Tipping

This subject has come up collaterally in other threads now, and I guess I have to bite the bullet and ask. FWIW, tipping in RL at anywhere other than a restaurant is something that confuses me as well.

I see tipjars all over the place. If I'm enjoying myself at a place where a service, such as a DJ is being provided, then I want to tip appropriately. If somebody has done a really beautiful build and opens it to the public, same thing.

How much do you tip? When do you tip? What sorts of places should I be looking for tip jars other than the obvious ones? When do people expect a tip and you don't give one because you don't think it's appropriate? Do you tip more than once? If so, how often?

There. Are those enough questions? They are actually serious questions, even though they are coming from me (surprise!)

You don't tip your hair stylist?

In RL restaurants and services (massage, salon, etc) 15% is considered standard. I don't necessarily tip at all if the service is sub-standard, and I'll go up to 20-25% if I had a truly amazing experience. (For those who've never worked in the restaurant industry, know that the tip that you give to the waiter is often divided up so that a percentage goes to the busser, the dishwashers, the cooks, etc. You're not just tipping one person, most often.)

In SL, I usually tip around L$300 to a DJ. It's the price of a decent outfit, which I think the DJ deserves for hanging out and playing songs for hours. If the DJ plays a request of mine, I'll tip again. It's a nice way to put L$ back into the economy, I figure. For nice places (parks, gardens, etc) I tip however much I feel like tipping. Could be L$50, could be L$500.

[Edit: The above RL percentages are really for US consumption only. ]

Trout is bald. That is why he wears that large wig.

It depends.

If it is a live music performer it depends how good they are ... and how likely they are to get tips, but for my regular faves between 500L and 1000L depending how flush I am.

For the DJs at my parties - who are excellent and work on tips - I go for 1000L.

For the adult entertainment industry ... nada ...

***edit*** For the good places I see I usually hit up about 100L to 300L. If they have something entertaining there which I can put money into ... say for instance at Svarga ... then I will do that.

I also bought some things from Svarga by way of making a contribution.

Oh I forgot about live performers! Yeah definitely around 1000; they're actually working. For adult entertainment, wouldn't really know. I think I gave Tegg L$10 for playing on the Forum Hangout stripper pole once.

oryx, your numbers are good for the USA, but vary a lot in different countries around the world.

I struggle with the amount to tip, too. Should it be an "each according to his/her means" thing? To some residents, 300 is a LOT of cash....

And I'll add another one - what about a store you are visiting, and there is a very helpful sales assistant there, showing you around and giving you tips. You can assume he or she is on commission, but if you don't buy anything, but appreciate the service, would anything be appropriate and, if so, how much?

I don't know - would love to hear other views.

I don't think it can be compared to RL tipping where it's an easy percentage of the cost plus/minus based on how well/poorly they did.

Tip whatever number makes you think you've showed your appreciation but doesn't make you wince.

I bought some stuff from Greenies as my way of making a contribution

It has been a long time, but back in the day I used to go to lots of live music events, and I would normally tip some amount. Depended on my enjoyment of the music, the amount of time left in the event, the amount of money in the tip jar (if it is someone I really like and they seem to have almost nothing in their tip jar, I'll "try to make up for the lousy guests" ), and the amount of money to the next tip level (if there were, say 69L away from some even number, I'd add 69L to whatever I would normally give in the situation).

I do not normally go to DJ events, so I am even more out of practice with tipping DJ's and hosts.

This is a very interesting topic. I hope some regular tip recipients like DJs chime in with their experiences and expectations.

When I was new in SL--first week I believe--I didn't quite grasp the value of a Linden Dollar even though I'd purchased some. I went somewhere that was taking tips. I was very impressed so I gave a whole L$1! It was only later that I learned how pathetically cheap I'd been

I only mentioned RL to point out that this is something I struggle with a little. I do tip when I get my hair cut (and I'm not bald, Lexxi ). I can sort it out in RL if I try hard enough, but SL has not been as easy.

Anyway, good feedback so far. I like Oryx's system of tipping the DJ, but then adding extra if they play your request. That makes sense.

I almost mentioned that.. Not that some don't get that L$ aren't US$ but that you're cheap.

Just kidding. A lot of new people really don't get the vast difference between the value of an L$ and the value of a US$. Maybe that's one of the reasons that camping remains popular. More than once I've gone through "that talk" with newbies who want to know where to go to make tons of money and they always get really, really quiet for a long while when I tell them that US$10 will get them over L$2500 and send them off to the Lindex Buy L$ page.

Tipping is showing appreciation. If L$10k is nothing to you and somebody does a really good job at something, let them know. If L$100 is a lot to you, give what you can without hurting yourself and it'll still be appreciated.

How much I tip depends on the service being provided or how much time I spend in the place.

In SL there are places that don't seem to have a steady income yet they provide a unique environment for us to enjoy. I ususlly try to tip those places every time I go there as a way to support their work.

