New Tips for Tipping in the Post-Pandemic Era

Tipping is an act of gratitude for services rendered. The better the service, the better the tip – or at least that's the way it's supposed to be.

Tips should not be expected by those who provide poor service, nor should the recipient of poor service feel obligated to be generous to someone who offers inferior service.

In other words, work hard and you shall reap the rewards of generosity, unless the slug you work for is stingy.

There is no official handbook for tipping for service, but most folks agree that tipping is the right and proper thing.

The next issue involves who gets tipped and how much.

My standard rule is to tip 20 percent for good service and more for great service. I might leave 15 percent for mediocre service, and nothing if the service is just plain rotten.

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My friend Christine sent an interesting article from TasteOfHome.com about how the recent pandemic changed the way we tip and who should receive gratuities.

For example, it is proper etiquette to tip restaurant, grocery, and Amazon delivery people. The same holds for drivers, personal care technicians, and even business owners.

TasteOfHome.com says virtual tipping has become the preference of many service people using Venmo, PayPal, Square, and other apps. The site says gifts and gift cards as tips are becoming more common.

So who do you tip, and how much do you give them?

TasteOfHome.com has produced The New Tipping Etiquette: How Much to Tip in Every Situation. Give it a look.