5 people you might not tip (but should)

[Deleted]

5 people you might not tip (but should)
By Jillian Eugenios @cnnmoney April 16, 2014: 7:05 AM ET

W YORK (CNNMoney)
It starts with an awkward moment.
A business transaction happens, and it's hard to know what to do next -- is a thank you enough? A handshake? Or is it a good time to slip somebody a few bills?

It depends on the service provided. While a waiter might be obvious, not all situations are as clear-cut.
"The reason why we tip is to show respect to the service provider," said Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert. "Part of our responsibility is to be a respectful community member and give to those who deserve a tip, without going overboard."
She suggested that a good rule of thumb is "when in doubt, do."
Here are a few people who may not first come to mind when considering gratuity.
1. The exterminator
There are generally two types of exterminators: those who do monthly maintenance visits, and those who treat a specific infestation. Exterminators in the latter category are usually tipped, said Timothy Wong, the director of M&M Pest Control in New York City.
On average, 20%-25% of customers tip, Wong said, in an amount ranging from $10-$20. "There are exceptions. Some will tip $40-$50," he said. Some clients give up to $100 if it's a big job, like sealing a building against vermin, which can take up to three days to complete.
Wong said there's a clear tipping correlation between those who don't have infestations, and those who do. Those with happier results are more inclined to tip.
"They will hug you, tip you, feed you, you name it," he said.

2. The cable guy
The worker who comes to your home to install your cable may work for the cable company directly, or might be an outside contractor. A tip for good service is often appreciated.
"If he's out there in the hot sun, maybe digging around under your house, you want to show him a gesture of kindness," said Gottsman.
Some large providers -- like Comcast -- have policies in place that prohibit workers from accepting tips.
But that doesn't mean they won't. It doesn't necessarily have to be a cash tip, Gottsman said. It could be a cold glass of water or lunch, especially if the job takes several hours.
Wyatt Carpenter, a technician in Canton, Ohio, said people tip him, especially on extreme weather days. This past winter, he said he worked in temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees.
"It's not life-changing money," he said of his tips. "Five, 10, 20 bucks...."
Another cable technician, Christopher McBriar, said while he doesn't expect a tip, it's nice to get $10, which he will use for lunch that day.
A nonmonetary tip he appreciates: When a customer is prepared for his visit. "They have moved the furniture away from the wall or unpacked the TV from the box ... that goes a long way too," he said.
Related: 10 big overtime pay violators

3. The spray tanner
Adding on gratuity for a hair stylist is fairly typical, but tipping for beauty services doesn't end there.
"Makeup and tanning is so overlooked," said Suzie Basset, a full-service salon owner in San Antonio, Tex. "That's part of the grey area because [customers] just don't know." She said clients will occasionally ask her if a gratuity is expected.
"It's uncomfortable for you, the payer, and it's uncomfortable for me, the receiver, on how to handle that," she said.
A safe bet is to tip salon service providers anywhere between 15%-20%. It is sometimes assumed that if the service provider is the salon owner a tip does not have to be included. Basset said that's changing, and many owners now welcome gratuities.

4. The dry cleaner
The person behind the counter of your local dry cleaner may not be the same person actually doing the work of removing the stain from your shirt, but a small token of gratitude wouldn't go amiss.
"If someone got a stain out of my favorite white dress, I would ask them, 'Can I leave a tip? What would be a great way to say thank you?'" said Lizzie Post, the co-author of Emily Post's Etiquette, 18th Edition.
It doesn't have to be cash. The Yelp Gratuitous Guide to Tipping suggests some flowers or a bottle of wine. That may sound romantic, but, "if they remove a wine stain from your favorite Marc Jacobs dress," it might be worth it.

5. The road service employee
Maybe it's a flat on a busy highway far from home, or a dead car battery on a stormy night. A panicked moment, made manageable by the tow truck guy who came to the rescue.
"Yes, he's working, that's his job, he is getting paid a salary... but maybe he's on a busy highway, or came in the rain in the middle of the night," said Gottsman. "You can offer it."

