How much do you tip your garbageman?

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  • mayaocean
    mayaocean Posts: 355 Member
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    do you need to tip them??????

    Yes, they do hard work and deserve it more than people who carry around food in climate controlled environments.

    Yes, their work is hard, and they paid well by their employer.

    Serving is more than carrying around food in a climate controlled environment. Yes, the dining room is comfortable, but kitchens are hot. Servers do spend a lot of time running around in kitchens, on their feet for hours, multitasking in a variety of ways, continually making people happy... An excellent server doesn't simply take your order and bring it to you; they should anticipate your needs and provide an experience that leaves you happy. Sadly, I find excellent service becoming more and more rare... if you've never had excellent service, how unfortunate for you. However, I feel even worse for those who've had the "pleasure" of taking care of you.

    I have to wonder how long you would have lasted in my restaurant. My best servers routinely made 25%+ because they were amazing. They were amazing because I trained them to be, and they realized the killer money they could make by doing more than just taking and order and bringing it to a table.


    I live in Canada and here its -40 almost year round. So would you like to argue that working in a restaurant is harder than lugging garbage around at odd hours in the morning in freezing weather?

    Servers get paid almost close to minimum wage (which is $10.75), plus all of the tips they make... in the end they end up making a lot of money. It's not like they're exactly living below the poverty line.

    In NY, the server minimum is 4.60. We paid our servers an even $5. And as I already said, garbage collectors are compensated well by their employer. And yes, servers do make a lot of money. I never claimed otherwise Those who are good at what they do make a very good living. Those who are not, well, they don't do so well. My point was that serving is more than bringing food to a table. Try it sometime. You might like it :) It's a lot more fun than a lot of jobs, if you have the personality for it.

    Cool. So how much do you suggest I tip my garbageman? 20, 25%?
  • pawnstarNate
    pawnstarNate Posts: 1,728 Member
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    seriously? garbage men get tips? ok, I will definitely start this tradition this year I say $500 is a good round number.


    since I take my own trash to work and put it in my business' dumpster, doesn't that make me the garbage man?

    chaching.gif
  • Sovictorrious
    Sovictorrious Posts: 770 Member
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    Wait... this is actually a thing?
  • patols1
    patols1 Posts: 108 Member
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    i will be giving mine a 20 dollar tip for Christmas, because he goes above and beyond. i almost ALWAYS forget to put it by the road and he comes and gets it for me.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    When i was a kid my folks would always leave a 6 pack of budweiser out for them around christmas time.

    But they're not allowed to drink on the job?

    Are they on the job 24/7? Does a pack of budweiser go bad if not drunk right away? :laugh:
  • PhearlessPhreaks
    PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
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    do you need to tip them??????

    Yes, they do hard work and deserve it more than people who carry around food in climate controlled environments.

    Yes, their work is hard, and they paid well by their employer.

    Serving is more than carrying around food in a climate controlled environment. Yes, the dining room is comfortable, but kitchens are hot. Servers do spend a lot of time running around in kitchens, on their feet for hours, multitasking in a variety of ways, continually making people happy... An excellent server doesn't simply take your order and bring it to you; they should anticipate your needs and provide an experience that leaves you happy. Sadly, I find excellent service becoming more and more rare... if you've never had excellent service, how unfortunate for you. However, I feel even worse for those who've had the "pleasure" of taking care of you.

    I have to wonder how long you would have lasted in my restaurant. My best servers routinely made 25%+ because they were amazing. They were amazing because I trained them to be, and they realized the killer money they could make by doing more than just taking and order and bringing it to a table.


    I live in Canada and here its -40 almost year round. So would you like to argue that working in a restaurant is harder than lugging garbage around at odd hours in the morning in freezing weather?

    Servers get paid almost close to minimum wage (which is $10.75), plus all of the tips they make... in the end they end up making a lot of money. It's not like they're exactly living below the poverty line.

    In NY, the server minimum is 4.60. We paid our servers an even $5. And as I already said, garbage collectors are compensated well by their employer. And yes, servers do make a lot of money. I never claimed otherwise Those who are good at what they do make a very good living. Those who are not, well, they don't do so well. My point was that serving is more than bringing food to a table. Try it sometime. You might like it :) It's a lot more fun than a lot of jobs, if you have the personality for it.

