To be honest I think that set amounts for tips is ridiculous (i.e. 15% for food, 15-20% for haircut, etc). Tips are supposed to be for quality of service. If you didn't do a good job then you should deserve a tip or should only receive a small one.
Sorry if I offend anyone... just my view.

***then you shouldn't deserve

whoops! sorry lol
wish we could edit

I completely agree, kiki. If we get crappy service, then they get a crappy tip. With the economy as bad as it is, I'm not going to throw away unecessary money. However...if we get excellent service, then they get an excellent tip.

The food delivery tips listed above seem quite low. Only tip for pizza? Are you kidding?

I completely agree with you MisterPinkNoTip, I tip for any delivery service that comes to my door. If the restaurant is offering delivery, it is probably not five star, and does not pay its delivery employees over minimum wage, so I always tip! I'm from a small city though (we do not have a metre, it's $6 anywhere), so taxi drivers always help load and unload the trunk, and often carry them to the door. Our taxi drivers will even go through the Tim Horton's drive through for you, all you have to do is buy them a coffee too.

WOW, I feel cheap for not tipping when I use taxis. However, I was only 16, so I felt weird giving an old man a tip...Now that I'm older, I definitely feel responsible for tipping properly, though. I've luckily had the hairstylist wash my hair, so I didn't need to tip twice, but I would say 10% (or 15% if the hair styling took a few hours) for hair...$1 If I order one medium pizza and the restaurant is a few blocks away (Especially if I had to wait 45+ minutes), more if I order more pizzas...Restaurants get 15-25% depending on service...And waxers/facials should get 10%.

Tamara, I think for the owner to expect a tip is WRONG. Maybe she expected you to tip HER, then she would distribute the tip to her employee accordingly. I know that's sometimes the case at hair salons I've been to. Other than that, do NOT tip the owner...And don't feel guilty. You already paid her for a service, no need to pay twice!!

What? $10 for the bellman?

I read somewhere that you don't need to tip the owner (of a hair salon, spa, etc) because seriously...they don't need the tip and they might be offended when you hand them a tip.

I leave generous tips for those who do their job well. I can't stand it when people treat me like crap and expect 20%. Screw that.

You should mention the bartender. I was taught if (s)he gives change, leave that along with a dollar for each drink.

Then again, the more drinks I have, the more I seem to tip the bartender!

Tipping is so hard. I have friends that work in the service industry and I know how much they depend on the money, but if you are in the service industry... SERVE! I will not tip 20% for a waiter who was really sucky or grouchy (seems to be a requirement in LA). Another thing I had been told is don't go for any service (restaurant, nails, taxi, etc) if you can't afford the tip as part of the cost.. i.e. don't get your nails done if you can't afford the extra 5-10 bucks. Somehow that was a good lesson when I was in college. I was so poor that I would save up JUST enough money to get whatever it was done, but then wouldn't really have money to tip. Also to note as well, I grew up in a small southern town and I didn't know of anyone who tipped their hairdresser. I don't know if it's a cultural small town thing, but I didn't learn that until I moved to a city. And the town I'm from isn't low class backwoods by any stretch of the imagination.

I try and tip at least 20%. If the service isn't very good then I will tip 15% (what I see as the minimum). I've never had REALLY awful service so I've never felt the need to tip less than that. It's important to remember that a server's minimum wage is different than with most jobs (at least in the state where I live), so they literarily depend on tips. It is generally just over $2.00. Of course this is something that servers should keep in mind as well.

In my country we don't tip. Never.

But when I'm travelling, I find it very confusing. How much do I tip here and there? But 20% seems rather high, at least to me. I'm just not used to the tipping.

I know that in other countries many people who work on service-industry really depend on the tips. I think the minimum wage is calculated in here so that you can live with it. Well I got a summer job in a cafe and I may start to think that finnish people should tip also.

I tip depending on the quality of the service. I think great services can get higher tips. I would never ever tip really bad service at all. My In-Laws always tip 15% no matter if the service was amazing or horrid. It drives me insane.

I think it's because I'm from the UK that I really resent tipping. When I'm on holiday then fair enough as it's different in the US but over here, a person working in a restaurant earns just as much - sometimes more - than I do and I work as an office clark and I don't get tips! I may do a fantastic job with my work but my boss doesn't give me 20%! I don't see how it is fair that someone gets extra money for doing a job that they are already paid to do. If they give fantastic service then that's fair enough but in the UK I really don't see why you should. They have a minimum wage which is now something like £5.35 so why should you?

In the U.S however I get a bit confused as I'm not sure who you tip and what you tip them but generally I give 20/25% to people in restaurants, 15% to taxis and then from there try and guess who to give to and what to give

In the U.S., people in the serviec industry (such as bartenders and waitstaff) often get a very small amount as an hourly wage. When I last was a bartender, I was getting $2.13 an hour. It was assumued that you would make your money from tips. And at the end of the night, you had to claim your tips on your checkout form so the government could keep track of what you owed.

