TIPPING

Las Vegas is a city that has a reputation for running on "Green Grease" or tips. There is probably no single issue about Las Vegas that causes more confusion and disagreements than tipping. Tip or don’t tip. Who gets them, who goes without? Do we tip per the acronym (T)o (I)nsure (P)romptness, to guarantee better service in advance or to reward suburb service afterward? Do we do it because it is expected or do we feel bullied into it? There are no hard and fast rules, rather we depend on custom dictating tipping practices. Customs are generally a local matter and change from place to place. Since people from all over the world come to Las Vegas it is obvious why there is so much confusion over what is the proper way to tip, even if there is a proper way.

Tipping has become the custom for employees of certain service jobs such as taxi drivers, waiters and bartenders to name a few. These people usually have a base salary in the area of minimum wage and depend on their tips to support themselves. By keeping salaries low the employer can remain competitive by reducing overhead. This in turn benefits the customers who enjoy the lower prices. The customer decides how much to tip, in effect, supplementing the employee’s salary, supposedly based on the service tendered by the employee.

Would it benefit anyone by eliminating tipping and just raising prices to compensate for the employee’s newly found higher salary? Probably not. Service would probably suffer because there would be no incentive to give better than minimal service. Granted, people in jobs that do not involve tipping can give good service with out the added incentive but for some reason it does not work out the same for the aforementioned service vocations. Like it or not, tipping is probably here to stay.

All the Las Vegas based tipping guides I have seen always seem to stress that you should be more than generous while tipping people in Las Vegas. They suggest, almost demand, you tip everyone in sight even if that person hasn’t really done anything for you beyond the minimum expected service. Obviously these people have a stake in getting you to tip because of how they earn their living. This should make you slightly suspicious as to their motives. Before we start into the who, why, when and how much areas of tipping there are some fallacies that must be dealt with.

YOU SHOULD ALWAYS TIP BECAUSE PEOPLE DEPEND ON THEM TO SUPPLEMENT THEIR MINIMUM WAGE INCOME. THEY LIVE ON THEIR TIPS.

I am not responsible to provide support for anyone except certain family members. I’ve had dealers tell me, She [cocktail waitress] really needs your tips to pay off her medical bills, in an effort to get me to be more generous. I can feel bad for her situation, assuming that what the dealer said was true, and will be happy to tip for good service, but see no reason to give extra money to help her pay her bills. I have enough people trying to put their hands in my pocket. I certainly do not need to guide their hands to my money.

A person’s salary (or tips) is not based on that person’s needs. If it were, an entry level employee (with little worth to the employer) who happens to be irresponsible and can’t stop using credit cards, is about to have his house foreclosed and car repossessed, would have a higher salary than the most responsible, most valued person in that company.

YOU SHOULD ALWAYS TIP, EVEN WHEN THE SERVICE IS LESS THAN ADEQUATE, BECAUSE THEY WILL THINK YOU FORGOT THE TIP. BESIDES, THE WAITERS POOL THEIR TIPS WITH BUS BOYS, COOKS, ETC., AND IT’S NOT FAIR TO PUNISH THEM FOR THE WAITER’S BAD SERVICE

There have been times I have left NO TIP and have let the server and his supervisor or manager know my reasons. If the problem is with the waiter and all the employees pool their tips, the manager can advise the rest of the employees and cause the waiter to get some training in how to treat customers. The last thing I would be concerned about after having a dining experience ruined is what the people who were responsible for ruining it are thinking about me. If they are unhappy with me, so what! It is doubtful I would return to the place.

Here is a practice situation for you to deal with:

You go out to dinner at an upscale restaurant and the waiter is surly, service is terrible and the food is terrible. Do you tip?

People who would tip under these circumstances might feel sorry for the server because, ...the IRS takes a percentage out of every bill and I lose money if you don’t tip... or they do not want to be exposed WAITER’S WRATH for stiffing him, or for some reason feel a tip has to be left for the server no matter how miserable the dining experience was. If you would tip under these conditions ask yourself, Why would I want to pay extra [tip] to reward such a poor performance? If you still want to leave a tip, I suggest wearing a sign around your neck that says, Please treat me like crap and I’ll pay you extra!

By rewarding someone for substandard treatment you are enforcing the idea that their poor level of service is acceptable and they will receive their tip no matter how poor it is.

The last fallacious statement I’ll cover is:

HEY, IT’S ONLY A FEW BUCKS! YOU ARE ON VACATION SO LOOSEN UP A LITTLE!

If you go along with this convoluted logic how about sending me a nice tip for writing this article because, Hey, look at all the time and trouble he went through to make your vacation better...and it’s only a few bucks. I work hard for my money - no work = no pay; this is a foreign concept to some people. The person who serves me, in effect, works for me. If that person expects a tip, in my opinion, it has to be earned.

Here are my policies on tipping:

1. What other people tip, like what other people bet, has nothing to do with me. I do not let others bully me into tipping more than I feel is adequate.

2. Having a job that depends on tips, in itself, does not entitle anyone to a tip.

(Now, before you overload The Awesome One’s E-mail server by telling her what a Scrooge I am, here is the rest of my tipping rules)

3. Good service = tip.

4. Better service = better tip.

5. Extraordinary service = much better tip

Wait; you say. There is no policy for substandard service. That is correct. The best tip you can give under substandard service situations is to tell the person why the tip will not be given. If done in a reasonable manner that server might try to improve, if for no other reason, to get tips.

