Are You Tipping This Holiday Season and If So, How Much?

Consumer Reports' December issue contains a chart on how people tip, who they tip, and how much they tip during the holidays. Their findings:

Cleaning Person

• 34% tip nothing
• 53% give cash, check or gift card
• 16% give a gift
• Median value of gift: $35

Child's Teacher

• 40% tip nothing
• 16% give cash, check or gift card
• 45% give a gift
• Median value of gift: $20

Hairdresser

• 52% tip nothing
• 40% give cash, check or gift card
• 10% give a gift
• Median value of gift: $20

Newspaper Carrier

• 61% tip nothing
• 36% give cash, check or gift card
• 3% give a gift
• Median value of gift: $15

Manicurist

• 62% tip nothing
• 34% give cash, check or gift card
• 5% give a gift
• Median value of gift: $15

Barber

• 66% tip nothing
• 33% give cash, check or gift card
• 2% give a gift
• Median value of gift: $10

Pet-care provider

• 73% tip nothing
• 21% give cash, check or gift card
• 6% give a gift
• Median value of gift: $20

Lawn Crew

• 77% tip nothing
• 17% give cash, check or gift card
• 7% give a gift
• Median value of gift: $25

Mail Carrier

• 79% tip nothing
• 12% give cash, check or gift card
• 8% give a gift
• Median value of gift: $20

Garbage Collector

• 89% tip nothing
• 9% give cash, check or gift card
• 2% give a gift
• Median value of gift: $20

Here's where we stand on each of these:

• Cleaning Person -- We don't have one.
• Child's Teacher -- Our kids are homeschooled.
• Hairdresser -- My wife goes to a friend of ours who we cover with a gift.
• Newspaper Carrier -- We give a $20 gift card to a local superstore.
• Manicurist -- As you might imagine, we don't have one. ;-)
• Barber -- My wife is my barber.
• Pet-care provider -- No pets, no added expenses.
• Lawn Crew -- My son does not get a tip for this. ;-)
• Mail Carrier -- We give a $20 gift card to a local superstore.
• Garbage Collector -- If they ever stop tossing my trash cans around like rag dolls, perhaps I'll consider giving them a tip.

A few other thoughts:

• We also tip (give a gift) to my son's basketball coach and I get a gift (usually a nice tin of cookies) for the workers at my pool.
• Cleaning people, teachers, and hairdressers are the only ones that get either cash or a gift from 50% or more of the people.
• Cleaning people are by far the best off concerning the amount of the gift ($35 versus $25 being the next highest). Is this because this person usually performs a higher-costing service? Or maybe because the cleaner is more trusted/considered more a part of the family?

How about you? Do you give a holiday tip to these people (or any others) who provide services to you during the year?

Comments

[Tyler]

I cant believe you dont tip your lawn crew!! FMF, you're cheap but that crosses the line. I'd recommend a $100 tip- minimum.

[KaseyD]

@FMF - Is Tyler your son? lol

My housekeeper comes to my house once a week; one of my few indulgences. At Christmas she gets an extra week's pay ~ $100. I treat her just like I would any other regular employee. Doing anything else would be just plain wrong. During the year, I occassionally tip her extra; for example, when she agreed to come in the day after Thanksgiving! BTW, I pay employer taxes for her and chip in her share of SS, medicare and State UI on top of that!

[Homer]

I don't tip anyone, except for waiters (in America).

[kjaxx]

Cleaning Person -- Don't have one.
Child's Teacher -- I have a 4 month old I stay home with.
Hairdresser -- No. I get mine trimmed once a year and it's never at the same place. (I do tip each individual visit.)
Newspaper Carrier -- Don't have one.
Manicurist -- Don't have one.
Barber -- I do my husband's hair.
Pet-care provider -- No. We board our dog maybe once a year. (If we had a local/neighborhood person who helped regularly, I would.)
Lawn Crew -- Don't have one.
Mail Carrier -- No. We have 3 or so that I see throughout the week. (RE: amount - I believe they are limited in the dollar amount they can accept, but I may be wrong about that.)
Garbage Collector -- No. Perhaps if they were still actually handling the cans instead of using the remote arms. I would also have to stand outside all morning to personally catch him/her.

We don't have any other special service providers that I would tip at the holidays.
I do tip 1$ to the grocery sacker who loads my groceries into my car each visit.

[Tyler]

Not his son, but I have vowed to defend all the overworked teens acting as indentured servants to their parents landscaping needs!

[Eli]

Used to tip newspaper delivery carrier $20 but have since switched to online subscription. Also, in a co-op with a staff of 8 (super, 4 doormen, 3 porters), everyone is tipped between $40 - $75.

[FMF]

Tyler --

You can be confident that he's nowhere near overworked. ;-)

[MC]

Tipping the peasantry at Christmas is a feudal custom. It has been been increasingly marketed to the middle class, apparently so they can feel like "lords of their manors".

My parents never tipped anybody at Christmas that I can remember, and nobody ever attempted to tip me at Christmas (or any other time) either, even though I did a lot of those menial service jobs like housecleaning and babysitting when I was younger.