So, by the time pay-day rolled around, and I collected my paycheck, it would be for $0.00, because all the tips I had earned in cash negated any hourly wage I had earned.

For good service, you should tip 15% or more. For truly bad service that is completely the result of the waitstaff's efforts, feel free to leave nothing.

As for owners of salons... If they are the owner, you don't leave them a tip. You never tip the "proprietor." If they expect one, don't ever go back to that business... It's comkon etiquette rules that the owner of a business does not get tipped. Only the employees do.

Just a note...as a wrangler in the summer in Yellowstone National Park I would like to say...............PLEASE tip your tour guides! Well, the ones who are putting in a lot of effort!

To take out people for a one hour ride we have to bring 24 horses into the barn, feed them all, groom them all, saddle them all, bring them out and tie them to the fence, bridle them all, them talk to the guests bring them a horse, get all of the people on the horses and then take them on a (crossing fingers) safe and happy horseback ride. Then get everyone off. 6 rides a day and then feed and unsaddle.

Please don't forget to tip while on vacation there are people who work very hard for you to have a good time!

*also an after thought...unlike some trial ride outfits our horses were treated very well. Lots of apples and love!

"Bellhop: 10 dollars for just dropping your luggage in your room."

-- I think that website must be run by the Bellhops of America Association.

And what about the poor delivery people other than pizza? That makes about zero sense to me. I always tip delivery drivers, and I tip them especially well when it's crappy weather out.

In DC, delivery people are paid on tips. I assumed it was the same elsewhere!

As to the poster, if the woman gave you a b*tchy vibe, reward her by never going back there. I'm a little tired of places that try to cultivate a snobbishness attitude because they think the average person correlates that with exclusivity.

10 dollars for a bellhop is outrageous to me.

We don't tip in my country. So, naturally, I don't like tipping but I do so out of courtesy if the service was great. If I don't like the service, I won't shy away from not tipping.

What is the reasoning behind only tipping for pizza delivery? We ordered Chinese food tonight and tipped the delivery guy $5. Why not? He did the same thing the pizza guy would do. Bring me food.

Please remember not to punish a server for someone else's mistakes. If something goes wrong with your food or another part of your visit please feel free to discuss it with a manager, they may actually be able to do something. But, as a server, I am often 'punished' for other's mistakes. Contrary to popular belief, I do not come to work to ruin your day, so when things go wrong I am just as stressed as you are. If your server is genuinely trying to give you good service despite all hell breaking loose behind the scenes, keep that in mind as you figure on a tip.

Speak to a manager. I cannot stress it enough. Be clear about what you want, what you expected or what we can do to make your visit a good one.

PS..sorry, tonight wasn't a very good night in my restaurant...I feel like i am venting.

Tip your bartenders and shooter girls!! I serve shots (my SO is a bartender) and we make only $3.25/hr. He makes $3.75 b/c he's been at his job for almost 2 years! We rely on tips. So when you buy a $4 shot from me and don't tip, then it's basically costing me $$ to come and sell you shot or drink. We end up relying on those that tip well just to average out for the ones that don't do it at all. And it's amazing..most women won't tip and then they wonder why they get sh*t service from bartenders and the like b/c we aren't going to spend time and energy on you. We have to work a 8 hour shift total, and only about 4 hours we're actually serving and able to make money, the rest is set up and maintenance. When you get just a shot from a shooter girl, you should tip between 1 & 2 dollars, from the bartender it's the same. And if you want amazing service, and your drink made while you are walking up so you are handed it before you even reach the bar, then tip more...it becomes worth it, and then you'll get hooked up, free drink, major discounts, and no wait.

I am American and I despise having to tip. I think that we have somehow been manipulated by the restaurant owners to where we're in the position where the waiter's salary burden is on us. Rather than paying their workers a decent wage, they put the financial pressure on customers in the form of guilt. It's like the small print in a contract.

That being said, I tip based on service. If there is bad service, don't expect a tip. I paid for the food, the tip, in my book, is a bonus.

LOL @ cjmara.

I ALWAYS tip. I wouldn't tip an owner. I've never even heard of this phenomenon. However, I ALWAYS tip otherwise.

My dad was a pizza delivery driver. He supported our family on that for years. He wasn't mean, I'd guess, but he would be late -- on account of problems in the kitchen, problems with traffic -- things beyond his control.

You never know who depends on that tip -- children, families, etc. So, tip away!

I only order delivery when the weather is too crappy for me to want to go out, so, I tip no matter what the cuisine, and I always tip $2-4 based on how crappy it is, and how quick they were. It doesn't matter how much $$ my order was, because they do the same job, and waste the same amount of gas no matter what. I tend to feel that way in restaurants too...even if I tip 15-20% I am way more likely to leave a higher percentage tip in a diner than in a fancy restaurant, because essentially they end up doing similar work, and the person in the diner probably makes way less. I've never understood basing a tip mostly on the cost of the food.

