Tipping is a fine art. You want to make sure you're showing your appreciation for people and the services they provide, but you also want to be careful not to blow your budget [1] for a night out, a weekend away, or on everyday essentials. While tipping your waiter [2], bartender, or cab driver is pretty common practice, other forms of tipping are less well known, and you may not realise you should have been tipping your grocery delivery person or dog groomer all along.
There's no exact science to how much you should tip in any given situation, and of course some circumstances depend on whether you consider your service was worth it. But, if you're totally unsure whether to tip at a coat check or when you get a tattoo [3], use this as a guide so you're prepared for anything.
- Waiter: 15-20%
- Bartender: $1-$2 per drink
- Take-out: 10%
- Grocery delivery: 10%
- Pizza delivery: $2-$4
- Flower delivery: $2-$5
- Caterer: 15-20%
- Hotel housekeeping: $2-$5 per night
- Hotel bellhop: $1-$2 per bag
- Valet driver: $2-$5
- Hotel concierge: $10
- Coat check: $1 per coat
- Hairstylist: 15-20%
- Manicurist: 15-20%
- Makeup artist: 15%
- Tattoo artist: 15-20%
- Cab driver: 10-15%
- Uber/Lyft driver: 10-15%
- Movers: $10-$20 per person
- Babysitter: $10-$20
- Furniture delivery: $5-$10
- Lawn care: $20-$50
- House painter: $10-$20
- Repair person: $10-$20
- Car towing: $5-$10
- Airport shuttle: 15-20%
- Bathroom attendant: $0.50
- Dog groomer: 15-20%
- Dog walker: 10%
- Laundry service: $2-$3