As far as DJ's, Dancers, etc... it really depends on how much work they are doing and how entertaining they are... sometimes they get a good tip ($500 or more) sometimes just an ok one (less than $500) and sometimes none. DJ's get a tip every time they play a request.

.d

I try to tip whenever I stay for several minutes at a place. I tip the dancers, the dj, the host, whatever. I don't really tip that much though. Usually 50L$ or less. It's not that I'm being cheap. I just don't usually have that much cash at hand. When I have money I go shopping and when I'm broke I go socializing.

I think your donation helps no matter how small. It really is a tangible sign that you're appreciated. Once I donated a small amount to a club DJ who had zero lindens in his tip jar and that seemed to prompt everyone else to start tipping him.

Very interesting thread indeed!

I'm a live music venue regular and always tip the musician. Amount very much depends on the number of Lindens at the top of my screen and can range from 50L to 250L per tip.

Even if I don't think the music is great I still tip because I admire them for performing in the first place.

Usually also tip the venue, because without venue there would be no musician. Having said that, if I go to a particular venue a couple of times in the same week, I may hold back just to stop myself from going broke.

Sims I explore and like also get a tip, usually somewhere around 100L.

Feel a bit stingy now given some of the huge amounts being mentioned, but there ye go, the intention is the same even if it comes from a smaller pocket

It all adds up. I normally gave 1000L+, but then I so seldom had the time to go to music events. Actually, you end up tipping more as it appears you are still an active music listener

Averaging about 3 or 4 evenings a week, with one or two gigs per evening, easy to go broke

I figure you should tip according to your own comfort level. If you don't have a lot and therefore don't tip a lot, I can't see where whomever you are tipping has room to complain. Resources vary significantly in SL. Some people have a lot more than others and if I were accepting tips, I wouldn't get snitty about anything. I figure I have enough to tip whatever I want, but I certainly don't have anywhere near what others do.

I'd really like to also hear from people who work for tips. What do you all expect to make and do you judge people based on the size of their tips?

Nooooooo!

Oh gosh. I either gotta start selling something or avoid anywhere that might expect a tip!

I was wondering when someone was goign to bring this up...

I figured Truot being in the NW and all - knew all about cow tipping.

.d

I think that is a good point. I've noticed that in general SL users from outside the USA tend to tip less. Before anyone accuses me of anything, I'd point out that IMO it is simply that their culture of tipping is different and it is not that they are being stingy. For example in Switzerland one only tips for exceptional service in a restaurant.

Sometimes all it takes is one person tipping and it encourages the behaviour in others.

For myself I tend to tip a minimum of 50L if I am just stopping by for a minute or 2. However if the DJ or performer is good, I'll tip several hundred.



Having worked in jobs in SL where your income is tips only I can tell you it is always appreciated no matter the amount.

The one exception was a newbie who insisted on tipping myself and everyone else there in 1L amounts. That in itself I didn't mind (I mean maybe that was all he had). What soured it for me was when he IM'd me 5 minutes later asking for sex. When I politely declined, he got very irate, using expletives and accusing me of all manner of transgressions. The bottom line of his reasoning seeming to be he'd tipped me a total of 5L so I should do anything he asked....

As an event host I graciously accept any amount given. I assume that people are giving based on their means. On occasion I will receive a L$1 tip and when I check the profile it's almost always someone within their first few days in SL. If it's someone whose been around awhile I'd be offended but that hasn't happened that I can recall.

Though I don't snub my nose at L$20 or even L$10 tips I really think a minimum of L$50 should be considered the norm...and I did say minimum.




I use to not tip for bad service, but as you probably know here in the US it's legal and typical to pay sub minimum wage to tipped employees. One day it hit me that if I have a crappy, down day at work and am not very productive (which happens to all of us) then I still get paid the same amount. Why would I expect a server to be any less human than I am?

The one thing I don't tip is tip jars in stores. That just seems silly.

I work in a club where we have both a DJ and a host on staff together at all events. I've been really amazed to see some of the tips the DJ's get while the hosts get very few. On the occasion that I decide to tip my co-workers I usually slip the host a little extra because I know they tend to get less. Related to this I also noticed that female hosts are more likely to be tipped than male hosts and on the flip side the male DJ's seem to bring in higher L's than the female DJ's.

Seems its rather club specific though as my partner hosts at a club with no live DJ and she gets rather impressive tips. Her duties are less than the ones of the hosts mentioned above but it seems the clients that frequent her location are more willing to spend the $L's while there.

Dem cows is HEAVY to tip over!

I already thought about cow tipping, but I figure if I don't ask a legitimate question at least once a month, Strife is going to ban me for forum mischief. I have to maintain some semblance of legitimacy.

We've noticed this in our club too. Discussing it with one of the DJ's, he believes people have no concept how much is involved in putting on an event. I'd say that's a pretty good guess.