
> I am not a cheapskate, but I don't want to overspend, either. When I
> visited Tockk's shop for the experience (and it WAS worth it!) I paid
> $25 -- again, solely because it was convenient; I happened to have a 20
> and a 5 lying next to each other in my wallet. I might not pay the $25
> EVERY time if I were a regular customer, but I might alternate $20 and
> $25. If I happened to catch a different barber (of the 3 I met) each
> time, one might feel slighted and one might feel "victorious" if they each
> happened to be on the "wrong" or "right" week...
Well, we usually don't get a chance to tell how much customers tip, but
usually we mention the tough haircuts that required extra effort (long or
dirty hair, unpleasant customer) and got no tip, and the nice folks who left
$10 or $50 tips (yup, it happens).
> Does it really matter? Beyond the "extra effort" described by Tockk, I
> HOPE not! I would still expect the same quality of haircut. OTOH, I
> might understand if one barber didn't have time to fit me in after closing
> one night...
My two barbers and I agree that we'd give the same quality haircuts
regardless if our customers tipped or not. That's what we do, we take
pride in our haircuts, that's what customers pay for. And we don't want
folks to walk out with a bad haircut and say, "I got scalped at King Barber.
Ugh." So, that doesn't happen. But, we tend to be extra nice to folks
who are extra nice to us. We're happy to wait after closing time for the
guy who tips an extra $25, but not so much for the fellow who doesn't tip at
all. If a guy wants a few pointers on shaving with a straight razor, well,
I'm always happy to help. But if I have a customer waiting, well, the guy
who doesn't tip will have to wait until later.
Funny how that works . . .
>
> BTW, Rebecca and her daughter at my "home" shop have not given any sign of
> complaint yet. I HOPE I'm not a closet cheapskate...
Nothing to worry about; most likely, you're doing just fine; your generosity
is noted and appreciated. Plus, cheerful customers like you are a pleasure
to work with, and in this business, a smiling and appreciative customer is
greatly appreciated by us barbers.
Anyway, sorry we didn't get a chance to chat; next time you need a haircut
in Dallas, set up an appointment, and we'll talk about the other folks on
this newsgroup . . .
Shawn Hirn
Mark Anderson <m...@nospambrandylion.com> wrote:
No reason to tip a cashier, unless you want service above and beyond the
call of duty. In my area, public service people (i.e., civil servants)
such as letter carriers, firemen, cops, sanitation workers, etc. are not
supposed to accept tips, but I am sure some do.
I have never tipped for mechanical work on my car. Why? I don't know,
but considering the amount of money involved each time I need work done,
that might have something to do with it.
You can complain all you want, but tipping service workers such as hair
stylists and restaurant workers is customary here in the states. That's
just the way it is and many people prefer it that way.
Shawn Hirn
"Wilson" <wil...@universal.com> wrote:
>
> The word TIPS is an acronym for To Insure Proper Service. In the era when
> this phrase was coined, ( don't pin me down, I'm not an expert ) one would
> leave tips before hand to make their stay a more welcome one.
It also works in other areas without an outward exchange of money. I
work in the IT field. I am a customer with a large annual budget for
hardware and software purchases. Tipping is not the norm in my field.
I am also head of a large online user group for some enterprise-level
software where annual accounts can run into hundreds of thousands of
dollars. My user group has members from several countries and its very
active. I am very prominent in my field.
As a result, I get vendors and sales people from IT companies wanting to
treat me to lunch or dinner, send me shirts, and fly me out to their
corporate offices to meet with them, just so they can get on my radar
screen and have me look at their products. I don't do any product
testing unless its something I know I have the budget to buy because I
don't have the time, nor do I have a good testing lab. I am very up
front about that.
With one company, I have served as a product reference and probably
gotten them over $1 million dollars in business for them that they would
never have gotten without my help, for a product that I bought from them
and use every day. They acknowledge that and are thankful.
I am not allowed to accept gives over $25 from any business associate,
and I am careful to maintain that policy, but I sure get a lot of free
lunches and when I need a favor for the equipment that I have purchased
from a vendor on behalf of my employer, they practically jump out of
their shoes to make sure I am taken care of. I also get a lot of free
travel; however, that's not considered a conflict of interest because I
do spend the time meeting with the people who foot the bill and my
employer is fine with that and classifies it as training.
