Tipping Etiquette

Let's face it: tipping can be confusing, embarassing and awkward.  Whether you want to convey your satisfaction or disappointment, tipping can often seem like a mysterious ritual with no written rules.  Now more than ever our lives seem busier and as a result we want faster and better service.  As we demand more services, there are, in turn, more people to tip.  Suddenly a short list of tipping recipients that was once limited to hair dressers, cabbies, waiters, and hotel doormen has expanded to include everyone from dog groomers to the cashiers at your local coffeehouse.  Deciding whether to tip for these basic services has brcome a bewildering process. 

We all want to be courteous and do the right thing when it comes to thanking someone for good service, but you have the right to know what you are paying for, what the appropriate tip is, and how not to waste your hard-earned cash.  How you express your appreciation (or lack thereof) will be remembered by the people who provide you with the services.  The greater you show your appreciation, the greater the likelihood that you'll receive excellent service from them in the future.

"A fair tip, or one on the generous side, will leave a pleasant feeling and respect for you in the one who receives it.  A lavish one will create a secret disrespect and add to the reputation Americans have for trying to buy their way into everything."  Eleanor Roosevelt

The origin of the practice of tipping is unclear, but it may have begun in the late Middle Ages with the idea that a sum of money might be given in exchange for something extra, whether it be services of effort.  Some sources state that in sixteenth-century England bar "tavern" patrons would toss coins off the table to get better service. 

Dining Out - my next blog post for restaurant tipping.  Check out "The Itty Bitty Guide To Tipping," by Stacie Krajcgia and Carrie Rosten