Holiday Tipping 2013

I believe the size of the tips should you decide to give depends on the size the building. I think the larger the building the smaller the amount of the tips. So, if a building has 500 apartments versus one with 200 versus one with 50, obviously the amount you give will vary. I believe you should give an amount you are comfortable with. Usually the doormen get more than porters and handymen but the concierges and manager might get more than the doorman. You give what you are comfortable with and most importantly what you can afford. There's no right or wrong amount. If you do a search for holiday tips in the discussion board you will probably find vastly different opinions.

But guidelines, please! I have read so many articles in this topic.....and I hear amounts for doormen from$15-$500! If I gave $75 to the resident manager and $75 to the assistant super, $75 to each of 9 doormen, $40 to each of 4 handymen, $30 to the painter, $25 to each of 7 porters, and $40 to each of 4 porter/doormen, it sounds cheap next to the numbers I've been hearing. But it totals $1350. Does that sound right for a condo on the UES? I'd just like some guidance.....more for this one, less for that one.......of course I know it's personal, but I'm new to the city and have never been in an apartment before. I like these guys (those that I see). They are friendly and I want to keep our relationship as nice as it currently is now.

For what it's worth, I do $1100 (about 40% of maintenance) split $200 to the super and $150 to each of six doormen and porters. Then $60 the other day to the temp guy who sometimes does vacation coverage.

That's just to keep it simple and not play favorites.

I don't think your numbers sound cheap, for a big building with lots of staff.

That is more than generous Kit. Don't sweat it and have a merry xmas!

>I believe the size of the tips should you decide to give depends on the size the building.

Rather, the level of service.

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/29056-holiday-tipping-2011

inonada
about 24 months ago
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"I don't see why larger apartments should pay more."

I find this strange. I've lived in a building where guidance was given on how much to tip, which I personally appreciate. The strange part to me was that it was the same amount regardless of the apt size. While I can appreciate the idea that perhaps the amount of services received by 2 people living in 3000 sq ft is not 5x higher than 2 living in 500 sq ft, the former does pay 6x more into the salaries of the staff. So IMO I think they should just man up & tip more.

FWIW, I find people who post "I tip X to doormen" without further explanation useless: how big is the building, your staff, your apt? I find a good rule of thumb to be tipping 1 month's worth of common charges (or maintenance minus taxes).

RealEstateNY
about 24 months ago
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inonada: "I find this strange."

People with larger apartments will probably tip more during the year for individual services like repairing leaks in their multiple baths and those kind of things. There is absolutely no reason a retired widow/widower living in a three bedroom should tip more than a couple with 2 children living in a two bedroom. The couple with the children consume much more of the doorman and porter services and should tip more. They receive more packages, they make more garbage, they need help loading and unloading their SUV's, etc. I don't think that's strange

inonada
about 24 months ago
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...
Do you think building maintenance should also be based on the number of residents in an apt? Should the widower's maintenance be reduced and the family's be increased to account for the difference? Or should the widower give absolutely no tip, the logic being that he is over-paying through the maintenance that is often pro-rata based on square footage? What about the building engineers? Do they deserve a higher tip from the widower or not?
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The point you are missing is that as a rich a-hole living in 3000 sq ft, a higher portion of the building staff is being allocated to your usage. It's not as if the building can say "Oh wait, a rich a-hole with no family has moved into 15A, down from a family of 6. Let's lay off Bob the doorman." The fact that you don't use the service to its full extent does not alter the fact that the staff size and their livelihoods are based on a level of service.
...

inonada
about 24 months ago
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BTW, I think the rich a-holes in larger apts do tip more regardless of their usage of services. I think it's over-extended people in smaller apts who think otherwise.

I'm not sure where the sudden hostility comes from. I live in a modest 900 sq ft apartment and my maintenance is $750, so I am proposing to tip a higher percentage than some formulas suggest. But let me get this clear. If I could afford a 3000 sq ft apartment, then I'd be an a-hole based on that fact alone? My question was... If a building is so large that there are 10 doormen/concierges, is it okay to tip less than the commonly tossed around $150 for two or three doormen, all other things being equal? BTW, our doormen just open the door. They don't help with packages or hail cabs. They do say. "Have a nice day." And they do make me feel safer living alone.

I was just reposting what inonada posted. I'm not hostile to you, and most if not all normal people aren't. Inonada simply believes that widows are assholes if they live in big apartments and should be penalized.

But back to the question, tip based on the level of service. And then allocate it based on the # of people who provide that service. So if 100 doormen and porters and handymen, less per doorman. If one doorman who lives there 24/7/365 and is also the porter and handyman who fixes your toilet, he (or she) gets it all.

I think you are being quite reasonable.

1 resident manager = $100
1 asst super = $100
4 handymen @ $50 = $200
6 concierges @ $50 = $300
4 doormen (perhaps $100 each to the one or two who really are helpful to you regularly, and $50 each to the others you may not deal with much or at all) = $300
9 porters @ $50 = $350
....and I tip the primary mail delivery person = $20

Grand Total = $1,370 (if you decide to tip all four doormen evenly because you think it's a problem not to do so, add another $100 to the total so all four receive $100 each and your grand total will be $1,470)

Kit, you chose to click on the grayed out comment. That is where hostility came from. Just ignore the grey.

Whatever you do, don't take advice from a Canadian whose life's experience is suing in small claims court and playing hockey non-stop, and who turned traitor to his home country.

I always tip the handyman on the low end and then provide a tip when he does work for me, which is usually 3 or 4 times a year. Everyone else is tipped based on what they do for me, how long they have been on the job, and how pleasant they are. I don't believe in tipping everyone in a specific category the same amount. I do believe in tipping everyone though.