I worked the last two days with a homeowner type, not a pro builder, not even a builder. At least not a framer, his only experience in the past has been finish work. I realized this after we set the first truss, when he wanted me to unhook, he didn't realize it would fall over without bracing! At that point I jumped out and went up to the top floor and we had a little talk.... I got him lined out and showed him what we (he) needed to do, and it really helped he was a quick learner. Plus I got to show off my old carpenter skills, or at least knowledge. We wrapped up today, I gave him the bill, and he paid cash plus 40 bucks extra. This is about the 5 th time this has happened, (and now that I think about it, a few of the other tips were because of my general building knowledge, as opposed to being "just" and a operator) and it always makes me feel a little funny as I already feel like i have a pretty good deal going sitting on my butt watching others work.
You should not feel funny at all. Some times I have rock delivered and ask the driver for multiple drops. Ten more minutes of his time can save me an hour moving rock with a small tractor. Twenty dollars is well spent to me. If I am not in a rush I call my preferred driver, he is a good operator, and tell him what I want. When he has a short day and or it works in his schedule coming from around the quarry he will tell the dispatcher. Dispatcher calls me, I OK the order and he delivers it. Company gets a load which may have little or no dead head miles. Operator gets extra work on a slow day and or a back haul. I get a good job done without someone wanting to take a dump and haul a s s. We all win. Just say thank you.
I get tipped all the time.. last one was 100.00 bill !!! I ran out on a Saturday to fix a leak for a fella that was selling his tractor & when the buyer showed up, the pump went ta leakin.. Hardest part of the job was cleaning off the pump so I could open it up to change the orings on the throttle shaft.. Took me a total of 30 minutes but w/ travel time back & forth, I charged him 100.00.. He handed me 200.00 & said, "KEEP IT, I appreciate it, the guy wouldn't have bought it w/ the pump leakin".. I "USED TO" feel funny about taking tips.. money for something you already got paid to do.. UNTIL, somebody was standin there once when a customer handed me a tip & I refused it.. He yells out.. "Don't EVER turn down free money son" !! Now, I've been on the other side too.. TRYING to GIVE a tip & the other person just flat out refuses it.. Doesn't make you feel very good.. you wanna say, "thank you, good job".. but they say NO.. The last one I GAVE was to the delivery driver that brought my wood for the shop.. He showed up around 6:30am.. & unloaded inside the shop w/o wakin me up.. dogs got me up.. I handed him a 20 as he was heading out the driveway..{invoice was stapled to the wood} & said, "THANK YOU, stop & have breakfast on me"..
Someone from New York/New Jersey told me it's customary to get a tip. When the concrete truck driver shows up, he expects a tip. That area is pretty corrupt. I think it's the employers responsibility to pay his employees. He knows what a job costs and he makes an agreement with the customer, who now knows what it will cost him. Then someone informs him it's "customary" to pay more. Tipping just makes life and business more complicated. How are we to know how much it's "appropriate" to pay someone for doing their job? Do you give your foreman a stack of twenties to tip all the drivers? Does he keep a percentage for himself and tell you he paid the drivers? You deduct the added cost from your taxes and see how the IRS gets.
Corrupt is one thing.. ..saying "THANK YOU" is another.. I send FREE parts out in the mail ALL THE TIME.. don't expect a dime.. it costs me .47 [gaskets] to help another person.. THEN I get a letter in the mail w/ a 10 or 20.00 bill in it, with a simple note>> THANK YOU.. The friggin gaskets didn't cost me a dime & IF they were to go buy them, [if they could find them] woulda cost 6.00.. Tipping is subjective..
I occasionally give a tip if the person has gone above and beyond what they were contracted for to help us out. It is nice to say thank you and a bit of cash shows more than words. I have also rung their boss to tell them how good their employee is, especially if it is a youngster starting out. Graham
Can't recall if I ever took a "Tip" but when working in the shop at the quarry several times a year one of the customers who were there to pick up a load of stone would have some minor problem. Like a pin falling out of their tailgate or something of that nature. When ever one would offer me some money I would just tell them I was on the clock already so I was getting paid. If they tried insisting I would tell them to drop off a box of doughnuts next time they were around! A few times that worked and I could share them with others at the plant. Of course I grabbed the cream filled ones before passing them on!
