Fresh from a multi-city trip, I read an article about hotel service touting tips for maid service (and debating whether to use the every day or end-of-stay method). It got me thinking. For some reason in the last decade or so, tipping has been a growth industry. treatise
Maybe it’s a bygone era, but when I was growing up, you tipped the waitress (but only if the service was good) the bellhop, the cab driver, and that was about it. Today you are considered a cheapskate if you don’t tip the barista, the shampoo guy, the doorman, the paperboy, the pizza guy, tour guide, a towing service, the sushi preparer, the concierge and … the rest room attendant?
The most outrageous suggestion I saw offered out there was to tip the crew of a private yacht charter 10-20% of the charter fee. Based on that, I have to figure how to get that gig – the Alpha Nero, which cruises around Monaco, runs a whopping US$1,096,283.97 A WEEK! Uh, I did the math twice just to make sure, but at 10%, that’s still a $109K A WEEK in gratuities!
The oft-repeated justification for tipping many folks in these positions is that they make very little (although I suspect the yacht crew does alright), yet how it that my fault? I make very little working for a non-profit and no one tips me. I’m not complaining, though, I chose my occupation (and I love it) – if I wanted to make more, I would. And that’s the point – if people think they’re not paid enough to perform a service, they should:
a) Complain to the management
b) Unionize
c) Get another job
I might be a little less hard-hearted if I felt the service was extraordinarily undervalued, but let’s face it – mostly folks in those jobs are underpaid because they are being exploited by management.
For instance, based on various recommendations online, I should have tipped my maid at the Marriott in California at least $10 a day. The rack rate on my room was $400 a night (although many never pay that). I’m not sure how much Marriott pays their maids, but they sure pay someone well – their second quarter earnings for this year were $119 million, on revenues of $2.8 billion. In 2009, an off year, Marriott recorded annual revenues of $10.91 billion. Their shareholders and CEO aren’t complaining. Can you say class warfare? I’d say they should be able to pay their employees a living wage.
Although my position is often an unpopular one by those socialized into rigid ‘acceptable’ moralities (or those that expect gratuities), I believe that in some instances tipping makes one an enabler.
What would happen if no one tipped and the affected employees confronted management with a little of that ‘we’re-mad-as-hell-and-not-going-to-take-it-anymore’ attitude? In some sense, this is a Milagro Beanfield equation. There are always competing values, but what is really the most equitable? To pay workers little, with the justification that other, uncontrollable, outside interests will pick up the slack? Or to develop a sound business plan that accurately reflects the costs of doing business and the value of labor? (Pssst, be prepared to pay even more if that ever happens).
But let’s face it, big business and egalitarianism rarely collide. An optimistic capitalist might offer that in a society where social stratifications are well integrated, one element compensates for the other. As in, the guy on a corporate expense account will make up for the struggling single mother, the wealthy will cover any deficiencies left over from the tourist families that scrimp for months to get to Disneyland (and often never tip). As evidence of the latter, when I stayed in Anaheim a few weeks ago (at the aforesaid Marriott) where the place was crawling with young families, I tipped a bellman to bring out my stored luggage and he was so grateful, I thought he would offer to get on the shuttle and then carry it on the plane.
So I’m guilty! I’ve been socialized to tip, too (mostly), although it often annoys me. When I stayed at a Grand Floridian in Disney World, I left the moolah on that pillow every night. I tried to rationalize it as some sort of Pavlovian response. I mean, I’d already been trained by Disney to hand over so much cash everywhere else, why not?
On the Disney cruise a couple of years ago, we tipped at the usual levels, although we preferred to personalize it by handing out cash in envelopes instead of just tacking it onto the bill. (Did I mention how great the servers were? We wanted to adopt them).
As I pointed out, Disney isn’t cheap – neither is the Marriott, or the Ritz, the Plaza Athenee, but relatively speaking, neither is the average Days Inn in many locations these days. Even with travel heavily discounted during the recession, many of the costs still add up.
Like airlines, hotels seem to be adding an extra fee a day now. Whereas a room rate used to be more or less inclusive, now travelers find charges for ‘resort fees,’ in-room safes (whether you use it or not), extra towels, ‘early departure,’ late check-out, parking – even charges to deliver messages to your room. So while it’s no consolation to the hardworking staff, it’s somewhat understandable that travelers might feel they’ve paid over and above what’s necessary and stiff the maid. (Do check to see if the property has added a separate ‘maid service’ charge to your bill – I never tip when that appears).
The counter argument to the exploitation angle is that regardless of your personal feelings, tipping is expected and often the only way a worker makes a living wage. Also, in societies where the practice is common and prevalent, it’s really just part of the overall cost. Plus, in the U.S., servers get taxed on the expected amount of tips, so they’re paying for your omission. So, that 10-15% is something you should budget for, much as you would those hated extra baggage charges.
Don’t have it? Don‘t go. If you’re traveling internationally in an area where tipping is acceptable, it’s also hard to resist when you know the local staff often live at or below the poverty line.
And if the service is bad? In most cases the solution is the same as the advice my friend Chris Elliott gives to those disputing any other travel bills – ask to speak to someone in charge, and address the situation during the actual event.
The hotel manager can’t do much to enhance your experience if you tell him at check-out that the room was never thoroughly cleaned. A tour guide can’t go back to that hidden hideaway you missed when you’re back in the city.
Speak up! Sometimes explaining to a server that you like multiple coffee refills will do the trick. Service people of all types often run into a conundrum of how to provide good service without being intrusive. Don’t penalize a staff member for things beyond their control – it may be your server’s fault that the food is cold, but not that it’s too salty. And remember, the goal to complaining is to improve service, and that may also result in a refund, but don’t be one of those people that complains about everything to get it free.
But where do you draw the line on tips? I still think that tips should conform to their original purpose, which was as a reward for good service, at the discretion of the tipper, and with the right to opt out. If I’m stranded all throughout dinner without drink refills, or the cab driver takes me the long way to run up the meter, there’s no way I’m going to promote that behavior by paying more for it.
On the other hand, if I’ve tied up a table by lingering way past the usual meal time, I tip more. I seldom use bellhops since the extra baggage fees pared my luggage down to pieces I’m going to tote all through the airport – I might as well keep at it and go the distance (plus my suitcase will arrive at the same time I do), but if my bags are heavy enough that I don’t want to lift them, I hand them over and tip.
If the concierge merely looks up a restaurant on a list, then I feel he’s just doing his job, but if he calls a cab, makes reservations, or does anything else that equates a personal service, I tip.
One of the most heated debates I have witnessed was over whether to tip flight attendants. Basically, this is frowned upon by most for duties designated as general air stewardship, but when your crew performs additional services, such as serving you beer or mixed drinks, the overall consensus seems to be it might be a good idea, especially if you want them to return more frequently.
The most often posted justification for not tipping flight attendants is that they’re ‘professionals’ and yet, I know professional bartenders and they get tips. If you’re still confused, compromise – take along cookies or some other small goody for the crew to share. (Another way to show your appreciation is just to be a cheerful, uncomplicated passenger).
Tomorrow: Who to tip and how much
