Tipping

[creekrisen]

Just curious. Just got my waste tank pumped out. How much should I have tipped the dock boy who did this for me? It took about 15 minutes. It's a family owned marina so most of his employees are his kids. We are in TN.

Thanks
Roger

[5BTM]

Slightly less than an FBI agent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQPIgm2FpU0

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by creekrisen

Just curious. Just got my waste tank pumped out. How much should I have tipped the dock boy who did this for me?

Considering what it is this kid did for you, whatever you tipped him was not enough. Jeezus.

[Benz]

$5 minimum
If he does 3 per hour, that's only $15 on top of his wage. I'll bet he doesn't do that many.

[sagablu]

This is an easy question. Ask yourself, how much you would like to be tipped for pumping out someone else's poo. There is your answer.

[Shrew]

In my area, you fill your own fuel and do your own pump out. The dock hand simply catches you, helps you tie up, brings you the fuel nozzle (You usually gotta go get the pump out yourself), then helps you cast off. For that we usually give $10.

For the pump out boat, if we hail him as he's going by, then $5-$8. If we call him on the radio and they come out, $10. (The pump out boats do the actual pumping in our area). If we have food on the grill and it's ready we offer them food as well.

If we're in a area that we frequent and are regulars at least $10. Where we are regulars, we won't take change. If all I have is a $20, they get a $20. But when the wait list is 40 boats deep, you want to give them a reason to NOT pass you by.

[Chotu]

Definitely $10 minimum.

These are kids with a summer job usually. College kids, even high school kids or like the OP said, kids of the marina owner.

They are also the next generation of sailors usually.

It’s a good thing to support these people as they are starting out in life and sailing life.

[Tetepare]

$5 if you’re cheap. $10 if you have any ethics.

[psk125]

Sounds like powerboaters are taking over the forum. We take the hose from the dock hand and hold it ourselves. If they want a tip they can carry 25 pounds of block ice down from the office and lower it gently on our deck.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by psk125

Sounds like powerboaters are taking over the forum. We take the hose from the dock hand and hold it ourselves. If they want a tip they can carry 25 pounds of block ice down from the office and lower it gently on our deck.

You have a 40ft boat in Southport, CT and you can’t tip at the dock?

I’ve held the hoses and filled all my own stuff for 30 years (since I was in college and my friends were the dock hands) and I still have the decency to tip the new generation.

I hope your post is just a joke.

[psk125]

Originally Posted by Chotu

You have a 40ft boat in Southport, CT and you can’t tip at the dock?

I’ve held the hoses and filled all my own stuff for 30 years (since I was in college and my friends were the dock hands) and I still have the decency to tip the new generation.

I hope your post is just a joke.

No tipping is allowed at the club, and we carry our own ice. Dockhands or launch drivers elsewhere who are extremely helpful might get something extra, but we don't lug wads of cash around.

[Jim Cate]

Discussions like this make me glad to be in Oz, where tipping is not a common practice. But then, neither are dock hands in marinas unless summoned for some extraordinary situation. On the whole, I'm happy to have staff paid a living wage by management rather than by guilt-tripping customers into supplementing meager wages. If this means higher prices up front, at least you know what you are getting into when you accept a service.

Jim

[osprey877]

IMO, Tipping is a bad idea that should be discouraged wherever possible. The only place I think it should be used is where the service provider is self employed and provides some service above and beyond what was bargained for, such as a taxi driver, barber, hair dresser, shoe shiner or other micro entrepreneur who goes above and beyond. Tipping employees such as waiters, gas jockeys, and the dozens of other occupations who now seem to expect a tip, is never a good idea.

Tipping creates conflicts and inequities between the staff who are tipped (the $150.00/hr waitress) and those that aren't (the minimum wage kitchen staff), it encourages an under the table cash economy of tax evaders, and creates a serious conflict of interest for the poor employee whose duty to his employer (for example, to report boats whose holding tank pumpouts are not up to standard) is often in conflict with the requirement to keep the customer happy in order to "earn" their tip.

It also demeans the value of the service provided in that the employee has to rely on the charity of his customers to make a decent wage and any exemplary service provided is presumed to be tip trolling.

People think tipping rewards good service, but many studies have shown that in fact most people simply tip a fixed % or dollar amount (see the responses above where the tip amounts have become a fixed sum regardless of the quality of service provided). When was the last time you had a restaurant meal and didn't leave a tip?
And the quality of service does not depend on whether tipping is expected. Store clerks, fast food servers, receptionists etc etc. are not tipped, yet are expected to provide quality service and willingly do so because they take pride in their work and are rewarded by their employers accordingly.

What about the poor waitresses, gas jockey etc. who are just paid minimum wage? Surely they deserve more? Well, of course they do, and their employers would have to pay them what their services are worth, especially now with massive labour shortages, if the current system of minimum wage workers wasn't being enabled by tipping.

As noted above, pumping out is a valuable service and should be paid for accordingly. But pay the service provider, not their employee. Good service by the pump jockey should be a condition of their employment and reflected accordingly in their wages. Tipping simply enables poor wages and an underground economy.
That's my two cents worth.

[PaulCrawhorn]

First comes living wages

then stop tipping.

To enable the same dignity as minimum wages in the 70's, USD $28/hr is now required.

Maybe a little less in rural / poor areas where housing is cheap, but certainly more in high COL cities where there is job growth and stupid crazy rents.

And that's for the bottom no degree menial workers, obviously teachers nurses etc should get a lot more.

Plus universal health care, subsidised childcare, free tertiary education, old age pensions etc etc

The fact that most USians' reaction go these ideas is shock and horror, just shows how deeply brainwashed they have been by their wealthy masters over the past five decades

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

$5 if you’re cheap. $10 if you have any ethics.

Do you per chance own a restaurant and fail to pay your employees...expecting the customers to make up the difference.

In the USA, we are stuck with it at restaurants but no need to expand it into every job...certainly not an ethics question.