Tipping: the service industry, not cows.
This is going to be one of my ridiculously long, all-over-the-place posts, because I'm feeling rather scatterbrained today. No surprise there! Today's been a mixed bag. The bad: without going into detail, I finally made an appointment to deal with some health issues that I've put off for years due to a full-fledged phobia. I suppose it's a relief to finally be addressing them, but I'm rather terrified of Thursday morning's appointment. Hopefully it'll work out for best in the long run (albeit a very expensive run.) I'm also rather depressed because this is the last week of vacation; I go back to school for pre-planning on Monday. I know, I know. "Your nine-week holiday is over? Cry me a river, bitca!" I do love my job. I'm just very, very lazy and would rather not have to work at all.
And the good? Among other things, I got my hair colored today. I usually go with L'Oreal in a box, but I decided it was high time to get it done professionally. I went to a local Aveda salon (can't decide whether their signature scent is annyoing or exotic), and my usual stylist convinced me to get full foil highlights... at twice the price. ;) Didn't get upset, though, because it's a much better bet overall. I tend to be conservative with haircolor: my natural shade is the most *blah* medium-brown of the spectrum, so I usually just lighten it a few shades -- no "buttery chunks" or whatever! The stylist practically did it strand-by-strand -- she was that detailed. Overall, it looks... well... a few shades lighter than my usual color, but much more polished than the awful roots I was workin'. Plus, I won't need to get highlights redone every month, unlike before. So that's good.
Which brings me to a discussion topic I've been meaning to post here: tipping. What's the status quo? I can never tell what the "acceptable" level is meant to be. Today I left the stylist around 18%, which is also what I usually leave the server at a restaurant. Some people claim that's perfectly reasonable, whereas others would accuse me of being way too cheap. It's all so confusing, though! I'd leave $5 on a $25 mani-pedi, but if two different women do my fingers and toes, is that still enough of a tip? How much do I give the guy who drives the shuttle bus from long-term parking to the airport terminal, even if he never touches my suitcase? Am I obligated to stick a dollar into those annoying tip jars at Starbucks or Chipotle? What should I give the pizza delivery girl -- and if I go pick up the pizza at the restaurant, do I still have to add something to the "gratuity" section on the receipt? Is 20% the service industry "going rate", or are there different expectations for different things?
I'll happily add more if I think the service was exceptional -- I've been known to leave great waiters around 30%. I've also left crappy tips if it was obvious that the problems were the waiter's fault and not the kitchen's. But I'm also cheap on a budget here, and while I know many people make their income off tips, I also have to look out for my own income. I'm just wondering what the socially-acceptable levels are for something we all confront daily but seldom really think about... so I thought I'd ask here. LJ's great for this sort of thing. ;)
And now I'm off to curl up on the sofa and watch TV, make a shopping list of classroom supplies, do a bunch of knitting, maaaaybe write some fic, and pretend that this isn't my last week of vacation. *sigh*
And the good? Among other things, I got my hair colored today. I usually go with L'Oreal in a box, but I decided it was high time to get it done professionally. I went to a local Aveda salon (can't decide whether their signature scent is annyoing or exotic), and my usual stylist convinced me to get full foil highlights... at twice the price. ;) Didn't get upset, though, because it's a much better bet overall. I tend to be conservative with haircolor: my natural shade is the most *blah* medium-brown of the spectrum, so I usually just lighten it a few shades -- no "buttery chunks" or whatever! The stylist practically did it strand-by-strand -- she was that detailed. Overall, it looks... well... a few shades lighter than my usual color, but much more polished than the awful roots I was workin'. Plus, I won't need to get highlights redone every month, unlike before. So that's good.
Which brings me to a discussion topic I've been meaning to post here: tipping. What's the status quo? I can never tell what the "acceptable" level is meant to be. Today I left the stylist around 18%, which is also what I usually leave the server at a restaurant. Some people claim that's perfectly reasonable, whereas others would accuse me of being way too cheap. It's all so confusing, though! I'd leave $5 on a $25 mani-pedi, but if two different women do my fingers and toes, is that still enough of a tip? How much do I give the guy who drives the shuttle bus from long-term parking to the airport terminal, even if he never touches my suitcase? Am I obligated to stick a dollar into those annoying tip jars at Starbucks or Chipotle? What should I give the pizza delivery girl -- and if I go pick up the pizza at the restaurant, do I still have to add something to the "gratuity" section on the receipt? Is 20% the service industry "going rate", or are there different expectations for different things?
I'll happily add more if I think the service was exceptional -- I've been known to leave great waiters around 30%. I've also left crappy tips if it was obvious that the problems were the waiter's fault and not the kitchen's. But I'm also cheap on a budget here, and while I know many people make their income off tips, I also have to look out for my own income. I'm just wondering what the socially-acceptable levels are for something we all confront daily but seldom really think about... so I thought I'd ask here. LJ's great for this sort of thing. ;)
And now I'm off to curl up on the sofa and watch TV, make a shopping list of classroom supplies, do a bunch of knitting, maaaaybe write some fic, and pretend that this isn't my last week of vacation. *sigh*