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KEYCHAINS
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CAPS • UMBRELLAS
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TOTES • PATCHES
AND MORE
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TIPS ON HOLIDAY TIPPING
As many in our service industry are acutely aware, tips
for service nosedived in 2009. Nationwide, seme jobs wit
nessed an up to a 50 percent gratuity loss; for bartenders
and wait staff—two of this city's most beloved and maligned
occupations—up to a 10 percent drop. And there's worse
news: PayScale, Inc., the online database tracking national
and global compensation trends that provided these figures,
says that 2010 fared only marginally better: American wallets
remained folded this year, and nobody seems to be reaching for
their pockets with any quickness.
With low job growth and high unemployment, this is pre
dictable behavior on the part of service customers. But if you
skimp on the tip, for whatever reason, you aren't doing the
economy any favors. Think of it this way: After a strenuous day
of holiday shopping, the family would rather nosh on a deliv
ery pizza than wait for a prepared sit-down dinner. A delivery
driver brings S25 worth of oven-baked pizza and leaves without
a tip. To the customer, it may not seem like the driver earned
any spare change, especially not when home budgets are tight;
for drivers, tips account for 36 percent of their income, so
every dollar counts. And for every dollar lost from the driver's
income, that's a dollar he or she can't spend on hand-knit hats
from the craft fair, 7-inch records from Wuxtry or cold beer at a
local bar. And here, from this brief cash transaction, the entire
local economy begins to collapse.
Overly dramatic, for sure, but the point is to not take
out your financial hardships on the little guy, and that goes
double during the holidays. In feet, the holidays are a time
when we should extend our definition of tipping, says Nelson
Barber, associate professor of hospitality management at the
University of New Hampshire. Holiday tipping becomes “a ges
ture of thanks to individuals who provide services on a regular
basis to you and your family," Barber wrote in a press release
this month. It's not the expected social courtesy, but a gift for
those who "enhance your life considerably."
Who might those people be in your life? Hard to say, but
let's look at a few possibilities and see if frigid December
temps and yuletide cheer might translate into padded billfolds.
Childcare: While they're not necessarily representative of the
greater childcare community, two nannies commented to me on
their experiences caring for multiple families at a time in some
of Athens' in-town historic neighborhoods. (They both asked
for their names to be left out as to protect their employers.)
One nanny told me she'd received a week's salary as a tip, not
to mention some adorably wrapped gifts from part-time clients.
We outsiders have to understand the tight-knit amity that
prompts such large gifts; one nanny wrote to me saying her job
"is unlike other jobs because of the fine line between friend,
family and employee. I honestly feel that I'm all three."
Over at the Tiny Tots Learning Center, caregivers earn a
bonus from the business itself, says Pam Booth of the Clover
Street daycare. That perk comes in addition to wrapped gifts
from the children's parents—about 40 percent of their custom
ers, Booth estimates.
Transportation: Unless you're one of the weekend grease war
riors who change their own oil, spark plugs and brake pads on
a regular basis, a mechanic might grace your monthly balance
sheet a few times a year. In my mind, someone who keeps
you on the road consistently, from the morning commute to
holiday in-law visits (helping you earn a salary and unneces
sary punishment, respectively), deserves a December bonus.
Well, mechanics aren't measured on the Payscale, Inc. index,
and tips and bonuses aren't a "regular thing" in the automo
tive world, says James Poulnott of Diversified Auto, an eastside
Volvo specialty shop. The average customer's ticket usually runs
quite large, so expecting a gratuity is something he likes to
avoid. Customers, occasionally, will want to reward an "extra-
nice technician" who knocked out a service, which is fine, says
Poulnott, but it's not something they want to encourage.
Appearance: So, we're off the hook for thanking the torque-
wrench marvels who get us to work everyday, but what about
the barbers and stylists who keep us looking employable? Well,
I'm going personal on this one. As a writer, carpenter and
produce delivery driver, tips and bonuses don't account for any
slice of my income, but I'm married to a stylist and Payscale,
Inc., as well as our Quickbooks, says tips make up 25 percent
of a beauty professional's income, so they're a huge part of our
household earnings. Come November, my wife says, she'll begin
to see an uptick in gratuities—maybe 5 percent. But many
long-term clients will tip closer to 100 percent of the total
visit which, according to hospitality expert Nelson Barber, is
on par with what she should expect Stilt in the beauty indus
try, says my stylist spouse, ever so modest, loyal clients .a re
hard won and hard to keep. She says professionals should think
about rewarding their customers for continued devotion.
Not everyone deserves a tip, not everyone will accept a
tip, and those of us scraping by month-to-month shouldn't
be obliged to dole out additional amounts over the holidays.
But there is something we can all do. Find one of the above-
mentioned professionals in your life, or another person from
that long list of essential people, grab them by the shoulders,
stare them good and straight in the eye and say: Thanks for all
that you do.
That's enough gratuity for most folks.
Andr6 Gallant
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1130 Baxter St • Across front the Lthrarg
706.830.624S • imw.offthehookfh.webs J co» I
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34 FlAGPOLE.COM ■ DECEMBER 22,2010