Believe me, tipping is pervasive in America. My dad was a small time
builder prior to his retirement. If he didn't tip people (such as
building inspectors, trash haulers, etc.) a few dollars, he would have
never gotten half his jobs done on time. In his case, its called a
bribe, but the concept is exactly the same as a tip.
In Las Vegas, tipping is commonly done by people who want a nicer hotel
room than they one they reserved. Slip a $20 bill to the clerk at the
check-in counter and if a nicer room is available, you might get it (no
guarantees, because the next person might be slipping the clerk two $20
bills). Personally, although I visit Las Vegas two or three times a
year, getting a nicer room doesn't interest me, so I have never done the
$20 trick.
George
If a building inspector or public official needs to be "tipped" just to
do their job it is a bribe. Not the same as tipping and it is called
extortion.
Barbara
I'm glad you said that. One of the most enjoyable trips I ever took
was in the early '90s where I found myself in Darwin Australia for a
few days prior to joining a research group in the outback.
I was told NOT to tip, it was NOT expected. Common courtesy and just
plain good sense ruled the level of service, and I found myself
purchasing the upgraded versions of whatever the situation presented
simply because I knew what I was buying. Everyone was relaxed, not
looking around shifty eyed to see what others were giving or
receiving. Waiters, waitresses, taxi-drivers treated everyone the
same whether you were dressed in tatty outdoor gear or snazzy business
dress. Single diners/customers were attended to just as promptly as
large groups.
I loved it! And like I said, I'm sure I spent MORE than I would have
in the US where I had to account for all the extra fees involved with
tipping.
--
Barbara
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
<RJ>
Don K
news:srhi-F2A32C.0...@newsgroups.comcast.net...
> I am not allowed to accept gives over $25 from any business associate,
> and I am careful to maintain that policy, but I sure get a lot of free
> lunches and when I need a favor for the equipment that I have purchased
> from a vendor on behalf of my employer, they practically jump out of
> their shoes to make sure I am taken care of. I also get a lot of free
> travel; however, that's not considered a conflict of interest because I
> do spend the time meeting with the people who foot the bill and my
> employer is fine with that and classifies it as training.
Some years ago we were contracting with a small overseas company who
said they could build something to our tough specification. A contingent
of us went over for the acceptance testing: 2 guys from Purchasing, a
Contracts guy, and me representing Engineering. One of the Purchasing guys
was our leader-in-charge.
For 3 nights he allowed this company to wine and dine us late into the
night on their nickel. Outwardly they treated us as though we were their
newly-found best friends for life, but in reality, they were trying to
either ingratiate us or get us so drunk that we couldn't fully function the
next day. It was working well with the Contracts guy, and somewhat
working with Purchasing, but not on me since I didn't go beyond a
glass of wine.
Anyway, not being impaired, I was able to carefully go over their test
procedure late into the night at my hotel room, and found they were not
adequately verifying performance to our specifications.
I told the Purchasing guy-in-charge about this, and it snapped him back
to reality. The next day we insisted that the test procedure be changed
and performance demonstrated to our spec. He stopped permitting them
to pick up the tab. He paid for the next meals in reciprocity.
The whole manipulative wining-and-dining thing left a bad taste in
our mouths. I'd be happier if the whole thing were banned. It makes
you feel beholden if you accept it and sleazy if you (wink-wink) reward
them with favors.
Since then, our company has put in tighter standards of ethical practices
which hopefully help prevent similar occurrences.
Don
val189
and tip somewhere around 20%. Last visit, the food was good, but the
quantity a bit on the chintzy side. Language barrier - (all help
recently here from overseas) We finally, we think, got the message
across. Seems like there was a new sushi chef there - he and two
waiters came to discuss with us. They knocked 20% off the bill and I
daresay it was because we were known customers and they want us back.
