Is tipping for everything out of control?

I hope someone else comments but we tipped $75 per mover. That was 10+ years ago. It was only 250 miles but our movers stayed with the truck and spent the night in our new area. It was January and the truck got stuck going up our street so we felt extra sorry about the terrible cold and snowy weather conditions.

My son did DoorDash for a bit, I think they get $2.50 for delivery plus tips. The other fees go to DoorDash.

We paid small fortunes for most of our moves so we donā€™t tip on top of that but we do buy lunches for everyone, provide beverages, etcā€¦

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We are doing a river cruise in Europe. We pay gratuities for the staff on the ship but now I hear we have to tip the tour guides and bus drivers. In cash.

Which means that we have to either order euros from our bank or withdraw money from an ATM. I would love for it to be cashless, especially in Europe. Meaning only using a credit card

I agree but the movers told me that they expected to be tipped and how much. I really didnā€™t know what to say other than tip.

It was a corporate move but they were charged plenty.

I would really be put off by that but I agree that Iā€™m not sure what else would you do in that situation other than tip.

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Seems to be a thing these days. One of our friends moved recently. Moving company owner and two guys showed up. It wasnā€™t cheap, and he said they did an ā€œokā€ job, nothing special (they also nicked the wall during the process).

At the end of the job the owner insisted my friend tip his guys $50 each. Insisted, not suggested.
My friend ended up paying but it left a bad taste. He couldnā€™t understand why, when they charged thousands, they couldnā€™t have just added on a hundred instead of requiring a ā€œtipā€.

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Thatā€™s what Iā€™ve done as well. Moving is too expensive to also expect a tip. I paid $4k to move 30 miles a few years ago. I bought all of the guys lunch.

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10 years ago, I moved 7 miles, I tipped each mover $50, just enough for them to buy a steak dinner. The whole move cost me $500, so thatā€™s 30%. I didnā€™t provide any food, just water.

Just a heads-up - if you ever go on a safari at a private camp in Africa, budget for the tip!! The service and food are unbelievable, but the ā€œguidelinesā€ for a tip for the staff after our last four-night stay for four people amounted to over $700. My dad said he was OK with it and he paid it.

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We are leaving for a Safari soon and budgeted for tips. I think tips for guides while traveling is a must. Not only do they make very little otherwise, but the service is usually excellent and so they deserve it.

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Yes, I just didnā€™t expect it to be quite so much. Is this your first safari? I will PM you so this doesnā€™t go off-track.

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My first, my DDā€™s second. The tour company did provide a guide about whatā€™s customary for tipping.

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OK, thatā€™s good. I booked the safari directly so there was no tour company to advise me.

Any mandatory tipping should just be built into the fees. Itā€™s doing the business no favors to itā€™s reputation by putting a demand and a number to tipping.

I have heard some moving HORROR stories lately. From huge delays to missing belongings to hidden fees to literally having home belongings held hostage. Itā€™s frightening.

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I live in NYC and I have the best mover. They have moved me 4 times, my kids numerous times and now my nephews are also using them. They do tell us how much to tip their guys, but even with tipping and all their costs are lower than others. They show up on time and usually do the move below estimated time. They also have never broken anything.
I donā€™t mind tipping them, but would also prefer if they just include it in their fees.

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Yes. Tipping is out of control. Especially in the food industry. In CA restaurant staff is paid the on going minimum wage which is in the $15 range. Certain cities then add on charges trumpeting ā€˜healthcareā€™ of some kind or otherā€¦never have made much sense of that.

Then there is the ā€˜take out containerā€™ fee. And the disposable cup fee and the CC fee. So my tipping for our - very infrequent - in person dining has remained about the same since the implementation of the minimum wage. And that is 15% if your get the order right and to the table in a reasonable time. More if you go above that level.

I have stopped tipping on alcohol based on the price of the drink. H doesnā€™t drink and I only get red wine. No fussy mixed drinks. It takes absolutely no more effort to pour a glass of red wine than it does to pour a soft drink. Ohā€¦and the staff member has to run back and forth with free refills on the soft drink or ongoing refills on just the table water. So if I order one of the overpriced wines I am NOT going to tip you 20%+ on that $18. The tip will be based on the cost of a non-alcoholic drink.

If I have to drive to pick up the meal you put in a bag - then no tip.

We have generously tipped delivery people. It is hard work getting anything of size into our house. Thereā€™s a tough driveway, thereā€™s stairs and there are some ā€˜funā€™ turns around corners.

We give generously to our house keeper and gardner at Christmas. Weā€™ve hired independents for odd jobs and if they do a nice job - there is a tip.

Should one tip the Safeway/Nob Hill grocery store person who pre-made the sushi or sandwich in the deli section? How about the auto mechanic for changing the oil or installing tires? Why not the dry cleaner? Or the folks who hand you a towel at the gym? Better yetā€¦the person mopping up the floor at the gym after the latest swim class. Why donā€™t we tip our dental hygienists, physical therapists or doctors?

At a destination spa I visit every year one is expected to tip the massage therapist - but not the highly trained individuals leading the fitness classes - why? One is expected to tip the housekeeping and cooking staff. But not the gardeners - this place has 40+ acres of amazing landscaping that contributes a huge amount to the total experience - not to mention their work keeps one from tripping over ones own feet.

Where does it stop?

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@dietz199 made me think of something.

This is how my husband and I tip. We take the final bill, figure out 10% by moving the decimal point and double it. Give or take. So 59.99. $6 is half times 2= $12. If we only have had water and the bill is really low, we give a tip that works for us. For instance we had tacos this week. The bill was $21. I would give a $5 tip because they are nice, it wasnā€™t busy and we get chips and salsa. Takes approx 5 seconds and Iā€™m terrible at math.

My mother in law on the other hand. My father in law hands her the bill. She puts on her glasses, takes out a pen and paper. Examines the bill very, very intently. Gets out her pen and paper and is doing arithmetic. Takes at least 5 minutes, gets out the credit card. Then when the credit card receipt comes, again, my mother in law looks over the bill again and writes in the tip.

What is she doing? Iā€™ve never asked but I am curious what is going on. Taking out the tax? Tipping differently on the alcohol? This last time we were at a very nice restaurant for my birthday. The food and service was impeccable. After 35 years, I just shake my head. No idea

Timely. Iā€™m sitting in a restaurant in an Unos. The server wasnā€™t the best so I wasnā€™t going to leave more than 20%. The bill came with check total then a tip total for us to add in, and then a line for an additional tip. But the tip number was only 15%. I thought that was irritating and just left that.

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If I order a $4 item at Panera for something that doesnā€™t have to be prepared on site and is ready to go, they offers 3 tip suggestions with the least amount being $2. So they want at least a 50% tip for 30 seconds or less of work. Crazy. You can manually override it with effort, but itā€™s ridiculous to have structured the presets that way to begin with.

The root issue is the US exploiting workers with insufficient base wages. Every worker should get a reasonable wage guaranteed from their employer, who should factor it into the costs they pass on to customers. Like most of the rest of the world does. Workers with no ownership stake in the business should not be at-risk to only make enough if customers opt-in to pay them directly. Itā€™s an absurd system. Even crazier because many employers then take a cut of those tips that were intended for the workers and only necessary to begin with because the employers where exploiting them. I would gladly pay more for the food or service up-front to cover living wages, then only need to tip is the service was exceptional.

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