Question of the Day

Earlier today, a glazier came out to replace the windshield on our car, which got hit by a flying pebble on the interstate a couple of months ago and the resulting crack had slowly made its way across about half of the windshield. When he was finished, I gave him the check for the job and a $20 bill for him. He was really chuffed, and said, not in a complaining way, but in a matter-of-fact way, just to explain his pleasant surprise, that he almost never gets tipped, which really shocked me.

I mentioned it to Deeky, who replied: "Wait staff gets tipped, but that's about it, ain't it? Doormen? Doorpeople? (I've never seen a female doorperson, though I am sure they exist.)"

I thought about who I tipped and wrote back: "Valet. Hairdresser. Delivery person (e.g. pizza). Cleaning service (at hotel). Movers. I've never had a landscaper, although I imagine they get tipped...? I tip anyone who provides a service in my home (except utilities). Like, if I bought a new fridge, I'd tip the person/people who carted it in and installed it."

I like tipping—I always have. When we both lived in Chicago three blocks apart from each other and were in our early 20s and all but broke ourselves, my girlfriend Miller (who'd waited tables for years) and I (who never have) used to love to take a late and lingering lunch (in a place with lots of empty tables) on paydays in the summer, when the office closed at 1:00 on Fridays, and give whatever college kid and/or single mom (it was always a college kid and/or a single mom at that place) who was waiting on us a 100%+ tip.

We'd each get a sandwich or something, and our bill would come to like $15, and we'd each give the server a $20 bill fresh from the cash machine.

It was extremely happy-making for us, since we didn't have the kind of money to do anything that could change the world. But we could at least try to make someone's day with a nice tip.

Who do you tip? Are you a good tipper?