George
ruggedized equipment for a specific industry. Our sales engineers would
get me or a peer involved when they were closing in on a sale and I
would finalize the details and price the entire project bid. One of the
sales engineers was a total con artist with no moral compass like say
Bill Clinton and obsessed with his hair and a sleazy politician like
John Edwards. He knew exactly what to say to get what he wanted and he
constantly bragged about all of his sexual exploits even though he was
married with 2 kids. He had a reputation for bringing in all kinds of
business. Unfortunately it involved outright lying about our
capabilities and using all the techniques such as getting the customers
reps drunk every night so they would think they were having fun and
preventing them from thinking clearly.
I disliked his practices and when I discussed it with my boss he gave me
the you need to be a team player line and mentioned how much business
"Bill" brought it.
As time went on more and more companies put ethical standards into place
and held people accountable for performance. We were doing the biggest
project we had ever done and were having issues after the equipment was
installed. I was called to go to the head office of the buyer in another
country. They were totally "no nonsense". We spent days reviewing test
data and as far as I could see we were within spec. Finally they
produced a letter where "Bill" violated the cardinal rule of a con
artist and had given a written guarantee (without my knowledge) stating
that we had a new design that would yield much higher accuracy and that
it would be used on the project. We lost our shirt on the project trying
to achieve the promised accuracy.
val189
Finally they
> produced a letter where "Bill" violated the cardinal rule of a con
> artist and had given a written guarantee (without my knowledge) stating
> that we had a new design that would yield much higher accuracy and that
> it would be used on the project. We lost our shirt on the project trying
> to achieve the promised accuracy.
So, what happened to Bill? Fired? Promoted? Allowed to carry on?
Don't leave us in suspense.
John Weiss
>
> If it was up to me, nobody would tip.
I tend to agree. I've lived in Japan, where tipping is NOT customary, and
often visit other countries (Australia, Korea...) where it is not customary.
Even so, there is a wide variety of confusing customs/practices that make it
difficult to "do the right thing" every time:
In Japan, tipping is not expected (actually unknown in many places), and
the clerk/business owner WILL always give you the correct change. I have never
seen a "service charge" added to a bill, but I don't know if that might have
infected the big cities yet...
In Korea, a 10% service charge is often added to a bill. It is also common
to "round up" when paying (e.g., W20,000 for a W18,550 bill) when paying cash,
but there is no spot for tips on credit card receipts. OTOH, the large number
of American tourists and military people there have insinuated tipping into the
culture. It is now expected in many places...
In Australia, I've had tips returned with a jolly "It's my job, mate!"
Again, it appears that "rounding up" a restaurant bill is common.
IMO, in a perfect world the restaurant owners, etc would pay their employees a
living wage, instead of expecting customers to supplement [sub-]minimum wages
with big tips. "Service charges" would be prohibited, and any taxes would
already be rolled into the price (as is done in many countries that have a
VAT). The advertised price would be the total price, period.
Shawn Hirn
George <geo...@nospam.invalid> wrote:
I agree, although often, the "tip" is to have the inspection done
earlier than the inspector otherwise would, and things like that.
jheller
"good" tip.
I always tip the pizza person extra, its usually their car and thats his
gas money.
the mailcarrier gets a card, candy and cookies every Dec.25.
The guy who picks up the trash gets extra in Dec, and if I have extra
trash.
My vet gets a card with some cash on my dogs birthday!!
J.
Shaun Eli
away. On a percentage basis I guess it's rather high but to me it's a
total of $5, not a huge amount even though it doesn't take all that
long to cut my hair.
But there are some people who just don't know whom to tip or not tip.
I had a girlfriend who gave a cab driver $10 for a $9.50 fare and
thought that was nice, until I explained that cab drivers in NYC
should be tipped as one would tip the wait staff in a restaurant. She
just didn't know until someone told her.
But 'tipping' a hotel clerk for a better room is a different issue--
it's really more of a bribe, because the better room you're getting
isn't a service provided by the clerk. It's a service taken from the
owner of the hotel. What would happen if a paying customer came along
and wanted that room but it was no longer available because the clerk
upgraded you because you paid cash to the clerk?
