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In other countries it has become customary to pay wait staff and tour guides more than in the US, and tipping is no longer customary. Some think that should happen in the US as well, but it hasn't.

My take on it, having been a tour guide, and having gone on river trips, is that you are in the US now, so follow our customs. We tip, so get over it and tip! Or don't go!

I led several Salt River paddle raft trips, where we hired a commercial outfitter. I basically told the folks that if they could not tip the raft guide $20 each (or $10 minimum) then maybe they should plan on staying home. I feel strongly about tipping river guides. If there are 8 people in the boat on a day trip, and each tips $20, that is a pretty good day for that guide.

As a van tour guide I run into all kinds. Some say they "loved the tour" but don't tip at all (especially Australians), most tip $20 to $40 for a tour, some tip a lot more. Yesterday I received a $5 on a $500 tour. That was pretty bad manners, I thought. Better to not tip at all! But I smiled and said thank you very much!

I'm bascially a hermit, so I never find occasion to tip.

Jim_H wrote:I'm basically a hermit, so I never find occasion to tip.

Not even the pizza delivery guy? ;)
(Surely hermits would rather the pizza was delivered than have to leave their cave)

Jim is from New Jersey... ;)

I don't eat pizza.

Jim_H wrote:I don't eat pizza.

Huh?

Weren't you the one who started the Best Pizza in Flagstaff or Northern AZ topic?
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=6122

I used to deliver pizza as a side job. Some nights I would average $15-$16 an hour with tips. Saying this may not be popular with the pizza-delivery population, but considering the intelligence and work-ethic of some of my colleagues, many of those people would not be making that much money at any other job they would be capable of landing. Pizza delivery is a damn good gig.

Granted, like I said, I did it as a side-job. Worked 15-20 hours a week to supplement my income from my full time gig. This means if I had an off-night (not many deliveries, people tipping like crap, etc), it didn't have much of an effect on me.Had I been depending on those tips to pay rent I may feel differently about the job.

With that said, you ought to tip your delivery driver. I speak from personal experience when I say tipping pizza drivers isn't nearly as standard as tipping wait staff. Delivery drivers where I worked didn't make the $4.80/hr of wait staff and bartenders, but they did only make minimum wage. And people getting a pizza delivered usually don't care about how nice you are. So long as it isn't late, they usually come to the door with a set amount of money that they will or will not give you, regardless of your performance. These people are getting delivery for a reason. If they wanted a pleasant interaction with another person they would go out to eat, not have it dropped off at their house. They are also often very stoned.

In certain situations I find that I'm not tipping just for the service that I'm receiving at that time but for future service. A few that come to mind are the beer hawker at ball games. The first round I tip heavy and it never fails. The beer hawker will take care of you the whole game. I have had them come back to my seat with just enough beers for me and my friends, like he was saving them for us Next, tattoo artist I know this doesn't apply to many of you but I tip a tattoo artists more than anyone (by %) I have come back to have touch up work or even new work done and that artist will postpone a scheduled appointment to get me in the chair and lastly as state in other comments the pizza delivery guy. When you tip well you get remembered and your order gets a little more attention.

CannondaleKid wrote:

Jim_H wrote:I don't eat pizza.

Huh?

Weren't you the one who started the Best Pizza in Flagstaff or Northern AZ topic?
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=6122

Indeed I did, and I still love good pizza's taste, but that thread started in 2011. Since then, I learned that my chronic sinusitis issues were due in part to a dairy protein (casein) intolerance or allergy, and also a wheat and oat intolerance or allergy. I'm not celiac. I do not hold the genetic markers for celiac, but I have some headache and sinus issues, and GI issues when I sometimes eat wheat. Sometimes I can eat it and largely be OK, other times not at all. It is very odd. I also have mold issues, which is why I had 1 drink in the last 14 months, and after my reaction to it which was miserable, I won't be doing that again. It was a sulphite free hard cider, imported from England so it was good, but very sweet. I also don't drink sweet drinks, but that is irrelevant. You may recall me saying I was on the paleo diet. I am, largely by default, because I can't eat so much on the market. My allergies, intolerances, or whatever, are a large part of why I don't eat out, and it has made travel over the last few years harder.

So, I still remember and love pizza's taste and texture, but I haven't bought one since sometime in the spring or early summer of 2012.

azbackpackr wrote:Some say they "loved the tour" but don't tip at all (especially Australians)

Brits, Aussies and New Zealanders have been ok for me, surely not big tips but at least something. So far my only zero tippers have been Canadian (from Manitoba & Saskatchewan) not quite as bad from Alberta but those from British Columbia have been great.

As far as folks from various parts of the US, it seems to have more to do with how stretched they already are on their vacation spending than whether they claim to enjoy the tour or not.

If it is a couple and only one tips, the women seem quite willing to tip (and reasonably well) while the man will try to hide the fact he is giving a tip... and it's usually $5.

Jim_H wrote:So, I still remember and love pizza's taste and texture, but I haven't bought one since sometime in the spring or early summer of 2012.

I hope it doesn't feel like too much of a sacrifice. I love good pizza, but a couple slices at a time is my limit.

big_load wrote:

Jim_H wrote:So, I still remember and love pizza's taste and texture, but I haven't bought one since sometime in the spring or early summer of 2012.

I hope it doesn't feel like too much of a sacrifice. I love good pizza, but a couple slices at a time is my limit.

It doesn't. I also have not had access to the pizza I like(d), since about that time, as I moved from Flagstaff in later 11 and Arizona in late 12. Alamo did not seem to have pizza that was better than chain stuff, and if I really wanted it when someone bought it at work, I would eat and take what happened. Sometimes nothing seemed to, sometimes a headache, sometimes I felt sick the next morning or so. Never seems to be a rhyme or reason, either. I don't eat a lot of stuff I liked to eat before, so limited pizza is not a big deal. Odds are, if most people do it, I don't. I'm not dead......just a miserable SOB. (Short of breath).

As for the Aussies, I had a couple last night on a sunset tour, decent tip. Great people, and the man had the best Aussie accent I've ever heard, I could barely understand him at first, but I got used to it. Sure was fun. Told me all about crocodile attacks and death adders and "roos" and all sorts of cool stuff.