How much do you tip Delivery guys?

[Chio151]

I think the barber should get at least 3 bucks tip of they are good. If I can tell they are taking their time and getting it right with the razor, then I always reward that. I've tried cutting my own hair, and I'm not so good at it.

[tristarscoop]

I've heard of places like Jimmy John's putting out tip jars and then the management/owners were taking that money and the kids/peons were not getting anything but their minimum wage.

[pretendastronaut]

I delivered for PJ's Subs when I was in college. Before that I thought tipping a delivery guy was about the stupidest thing ever. It takes doing it to appreciate it. Like others have said, you do know who your good tippers are, and that gets reflected back by your order getting priority.

 

The distance thing is funny, because I would have a few customers who literally were a block, sometimes 2 away, and they would never tip. Seriously, if you're to lazy to walk the block to get your own food, you need to tip the person who does bring it to you. Those people always annoyed me.

 

Delivery driving is a crapshoot of a job. I had some fights with lazy workers in the kitchen if I would come back from a run and orders weren't ready to go back out and it wasn't busy instore. Some of them never seemed to understand that they effected my income by doing that, and that I was the one who would have to hear it from the customer because I was the one in front o them. Conversely, on really big orders, or really busy days, I was pretty much the only driver who would give some of my tips back to the people making the sandwiches.

 

Side note to the other drivers in this thread: have you had any of those stereotypical delivery guy moments, where people play with you? I used to have a lady in Riverwest who would always come to the door in an overshirt, with nothing underneath and she would always bend over and put her food down. Other delivery guys knew exactly who I was talking about back in the day about her. Sometimes that stuff really does happen! There are a few more examples I have, but their bigger stories.

 

 

Tipping Garbage Men, Postal Workers, etc. :

 

I didn't start doing this until 2 or 3 years ago. I had never really considered it before, but I can say, you notice a service difference if you do it, at least for the garbage guys. I typically just give them a gift card. There are laws for postal workers about what they can accept (no cash, nothing over $20 in value). I just tape it to my mailbox with his name on it. This year I handed it to him.

 

The garbage guys are trickier, I've just put the a Christmas card in a ziploc and put that ontop of the garbage can. Kind of weird, but it works.

[pretendastronaut]

I've heard of places like Jimmy John's putting out tip jars and then the management/owners were taking that money and the kids/peons were not getting anything but their minimum wage.

 

I've worked in a few places that had counter tip jars, and I never saw that happen. Doesn't mean it doesn't, but I wouldn't think its common. I had a friend who worked at Starbucks and she said that money was pooled and divided equally amoungst the counter people at the end of the week. That's about the only time I've ever heard of management messing with that cash.

[dadofandrew]

With your mailman or garbage person, how do you know if it's them or a sub? I guess I'd view that like tipping my broker or my mechanic...I pay them for a service, and they do it. Tips or gifts seem unnecessary. Heck, they probably both make more than me.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

{By the way, allow me to say I wish I really did have a broker.}

 

In my case, both comes out of my taxes, so I don't pay them directly, I guess. My folks used to gift the mailman, and it seemed odd then. He would always put a thank you card in the box the next day, sans postage, which struck me as wrong as well.

[pretendastronaut]

With your mailman or garbage person, how do you know if it's them or a sub? ...My folks used to gift the mailman, and it seemed odd then. He would always put a thank you card in the box the next day, sans postage, which struck me as wrong as well.

 

That's a fair question about the subs. For the garabe guys, I'd never really know, but seeing as after I started tipping them, I was able to notice extras in my service, I know they got it.

As for the postman, I know his name, so it's easy to address the card to him. As for the thank you card, I thought the same thing about it just being stuck in the mailbox with no postage, but I noticed that it was actually supplied by the Post Office for that purpose. I forget what it was, but there was something on it that made me realize that it was an "official" thank you card to use, so the issues with no postage were obviously worked out in a manner that was lawful.

[dadofandrew]

They must have added the official thank you in the last 20 years, they used to just use plain thank yous like you'd find in the card shop.

 

What "extras" do you get from your garbage man? They take the trash and leave the Rubbermaid can...that's all I expect, and every one we've ever had has done the same thing.

[pretendastronaut]

Extras in terms of, if I forget to take my trash to the curb, they come around and get it, that never happened in the past. I know my one neighbor NEVER takes his trash out front, but they always go get it for him. I've never abused this, but I've talked to others who have told me of the things they've been able to get away with putting in the trash that the garbage men aren't supposed to take away.

 

I don't necessarily tip them for the extra service, but rather because, my life would be a lot harder without them doing their job all year long. A small tip once a year doesn't seem to much to ask then. I typically give them $20 gift cards to Pick'n'Save. That's about a 38¢ a week tip.

[tristarscoop]

I've heard of places like Jimmy John's putting out tip jars and then the management/owners were taking that money and the kids/peons were not getting anything but their minimum wage.

