Doormen tipping etiquette
DL, I need your help.
For the first time in my life, I live in a building with doormen. I plan to tip them for the holidays, but I'm wondering about the protocol. Mainly: should I tip them all a flat amount, or it is appropriate to tip the ones I interact with higher? I'd rather tip the ones I know more than the ones I don't. (If I were rich, I tip them all $100/each -- but alas, I'm not rich.)
Any other advice or insight is welcome!
by Anonymous | reply 63 | December 16, 2024 1:38 AM
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Tip them the same in case they compare tips. You don't want to offend anyone. $50 each is fine. If any of them do a little extra for you during the year then slip them a $10 or $20. I live alone and the only thing they do for me is sign for packages so I tip $50. Hope that helps.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | November 28, 2024 11:49 PM
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Offer the hot ones a taste of your nectar, OP
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 3 | November 28, 2024 11:57 PM
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I'm a weekend concierge at an upscale apartment building which is filled with affluent residents. Been here for 7 Christmases. First, congrats to you for being so thoughtful. I'm curious as to how old you are ?
In my building, we do a lot for the residents year round - from signing in Amazon packages for them, to delivering their Grub Hub deliveries when the delivery man leaves it on a lobby table. Here's the break-down:
Those under 40 in general DO NOT TIP. Especially under 35. They lack social etiquette skills.
40 - 65 tip, and the older they are the more generous they tip. Anywhere between $20 - 50, Over 65 they tip with gift cards to local businesses, or expensive liquor (I don't drink).
Unfortunately, those who are handicapped and we do a lot of extras during the year DO NOT TIP, no matter their age. Yes, we do compare what we got with each other so tip equally.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | November 29, 2024 12:23 AM
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Super helpful and interesting, r4. Thank you!
(I am 41, btw.)
by Anonymous | reply 5 | November 29, 2024 1:54 AM
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Tip everyone the same ($20-$50 is a good range). Maybe tip the super a bit more, but not required.
If someone was particularly helpful, add more.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | November 29, 2024 2:00 AM
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In my condo building, the building manager has a common holiday fund, and we donate to that. She divides it up according to some formula of which I am not aware. We donate $300 to the fund.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | November 29, 2024 2:03 AM
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OP, how many doormen, total?
R4, that was interesting, esp. about handicapped people. They should definitely tip.
I'd say to be generous. You never know when you might need them (the doormen). I tend to be a good tipper and I think it pays off.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | November 29, 2024 2:05 AM
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Tip generously and equally. If you're ever murdered, the doorman will likely be the one to describe your killer to the police.
by Anonymous | reply 10 | November 29, 2024 2:09 AM
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That's a lot of doormen, R9. Can you afford $50 (cash) each? I'd avoid the temptation to tip them different amounts. If there's one who has been especially helpful, maybe a $25 gift card at another time (on top of the $50 gift).
by Anonymous | reply 11 | November 29, 2024 2:11 AM
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No, r11, it's really not in my budget to tip them all $50. I could do $20/each.
I'm usually a great tipper -- eg, I tip hotel housekeeping $20/night. I wish I could afford $50/each this year, but alas.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | November 29, 2024 2:17 AM
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Go with $20 (cash), each, then. It's sweet of you to do this.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | November 29, 2024 2:23 AM
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You can give the front desk a large gift basket
by Anonymous | reply 14 | November 29, 2024 2:26 AM
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Go with $20 and if one should happen to go above and beyond for whatever reason, give him a gift at that time.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | November 29, 2024 2:27 AM
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I also give the live-in superintendent a gift.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | November 29, 2024 2:43 AM
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I actually spend more money (on gifts) on service people & support staff at work than I do on family. My siblings (parents are dead) are all doing okay financially and have everything that they need. I don't exchange gifts with friends. I don't need more crap to declutter from my apartment.
by Anonymous | reply 17 | November 29, 2024 2:45 AM
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I give 'em all $100 each.
You guys are cheap.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | November 29, 2024 4:26 AM
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Budget for $75 dollars per doormen next year. Make your own coffee twice a week or sacrifice something doable. As an adult living with service folks daily, it's important to recognize them properly.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | November 29, 2024 4:41 AM
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R1 is some cheap bastard. That’s not how it works in Manhattan.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | November 29, 2024 6:08 AM
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Ah, the annual holiday tipping thread...a DL tradition!
