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1. People who provide you service regularly but briefly. These folks typically get $10 to $30. The list here can include:
- Newspaper deliverers.
- Parking or garage attendants.
- Trash collectors.
- Any regular delivery person (for food, laundry, overnight packages, whatever).
Several readers asked how they should handle holiday tipping when they get regular service from a company but the people actually providing the service change constantly. Peter Post handles this simply by tipping whoever happens to show up on the day he's handing out the cash and hoping that others do the same so that the holiday generosity gets spread around.
2. People you see less often but for longer periods. These are usually the ones who work hard to tend you and yours. The holiday tip normally equals the cost of one visit, although you can reduce that to $20 or so if your patronage is sporadic. They include:
- Hairdressers or barbers.
- Manicurists.
- Facial specialists.
- Personal trainers.
- Massage therapists.
- Regular after-hours baby sitters (not nannies or day care workers).
- Housecleaners (unless they are full time; then see below).
- Lawn-care crews.
- Pool cleaners.
- Pet groomers.
If you use a day care center, ask the director about appropriate tips for the child's primary caregiver. The accepted amounts can range from $10 to $70, plus a small gift from the child.
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3. Your employees. Anyone you employ more than a couple of days a week gets a bigger check, typically at least equal to one week's pay. Exceptional or long service might boost the amount to two weeks' pay or more. A small gift is often appropriate as well. This list includes:
- Nannies.
- Full-time housekeepers.
- Home care attendants.
- Caretakers.
If you're not planning to tip your employees, you need to ask yourself why. If you're genuinely not happy with their services, you should have long ago detailed your concerns and given them a chance to improve. Otherwise, withholding a holiday tip is sandbagging. You wouldn't like it if your boss surprised you with a negative evaluation out of the blue, so don't do it to others.
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Holiday tipping: How much?You're expected to be generous during the holidays, tipping folks from your barber to your paper carrier. But how much do you give?
4. People who can be strategically tipped. All tips can have an element of strategy in them, but these gratuities can make a real difference in the quality of your life. Here the range varies enormously:
- Building superintendents. Ask around your building. The going rate can vary from as little as $20 to $200 or more.
- Doormen. Ditto. Usually the range is $10 to $100.
- The bartender, wait staff or maitre d' at a place you frequent regularly. Try $20 to $50 and see if your typical table location doesn't improve.
Published Nov. 20, 2008
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