“To tip” comes from the acronym “to insure promptness.” Although tipping is now thought of as a distinctively American practice, it was actually an Old World tradition that did not take hold until after the Civil War.
It seems like we always find ourselves in a rush to get hair cuts in before Christmas or maybe we’re lucky enough be able to get our hair and make up done for a special party. Maybe you have someone that helps you around the house with the never ending cleaning or a caregiver that helps with the child wrangling and chauffeuring. The list of people that you could tip is probably longer than your actual shopping list. The question now is, do you tip extra because it’s the holidays and how do you decide who gets what?
According to this recent article on US News here are a few of the going rates:
Day care teachers and nannies: For day care teachers, cash gifts are definitely appreciated and, in some cases, expected. Consider joining up with other parents to give each teacher $100 to $300. Think of it more as a holiday gift than a tip. Meanwhile, full-time nannies have salaries, and a standard tip would be to give an additional check equal to their weekly paycheck.
Cleaning service provider: Give the value of one visit. If you usually pay $100 per week, then give at least an extra $100 around the holidays.
Regular hairstylist, trainer, aesthetician and other service providers: Similar to the cleaning service recommendation, consider giving a tip equal to the value of one visit. This guideline only applies to people you see regularly (more than once a month). Otherwise, a 20 percent tip per visit without an additional holiday boost is standard.
People to skip: Here’s some good news for your budget. There’s no need to tip the owner of an establishment (like a hair salon), salaried staff (like store clerks), full-service gas attendants, furniture delivery people (delivery charges are included) or a flower delivery person, Bowman says.
Final words of advice: Tipping 10 to 15 percent is old school, Bowman says. The new standard is 20 percent and up. And if you’re a regular customer at a restaurant, you might want to consider leaving more to guarantee that you get good service on each visit.
What are your rules for tipping when it comes to the Holidays?
