#TBT: "Ask Ruby" Advice Column

Our last #ThrowbackTuesday withan "Ask Ruby" column from 2008 was very popular, so here's another one for you fans of advice columns. Do you agree with the answer?

Hello Neighborhood Readers:  Here’s a question about tipping which I found very interesting. See what you think!

Q: My husband and I have a disagreement about tipping. He will tip food servers but doesn't agree that people like hairdressers, house keepers, massage therapists or gardeners should be tipped. He says that they charge a price for their services and that's what a person should pay, no more and no less. I don't agree with this and think that all of these people should be tipped at least 10% for their services and more if they do something extra for you. What are your thoughts on this?
Generous or Foolish?


A: I would definitely go with GENEROUS.  
I am big on tipping . I will usually tip 20% on every meal I buy.  I also regularly tip $1.00 to my local baristas. When it comes to massage therapy I will give a little more above the price of the service, somewhere between 10-15%.  This also applies to hairdressers.

Here is the tricky part though.  I don’t think gardeners or housekeepers need additional tips each time they provide their services but I will give a year-end bonus.  I’ve had dilemmas also about tipping the moving guys or when someone delivers furniture and I made the decision based on the experience at the time.

I guess it comes down to these questions: can I afford to be a little generous? was the service performed in a way that got my attention? is this a generally expected tipping service? If the answer is yes to 2 or more of these things I’m probably going to tip.

Conversely though if someone serving me is rude, inattentive or generally just going through the motions of service I am going to consider how generous I’m feeling at that moment.  I believe in accountability for employees whether in my business or out there in the rest of the world.

As to you and your husband’s differences about this if it isn’t a deal breaker between you, then agree to disagree. Feel the generosity and let him feel like it’s foolish.  Healthy relationships have room for both kinds of feelings. Happy tipping to you and thanks for asking!