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A cheap tipper? — Brooklynian

A cheap tipper?

kosherdave
kosherdave
edited November -1 in Park Slope
I was having a discussion with my girlfriend last night about how much to tip our delivery people, and I thought I'd take it to this board (cause I just know she'll love that!)

Anyway, we ordered take out from Spicy Hot (?I think it's called) last night. The food's pretty good and they always get our order right, athough it is a bit uncomfortably weird at just how quickly they get it to us. Last night it was 15 minutes, pretty damn good, but last time it took them 8 minutes from the time I hung up to the time they rang the buzzer, and everything was correct. That freaks me out. But that's beside the point.

The total last night was 22 even. I gave the guy 25 bucks. It was not cold, not rainy, but we do have a few flights to walk up. It was food for two people, not a huge group.

So after the dude left, I said "I gave him 25 on a 22, is that enough?" and she said she'd have given him 5 bucks. I said next time I'll just ask for his bank routing number so I can directly deposit my pay check to his account each month. I don't think she found that as funny as I did.

Anyway, I tip 5 bucks when the fresh direct guy comes, a bit more if it's two guys, but just how much do I need to shell out before I feel like I'm not being a cheap sob? I mean, we're not talkin' wait service here (which I tip 20%, more if it's exceptional) I'm just talkin' a guy on a bike/car/foot/magic teleporter (in the case of the place last night) who carries up some food for me and then leaves.

Thoughts? Questions? Commments?
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Comments

  • kaiserkai
    kaiserkai
    I usually tip $5 if its under $20 and then scale up from there.

    However I never tip the Fresh Direct guys, should i?
  • kosherdave
    kosherdave
    I tip the fresh direct guys 'cause I use them to deliver all my heavy shit. Boxes of cat litter, shit loads of gatorade, cans of soup, and some hot pockets... then again I usualy get fresh direct every two months or so. I don't wanna schlep all that up my flights.
  • veets
    veets
    Geez I have been under tipping the food delivery guys for years!
    I would have done like no more than $3.

    I always give the Fresh direct guys afew bucks..though if you review their site tipping is optional. I am so grateful I don't have to shlepp all that food and for the wonderful quality.
  • shishkab
    shishkab
    maybe i'm a cheap-o, but i rarely tip more than $3. unless the weather is really bad outside.
  • rose
    rose
    I think I am cheap too -- I usually tip $2-3 for food delivery, more if the weather is horrible. But the guy doesn't have to go up any stairs. For C-Town or Fresh Direct, I tip $1 per box.
  • shishkab
    shishkab
    oh, that's a good point. delivery person doesn't have to climb any stairs with my place, either.
  • kosherdave
    kosherdave
    People pay to go to the gym and use the stair master. Maybe I should start charging my delivery guys for the workout I provide for them?!
  • drano
    drano
    I usually tip $3 plus the round-up, but somewhat more if it's a mess out or other special circumstances exist.
  • alafairnadia
    alafairnadia
    yeah, I generally do the $3 tip on food delivery, and around that on fresh direct unless I've ordered a case of san p. and tons of wine, in which case I bump it up to $5. and yeah, I'm the asshole that lives in a 4th floor walkup.
  • violet
    violet
    I usually start at 20% and round up. So on a $22 tab I'd tip $5 or sometimes more. I figure, these guys work hard and probably don't make much...
  • brookfetish
    brookfetish
    I think you were about right with that tip.

    Sometimes, instead of a cash tip, I give them a helpful tip...like "Hey, buddy, remember to keep your left arm straight and your head down during your golf swing."

    I think they appreciate that.
  • whatwouldjermainedurpido
    whatwouldjermainedurpido
    if the weather's bad thats one thing, but no need to tip more than 3 maybe 3 and the change. you also have to consider how much change the bill comes to. i hate giving the delivery guy coins to round the tip up to a full bill. i don't know why, i just feel cheap. if you wanna credit them for getting the food to you so fast, maybe you should also tip the guys in the kitchen too
  • dottietron
    dottietron
    If they have to go over 10 blocks or the weather is bad, I try to tip pretty big. I always tip the Fresh Direct guys. When I lived in a 5 floor walkup, they would practically run up the stairs! They deserve it!
  • username: *
    username: *
    BrookFetish wrote: I think you were about right with that tip. ...
    I think you were about right, but with a caveat. (Not cravat.) I like to keep my tipping regimen simple: 20 percent for in-house food-or-drink service, and 10 percent for everything else. But I also like to tip a minimum amount, which is usually about $5. But can vary depending on how loaded (i.e. drunk) I am and how well the bill fits into the change I have in my pocket. I feel compelled to add that this means I would, and usually do, tip $5 when I have a diner breakfast that costs $10 or $11 -- so long as the service is not infuriating. Which is something that drives my girlfriend up a tree. (Thankfully, she knows how to get down by herself.)