[Deleted]

Tipping is out of control... and I would never think to tip anyone but possibly the spray tanner on this list

[IIOY]

I hate tipping, period. I would rather just pay more for a service.

[cattledogkisses]

I tip for all beauty services, but it would never occur to me to tip any of the other people on this list.

[origami]

"Some large providers -- like Comcast -- have policies in place that prohibit workers from accepting tips." Good because I'll be damned before I give them 2 cents more than I have to. If you work for comcast I will assume you approve of their shitty, deceitful ways and are thus undeserving of additional pay. Is it obvious how much I loathe comcast?

[Deleted]

Apr 16, 2014 10:20:45 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Tipping is out of control... and I would never think to tip anyone but possibly the spray tanner on this list

Agreed.

[pixy0stix]

Whut? No.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

If I pay you to get a stain out of my dress and you do it successfully, then you've done your job and earned the money I ALREADY GAVE YOU. Maybe I'm stingy, but these are weird suggestions to me. I kind of think tipping in general is weird when I'm already paying for a service. People like servers should earn a fair wage so they don't have to rely on tips. If I want to give you a gift at Christmas or something, that's different.

[mominatrix]

I don't get this.

OF COURSE if you slip somebody a little something extra, they're going to look out for you better. OF COURSE THEY WILL... but that doesn't mean that the profession suddenly becomes one that merits tipping.


ffs.

[penguingrrl]

Other than the spray tanner (who I would count as a beauty service and automatically tip, although I would never do a spray tan) I would never think to tip any of these people.

[downtoearth]

No, No, No, No, No.

Dude - the road person?! Isn't that why I pay so much more when they come after hours?

[earlgreyhot]

I hate tipping for beauty services. I do it, but I don't get it. I'm already paying a high hourly rate for the service, so the 20% tip on top of that seems superfluous.

[cattledogkisses]

I did tip a tow truck driver once.

I had invited a bunch of girlfriends to my family's lake house for the weekend, and one of my poor friends missed the driveway in the dark and drove down some trail in the woods that is not actually a road and got her car stuck (and supposedly heard a Sasquatch, lol). The poor AAA guy drove almost an hour to the middle of nowhere to some road-that-is-not-a-real-road to pull her out. So we tipped him and warned him about the Sasquatch. And he probably thought we were drunk and ridiculous, which we were (minus the friend who was driving, obviously).

[Deleted]

I am an over-tipper, and this is the stupidest list ever. I wouldn't tip ANY of these people.
I *do* tip a gas station attendant $2 for pumping my gas in sub-zero temps.

[Deleted]

Apr 16, 2014 10:25:01 GMT -5 origami said:

"Some large providers -- like Comcast -- have policies in place that prohibit workers from accepting tips." Good because I'll be damned before I give them 2 cents more than I have to. If you work for comcast I will assume you approve of their shitty, deceitful ways and are thus undeserving of additional pay. Is it obvious how much I loathe comcast?

While I agree that cable people shouldn't be tipped, I won't assume that everyone working for comcast likes the company and approves of their policies. Clearly Comcast has a monopoly in many areas, so people with certain skills or no other options are forced to work there. I'd work at comcast over being jobless or not being able to provide for my family.

[meshaliuknits]

Apr 16, 2014 10:25:01 GMT -5 origami said:

"Some large providers -- like Comcast -- have policies in place that prohibit workers from accepting tips." Good because I'll be damned before I give them 2 cents more than I have to. If you work for comcast I will assume you approve of their shitty, deceitful ways and are thus undeserving of additional pay. Is it obvious how much I loathe comcast?

