Are you generally giving a Christmas 'tip' to the people delivering your supplies?

I've always giving done this for the guy that empties our dumpster, as it's typically overflowing and requires some manual loading. He also takes the time to shovel up any sawdust/debris that falls on ground which is nice.

I haven't done this for the delivery driver that brings us our sheet goods, though, but am wondering if I should be.

I've always considered the tip to be in appreciation for service 'above and beyond' but am wondering if I'm wrong about that. Thanks

I usually give my delivery guy a small tip several times during the year. I know it is not required but it just shows my appreciation for what he does. I then give a Christmas tip a week or so after Thanksgiving. This way he will have it when shopping for his family's Christmas.

Dumpster overflowing? Get and pay for the next larger dumpster. It's only a few bucks.

Whoever provides it didn't hire their employee on a basis of x$/hour plus tips from corner-cutting, cheap customers.

Tipping amounts to enabling the guy to steal from his employer. Probably not something you would encourage in one of your own employees.

Tipping delivery guys? Also ridiculous. They're paid to do their job. Not doing it properly? Complain to their employer.

Baksheesh (bribery) is a third-world custom that's nothing but corruption on a small scale paid for stuff that should be done routinely.

This ain't the third-world. Does anyone really think that we need more corruption or acceptance of it here?

Get a grip.

I've asked twice now for a larger dumpster and they haven't acted on it. Yes I would rather have the trash in it rather than beside it.

T.I.P.S is an acronym, it means "To Insure Prompt Service"

sorta makes it a personal decision...

how does tipping enable an employee to steal from an employer?

Tipping is left entirely up to the tipper. Some tip and some don't think its necessary. I wouldn't call the drive through your at right now a restaurant but its up to you whether you tip or not.

Tipping is often decided upon by the attitude and the demeanor of the prospective tipper.

Tipping for forum responders is a good idea. Mandatory, as far as I am concerned. The amount is up to you, but 1% of your gross revenue is a good place to start.

Should you fail to tip these necessary service people, you might see responses slow down or stop altogether. Then where would we be?

Bernie - I've got a great grip. Anytime I ever asked for either a larger or smaller dumpster, it was done promptly.

dean c - Do I really have to spell it out? Do you follow how a trash pick-up site should be paying, say, 10 or 20 bucks more per month, but instead is tipping the trash employee 5 or 10 per month to police up the site when it's collected? How that money winds up in the trash employee's pocket instead of his employer's pocket? I'm pretty sure you appreciate what's going on as an employer.

Sochar - Have fun paying your baksheesh, or demand your suppliers/service providers do their jobs. Playing any extortion game, subtle or not flows right to your bottom line.

Everyone talks about tipping others that are doing their job.

I don't know about you but every time I do a great job, I get paid what the contract calls for. I don't receive a tip for doing a great job. doing a great job is what I do and what they paid for.

As far as not getting a different dumpster, get another trash service. They do not care about your business otherwise they would service you better.

Here is a tip. Do it if you want and if you don't want to; don't.

My wife has a great story about tipping/bribery from years ago in Chicago. She was working downtown in a bar/restaurant and gets out of work at 2 am to find her car has been towed. She gets a cab to the impound lot on lower, lower Wacker drive. Any of you from Chicago might know this underground extortion pit. Pretty scary place to be at 2 am. She goes to see the guy at the desk who tells her she owes $150 for the towing charge (cash), she will need the vehicle title to prove ownership, two picture ID's, proof of insurance, and also, she has to pay-up on the two parking tickets and the out-of-date city sticker before she can take her car. This is on a Saturday night. It will be Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, before she will be able to straighten all of this out. The guys says "You look like a nice lady, how about you just pay the towing charge, then meet me outside and handshake me $100 and you'll be on your way". She tells him she only has $200 in tip money on her. He says "OK", so she pays him, and she's out of there.

Point is, what would have been a 3 day hassle anywhere else was resolved in an hour for $50. Chicago is a great city! That's government efficiency in action.

That is a good story from Chicago, an absolute pit of extortion, as you put it.

But, everyone has their vehicle title and proof of insurance. Pic IDs? Everyone has them, too. Not that even one would actually be required to reclaim the car.

So, what's really been illustrated, beyond Chicago being a pit of bribery and baksheesh, is that your wife was susceptible to it because she didn't pay her tickets and plate renewal.

Otherwise, she could have easily gotten her car back for $150, not $200.

The point really is that baksheesh sucks money out of average people. In this case, it put 50 bucks in the pocket of some corrupt employee of the city (or a city contractor.) No way that even a dime of it went to pay for her tickets or plate. She ultimately had to pay that stuff herself.

The minor, everyday, routine graft and corruption money (which is most of it, even considering rake-offs on big political deals) is sucked up by employees, not employers, whether government or private, a concept that private employers here should understand.

The more this sort of stuff happens and is allowed to happen, the more people get used to it, the easier it gets to pull off and the more it becomes the norm. Not a good thing.

That's what I object to.

I know a GC who tips himself on the front and backend and even after that ask for a discount to produce the contract..

He is now asking me why Millworkers will not even give him quotes anymore.. go figure.

So, restaurant, do you not tip a waitress/waiter, or the newspaper boy., or the car valet, or the flower delivery kid, or who ever else?? are they all stealing from their employers?
Or was your comment specific to trash pickup?

Chicago has it's moments! If our delivery driver wants to get unloaded @ the dock he has to "tip" the union steward or wait until tomorrow. On the other hand, I once parked in the underground parking along the lake. City operated I think. My car battery went dead sitting there for a few days. When I went to the pay booth and asked about getting service, the man called for and within minutes a service pickup pulled up. He jump started my car. I asked how much? Answer, nothing, a service of the garage. I almost fainted. I offered the guy a good tip but he refused, said it was his job.

So, dean, I guess the posting handle "Am I in a restaurant?" went over your head. Wait-staff jobs in (almost all) restaurants ARE tipped jobs. So are most valet jobs. Many people take those jobs BECAUSE of the tips, especially in high-end locations.

My comments are specific to ANY job that isn't normally tipped, trash pickup being a good example.

Had to pick up something from a supplier... went out to the warehouse with the order sheet and they were pretty busy... a guy I didn't recognize at first comes over to me while I was waiting my turn (was one of the new guys) and with a big smile on his face, said "you were the first tip I ever received at this company when I delivered to you" and had me in and out in no time... he went on about it like it was a big deal, and it wasn't much of tip IMHO but it obviously meant a lot to him... I gave him a tip because he helped me unload a delivery of ply when I was alone at the shop...

Tips don't always have to be money... sometimes it's just expressions of appreciation...

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