    In your case, with all those stairs, I'd have given him $5.

    Another good tip to give someone, in lieu of cash, is "Always plant your corn early." Also: "Lather, rinse and repeat." And: "Never drink the water in Watertown."
  • quijibo
    quijibo
    4th floor walkup.. $5
  • sprite
    sprite
    I tip about 20% for delivery, but since I usually order the minimum dollar amount, it only works out to $2 or $3 anyway. I probably do overtip sometimes, but I agree with Violet - these guys can't be making that much.
  • veggiequeen
    veggiequeen
    I usually tip $3... $5 if the weather is bad... for any food delivery. I don't tip based on the food amount, since the guy delivering for the cheap place has the same amount of work to do as the more expensive place.
  • greene-eyed monster
    greene-eyed monster
    Wow. I must overtip but I get consistently awesome service (because of that?). Food delivery is usually an even $5 and Fresh Direct is $10 (generally works out to around 10% of my bill). I almost always have the same FD delivery guys (who know my name, ask about my dog) and who have been known to come earlier or later upon my request and a couple of times, when boxes were missing, they tracked them down and brought them to me the same day. Based on what other folks on this board are saying they tip, you know these guys can't be making a whole lot of money so I guess I'm reaping the benefits!
  • cheflady
    cheflady
    What do you guys think about tipping when you get take-out and pick it up yourself? They dont' have to do anything but pack the food....?
  • whyfi
    whyfi
    cheflady wrote: What do you guys think about tipping when you get take-out and pick it up yourself? They dont' have to do anything but pack the food....?
    I almost never tip when I pick up.
  • blkpetal
    blkpetal

    Subject: The g/f says...

    Well hey there Kosher! I finally signed up today and saw this post...I am excited that I drove such an intereseting thread!

    Anyway, We have a lot of stairs to climb and I can't imagine they make a lot of $ as delivery people so I always try to tip according to how much is in my wallet, with a minimum of $5. The more I can tip, the better everyone feels. Sounds like we may want to start upping our tip on the Fresh Direct guys tho...they don't seem to care much when our food goes missing. Sorry for making you feel bad Kosher - but tipping is good karma.

    But I don't tip on Pick-Up food either.
  • laura
    laura
    Kosher and gf, are you talking about Red Hot? I've been freaked out myself by how quickly they arrive. It's unnerving.

    Anyway, I live on the 4th floor and tip about $5.
  • rose
    rose
    laura wrote: Kosher and gf, are you talking about Red Hot? I've been freaked out myself by how quickly they arrive. It's unnerving.

    .
    Yeah, one time they brought my order in seven minutes, for real. It was a little spooky.
  • blkpetal
    blkpetal
    Yeah Red Hot! It is SCARY how fast they get to our door. We tell them that and they just laugh.

    We only order veggie stuff so I don't mind eating it...if we ate meat though I think I would be zapping the food in the microwave just to be "safe" :lol:
  • laura
    laura
    I think next time I'll just put the phone down and open the door.
  • kosherdave
    kosherdave
    Seriously, I've clocked Red Hot at 8 minutes. That's from the time my cell phone said they called, to when I check the time when the buzzer goes off at the door. They have a time machine and I'm going to steal it.
  • veets
    veets
    Yes Red Hot seems to be a very fast delivery. Cineese food cooks quickly and all the ingredients are pre cut so once they hit the wok it aint long. The speed of delivery is a good thing to keep in mind if you are really hungry and don't want to wait the better part of an hour.
  • idlewild
    idlewild
    It depends who is delivering and what kind of conditions. If it's regular delivery that isn't so far and they do nothing special except deliver then $3. I usually give the guy from Tom's $4 on a normal day, $5 for bad weather. He's very courteous, never complains, gets me a paper along the way and has a nice attitude.
  • alafairnadia
    alafairnadia
    wow. there's this place in midtown that delivers via seamless web in 15 mins or less. tang pavilion. awesome.
  • caseopele
    caseopele
    I tend to tip at the very least $4, more when it's nasty outside. I probably end up overtipping because of where I work. Our delivery guys are our stock guys, they spend their days bringing cases up from the basement to pack out and put away all the cases that come off the trucks. Then they do deliveries, sometimes delivering several cases to one person. They consistently get stiffed on tips, not from everyone but enough. There's one guy who has 3-4 cases delivered, makes them carry them down to his basement and gives them nothing. Because you know my guys are making tons of money that's totally worth the hard manual labor they do. Sorry for the rant, I'm very protective of my boys.

    Question: I get my dog and cat food delivered, 40lb and 20lb. I live on the 4th floor and one guy brings it up. The place I order from charges a $1 delivery fee, what do you guys think is a good tip? I give him $5-6 but I don't think I'm tipping enough.
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