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 | New York City Tipping Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 40 |  |
 | |  |  | Tipping: Tipping The NYC Way - Part Deux | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
The size of tips expected by some service providers in New York is astronomical compared to UK standards (Although nowhere near as bad as Las Vegas). Typically $1 to $2 per drink in bars, room maids $2 - $5 a day for cleaning your hotel room and taxi drivers up to 20%. All this soon adds up, and has run into hundreds of $$ for us on some trips. Although I don't have a problem with tipping itself, many VT forum articles have some New Yorker whinging about how these impoverished locals are earning "the minimum wage" and how "they need these tips just to survive". Let's just look at that for a second... ...I've never worked in a bar, but I'm assuming a reasonably competent barman could serve one drink in one minute - from taking the order, pouring the drink, collecting the cash and sorting the change. On a busy night (ANY night, in ANY semi-decent New York bar) that's a minimum of 60 drinks a hour. That's at least $60 a hour basic wage, with the bar salary on top. If I've got my facts wrong, and these workers are indeed on the poverty line, then what happens when these hundreds of thousands of service workers are on their days off, and they visit bars, hail taxis, get their hair cut, and have a package delivered? Are we as tourists gullibly meant to believe they too are dishing out $2 tips for each beer they buy. I think not. That said, I left a reasonable tip in most places, and in those that I didn't, I never got any remarks. (Mainly to the toilet attendants who like to make you feel "special" by turning the tap on and giving you a sorry sheet of kitchen towel). Following the link below, some muppet has written a whole web page on the etiquette of tipping. Follow his advice and a trip to a restaurant will cost you about $40 before you even order the food. Leave a Comment Website: www.tipping.org
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| | | | Tipping: Tipping | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Visitors to the States MUST understand that service personnel (waiters, doormen, bellboys, etc.) DO NOT GET PAID MINIMUM WAGE. They get just a few dollars per hour. They depend on their tips in order to live. For a major city in the US (and New York certainly qualifies), tip about 20%; up or down, depending on service. (An easy way to do this in NYC is to double the tax. That works out to about 17%) Give a dollar per bag to the skycap, bellboy, etc. Leave two or three dollars per day, per person to the hotel maid. Taxi drivers, hairdressers, etc., are paid much better, but it is still expected to give them a tip for service. For the cab ride, maybe a dollar, depending on the length of the ride. For the hairdresser, maybe 15%, or ask the receptionist for her advice. We are not a nation of millionaires. Most people are just scraping by, especially in the last three or four years. And also bear in mind that most of our paychecks do not include health care, dental care or more than two weeks vacation per year. New Yorkers are not looking for a handout by expecting a tip - they are trying to put food on the table for their families. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Tipping: Tipping in NYC | Tip Rating:  | | | | |
Don't fret too much on tipping. Use common sense - higher tips for good service, lower or no tip for poorer service. Here's what this native does: Taxi Good idea to be able to give exact fare. Keep a bunch of $1 and $5 available. Cabbies generally make good $, but they work hard and usually a tip is called for. Regular service - round up tab to next $ then minimum $1.00 or add 10%. Exceptional - guy is courteous, drives politely helps with bags (other than popping open the trunk) etc around 20% - heck the guy deserves it! Crummy - I'll round up to the nearest $ and pay - I'm not waiting around for change! Restaurant Beware - some restaurants tack on 15% (or more) automatically, especially for groups of more than 4, so check you bill and signs in the rest. Regular service - 15% before tax tab or double the tax (around 17%). Exceptional - I'll take 10% of final bill (move the decimal point one left) and double that amount - so 20%+ Crummy - Depends how bad - sometimes 10% pre-tax, sometimes I wouldn't leave anything. No one has ever come running after me, but if they did I would call 911 and would feel especially vindicated about the tip (or lack of). Crying about a tip is not proper behavior for anyone. No matter what anyone here says, no matter where you are, a tip is never mandatory. But do tip for service and food presentation, not flavor - if the flavor is not to your liking that is an issue between you and the restaurant not you and the server. Hotels I never rented a hotel in NYC, but $2 to $5 / day should be sufficient. Again if poor service, no tip.
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| | | | Tipping: Taxes, tipping and all that stuff... | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The prices quoted do not include New York 8.25% sales tax, which applies to hotel rooms (plus a 5% hotel tax and $2 hotel fee per room per night). Clothing and footwear under $110, prescription drugs, and non-prepared food bought in grocery stores are exempt from sales tax. Tipping is more or less compulsory in the US. Remember that service is never included on a New York bill, unless you're in a large party at a restaurant (six or more people), in which case it is noted. Tip cab drivers and waiters 15-20%, coat-checkers $1, bellhops around $1 per bag, hotel maids $1 a day and bartenders between 50¢ and $1 per drink, depending on what type of environment you're in. (by let's go). Leave a Comment
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New York City
on March 28, 2005
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