    Cool. So how much do you suggest I tip my garbageman? 20, 25%?

    0%. If you feel the need to give them something over their base salary and probable benefits, I suppose it should be whatever you are comfortable with.
  • awtume9
    awtume9 Posts: 423 Member
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    Always tip your mailman and your garbage collector.

    I live in an apartment complex... so I won't tip our garbage company (but normally you would put $20 in an envelope and stick it to the lid)... you'll never have tipped over garbage cans in the road after that.

    But i will tip our postal worker. The guy has gone so far as to give us his home number and texts us to let us know if we have a package that too large to fit.

    here is a nice guide to appropriate tipping during the holiday season.


    http://www.mannersmentor.com/social-situations/simple-guide-to-christmas-tipping

    How on Earth can anyone afford to tip all those people??? However I suppose if you have landscapers, a regular masseuse, a personal trainer, a maid, etc. you are probably sitting pretty anyway.
  • krystina_letitia9
    krystina_letitia9 Posts: 697 Member
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    do you need to tip them??????

    Yes, they do hard work and deserve it more than people who carry around food in climate controlled environments.

    Yes, their work is hard, and they paid well by their employer.

    Serving is more than carrying around food in a climate controlled environment. Yes, the dining room is comfortable, but kitchens are hot. Servers do spend a lot of time running around in kitchens, on their feet for hours, multitasking in a variety of ways, continually making people happy... An excellent server doesn't simply take your order and bring it to you; they should anticipate your needs and provide an experience that leaves you happy. Sadly, I find excellent service becoming more and more rare... if you've never had excellent service, how unfortunate for you. However, I feel even worse for those who've had the "pleasure" of taking care of you.

    I have to wonder how long you would have lasted in my restaurant. My best servers routinely made 25%+ because they were amazing. They were amazing because I trained them to be, and they realized the killer money they could make by doing more than just taking and order and bringing it to a table.


    I live in Canada and here its -40 almost year round. So would you like to argue that working in a restaurant is harder than lugging garbage around at odd hours in the morning in freezing weather?

    Servers get paid almost close to minimum wage (which is $10.75), plus all of the tips they make... in the end they end up making a lot of money. It's not like they're exactly living below the poverty line.

    In Michigan, the minimum wage for a server is $2.65. You try living off that if people aren't tipping. Yeah, it's impossible.
  • jollyjoe321
    jollyjoe321 Posts: 529 Member
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    I'd say 30 degrees. 45 degrees if they did a really good job.

    Thank you somebody for cracking this fantastic joke!

    Made me chuckle, needs a bit more recognition I think
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,473 Member
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    amusing, I would be broke if I tipped everyone, every where you go they want money.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
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    Always tip your mailman and your garbage collector.

    I live in an apartment complex... so I won't tip our garbage company (but normally you would put $20 in an envelope and stick it to the lid)... you'll never have tipped over garbage cans in the road after that.

    But i will tip our postal worker. The guy has gone so far as to give us his home number and texts us to let us know if we have a package that too large to fit.

    here is a nice guide to appropriate tipping during the holiday season.

    http://www.mannersmentor.com/social-situations/simple-guide-to-christmas-tipping

    Sorry, but 'not tipping garbage over my lawn' is an expected base level of service, not a tip-earning 'going the extra mile'.

    Your postal worker, however, sounds like he is going above and beyond, and I would probably tip for that.
  • jillmarie125
    jillmarie125 Posts: 418 Member
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    Ok- I work for a national garbage/recycling company. I know a lot fo the drivers do receive tips. However, they are not expected. $5 gift cards are enough I believe (if anything).

    Someone previously stated that the drivers are paid well. I know drivers who work directly for the towns and cities might be paid "well" but I have no problem saying that the drivers who work for the big named companies are not paid well. These guys (and girls) are driving on the streets for 10 -12hours a day. The work is hard on their bodies and minds. Driving thru residential streets all day long focusing on the task at hand plus being aware of all surroundings is not an easy job. Yes it's the job they signed up for and they all knew the rate of pay. So I am not saying people need to tip. But a $5 gift card to tim hortons or a plate of cookies would be appreciated.

