Holiday Tipping 101

By Nancy K. Crevier

The skills of others make life go smoothly throughout the year. Haircuts, yard care, auto care, pet care, housekeeping, child care, and personal care are just a few of the services others provide. But come the holidays, a seasonal dilemma sets in. Who should be tipped? How much is appropriate?

The Emily Post Institute offers guidelines for tipping during the 2007 holiday season, with the caveat that, “What to give is always an individual decision,” and that guidelines are merely that: a guide to giving.

Whether to tip and how much to tip should depend on the quality and frequency of services, and the relationship with the service provider should be taken into account. More importantly, do not allow tipping to be an obligation that overextends the personal budget.

For a regular babysitter, the Emily Post Institute suggests giving one evening’s pay plus a small gift from the children. Day care providers should be given between $25 and $70 each, plus a gift from the child.

A barber or staff at the beauty salon should receive the equivalent of one haircut or salon visit, and your fitness or personal trainer would appreciate a tip of up to the cost of one session. Massage therapists who provide regular treatment should be tipped the fee for one session. A gift is also acceptable.

The recommended tip amount for the dog walker who regularly takes Fido on a stroll is one week’s pay. If Fido or Fluffy is regularly groomed by one person throughout the year, it would be thoughtful to tip the pet’s caregiver one session’s fee.

The guideline for tipping housekeepers is one week’s pay. Yard workers can be tipped $20 to $50, depending on how much work they provide during the year.

A gift, rather than cash, is considered good etiquette for home health employees, but the Emily Post Institute suggests checking with the agency for any policies that may forbid a worker to accept any gifts or cash. In that case, a donation to the agency is acceptable.

If the newspaper lands in the driveway on time and in good condition, feel free to offer the newspaper deliverer between $10 and $30.

Locally, service providers find that customers’ gift giving is pretty much in line with the suggestions offered by the Emily Post Institute.

In the pet care business, it is generally the clients seen Monday through Friday, year around, who tip when the holiday season comes around, said Adria Henderson, owner of Safe At Home In-Home Pet Care in Newtown.

“It is usually based on what the customer pays during the year, about one week’s pay,” she said. “I think that is pretty standard.”

Angelina Grimaldi owns Sparkling Cleaning Service and takes care of clients all over Connecticut.

“A holiday tip is at the discretion of the customer, but most do tip at Christmas,” she said. The amount can range from $5 up to $100, said Ms Grimaldi, and depends on how much work is provided during the year to the customer.

Because The LaurelRock Company, owned by Newtown resident Burt DeMarche, caters to a high-end residential clientele for the most part, his staff does not see a lot of holiday tipping.

“The foreman or the crew might get a $20 to $40 tip, but not all of them. The client manager who works with a client on a weekly basis could receive a personal gift,” said Mr DeMarche, “depending on how much time they spend together during the year.” Workers are always appreciative of a tip, he said. “It’s always nice. It says, ‘I thought about you,’ and everyone likes that.”

Cash tips are probably the most common method for clients to thank staff at Ricci’s Salon in Newtown, said owner Dan Riccio.

“I would say it is generally the cost of one of the services,” he said. “A lot of times the staff receives gifts, too. We get a lot of chocolate and a lot of wine,” he said. Holiday “tipping” is a two-way street at his salon, though, said Mr Riccio. “We like to give back to our clients at the holidays and will give out gift certificates good toward one service in the new year. That lets our clients know that they are appreciated, as well.”

A final word on holiday etiquette from the Emily Post Institute is this: “A handwritten note expressing thanks should always accompany any cash tip or gift.”