Tipping Question for US dwellars
 

My friend gave me a gift certificate for a massage. I would normally tip after a massage, but this is in a doctor's office and is viewed as more "holistic medicine" than "spa" So do I tip? You don't tip a chiropractor, but then again, it's unusual to get a gift certificate for a chiropractor.

My friend is the person i would usually ask about these sort of things, but I sort of feel that asking her about this would be on a par with asking someone just how many batteries the new toy they gave you needed -sensible but tactless "thanks for the gift that's immediately costing me money" ...and she's senitive to stuff like that, so the last thing I wasnt to do is make her feel bad.

I don't mind the whole tipping thing -I'm used to it, I generally know the score, but Brit me is uncomfortable with the actual handing over cash bit and would be mortified to try and tip and be told it isn't the done thing or clearly create an awkward moment.

Your opinions, please.

Could you call the place ahead of time and ask? Anonymous and safe...

If you aren't comfortable, PM me the number and I'll do it. My American self isn't too worried about such.

I hate the whole concept of tipping. I never do it at the right times, and frequently find out later I was (apparently) a jerk. People should fucking charge what they wanted to make in the first place, and be done with it. Case in point: I've gotten dozens of massages over the years, and never once tipped. This is the first I've ever heard of tipping a massage therapist.

/Start RANT

I'm a grumpy old man when it comes to tipping...
I despise it, and yet sometimes I think it's right.
Is a puzzlement.

The breakfast waiter/tress seems OK
The hotel valet or any other employee, not so much.
There's no rhyme or reason as to who or how much.

There are two particular times I hate tipping:

The one I despise most is the independent business person who charges for their service,
and then expects a tip on top of that, such as a fishing guide.
I'd much rather they just raise their price and be done with it.
Then, if I got REALLY SPECIAL, EXTRA ORDINARY, service,
I'd have no problem with a tip in an amount of my choosing.

The other kind is waiter/tress for a dinner meal that probably is already over-priced,
with a bar tab, etc. Grrrrrrrr.
Tipping a % of all that really irritates me.

Sometimes I look at it that if the business is getting a significant sum
from me (e.g., $30+),
then I am not in the mood to tip.
But if the tab just a few $ a tip is not so irritating.

/NOT THE END OF THE RANT, BUT I'LL STOP NOW

Guidance is needed...

Even though it is at a Chiropractor, the person working there is most likely a contractor, where the office will get a cut of the charge and the person just comes in when there is a message scheduled to be done. If this is the case I would tip. The person is already getting ripped off by the office and not getting the full charge.

I am a free tipper, esp when it comes to the waiters, waitresses, and bar tenders. They all work for tips. With the exception of bartenders they work for less than min wage. I tip based on service specifically. Shitty food is a problem in the kitchen and the waitress has to deal with the pissed off people. It is not her fault. Now if the service is crapy I tip appropriately, little to none.

Just far enough for them to lose balance, then let gravity do the rest.

6 posts, that may be a record :lol:

You should definitely tip in this situation, and tip well unless the service was bad. Waiters and waitresses are generally paid less than minimum wage, and the tip is how they make their money. Essentially, they are working for you, not the restaurant. You owe them that money.

Look at how many tables they have when you are there, and figure that during a meal, those tables will turn over once, maybe twice, so you can double or possibly triple that number. And then figure out how much you are tipping them, and multiply by the number above. That's what they are making each night.

If they have 5 tables, and you are tipping $5, you can expect that they are making $50 that night. Would you be happy with $50 for a day's work? They earn their money, and you should not be annoyed with them.

Yeah, but it's a really good chance to trod on the downtrodden, abuse the abused, why it's better than stomping kittens.

I got here as quick as I could.

Gravdigr's Rule On Tippage: I don't tip anybody who makes more money than me.

Grav, I can live with that rule too ;)

Way back when I worked at a pizza place, the drivers had a whole system for remembering which regulars were good tippers and which ones weren't, and would fight over who got to take which deliveries. They also all agreed that the working middle-class families were the best tippers; if there was either a BMW or a junk car in the driveway, you weren't getting a tip.

I know what it means to waiters/waitresses/bartenders to get tips. I'm usually a bit over-generous. I even tip a buck to the person who waits on me at the drive-thru (not at a McDonalds or something, like the beer/pop/snack/cigs drive thru. I had a friend who did that job for a while and it helped when people even just left her their spare change.

As to the spa: I would tip. About 15 percent. It's no different than tipping your hairdresser, to me.

Years ago I went after work with some friends to a Hooters. When I paid my bill the waitress said "you've waitressed before, right?" I said yes and she noted that in a place like that you could tell: most women didn't tip unless they've been down the waitressing road themselves.

Waitstaff, sure. But massage therapists make a heck of a lot more per hour.