I've worked in a few places that had counter tip jars, and I never saw that happen. Doesn't mean it doesn't, but I wouldn't think its common. I had a friend who worked at Starbucks and she said that money was pooled and divided equally amoungst the counter people at the end of the week. That's about the only time I've ever heard of management messing with that cash.

Yeah, I worked at the Bux and that's fairly common.

What I'm talking about was at a sub shop and unfortunately for the management, the kids' dad is a lawyer. The shop settled out of court pretty quickly, no questions asked.

[2008 world champs]

A little off topic: I recently got a job at Pizza Hut, and I can pick from what i want to do there (cook, server, driver etc) Anyone know the set wages or estimated as that might be a big factor in what i decide to do. I know tips come with being a server and a driver, however my roomate was a cook at a restaurant while I attended Winona and he got a cut of the tips. Do cooks generally get part of the tips?

[dadofandrew]

The stress level of being a driver is about 10% of the other two.

[Bikeage77]

The added delievery charge is what kills the tips. People see that on the receipt and nobody wants to pay more than that. I'm sure I'm over critical of this whole delivery thing, but there's really no point in ordering an expensive pizza and having to wait near an hour to get it. It's criminal all the fees added to pizza delivery...

I delivered for about 7 months this year, and with gas teetering 4 bucks a gallon, you wouldn't believe how much that helped me. I got paid in gas based on 5% of my total delivery. 100 bucks worth of deliveries was 5 bucks. Most orders were under 10 with an occasional at 20. So do the math on taking roughly 8 deliveries all over the east side, riverwest, and downtown. That money is important, and without charging it, most places couldn't do delivery because most people wouldn't do it. When gas was 2 bucks a gallon, it may not have mattered as much.

I generally got anywhere between a buck and 3 (with the exception of one crazy guy that gave me a 40-50 tip a few times for running to a liquor store and getting him smokes and a 6 of guiness during the winter when all he ordered was a burger and fries (and paid for the beer/smokes in addition). Starting at 6.50 where I worked (Patty Burger), I usually tried to come out ahead of 10 an hour before my gas tip out. Obviously the busier the better, but you do remember who doesn't tip and who does. UWM dorms hardly tip. MSOE dorms don't tip. It's frustrating especially on a 20 dollar order, where you are wasting time sitting in the lobby for 10 minutes and don't get anything, while losing out other deliveries. I've actually called people out on it. I didn't care if I was expecting a tip, some people don't even realize how important tips are to food service workers.

 

I've always tipped 15-20 for food service. I actually was dissappointed in my mom a few weeks ago when we had terrible service at Mader's and she still tipped close to 50 bucks. The waitress was fairly rude, and when my grandmother asked the difference between two sauerbraten's, the lady rolled her eyes and then replied with a total attitude. I woulda stiffed her. Yet my mom insisted.

 

My friends cut my hair, but if I ever do go to get a haircut, I'm not tipping. Every haircut place I delievered to didn't tip, a buck for a 40 dollar order. And Al, try carrying a tray of milkshakes and 2 bags of burgers/fries through 40 inches of snow through a blizzard, woulda ya tip then? Cuz it's not that easy.

 

Also, I tip bartenders every few drinks and throw em a buck. If they're making shots or mixers it's diiferent, but yer opeing a bottle of pabst, which is already a buck more than it should be at most places. I've never heard of tipping the garbage man, but my family always gave the mailman a gift card for Christmas, and now that I can swing it, I will too. Afterall, they're out there in freezing weather for 5 months a year, walking through unshoveled snow and ridiculous winds, they should be given some kinda gift.

[dadofandrew]

Bike, I always tip, just not as much as these folks, usually between $1 + the change and $2 + the change. I delivered for 5 years, I know the game.

[Nader Raider Tim]

So what is the tipping etiquette at buffets?

 

This is alway something that has puzzled me. I go to a bunch of buffets in the Appleton area, Hu Hott, Sai Ram, and Asian Garden and I have always wondered what proper tipping etiqutte was for places like that. Some of my friends don't tip at all which I think is rediculous, but I would agree that tipping on the same scale as at a standard restaurant isn't warrented.

 

Generally I tip 15-20% at a buffet and 20-25% at a more conventional resaurant.

 

Pizza guys sorry but I do take the delivery fee into consideration. I order from Papa Johns and they have a $1.90 delivery charge. I've basically split the difference with the driver and I reduced my standard tip from $4 and the change to $3 and the change.

[Chio151]

10% for a buffet, provided they are polite and refill your drink without prompting.

[dadofandrew]

$1 at a buffet, unless my son makes a mess, then $2.

[1992casey]

I just rolled through several links on buffet tipping. The majority agree with Chio151 and say that 10% is customary. One said a buck a head. Another said 10-15% while reminding us that the people who wait on your table also work quite hard keeping the buffet stocked and clean.

[Nader Raider Tim]

So is it that buffet workers are better paid, and then less dependent on tips? Or is it that they make up the money in bulk by covering a larger amount of tables?

 

Hopefully someone out there has worked as a buffet server before and can tell me.