So let's talk about something we all do every day, or maybe every other day. We tip! Some more than others, but we all definitely feel inclined to leave some sort of tip when we eat out. Hey, it's just common courtesy right? And that's the business they're in, so we tip them for serving us. It just makes sense. And so smart for the business. They only have to pay their employees minimum wage, and the customer pays the rest. And it promotes the employees to give great service to receive better tips. It's fantastic, I wish I thought of it!
A few comments about restaurant tipping and then I'll move on to my main thought provoking part.
I enjoy tipping at restaurants because I enjoy good service. But I'll admit that I do expect good service in order to tip them well. Why should I reward bad service with an amazing tip? Part of the "tip" is to motivate them to give us good service..right? What a novel idea to some.
I think I only stiffed somebody once. In college we went to Denny's in the middle of the night, and I received such bad service that I left a zero on the tip line. I still feel kind of bad about it, she still served me. But hey, I was young and trying to prove a point and stand for what I believed in!
If a server is mediocre, they will receive just that, the mediocre tip that is expected. Now when someone goes above and beyond, and goes the extra mile to give genuine and caring service, now that's when I really open my wallet! I love, love giving a great tip to an amazing server, because it shows that I noticed all they did for me. And hopefully it is rewarded so they give that great service all the time.
Okay, now my thought provoking part....what about other industries? I didn't realize as much until I worked in the hospitality industry how many other opportunities to tip are out there. Of course when you valet your car you tip, and when you use a bellman you tip. But even then are opportunities to reward the good behavior.
But what about a concierge? Did you ever think of tipping them?
And what about the Guest Services Manager at a resort...? (Of course I'm a little prejudice being that I AM a Guest Services Manager.)
In the last 2 days of work I made almost $70 in tips that I made strictly on my own. (If I get tipped for a bell service I hand it to the bellmen.) But I do accept tips that I receive for my own customer service. And I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to the people that recognized the service I was providing! It's what I do every day, and it feels good to know that someone notices it and really appreciates it.
One of the things I did was help a man and his son rent some surfboards from us. I walked him over the "hut" and helped him decide what size was best for them. I joked with them about surfing and just waited patiently as they decided what they wanted. He asked me for a few tips so I gave them what I knew, (which I also added was not a very good lesson). I gave them some additional items which I knew they would need, even though they didn't ask for, and also suggested transportation and a pick up from the beach. In the end he tipped me $10 for all of that! I was so surprised actually that I was ready to tell him that he didn't need to pay for the surfboards, I really almost made a fool out of myself before I realized it was a tip. What a nice gesture! I really felt appreciated and it just made my day.
It made me think of how many times I have gotten great service at a hotel or from a manager than helped me out, and how I could have tipped them. I am definitely going to reward amazing service more often.
So I am here to spread the word about tipping. We do it in restaurants and with valet because it's obvious that's what they are working for. But what about everyone else? When you recevie good service please reward it! We need more grateful people out there to show they appreciate someone going above and beyond. Especially with all the mediocre service that is out there, let's show the other people that they stand out. I really believe it makes a difference.
And yes, I am probably a huge "customer service" guru and critique the service everywhere I go. So maybe I'm one of the few that get fired up for good service! But I definitely know there are a lot of people that would really appreciate a nice tip (even if only $3 or $5) from a grateful customer. Hey...I sure do!
And one more thing. Customer comments. If you don't have any cash to tip (or are having a hard time letting go of your money) at least do the favor of calling the manager and telling them how amazing the employee was. Those really go a long way. In a restaurant, hotel, anything. I know how much I love getting a "comment card" with my name on it or one of my employees. Too often people write letters or call when they are upset (and I have taken my fair share of those angry phone calls. And trust me, some people get really, really mad). There are far less of the grateful customers just wanting to share how amazing someone is. So I encourage everyone to find an employee that went above and beyond and call or write it in! It is so appreciated.
2 comments:
I am glad you wrote about tipping because I have been thinking of that recently as well (we just got back from our vacation where we had many opportunities to tip). I always feel (as far as restaurants) that unless they are horrid that they deserve at least 15%. Then any server that is a good server should get more. But I ran into something that stumped me. Dallin and I got a couples massage and mine was excellent while his massager (I know that isn't a word) was obviously ready to leave as soon as possible. I felt obligated to tip them the same even though one was significantly better. Perhaps I shouldn't have. I also was not sure what a good tip was in that situation so I think I went overboard. How do you find something like that out? Anyways it looks like I probably could have made my own post with how long this comment is, but having my sister's as hairdressers who are often overlooked for their service I am all for good tipping for good service.
I've actually never worked in a job position where I could accept tips, but I do remember this one time when I was at band camp...jk...there was this one time when I was working at Papyrus and we were having a huge sale and the customer knew he would be out of town for it so he asked me if I would take his credit card info and charge him the day of the sale. He seemed like such a nice guy that I said sure!
When he came back a few days after the sale to pick up his things he handed me a gift and said, "Thank you so much for your generosity."
The gift blew my mind! While we were talking the last time he was in the store he found out I was leaving on my mission to the Canada Winnipeg in 2 weeks and he went out and had custom bag tags made for my suitcases with Sister Messick and my mission home address printed on them.
How's that for a gratedul customer!
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