I can't remember what I gave him for Christmas last year. I think I just added $20 to the check for that week. And I think he gave us a card.
Anyway, today we came home to find this array from him as a gift:
And now … I have no freaking idea what to get him. What do I do?
$40 extra? Ours came yesterday and gave us a card (addressed to someone else) and a bag of HUGE pieces of candy "for the boys". I can stick with my $25-$30/extra that we usually do.
ReplyDeleteYeah but there are two bottles of wine there!
DeleteI have always doubled their pay on the last cleaning session before Xmas (i.e., I typically pay $100, but give them $200 that day)
ReplyDeleteJudy
Yeah, that was sort of what I was thinking…
DeleteDitto this. We pay 90 and gave 200 last year.
DeleteI also like to pay them for an extra cleaning. Due to scheduling issues, I usually don't have them come clean over Christmas and but I pay them for it at the last cleaning before then. I have also made granola.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to thank him!
ReplyDeleteWhile I do not necessarily disagree with the proposed solution, something about
ReplyDeleteit doesn't feel quite right. Yes, it was a very nice gesture. No disagreement there.
If in the past you gave an extra $20 or so, you're upping it to $80 due to their
generosity? Quid pro quo? I'm scratching my head on this one, Dr. Fizzy.
Perhaps a nice card with an additional $40. I know you want to show your
appreciation. Perhaps they want to show theirs too and that is all.
- Paul
A radio host the other day had gotten a list of suggested tip amounts from some website and was reading them on air. And holy cow! Based on the suggestions, it turned out I have been vastly undertipping even in cases where I thought I was being generous! In fact, in a couple of cases, my tips would have made Scrooge frown in disapproval. It appears that the rule of thumb is one week's wages or the amount of the last thing they did for you (like the hairdresser). I have to admit I don't have the means to do that for everyone that expects a tip, nor do I think that everyone who expects a tip should even get one. (For example, do I really have to tip the person who delivers a free local paper that I don't even want and always throw away?) But if you want to follow the tip sheet, which most of your commenters seem to do, you need to double the cleaning guy's weekly wage, if not round it up to $200. Be glad you don't also have a doorman. You wouldn't believe what they expect!
ReplyDeleteIt's beginning to feel a lot like ... oh, just empty my bank account already. We pay $85 for our biweekly cleaning. Depending on the year, I give her $50-$85.
ReplyDeleteMove to the South. It's not an issue here. The folks I've met have no expectation
ReplyDeleteof being tipped and are extremely grateful if one is offered.
@ Anon at 11:03 AM: Thank you for your post. It added some much needed humor
ReplyDeleteto my day!
I pay my cleaning lady 60 per week and for christmas usually give her 100.
ReplyDeleteExplain this one to me, Dr Fizzy: Many times you have done someone a favor (see prior thread) expecting nothing in return. However, when someone does you a nice
ReplyDeleteturn, you have to give them back threefold?
Because my cleaning guy does a good job, and you don't want to piss off somebody who has the keys to your apartment.
DeleteThis is a great and thoughtful gift, especially since it's not really the protocol for a house cleaner to give their clients any gift, never mind anything so generous. But it may not have cost him as much as you think. Either you and your family are special to him or he's giving all his clients something like this and he bought in bulk. Or both. If you don't know him very well I'd stick with cash and a very nice thank you note. Since he does a good job, I'd be more generous than last year but don't feel you have to reimburse his gift plus extra. This is a gift he gave you of his own choosing.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Jennifer. You summed it up perfectly. - Paul
DeleteAt the risk of looking stupid, (too late!), I'm going to disagree with myself
Deleteand suggest giving $80. You'll sleep better at night, Dr. Fizzy, and that's
money well spent. - Paul