Hansen, that sounds just like a guy I used to work with.. WOULDNT NOT TAKE A TIP.. just ABSOLUTLY REFUSED.. I used to go in on a weekend to do a brake job or change a wheel brg.. something like that & the fella would be in there working.. He's lend a hand & basically, end up doing the whole job.. Lol I'd try to give him a 50. or 100.00 for his time & trouble & he'd flat out refuse.. I'd have to HIDE IT in his toolbox or drive by his car window & throw it in.. To this day, he'll go WAY out of his way to help me & just flat out refuse a dime.. On the other hand.. it was VERY COMMON for the foreman to steal a tip meant for a mechanic.!!! He no longer works for the company.. what a dirtbag.. I've SEEN that fella walk back to the table where we were all eating lunch & STEAL the tip left on the table.. You wanna talk about a LOWLIFE..
There was 1 customer who, after about 5 screw-ups on his truck by our mechanics.. brought in/had delivered, about 5 pizzas.. I wouldn't eat any of it.. the guy SHOULDA sued the company over his truck coming back that many times.. INSTEAD, he bought pizzas?? I aint eatin any.. LOL.. NO TELLIN what he did to them.. luckily nobody got sick.. I wasn't taking any chances.. LOL
I forgot to mention I also got a free lunch. The first decent flyable day I'll get this customer some good aerial pics of his project, something I do anyway for most of my jobs, I'm tipping them I guess. This Tuesday, I'm setting floor trusses on a big credit union job, and while standing in the super's trailer along with the iron workers while figuring out my reach/capacity and how much of the job I could do versus a 70 ton rig they were also using, the super flat out said, "look, I want to use this guy (me) where we can (about 50-60% of the building) because he gets me aerial pictures." This was a direct benefit of my aerial pictures I had sent him earlier in the project, when they were using a much bigger crane for the main structural work, good deeds pay! Besides, with texting and emailing, unlike the earlier decades I've done the same thing, now it doesn't cost me printing and mailing. When I go out to eat lunch with a crew I'm working with, 2-4 carpenters or other trades people usually, I ALWAYS buy....but i let them leave the tip! That seems like a good balance between doing them a favor but also letting them not feel like charity cases. My first ex wife was a waitress long ago, and another gal pal was a part time bar tender, both of them drilled it into me, tip well and tip often. At least to the usual service types that expect it. I draw the line at tipping the ready mix driver, totally unheard of out here, and it might get you punched out! If they didn't think it was a joke, they'd be insulted.
I get a lot of rounding up more than what i consider a real tip. My minimum charge with tax on is $ 406.80 so I get $420.00 or $450.00 quite often, or on the other hand I have people almost turn inside out trying to get out of paying the $6.80, if all they have is twenties, some times if they were good to work for i'll let it go but if they where a pain or rude I'll wait while they go into the house to get the change. On the weekend it's not unusual to get pizza or hamburgs.
Much rather get a tip than someone wanting to haggle on the price after you're done. Learned to be very leery of new customers with a big list of what they wanted done. People who are self employed or in the construction business generally have a better idea of what is a reasonable price to pay for work done. Estimated one job and the customer had to go out of town. The job was a little under what I estimated for time and when the customer came back was so delighted he asked if I charged enough. Yup, he said he would refer me to anyone he knows who needed skid steer work.
I can relate to both of thoses, Tradesman & Dave.. I "HAD" 1 customer who would take 15 minutes counting out 423.00.. squeezing every single bill till it bled to make sure they weren't sticking together,, THEN argue over the 3.00 & take another 20 minutes finding 3 singles when all the while holding a 5.. .. God, I'm glad I kicked him to the curb.. I'm the same way Dave.. Under promise & over deliver.. is my moto.. THATS how you get "tips"..
I'm sorry, when I read the title of this thread my thoughts went a whole different direction-- into front bumpers in the air and outrigger pads doing the air walk......we are after all in the crane section. That said- Yes I occasionally get a tip, but its rare and usually only when I work for a homeowner direct. I will usually say "you don't have to do that", and accept it.
Your wright on I ain't greedy but I'm not foolish either
I just got a callback from a contractor that in the past has taken over 3 months to pay the last two times he's used me, I am really looking forward to, after we set up the time for the work and he gets his crew committed to being there, to dropping on him the fact that this time I will require payment in full immediately upon completion of the job. "What's that? Not possible, you're going to be out of town, or your wife has your check book? You have a nice day now, and call someone else." I will smile either way. Don't think I'll be getting a tip from him but that's OK. I guess I'm always just stunned when I get a tip, it's such a refreshing change, not only getting paid immediately, but extra, wow.
If someone needs help with a vehicle after hrs itell them to bring me lunch tommorrow or din er that nite sometimes they throw me a few bucks even though i make them do most of the work and just hand them tools and help when they are struggling with something .