Here’s what you’ve been waiting for, who to tip what. The biggest drawback to tipping people who pool their tips is that the surly jerks get just as much as the ones who are both helpful and pleasant. There is not much you can do about tipping individuals unless you find a place that does not pool tips.

DEALERS: Assuming the game is on the up and up, there is nothing a dealer can do directly that has any influence on the outcome of the game, although a dealer can be helpful within certain limits. However, because most casino players view gambling as a form of recreation the dealer is considered part of that experience. A helpful, pleasant dealer can make even a losing session more bearable. I’ve even known dealers who do the table equivalent of a lounge show act while working; they rake in the tips, and as long as they can keep the game going at the proper speed, the house loves them because their table are always full. If you appreciate the dealer a tip would be appropriate. I always give the dealer a choice, he can pocket the tip or I will be happy to place it as the bet of his choice. How much? That’s up to you. If you are a $5 bettor a $1-$2 tip after a substantial win (whatever that means is up to you) would be in order.

BELLPERSONS (my concession to political correctness): Transporting your bags to your room should be worth at least a dollar a bag. If you are an anvil salesman and carry samples in your suitcases, a larger per bag rate would be indicated. For them to store your bags until your room is ready or after checking out, a couple of dollars will be enough. Bellmen set up circumstance to maximize tips, like the double-team for checking in and out of the hotel. One group carries the guest’s bags from the curb to the desk. After the guest registers another group is waiting to take the bags to the room. It works the same when you check out. As far as I am concerned the bags can stay in the car until after I register. If you take a cab from the airport you are stuck because it is doubtful the bellmen will allow the cab driver to carry your luggage into the registration area. Of course you could always carry your own bags but some of Las Vegas’ hotels are pretty big.

BARTENDERS: For two people a dollar or two a round. If you are playing video poker at the bar and get a comp drink, a nice tip with the first one will ensure almost endless refills. Keep in mind that bartenders, like bellmen can be a wealth of knowledge regarding who, what and where to get it.

COCKTAIL WAITRESSES: You do not have to tip anything but it might be quite a while until you see the cocktail waitress again. For those free drinks while playing, $1 a drink would be in order. Some people tip more on the first round with the idea that they will get better service.

WAITERS: 15% for good service, more for better service. I think we have covered waiters enough.

Some restaurants seem to employ people for no other purpose than to collect tips. First there is the greeter who walks you two feet to the host, who hands you off to the Maitre’D, who assigns you a table captain, who introduces you to your waiter who finally seats you. Do you really need five people to get you seated?

TAXI DRIVERS: Like bell people and bartenders, cab drivers can be a wealth of information. 15% of the tab if they help with the bags and treat you right. Treating you right means not having to ask the driver "Gee, when did they build all those other Sahara Hotels?" as you go by it for the third time. I had a cab driver take me from the Horseshoe downtown to the North Las Vegas airport by way of the Tropicana Hotel. After the police figured I should pay him only for what it would cost for a direct route, he chased after me yelling "Hey, you forgot my tip!" Another guy who thinks tips are mandatory.

VALET CAR PARKERS: $1 when you pick up your car should be enough. Some people tip when they leave the car, figuring that the person who parks it works as hard as the person who retrieves it and should be tipped too. Most valet parkers pool their tips so there is no reason to tip when you drop the car off unless perhaps you want it retrieved quicker than normal. If they are not busy valet parkers and also be a good source of information.

HOTEL MAIDS: Some people think they will get better maid service if they leave an envelope in their room every day with a couple of dollars for the maid. I do not know how valid this idea is since during thirty-five years of trips to Las Vegas I have never seen the same maid make up my room two days in a row.

REST ROOM ATTENDANTS: In the Men’s Room it is usually it’s some old guy sitting on a stool in the corner on the way out with a pitiful look on his face and a bucket with a TIPS sign on it. If the attendant performs a service you’ve requested, I suppose a tip would be in order - maybe a dollar. I might tip the guy just to get him to change the expression on his face.

CHANGE GIRLS/MEN: If they hustle, responding to the flashing light on my machine and are friendly, I don’t mind giving them something. It does seem to make them more attentive. A dollar every few times they give me change is my standard. Tip them enough and they will crowd around you for as long as your money holds out. Some people think they should be tipped 10% of your big win - for a $100,000 that means a $10,000 tip. I would not tip a dealer 10% of a win so why would I do that for a change girl?

SEATERS (in general): I’ve saved this for last as I find some of these people the most irritating of all those with their hands out stretched, palms up. These are the people who put you at that table by the kitchen door in a restaurant or in a terrible seat at a show and wait for you to offer them a tip to get a better location. This is nothing but extortion. If this were to happen to me I would leave, as I have done in the past. There is something wrong with going to see a show that is about to cost $150 for two people and then have the seater try to shake me down for more money. I was happy to see a good number of Las Vegas show rooms go to assigned seating when you purchase your tickets in advance.

I’m sure there are people in other occupations who are deserving of tips under the right circumstances. If they perform some service, great, toke them. If they are just there with their hands out and it makes you feel better, less guilty or what ever reason you come up with to tip people who are not doing anything for the money YOU worked for, it is up to you (don’t forget to wear the sign around your neck).

Reasonable tipping can enhance your Las Vegas experience just as unnecessary tipping can be non productive and a wasteful drain of your resources. As with most things in Las Vegas the bottom line is simple. It is your money so how much you tip, when you tip and who you tip is up to you. Enjoy your next trip and good luck.