That's more eloquent than the "tip the Comcast dude who gave me a 12hr window and still showed up an hour after it? HELL NO." that originally popped into my head

[IIOY]

Apr 16, 2014 10:55:28 GMT -5 @wandering said:

Apr 16, 2014 10:25:01 GMT -5 origami said:

"Some large providers -- like Comcast -- have policies in place that prohibit workers from accepting tips." Good because I'll be damned before I give them 2 cents more than I have to. If you work for comcast I will assume you approve of their shitty, deceitful ways and are thus undeserving of additional pay. Is it obvious how much I loathe comcast?

While I agree that cable people shouldn't be tipped, I won't assume that everyone working for comcast likes the company and approves of their policies. Clearly Comcast has a monopoly in many areas, so people with certain skills or no other options are forced to work there. I'd work at comcast over being jobless or not being able to provide for my family.

At the risk of speaking for origami, her hatred of Comcast is an ongoing joke, so I suspect this is similar to many of my fogey rants, i.e, a bit hyperbolic and TIC.

[Deleted]

Apr 16, 2014 10:59:29 GMT -5 IIOY said:

Apr 16, 2014 10:55:28 GMT -5 @wandering said:

While I agree that cable people shouldn't be tipped, I won't assume that everyone working for comcast likes the company and approves of their policies. Clearly Comcast has a monopoly in many areas, so people with certain skills or no other options are forced to work there. I'd work at comcast over being jobless or not being able to provide for my family.

At the risk of speaking for origami, her hatred of Comcast is an ongoing joke, so I suspect this is similar to many of my fogey rants, i.e, a bit hyperbolic and TIC.

Ahh ok got it

[emilyj]

The cable guy? No fucking way.

Tipping has gotten out of control. Period. Pieces like this aren't helping.

[heyjude]

I tried to tip a Safeway delivery person but she refused, with a smile. She said she was paid well already.

I think this list is insane. And I also hate tipping. I'd rather just pay more for services. I wish our society would just move toward that model of compensation.

[andrealynn]

The only person on this list I would tip is the tanning person (which is a service I actually don't use), but that is more out of pity for them having to see me nearly naked.

[eclaires]

The look on my face right now...tipping the cable guy?! the exterminator?! WHEN WILL THIS MADNESS END?

I'm going to start asking my kids to tip me for making their lunch. Cheap little bastards.

[IIOY]

Apr 16, 2014 11:17:35 GMT -5 eclaires said:

The look on my face right now...tipping the cable guy?! the exterminator?! WHEN WILL THIS MADNESS END?

I'm going to start asking my kids to tip me for making their lunch. Cheap little bastards.

I have a tip for my kids: get a damn job and pay your own way. Six years old, my ass.

[mrsukyankee]

No. Just. No.

[7costanza]

My H is a cable guy, I would estimate 2-3 customers a month tip him ($5-$20) and he also is sometimes given food and drinks. Once an old lady gave him some ratty old pajamas for our son, lol.

FTR, we recently had another cable guy type person at our house and absolutely did not tip. I agree tipping is out of control.

[josieposy]

I like my exterminator, but come on!

[gpw]

I would tip the spray tanner and *possibly* the road service, depending on the time of day and the issue. It's a giant NO for the rest.

[earlgreyhot]

Apr 16, 2014 11:20:44 GMT -5 IIOY said:

Apr 16, 2014 11:17:35 GMT -5 eclaires said:

The look on my face right now...tipping the cable guy?! the exterminator?! WHEN WILL THIS MADNESS END?

I'm going to start asking my kids to tip me for making their lunch. Cheap little bastards.

I have a tip for my kids: get a damn job and pay your own way. Six years old, my ass.

I regularly take "a tax" from my kid's various snacks. If he needs me to open something he gets it returned with a bite out of it.

[katfco]

So apparently, we should tip everyone now.

I'm okay tipping wait staff because it's well documented that their standard wage is an abomination. However, don't most other jobs pay at least minimum wage? Granted, we could turn it into a debate over how minimum wage is too low, but on its face, waiting tables is really the only job that's set up to rely on tips.

[auntie]

I usually tip the AAA tow truck drivers. But yeah, out of control.