    ** and no I am not a driver.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
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    By the way, people who tip garbage collectors, next time you are in hospital, consider tipping your phlebotomist (the person that draws your blood). They are paid about 1/3 the amount of garbage collectors (about $20k a year), they have an extremely stressful job (on feet all day, constantly shouted at and rushed by doctors and even nurses), and if they screw up you can bet it has more serious consequence than garbage on your lawn. Next time you get a great phlebotomist who sticks you first time without you even feeling it, at least ask if the hospital has some sort of recognition program so you can put in a good word for them. It makes a difference.

    Disclaimer : My wife is a phlebotomist.
  • ozzy_q
    ozzy_q Posts: 47 Member
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    I'd say 30 degrees. 45 degrees if they did a really good job.

    Thank you somebody for cracking this fantastic joke!

    Made me chuckle, needs a bit more recognition I think

    +1 at this

    Btw im in Aus where we generally dont tip for anything (unless you get over and above service for something) because people get a decent minimum wage ($16.37 per hour) its abetter system I reckon.
  • mayaocean
    mayaocean Posts: 355 Member
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    By the way, people who tip garbage collectors, next time you are in hospital, consider tipping your phlebotomist (the person that draws your blood). They are paid about 1/3 the amount of garbage collectors (about $20k a year), they have an extremely stressful job (on feet all day, constantly shouted at and rushed by doctors and even nurses), and if they screw up you can bet it has more serious consequence than garbage on your lawn. Next time you get a great phlebotomist who sticks you first time without you even feeling it, at least ask if the hospital has some sort of recognition program so you can put in a good word for them. It makes a difference.

    Disclaimer : My wife is a phlebotomist.

    How much do you suggest we tip medical personnel?

    More than 25%?
  • shawn1112
    shawn1112 Posts: 94 Member
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    I tip my garbage man $25 every year. I was a garbage man years ago and I never asked for tips but did receive them from about half of the people who's garbage I picked up. I will tell you this, go do that job for a few weeks and you will think twice about not tipping them. Saying it's a hard job is an understatement, its a brutal job and imo they arent paid enough! They have to work if its 100 degrees out, raining, or -20 degrees and snowing. You are getting in and out of that truck 700-1000 times a day, you are seeing stuff that will make some people puke. Another thing that tip will go a long way over the year. There are restrictions on weight and items that can be refused. I have never had a problem with that, but have seen other people on my block have an issue. My guess is they dont tip.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    Where in Canada do you live where it is -40 all year?
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
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    do you need to tip them??????

    Yes, they do hard work and deserve it more than people who carry around food in climate controlled environments.

    what about those of us who have to painstakingly stare at a computer all day and deal with consultants and what their idea of a "good design" is?!?!
    ugh.
  • jmc0806
    jmc0806 Posts: 1,444 Member
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    This is a real thing? Ours don't even get out of the truck, they've got this automatic lift that picks up the trash can and dumps it out and drops it back on the ground...
  • jillmarie125
    jillmarie125 Posts: 418 Member
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    I tip my garbage man $25 every year. I was a garbage man years ago and I never asked for tips but did receive them from about half of the people who's garbage I picked up. I will tell you this, go do that job for a few weeks and you will think twice about not tipping them. Saying it's a hard job is an understatement, its a brutal job and imo they arent paid enough! They have to work if its 100 degrees out, raining, or -20 degrees and snowing. You are getting in and out of that truck 700-1000 times a day, you are seeing stuff that will make some people puke. Another thing that tip will go a long way over the year. There are restrictions on weight and items that can be refused. I have never had a problem with that, but have seen other people on my block have an issue. My guess is they dont tip.

    I have heard many stories about some of our drivers (newbies of course) puking on the side of the road. I have a lot of respect for drivers. Safety issues alone. I dont think most people realize how alert these guys have to be at all times. I do think they are under paid. But they did choose the job.

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