Tipping

It seems like every other day I am learning something new about my iPad or about features within iTunes. My latest find has been podcasts!

I have always heard about podcasts, but didn’t really know what they were. In case you don’t know what a podcast is, it’s a type of digital media consisting of audio or visual information that can be downloaded or subscribed to. I always knew they are informational, but I had no idea that they are free to download or subscribe to in iTunes. Yes, you read correctly…FREE and iTunes in the same sentence!

So, the other night I decided to download a few podcasts to see what I thought. The first podcast (and so far only one) that I have listened to is from series called “Stuff You Should Know”, and this particular episode is ‘How Tipping Works’. (And if you’ve been reading my blog for any period of time, you should already know that I’m all about useless information, so this is right up my alley!)

Well, tipping has always been kind of a gray area for me. I have worked in the service industry as server in which I relied on tips for my income. So I have always had an appreciation and understanding of people who work in a tip driven environment. Although sometimes I think that since I was ‘one of them’ at one time, I tend to learn toward the side of over tipping.

It seems like 20% is my automatic base percentage to base tips from. So if the service is great, the percentage increases; if the service is poor the percentage decreases. Let’s be honest, if the service is poor my base percentage should probably be a lot less. But then I feel bad for leaving a poor tip. But does the person feel bad for giving me poor service? I don’t think that I am high maintenance customer. In a restaurant setting, I want my server to be knowledgeable about the dishes and available options, anticipate my needs (keep my drink full, make certain I have the necessary utensils, etc.), and bring my check at the appropriate time. I don’t think I’m asking for much.

From reading my blog, you already know that I frequent a lot of different places that tipping is required. I always tip my hair stylist, esthetician, and manicurist 20% of the total bill. And that has always been a given no matter what. Like the other day I went to have my eyebrows waxed. I had a scheduled appointment, yet still waited for 20 minutes before she was ready for me. Somehow she still received a 20% tip. So, was the tip for the great job she did once she finally completed my services? Honestly, I probably should have adjusted the tip since I had to wait. Although I left with great brows, I was still unhappy that I had to wait.

When traveling, I am all over the board about tipping. When I know that my suitcase might be a little bit over the weight limit, I’ll check the bag curbside and have a nice $5 tip waiting. Typically this $5 (and a nice smile!) will insure that I won’t be paying the overweight baggage fee. I also typically tip anyone who touches my luggage (ex: shuttle bus driver to car rental center)

No matter what the situation, the podcast explains that you should always tip on the full price even if you have a discount coupon. Although I agree with that, I don’t think that I should have to tip on ‘added on’ charges. For instance, the transportation service that I use to get to back and forth to the airport charges a flat rate, toll charge, and a fuel service charge. Well, I don’t think I should tip on the tolls and fuel service charge amount. So now it appears that I might seem cheap, but then again I am also tipping 15% - 20% on the flat rate when I think the standard tip is 10% for this type of transportation.

Overall this particular podcast was entertaining and informational. The two guys had a great banter between one another and there was a lot of useful information. So I would highly recommend this podcast if you’ve never tried a podcast before or if you want to know more about tipping.

Are there any podcasts that you’ve listened to that you can recommend?