Aaaand I hate tipping. I wish it were just incorporated in the cost of the service. I know that it's nice if I get bad service that i can leave a small tip, but honestly that happens so rarely anyway, and when it does, the establishment loses my business, so owners would still have incentives to make service good!

I work at a family restaurant, as a server. I make $2.13 an hour... I very rarely get a paycheck with money on it.. they normally say "this is not a check". If you have good service drinks are filled, friendly service and no problems, please tip 20 %. Most servers at restaurants also pay tip out to bartenders, hosts, and the expos. Where I work, 10% of our sale is take out as tip share it's usually around 20 dollars a night. If people don't tip, I not only don't make any money but lose money on that table. Tipping can make someones day. A few extra dollars makes a big difference.

Sorry for the rant, it's an issue close to heart.

I am sorry, but I think 20% is a bit ridiculous. I tip 15% if the service is very good and the server is pleasant. I have very little money because I am a student and going out is a luxury for me. That being said, I will still tip well if the service was good. I have worked in retail and at a coffee shop. In retail I worked my ass off to serve people and be friendly and yet I never received any tips and got a dismal wage. I have a hard time understanding why I am expected to tip someone who apparently depend on their tips, yet are totally rude to me and make no effort. I think things are a bit different where I live in Canada, though because servers have to make at least minimum wage before tips. My dad embarasses the hell out of me, because he still only tips 10%. It's so embarassing to go out to eat with him.

Re: the bell hop thing- so you are supposed to tip them $10, but sometimes they grab your stuff and don't give you the option of taking it yourself. So how is it fair that I'm not given the option of carrying my own suitcase and then should be tipping $10?

I do:

$5-$6 for food delivery

$10 for mani/pedi/or other spa services

$20 for hair

$5 for cabs/hotel staff/valet parkers

20-25% for servers/bartenders or $1 per drink

$20 for AAA assistance/movers/workmen

I feel like I'm leaving something out?

Oh, but I would never tip a store owner, and I hate tipping shampoo girls.

Its just that I never have cash on me, so I usually tip at the end and have to go back and find my stylist, so having to track down the shampoo-ist as well is a little irritating.

I prefer salons where the stylist shampoos you as well so you only have to be concerned with tipping ONE PERSON.

And I so wish we lived in a country that didnt tip!

I have never frequented a hotel where there were bellhops -probably because I cant afford to tip them haha. I can carry my own luggage, so unless the place has no elevator and the bellhop carries it up the stairs, I would either request they not touch my bags or I would tip $1 or $2 if I absolutely have to. The only time I am tipping $10 is if the bellhop carries my heavy a$$ bags up 2+ flights of stairs.

I am a good tipper for the most part - I usually try to tip 18-20% for good service and 15% for the bare minimum. If I am so displeased that I want to tip less than 15%, I would speak to the manager.

I tip well, I guess!

Although, I tip for other cuisine deliveries too!

All I know is that 20% is the current standard for restaurant servers who provide good service. If the service is poor or excellent, adjust accordingly.

Someone who can't afford to tip 20% on top of their meal shouldn't be eating out. Plain and simple.

Ack, j2e1n9, you are the most generous tipper I know! I would tip more if I had the money...In my defense.

i have a tipping question too: i got a massage a couple times at a registered massage therapy place (similar to a chiropractors office, certainly not a spa, and it was because my doctor gave me a perscription and i have a medically diagnosed back problem)...and i didn't tip her (i didn't even think about it, i just didn't tip her, as i felt like i was at a medical appointment) but when i left, i realized maybe i should have....what's the protocol there?

anyway, i went regularly for a few weeks, so i thought, maybe i will just give her a large tip in an envelope at my last appointment (or at xmas or whatever came first), BUT THEN i realized she was mis-scheduling me and thought i was 15 minutes late for every appointment, so was massaging me for 15 minutes less every time, without mentioning it to me (obviously if i came waltzing in 15 minutes late every week without saying sorry you might realize i had the wrong time written down??????) anyway so i was happy i never tipped her because that pissed me off!

Hmmm. My friend said not to tip pizza people because they already get money for that stuff. I have no idea. This one time we had to wait about 3-5 hours for Pizza Hut to deliver our pizza. Half of our party left, it was hours later, I had called 3-5 times checking our order, and every time they said it was on the way... the Pizza place was a few blocks down the street. I don't think no tip was too crucial?

Hmmm. My friend said not to tip pizza people because they already get money for that stuff. I have no idea. This one time we had to wait about 3-5 hours for Pizza Hut to deliver our pizza. Half of our party left, it was hours later, I had called 3-5 times checking our order, and every time they said it was on the way... the Pizza place was a few blocks down the street. I don't think no tip was too crucial?