I'm now grown up and "lord" of a 30 year old split level. But I still work for a living. There's nothing more foolish than acting rich when you aren't!

I tip 20% at restaurants, cabs, and to my hairdresser whenever I use these services. Because the tip is part of the cost of these services.

But I don't tip my cleaning ladies--I give them chocolates
at Christmas because they're friendly acquaintances, in the same way I give small presents to co-workers. On the other hand, I consider it foolish to pretend that the mailman and garbage collector and my childrens' teachers and the utility company etc etc etc are somehow my otherwise helpless and unsupported vassals. Nope, they're my employees--but other than that, my social equals.

That's why giving out cash can often be insulting. Just try slipping a $50 bill to your kids' teacher or your IT guy at work sometime!

[Old Limey]

Cleaning Person -- That's me.
Child's Teacher -- Kids are grown up.
Hairdresser & Beard trimmer -- A nice bottle of wine.
Newspaper Carrier -- Zero.
Manicurist -- Don't have one.
Pet-care provider -- We have outlived our pets.
Lawn Crew -- That's me again!
Mail Carrier -- Zero.
Garbage/Green waste/Recyclable Collectors -- Zero.
Favorite little hole-in-the-wall restaurant -- Tins of cookies and chocolates from Costco for the fantastically friendly staff.
Favorite charity - A congregation of goldfinches that have made our garden their home - All the African Nyjer seed they can eat year round.

[Crystal@BFS]

Cleaning Person - $40
Child's Teacher - No kids.
Hairdresser - No hairdresser.
Newspaper Carrier - No newspaper anymore.
Manicurist - No manicurist.
Pet-care provider - I always get $25-$50 gift cards for my in-laws when they take care of our two dogs depending on the stay.
Lawn Crew - We only have lawn help from April-October, so I don't see our lawn guy for the holidays.
Mail Carrier - They change up so I have no idea who to tip.
Garbage/Green waste/Recyclable Collectors - I left them an 18-pack case of beer last year.

[BrianF]

Agree with MC on all counts. That being said, a hand written thank you card may be appropriate. I do think it's important to express gratitude; however money/gifts are not necessary to do so.

[JeffinWesternWa]

A Few bucks to the barber and I don't have any of the "others". Mail goes to a central box, I kinda disagree w/ cash to a civil servant(s)like mail/garbage/police/fire/etc., but a bite to eat or a hot/cold drink for their ride/walk was common for them mailman back in Maine.....So much of today's services are "self servie". When in retail I always gave about $100~ of toys from the store (my inventory was my $$)and I still send cards but, many are now via e-mail....Happy Holidays and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[Mark]

Garbage Collector to FMF: If he ever gives me a tip, perhaps I'll consider not tossing his trash cans around like rag dolls. LOL

[BD]

The only one of those services I use is the Hairdresser, and yes, I tip, when I get my hair cut before Christmas.

If I had my own place, I'd DEFINITELY tip the lawn guy, the garbage collector and the mailman around the holidays. My parents always tip them, or leave a small gift for them.

Newspaper? Who the heck spends money on newspapers any more? You get it for free online. And Cleaning Lady? For your HOUSE? Geez. Do it yourself! Much cheaper. Same goes for Manicurist. I'd never pay for that. And I don't have pets or kids...so no pet care provider or teacher.

[BD]

MC - You can slip me $50 cash ANY DAY! I promise, I will NOT be insulted. :D

[MBTN]

Note that USPS letter carriers are not allowed to accept cash tips, but they are allowed to accept non-cash gifts with a cash value up to $20.

[Aious]

Some of those amounts are absurd

I may tip several of those a few bucks but that is it

[Melissa]

You people have got to be kidding me.

What a bunch of cheapskates! Tip all of those people! Pay it forward!
This article has reminded me that I need to tip our garbage men.

For crying out loud. Think of what all these people do for you throughout the year. And as for the person that only has lawn care from April to October...I'm sure he would love to be remembered.

[Melissa]

Oh, and don't give chocolate or other paltry gifts. Cash is king, even if it's $20. That won't break you.

[Noah]

@Melissa

I don't tip anyone that does something that is part of their job description. A waiter gets a tip (most of the time) because of their courteous service and filling my glass when it's empty. I get a little tired of everyone wanting a tip nowadays, including people at food services where all they do is ring up your order and swipe your credit card. This new generation of workers has a sense of entitlement where they think they can do the bare minimum, but still deserve more than their hourly wage.

[Claire]

Is this list implying that you tip your hairdresser/barber/manicurist extra - over and above what you would usually tip if you used their services? I tip when I go to get a haircut, so why would I go to the trouble of sending them an extra tip at Christmas when I haven't used their services? Obviously if I got a haircut around Christmas I would tip...but the tip would be the same regardless of if it was December or April.

[Nashville]

@Melissa,

You go girl! Christmas is Christmas after all. Even if I were poor, I would tip most of these servers what I could. My wife and I use most of these and luckily can now tip them very well and that makes me feel very good. No aplogies at all.

[Melissa]

@Nashville,

That's the spirit! Give when you can. That being said, I think it's safe to assume if you are reading a finance blog, you probably can...