Who Do You Tip and How Much?

As the summer hits its peak and more and more of us take holidays, think about the people who make your holiday as good as it can be.

Waitresses, bell hops, and hair dressers are all professions that can make or break a great holiday and we tip them accordingly, but what about the other jobs that we use the service of that could help make that holiday go smoothly.

Jobs like house sitter, dog groomer, camp councilors, and golf caddies are all jobs that the Bank of Montreal believes should receive a gratuity.

They have compiled a list of services that should be tipped and how much you should give them. Here it is:

Services and Other Professionals	Suggested Gift or Gratuity
Occasional and/or Regular Baby Sitter	One evening's pay given before the start of the academic year.
Full-Time Baby Sitter	One week's pay and a gift from your child(ren) given before the start of the academic year.
Summer Camp Cousellor	A Thank You note and $10 per week following the camps completion. Please consult the camp's Tipping Policy as many do not accept gratuities.
Seasonal Sports Instructor	The cost of one lesson or a gift of equal value given on final day of lessons.
Volunteer Sports Team Coach	A Thank You note and a gift certificate valued for up to $20.
Dog Groomer	10% per service.
Dog Walker/Pet Sitter	Up to 20% or small gift after service is no longer required.
House Sitter	A gift brought back from your vacation.
Gardener/Pool Cleaner	$20 to $50 or the cost of one session given at the end of the season.
Lawn Mower	$10 to $25 given at the end of the season.
Hairdresser/Stylist	15% to 20% per service.
Aesthetician	15% of each treatment received before tax.
Airport Baggage Handler	$1 to $3 per bag and an extra dollar if bags are bulky or heavy.
Hotel Bellhop	$1 to $5 per bag.
Hotel Concierge	$5 for basic service and up to $25 for special or difficult requests.
Hotel Housekeeper	$1 to $5 per night given at the end of your stay.
Hotel Pool Attendant	$2 to $5 per service.
Hotel Room Service	15% of before tax bill.
Waitress/Waiter	15% of before tax bill.
Bartender	$1 per drink or 15% to 20% of bar bill before tax.
Food Delivery	15% to 20% and if the size of your party is 10 or more add 5%.
Tour Guide	10% to 20% of the cost of the tour.
Extended Tour Guide	$1 to $10 per day.
Golf Caddy	$10 to $25 above golf course fee. Please consult golf course guide on tipping policy.
Taxi and Limo Drivers	15% of amount displayed on meter.
Valet Parking Attendant	$1 to $5 per car for one night of service.
* based on a survey of Tipping Guidelines web sites

 

Most of these tip amounts are reasonable but some of the services that there are suggesting to tip I would never think to.

Services like the hotel pool attendant, tour guide, or seasonal sports instructor I would never think to tip because I have always assumed they were paid at least minimum wage so there would be no need to tip.

That is what I generally go by. If a service provider is getting paid less than the general minimum wage or a volunteer that does an excellent job then I will tip them, dependant on their level of service.

What do you think of this list and how often do you tip?