I do tip the housekeeper, it just seems that most people don't, and I think they should. (I'm referring to the maid who cleans my hotel room as the housekeeper.) I don't tip my own lawn guy because I'm PAYING him. I'm just not understanding how we as a society decide who should be tipped and who doesn't need to be. And I agree that it would be better all round if people got paid a decent wage instead of having to rely on the whims of customers for a substantial portion of their income. The idea, of course, is that good service will always = good tips, but in RL it doesn't work that way.

I agree with Zenkitty that it's random. I worked all sorts of low-paid food service and retail jobs (including minimum wage jobs). I always gave good service. I wasn't tipped in any of those jobs.

He told me nobody EVER tips the housekeepers.

I tip the hotel housekeepers. ($2-3 bucks a day)

Okay, gotcha. I thought tipping the housekeeper was fairly well established. The lawn guy I think of as someone like the dorrman, who gets tipped around the holidays but not on a time by time basis.

Now I'm reminded of a time when I left $50 on the counter for my dad - disremember why he was coming by - and the dog walker took it.

(Totally fair assumption for her to make that it was for her, to be clear. I'd forgotten she was coming on a different day that week and it was right before the holidays. Was just a wee bit more than I'd anticipated giving her at the time.)

Today I was super relieved that I had a couple bucks to tip the guy who washed my hair at the hair salon (not the same guy who cut my hair.)

Man, I would pay just for that to be done a couple times a week. I looooooove getting my hair shampooed professionally.

I tip the hotel housekeepers. ($2-3 bucks a day)

I've heard $3-$5, but is that per person if there are multiple people in the room?

Oh man, have I not been adjusting for inflation? Ah well. I tend, more often than not, to round up at the end anyway.

But what about the places where you order at the counter and they bring it to you?

I don't tip them, nor do I tip when I pick up carryout food.

pizza delivery.

I tip basically 20% on that.

Ugg. I agree with Spidra, just pay everyone a fair wage so the price is the price.

This, definitely.

I tip the hotel housekeepers. ($2-3 bucks a day)

I've heard $3-$5, but is that per person if there are multiple people in the room?

I think it's per room. But then, I would tip more if, say, there were more than 2 people sharing a room, because people are messy and chaotic.

I tip about $3-$5 for the hotel housekeeper, depending on what we have in our combined wallets. Last time we stayed in a hotel, between us we had a bunch of $20s, and only a couple of singles. Fortunately we also had a buck or two in quarters, and though I felt stupid leaving quarters as part of the tip, I figured they would rather have it in quarters than not at all.

I usually tip 15% for bad service at a restaurant, because I feel guilty tipping less. For good service I tip at 20% or just above. If I am at a breakfast place where my bill comes to $5, I still tip about $2 because I figure they're working hard and shouldn't be penalized just because the food they are serving is cheap. I never tip at the coffee shops in bookstores because I know they are making the same as the booksellers, and it doesn't seem fair that they should get tips and the booksellers don't.

The original tipping page!. Links for US and international.