One of the things I love about living in New York is the fact that you can have pretty much anything you want delivered right to your front door. Food, groceries, shopping packages, liquor, dry-cleaning, you name it. It's not that we are lazy, it's just that it's readily available everywhere! Tonight, didn't feel much like cooking, and Joel didn't want to either, so we ordered Chinese delivery. Which, by the way, is better than any Chinese food I have ever had in my life. Anyway, the only question then, is what to tip the delivery guy. If the weather is bad, you always tip more than you would otherwise. But then, how much is normal? I actually had a guy huff at me for giving him a $21 on an $18 bill! I mean, it's more than 10%, and you delivered it a whopping block and a half on your bicycle, what do you want? I don't make a mint here, buddy. My ficus tree does not have twenties sprouting out of it just to give to nice delivery boys. It was irritating, but I felt slightly guilty at the same time. I typically tip 15-20% at restaurants and when taking a cab. I mean, I get actual service in a restaurant (hopefully), and cabbies make next to nothing, so I give them a little extra as a thank you for giving me a ride and dropping me at the door. Riding in a car is a novelty for me these days, as I don't take cabs very often and have no car of my own. So it's kind of like a joy-ride, and I tip the driver accordingly! I like to think of myself as a generous person, within reason. Do other people tip? How much? Are you an over-tipper? Have you ever stiffed the waiter/delivery guy/cabbie? What do you people think?
9 months ago
5 comments:
I think 15-20% is a typical tip for anything (even Chinese delivery). Except drinks at a bar, which is $1 per drink, and bellhops, which is $1 per bag.
I only really do the math on tipping at a restaurant. There, I go for 20% as a norm. For drinks, I have a system. No matter how many drinks I order, if the tab is $5, I tip $1; $2 for $10, $3 for $15...you get the system. If it's a bigger tab and I'm on a card, then I do the math. As for delivery guys, I try to do around 15%, I think. But they have to go a lot further here than they do in Manhattan. A cabbie almost hit a bike delivery guy when I was in NYC, though, so it's kind of dangerous for them. I might tip them more as a kind of hazerdous duty pay.
I would be so happy to have someone other than the pizza guy deliver that I think Id probably tip pretty well. I have this tendency to overtip no matter what because Im always afraid Im not tipping enough. I could cure this easily- my cell phone has a neat little tip calculator in it that could do the math for me, but I refuse to be that girl that pulls it out and actually does the math in any other way than in my head. I was there for the almost hitting the bike delivery guy, and I used to know a guy who was a bike courier in DC, so I think if they were on a bike theyd get a little more. The only people we see on bikes around here though are the Mormon missionaries and little kids. But back to the tip thing, the cuter the delivery guy, usually the better tip he gets.
If this helps you feel better, I am a very good tipper in a restaurant because I used to wait tables, but from my extensive career (heh, chuckle) at Pizza Hut when I was in high school, I know that the delivery drivers are paid full wage, plus gas and miles, plus tips. Waitresses and waiters are only paid a half wage, plus tips. So I don't tip delivery people very much. Of course, I'm not sure how much pizza delivery applies to the vast array of services available at your door. :o)
Yes, Phwok, it is different in Europe than here in the States. Here the waiters don't get paid the full hourly amount required by law, so they make it up in tips. If you leave the exact amount on the bill and don't leave a tip, you might as well not go back to eat there, as they will remember you as the guy who stiffs waiters! Just a bit of advice for your next trip State-side!
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