Tip or not

The house is crawling with an HVAC crew putting in a new central air, heat pump and ductwork in our house.

The guy in the attic looks like he stepped out of a shower, he's so drenched in sweat. He's just a college kid, stuck doing the grunt work while the licensed guys are doing the easier work.

I overheard the foreman asking the other three guys to chip in $20 each for the kid. That got me to thinking, should I tip him for doing that job?

 

I don't think it would hurt, but I'm always in the same situation. What is the usual tipping range for service guys? And who makes the cut? A guy installing your DirecTV? A guy who brings up furniture?

 

According to tipping.org, under "contractors," it says to tip the foreman $50 and each worker $30. That seems like a lot to me.

 

... if you don't work in journalism.

 

I'm guessing Tipping.org asked contractors how much they should be tipped, and that was their answer.

And AreaMan, the only reason I'm thinking of it is because of how shitty this kid's gig is right now. I've got the blown cellulose insulation. He's covered in a mixture of that and sweat. Every time I've had to do work in the attic, I immediately hit the shower because it's so nasty. I'm thinking of slipping him a $20 but not his co-workers.

 

I'd say you just throw in $20 with the other guys.

 

My rule of tipping.....

A tip is extra payment in addition to whatever your bill is for either some sort of extra service or extraordinary service.

When I go to a restuarant, I tip 10% for standard "Here's your drink, here's your food, here's your bill" service. Anything more, I usually go higher.

For a job like this, since the kid is in shitty conditions, if you feel you'd want a tip if you were in his position, give him a little something extra.

 

We had this issue during our most recent move. We had three movers and one guy was doing 90 percent of the work. The other guys would stop for smokes every 30 minutes while the other guy just kept going.

As he was walking out, I handed him a $50 and said, "Don't tell the others and don't share with the others."

 

I'd offer him a cold drink.

If you feel like slipping him a $20, do that to.

 

He is a real man, after all.

 

Or a two four of Alexander Keith's.

 

Ten percent? I'd spit in your drink if I wasn't even your server.

Standard is 15-18.