I don't have regular service people to tip, as I care for my yard & swimming pool on my own. The only person to tip is the USPS carrier. There has been a rotating cast in my neighborhood the past few years (since our beloved, longtime carrier retired) so I just give them a tin of Trader Joe's "Jingle Jangle" and call it a day.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | November 29, 2024 7:42 AM
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I miss the days when you could tip service people with two handjobs and a small Whitman’s Sampler……..
by Anonymous | reply 23 | November 29, 2024 9:24 AM
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Thankfully, I now live in a house and dont have to think about tipping too many people--the postman, cleaning lady, garbage men
by Anonymous | reply 24 | November 29, 2024 2:30 PM
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r19 you sound insufferable.
by Anonymous | reply 25 | November 29, 2024 5:33 PM
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[quote] Thankfully, I now live in a house and dont have to think about tipping too many people--the postman, cleaning lady, garbage men
Huh? I lived in a free-standing house and we didn't have a cleaning lady, but we did still have a mail man and a garbage men.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | November 29, 2024 5:55 PM
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R26, yes I tip those but not the hordes of people who used to staff my apartment building
by Anonymous | reply 27 | November 29, 2024 9:18 PM
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It’s really about the size of the building. I used to live in a huge NYC building, so I would try to keep the tipping to around $1,000 in total. You’d get a card that said, “holiday greetings from…” and there would be pictures and names for about 50 people. Many of these people you had never met or seen.
Currently I’m in a much smaller building, with about 6 employees. About 4 doormen, a porter, and a super. I genuinely like these people, they’re competent and friendly, so I probably over tip. I’ll give $200 each for the porter and doormen, and $300 to the super. What the hell, they’re great guys.
By the way, if you ask them how much an appropriate tip is, they WILL NEVER TELL YOU.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | November 29, 2024 9:32 PM
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Coupons out of free weekly ads for Miralax
by Anonymous | reply 29 | November 29, 2024 9:34 PM
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[quote] Tip generously and equally. If you're ever murdered, the doorman will likely be the one to describe your killer to the police.
I’m slightly chilled by the idea that if you’re murdered and a lousy tipper your doorman won’t identify the killer.
by Anonymous | reply 30 | November 29, 2024 9:41 PM
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[quote] In my condo building, the building manager has a common holiday fund, and we donate to that. She divides it up according to some formula of which I am not aware. We donate $300 to the fund.
Oh, that's easy - 50/50! Fifty percent for me and 50% for everyone else.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | November 29, 2024 9:43 PM
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Make handmade coupons for “free fucks”
by Anonymous | reply 33 | November 29, 2024 9:47 PM
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[quote]No, [R11], it's really not in my budget to tip them all $50. I could do $20/each.
OP, at your age - $20 per person is fine. To make it more special, please add a note to the card (always put the money in a 'Holiday' card, or 'New Year' card, not a 'Christmas' card, as you don't know who celebrates what) to personalize each one. For example, "Dear Jim, a special thank you for all do here throughout the year". (You can use the same note in each card, just change the name).
R8 You would think the handicap residents would indeed tip, for all we do for them. However, they have a sense of 'entitlement' while living there and expect us to do what they ask, if not more (and we are not an assisted living facility - this is made clear to them and their families when moving in - we're INDEPENDENT LIVING).
Those under 40 are just horrible. These are men and women who are doctors, lawyers, business owners, teachers, etc. Some of the teachers have P/T jobs on the weekends as servers and bartenders at restaurants in the upscale neighborhood. They rely on tips - and complain to me when they aren't tipped 'enough'. You don't know how hard I bite my lip when they tell me this. Especially during the 'Christmas Party' season. They are totally unaware and self-absorbed.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | November 29, 2024 9:48 PM
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Where's R4. Maybe he can tell us how much to tip.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | November 29, 2024 9:50 PM
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Offer them each a holiday blowjob. Most won't take you up on it, and the rest you can do whether they are hot or not -as a service. And if there's a hot one, you can offer more. Even the guys who turn you down will still feel flattered to have been offered, so everyone is happy! And think of the money you'll save!
by Anonymous | reply 36 | November 29, 2024 10:21 PM
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R35 Read my posts at R4 and R34 - I've given you the breakdown of what is expected.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | November 29, 2024 10:22 PM
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Is it like cow tipping? I don't think you should do it, OP. You could get arrested!
by Anonymous | reply 38 | November 29, 2024 10:23 PM
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At one place we invited the super to a Christmas cocktail party at our place. A female friend ended up staying the night at his place.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | November 30, 2024 12:10 AM
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What about maids and housekeepers? Mine expects a two week salary bonus at the end of the year. She only works every other week, but she is marvelous. But, two weeks salary?
by Anonymous | reply 40 | November 30, 2024 12:33 AM
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She comes once every two weeks? How much can double that be?
by Anonymous | reply 41 | November 30, 2024 12:45 AM
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That tracks with every tipped job I've had, r4. Older people take care of service workers and younger people stiff them without a thought.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | November 30, 2024 1:20 AM
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I give each doorman $250 for the holidays with a big bottle of champagne and an excellent ham. There are six. I do the same for the building manager and his assistant. I also give the building manager a pair of theater tickets. I give security people on contract at the time $150 each and make a fair contribution to the police fund, since they're mostly former cops. There are eight at a time.
I give $10 tips for small deliveries to my place, and more for larger items. Two of the doormen will run errands for me on their off-time, but their remuneration isn't really part of the topic here. The point is that a gift is a gift and a tip is a tip and pay is pay. OP. Don't confuse them.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | November 30, 2024 1:59 AM
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[quote] What about maids and housekeepers?
