Originally Posted by
kalyx522
I only tip if they actually load/unload the bags (which is most of the time.) Like someone else said, tips are part of these guys' wages. Probably not to a big extent like servers, but similar. I bet the same guys who don't tip van drivers tip poorly at restaurants too. Servers get paid like $2/hr. If you don't tip them, they are not getting paid to serve you. Some customers think that it's not their job to "subsidize" the server's pay... but when you are eating out, you are agreeing to pay for being served... are you not? If you say, "I can't afford to tip." well then you can't afford to eat out. Tips should be considered the cost of eating out, that is just the way it is. Sorry for going off on a tangent. I just really don't like it when I'm on an overnight (although overnights are thing of the past for me) and between the 3 of us (ca, fa, me) I'm the only one who tips. There is a difference between being frugal (good) and cheap (bad)... not tipping service workers is cheap, period.
Valid point... however, we have a choice to go to a restaurant. We don't have a choice to get a ride to our hotel. This is a tough one, I admit and I'm glad to see healthy debate about it. For guys like Brown, who probably make well over 100K a year, of course, throw them a buck or two. But for poor FO's like me who made $19k last year, those dollars add up... I don't know, it's just a tough situation. I almost always will tip them unless they're rude/not friendly and/or don't help with the bags. However, on those rare times I can afford to eat out, I always tip and for excellent service, I routinely give 25-30%