Tips for takeout: is $1 just too cheap nowadays? (Boston, Chicopee: income, wealthy)

[masssachoicetts]

Sample

Out to eat and bill was $60
A) service was top noch … ill leave $20-25.
B) service was good… il leave $15-20
C) service was not good (rare)… i l leave $7-10

Get to go food and pick it up, dominos or pizza whatever. Bill is $15
A) was done when i got there. No issues. Seamless transfer of food i would tip $3
B) things werent ready and cold service. Il give a dollar

Good delivery of pizza (i never get delivery) and it comes to $20
A) stellar service and delivery, $5 cash
B) okay service maybe took too long, $5 on the card
C) awful. $2 on card

Getting a coffee and the question pops up the screen to tip on my $4 coffee
A) 10%, the $0.40 selection, or Il drop a dollar in the tip bucket

In Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey I tip more in premium locations where COL is higher. Maybe a dollar or two more.

[Jacconn]

I now (since pandemic) tip a full 20% (usually rounded to an even number like $10, $15, $20) on takeout orders. Why? Because I order from smaller, local restaurants (rarely corporate-owned or chained) and everything remains pretty awful for them. It's impossible to hire staff, takeout orders aren't as lucrative as dine-in, customers can be entitled/obnoxious, etc. Id don't want them to go under, I don't want their staff to quit, etc. so I'm doing my small part to make the staff feel appreciated and well-compensated. Yes, I'd strongly prefer that restaurants just raise their prices to cover substantially higher labor costs, but that just isn't happening so here we are /shrug

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

The controversial part is that you'd feel embarrassed leaving less. That's not you being generous, that's you feeling obligated. The argument is about whether there is a social obligation to leave 15-20% tip for takeout in the same way there is a social obligation to leave 15-20% for table service.

I don't think there should be such an obligation. I certainly don't judge people who do, and will do so myself as well on occasion, but it's extra.

But see, that's not how I feel. I don't view it as some obligation on my part. It's what I want to do because I do appreciate the effort. If someone leaves $0 tip on a take-out, i could care less and I don't judge them.



Now I'm curious as to what others leave, say, the hotel housekeeper after a night in the hotel room? Even my wife says i'm too generous here.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

But see, that's not how I feel. I don't view it as some obligation on my part. It's what I want to do because I do appreciate the effort. If someone leaves $0 tip on a take-out, i could care less and I don't judge them.



Now I'm curious as to what others leave, say, the hotel housekeeper after a night in the hotel room? Even my wife says i'm too generous here.

That's not how embarrassment works for the rest of us. Either we're embarrassed not to do something or we're going out of our way to do something. It's one or the other. I can understand that maybe you don't see it that way, or that you only hold yourself to such standards, but you coming out and saying you'd be embarrassed makes most people think you would judge them, as well.

Perhaps a different context would helpful. I drive an older beater Toyota. It's not a pretty looking car anymore, but it's safe and runs well. If someone told me, "I'd be embarrassed to drive around in a car that looks like that", they may very well be simply relating their personal feelings in a non-judgmental way. Most people would take that as a relatively direct insult. Or when someone tells an overweight person, "I'd be embarrassed to have a BMI over 20", that's simply someone relating their own personal standards. The intent is almost always understood, though.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

Now I'm curious as to what others leave, say, the hotel housekeeper after a night in the hotel room? Even my wife says i'm too generous here.

Depends on the class of hotel. For a 1 to 3 night stay in a low to mid-grade business hotel where they do nothing but make the bed, empty a trash can, and change the towels, nothing. I’m thinking Marriott Courtyard or a basic Marriott. At a Residence Inn, I’ll tip if I use the kitchenette. At a full service resort, I’ll tip $10 every morning as I’m heading out for the day.

[BostonMike7]

Then I apologize for making it seem as if i was judging others. Your analogy makes sense and it was never my intent to outwardly project my views in a way that could be construed as an insult. My comment was directed towards myself as I do have certain standards of behavior/actions that I impose on myself independent of what others do.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Depends on the class of hotel. For a 1 to 3 night stay in a low to mid-grade business hotel where they do nothing but make the bed, empty a trash can, and change the towels, nothing. I’m thinking Marriott Courtyard or a basic Marriott. At a Residence Inn, I’ll tip if I use the kitchenette. At a full service resort, I’ll tip $10 every morning as I’m heading out for the day.

Ok. I'm in the same ballpark.

Some of my business trips for a night, I'll literally show up to the hotel room at 9PM, hop in bed, and then out the door by 7AM without really distubing anything. I don't leave anything here.

Better hotel when i'm out with the wife and we've used the shower, towels, ate in the room and generally used it well, i'll leave $10/night. We are still generally neat people so it's nothing too crazy, but it will need general cleaning all over.

I've never trashed a hotel room. Can't comment on what that would cost.

[msRB311]

I do wonder if men feel more obligated to leave tips than women for stuff. I get annoyed with my husbands tipping habits.

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

Now I'm curious as to what others leave, say, the hotel housekeeper after a night in the hotel room? Even my wife says i'm too generous here.

I infrequently travel for business and typically stay at fairly middle-of-the-road hotels for vacation (i.e. somewhere between a Best Western and a Courtyard) and typically tip between $5-10 a day. On the occasions I've stayed somewhere more upscale or an all-inclusive type place, I will tip at least $10 a day, or more if there's anything extra to clean (like a kitchenette).



When it comes to where I sleep and keep my stuff, I'm extra conscious of tipping well.



TBH, most of the time I just keep a Do Not Disturb tag up until my last night unless I really need fresh towels or something.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

Ok. I'm in the same ballpark.

Some of my business trips for a night, I'll literally show up to the hotel room at 9PM, hop in bed, and then out the door by 7AM without really distubing anything. I don't leave anything here.

Better hotel when i'm out with the wife and we've used the shower, towels, ate in the room and generally used it well, i'll leave $10/night. We are still generally neat people so it's nothing too crazy, but it will need general cleaning all over after we check out. In the past, we'd tip $5-10 per night with a bigger tip on the last day. My fiancee prefers to leave "Do Not Disturb" up so nobody enters our room. Every few days we'll pull it off so they come do the sheets, towels, etc. and tip a bit more on that day. If I'm by myself it's almost always $5-10 per day.

I've never trashed a hotel room. Can't comment on what that would cost.

I tip similarly. I've admittedly tipped less at hotels during COVID as many of the places we have stayed have reduced (or completely eliminated) in-room services such as changing out towels, making the bed, emptying the trash, etc. In these instances, we'll leave $20 or so at the end of our short stay for the crew that comes in to turn the room over.

I trashed a hotel room my senior year in college. We had a place near the beach in Newport and invited about 8 of our friends back to drink after the bars and several crashed. We woke up late and rushed out the door (my lifeguarding days... had to be at work). The room wasn't terrible, but there were empty bottles and cups, pizza boxes, etc. scattered around. Definitely the worst I've ever left a place. Anyway my card was the card on file and I was billed a few days later for a $200 cleaning fee. I actually left $20 for housekeeping too (not enough for the work, but all I had in my wallet at the time), so that was a costly stay.