I tip my housekeeper double her regular fee.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | November 30, 2024 2:57 AM
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[quote]I give $10 tips for small deliveries to my place, and more for larger items. Two of the doormen will run errands for me on their off-time
At the place I work, we are not supposed to take tips during the year (not that anyone ever offers). Only at Christmas. I believe new tenants coming in are told this.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | November 30, 2024 3:29 AM
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R4, you are not in NYC (Manhattan), correct?
by Anonymous | reply 47 | November 30, 2024 3:36 AM
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Twenty years ago, we lived in DC is two different buildings with medium sized staff. We tipped $100 per person back then. We were quite young and not rich, and we actually got a lot of weird looks. Maybe they were unaccustomed to young people tipping.
by Anonymous | reply 50 | November 30, 2024 12:24 PM
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"I give each doorman $250 for the holidays with a big bottle of champagne and an excellent ham. "
I'm sure they enjoy carrying the big bottle of champagne and a ham home on the subway, especially if everyone in the building does the same. "Where the fuck am I supposed to put all this ham?" Especially when you can buy ham for 99 cents a pound or less this time of year.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | November 30, 2024 2:08 PM
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"I give each doorman $250 for the holidays with a big bottle of champagne and an excellent ham. "
Never happened.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | November 30, 2024 2:14 PM
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Not everyone deserves a tip, particularly if someone was particularly unhelpful.
I cut out the super one year because he was an asshole to me. After he realized that being an ass has consequences, he suddenly became nice. Then I joined the coop board and squeezed the fuck out of his lazy ass so he worked fucking hard
by Anonymous | reply 53 | November 30, 2024 2:17 PM
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In 2018, it was my first Christmas as a concierge. I had been at the job since August, so my co-workers told me I may not get 'too much' for Christmas as I haven't really developed a relationship with the tenants yet, so they may just give a token gift or nothing at all. He told me not to be disappointed, they all start that way. He was 100% right. He also told him he keeps a little notepad, and every year he writes down the resident's name and how much they gave (or what they gave - such as a gift card, liquor, etc). If someone's name is not on his pad, it means they gave nothing. He would 'reflect' on that throughout the year coming up, when someone needed something from him while he was on duty (he said this with a 'wink' and I knew exactly what he meant). At the time, he had been there for 14 years. He was giving me great advice.
So now, when someone calls the desk and needs something done 'in a hurry', I check my notepad and go over the past five years or so...though I don't need to, since I have most tenants memorized. That's the determination on whether they will get 'hurried' attention. (We all do this now). If their 'grubhub' gets dropped off into the lobby , I'll make sure I bring it up to their floor in a couple of minutes if they remembered me at Christmas. Otherwise, it may take more than an hour since 'I'm busy at the desk' (they have the option of coming downstairs to pick it up themselves - but they're too lazy). Groceries from Instacart left in the lobby can take up to two or three hours if you don't tip, so best not to order frozen foods from Whole Foods.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | November 30, 2024 2:36 PM
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[quote]I cut out the super one year because he was an asshole to me. After he realized that being an ass has consequences, he suddenly became nice. Then I joined the coop board and squeezed the fuck out of his lazy ass so he worked fucking hard
Trump calls this his 'revenge list' once he returns to power. Congratulations to you.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | November 30, 2024 2:38 PM
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I should point out I'm R4 who wrote R54
by Anonymous | reply 56 | November 30, 2024 2:38 PM
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R54, that takes too much mental energy
by Anonymous | reply 57 | November 30, 2024 2:51 PM
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[Quote] Trump calls this his 'revenge list' once he returns to power. Congratulations to you.
The super was shitty.
by Anonymous | reply 58 | November 30, 2024 2:52 PM
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R57 It's not a job anyone can do. You have to protect yourself from being taken advantage of in this kind of job. Tenants think they 'own' you.
by Anonymous | reply 59 | November 30, 2024 3:04 PM
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I ended up going with $50 each.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | December 15, 2024 11:17 PM
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Our building also has a general Holiday fund that gets divided up. We do that with 500 and then just a few 100 dollar gift cards to a few long terms guys who know us by name or have done a little extra throughout the year. So around 1,000 total.
Rule of thumb don't shit where you eat. Often times guards have your back if they like you. Anything from working around the locked package system to find a missing package, walking a dog, fixing something simple in the unit to letting you know an unwanted guest is trying to meet you in the lobby. Otherwise they just do their job like officially outlined. We tip 20 for each time they walk the dog because it's not part of their job, they do it on their break time.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | December 16, 2024 12:22 AM
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[quote]At one place we invited the super to a Christmas cocktail party at our place. A female friend ended up staying the night at his place.
That Snyder always did have a way with women.
by Anonymous | reply 62 | December 16, 2024 12:38 AM
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At NYU law, one female student thought it customary to blow the doorman in D'Ag Hall....
by Anonymous | reply 63 | December 16, 2024 1:38 AM
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