Shaun Eli
www.BrainChampagne.com
Brain Champagne: Clever Comedy for Smart Minds (sm)
AllEmailDeletedImmediately
>
snip
> Well, we usually don't get a chance to tell how much customers tip, but
> usually we mention the tough haircuts that required extra effort (long or
> dirty hair, unpleasant customer) and got no tip, and the nice folks who
> left $10 or $50 tips (yup, it happens).
sounds like your're being wooed tock =(;-O)
AllEmailDeletedImmediately
"John Weiss" <jrweiss98155nospamatnospamcomcastdotnospamnet> wrote in
message news:LvudnfuQ3adfdhbb...@comcast.com...
> "Tockk" <to...@sbcglobal.net> wrote...
>>
>> If it was up to me, nobody would tip.
>
> I tend to agree. I've lived in Japan, where tipping is NOT customary, and
> often visit other countries (Australia, Korea...) where it is not
> customary. Even so, there is a wide variety of confusing customs/practices
> that make it difficult to "do the right thing" every time:
>
> In Japan, tipping is not expected (actually unknown in many places),
> and the clerk/business owner WILL always give you the correct change. I
> have never seen a "service charge" added to a bill, but I don't know if
> that might have infected the big cities yet...
>
> In Korea, a 10% service charge is often added to a bill. It is also
> common to "round up" when paying (e.g., W20,000 for a W18,550 bill) when
> paying cash, but there is no spot for tips on credit card receipts. OTOH,
> the large number of American tourists and military people there have
> insinuated tipping into the culture. It is now expected in many places...
then they marry a military man, come here, and forget how to do it.
seriously, my
d-i-l's mother is one such.
AllEmailDeletedImmediately
"Barbara" <bca...@nospam.attglobal.net> wrote in message
news:DeXnHmMUzXdD-pn2-gEghU2qfiZNB@localhost...
> On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 06:32:41 UTC, Mark Anderson
> <m...@nospambrandylion.com> wrote:
>
>> In article to...@sbcglobal.net says...
>> > That's what I've learned about tipping in my humble barber shop.
>>
>> Is there any reason why I should tip the cashier at the Starbucks or the
>> local 7-11?
i wonder how many sb baristas tip at mcd's? same concept, but i bet they
don't.
AllEmailDeletedImmediately
"<RJ>" <bara...@localnet.com> wrote in message
news:t86n83lddpke8ldlq...@4ax.com...
if they did that, most waitstaff and bartenders would take a paycut. back
in 1982, i was averaging12.50/hr as a waitress in a chain restaurant. not
even a really expensive place: chi-chis. base pay was 2.01/hr. so just
how much of a price increase would be needed to cover that wage?
because i sure as hell wouldn't have accepted 6.00/hr.
Dennis
Yep. A couple years ago, my SIL worked for a while as a waitress at a
local brewpub while looking for a job in high tech. She was averaging
a little over $25/hr on minimum wage plus tips. Not too shabby for
schlepping burgers and beer.
Dennis (evil)
--
The honest man is the one who realizes that he cannot
consume more, in his lifetime, than he produces.
Jeff
news:fiQki.8984$ZO4.4111@trndny05:
Assuming your customers were tipping 15%-20%, I would estimate the price
increase to cover that wage would be about 15%-20%.
Chief...@hotmail.com
> In my humble barber shop, I've noticed a thing or two about my customers who
> tip, and the extra service they get. I guess I'm in a typing mood . . .
> thought I'd share my observations . . .
>
> I charge $18 for a haircut in my shop, $21 for a scalp shave, and $24 for a
> towels, aftershave, hot lather neck shaves, reasonably good conversation,
> and of course, I run the only sanitary barbershop in town (probably the only
> sanitary one in Texas, but that's another story).
You are the OWNER, and therefore you have no others to pay out of your
profits.
You set the price of your services, based on your profit expectations
and what the market will bear.
Why should ANYONE give you, the OWNER, an additional tip . Tips are
usually considered as
supplemental income to underpaid staff who perform well in their
services, not additonal profit in an
owner/proprietors pocket. I think you are pretty damn full of
yourself....so much so that the whites of
your eyes are turning brown.