Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Teach Your Teens Proper Tipping Etiquette

Gratuity Illiteracy

That first big date at the sit-down restaurant. Awkward.

The arrival of the bill followed by the clueless blank stare at the gratuity line. Double awkward!

Yes, your teens are growing up fast. They’re increasingly out and about on their own. Grabbing coffee drinks with friends. Getting a haircut. Going out to restaurants. Taking road trips for sporting events. Heading off to college. Taking a taxi or Lyft or Uber home from the rowdy college party. (We hope! That’s a separate, much more important conversation.)

The bottom line: you’re no longer by their side paying the tab.

Your teens have undoubtedly mastered paying for things. But do they have a clue about tipping etiquette?

Make sure your teens know the basic rules of thumb when it comes to gratuities — and that they know what gratuity means!

Here are just a few sample guidelines for the tipping scenarios teens are likely to encounter (leaving out some of the ones we hope they don’t!):

Service Person Tipping Guidelines
Barista $2 or less (your spare change).
Pizza/Food Delivery Person 15% to 20%. $2 minimum.
Barber, Hairdresser 15% to 20%.
Manicurist, Pedicurist 10% to 20%.
Waiter/Waitress 20% for good service. 10% typically sends a message. Look to see if gratuity already included for large bills first.
Parking Valet $2 to $5 when car is returned to you.
Skycap, Bellhop, Porter $1 per bag. $2 minimum.
Hotel Housekeeper $2 per night at budget hotel. $3 to $5 per night at nice hotel. Tip daily since housekeeper may change.
Taxi/Uber/Lyft Driver %10 to %15. $1 minimum. (Yes, it’s nice to tip your Uber driver.)

Find more tipping tips in this “ultimate guide”.

Remember, a complete serving of financial literacy includes gratuity. You’ll spare your teen some awkward money moments, and you’ll make some hard working service people happy.


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