Re: Tipping
Another quick tip. Sales Tax in Nevada is 7.5%. So consider the minimum tip to be double the tax you paid rounded up to the nearest dollar.
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Re: Tipping
Your profile doesn't say where you hail from, but I hope to be able to impart a brief thumbnail of rules.
Food.
If you have a waiter or waitress who takes you order, it's expected that you will tip. In most cases, their salary is predicated on the idea that they are also receiving tips. You should simply figure it in as part of the cost of the meal when you're ordering. A good rule of thumb is at least 10%, up to 15%. This percentage pertains to the bill presented to you at the close of the meal.
Personal services.
This covers everything from bell hops to taxi drivers. How do you know the appropriate amount to hand someone who's just lugged your massive amounts of luggage to your room? Personally, I just hand them money on some random basis (I tend to show up to defcon with a car full of random crap for Coffee Wars and other stuff). With taxi drivers and others, consider the 15% rule, or more if you've been difficult for some reason (such as having very heavy luggage).
General rules.
If you are paying with a credit card, and it is humanly possible, pay the tip in cash. Many establishments will insist that the staff take the percentage hit on the tip that they have to take when you use a card, which means that a ten dollar tip will actually be $9.60 (or less). In addition, federal law mandates that tips are reported and taxed as income, and the assumption is that all transactions generate a tip rate of 7.5% (no, I'm not making it up, that's really the stupid law). This means that when you tip someone ten, and they receive less, they still pay taxes on ten. When you leave cash, they can choose to report what their conscience suggests. Personally, I always hope they report the minimum.
Just a general statement: If the business is small, I don't use a credit card. If it's local to me, I write a check, or pay cash. I don't use a debit card either, which also has a fee to the merchant (less than a credit card, but still a percentage). If it's a chain, I use a card. They can afford the 2%-6% hit on the transaction.Leave a comment:
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Tipping
G'day,
I am curious about the culture of tipping in America...
I have read various things on the net about what I should be doing, but would like to hear what you guys think about tipping.
I understand that tipping is expected and want to know what guidelines I should follow.
Thanks,
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