Tipping the doorman

No. You tip at Christmas for the whole year.

The way we do it at our building: We give gifts in December for the holidays. We do not tip at all the entire rest of the year.

For now I would just thank them and smile and don't even think about tips until the end of the year. At some buildings the staff even discourages tipping from new people out of season--after all, they want the opportunity to show you how pro they are. I've heard this from door staff directly, by the way.

Treat the staff with consideration and graciousness and if they are pros, you'll receive the same.

No tipping except at Christmas.

Well if they help you move in or out of the apartment too...but you should take the move-in tip into account when tipping at x-mas.

We do also tip when doorman helps in / out of building with luggage, and with large deliveries. Do't usually tip for getting a cab, unless it was a really tough time/day for them to do so, i.e. raining /rush hour.

Its up to you - I wouldn't tip for cabs (but if I used them for cabs, I would be extra generous at Christmas) - but I always tip throughout the year when they go above/beyond. For example, our dog was sick once in the lobby and I ran upstairs to drop him off/grab stuff to clean it up (it was the middle of the night and the lobby was empty) and by the time I got back, my doorman had almost finished cleaning it up. For something that above/beyond, you need to tip them asap in my book.

i would tip for the luggage but not for the cab.

Generally, I offer a buck or two for a cab, and from a buck to five for luggage, and it's usually waved off, and I get them at Xmas. More difficult is the question of what the ettiquette is if you're leaving someone else's building and their doorman hails you a cab ...anybody?

ali r.

Sorry but I think you tip a few bucks for hailing a cab and handling luggage at a hotel. Our doormen would scoff at a couple of bucks for such things. However, anything outside of the norm I'll offer $20 but it's seldom accepted. Things like helping to haul large items from the loading dock up the freight elevator and into my apartment or dealing with large amounts of debris from my do it yourself reno would prompt me to make an offer. But then again at the onset of my reno I gave each of the handymen and doormen I deal with a good amount in anticipation of the assistance I would need from them. It was a goodwill gesture that has really paid dividends.

"Do people tip the doorman for hailing a cab or for helping them load a cab with luggage?"

For some inexplicable reason, some do.

Don't feel compelled to follow suit. They are performing the normal duties of their jobs, for which they are paid a salary.

"Do people tip the doorman for hailing a cab or for helping them load a cab with luggage?"

For some inexplicable reason, some do.

Don't feel compelled to follow suit. They are performing the normal duties of their jobs, for which they are paid a salary.

tip Christmas only

In the thread on automated/robot doormen some discussed the benefits of paying for a doorman - which include hailing you a cab and helping you lift luggage. If that's the case why are you guys tipping them each time they do the lifting and then even at the end of the year?

So what is protocol for the Christmas tip amt?

There is no protocol.

Some people pay twice their monthly mortgage. Others pay nothing.

Frankly, I never saw the point of tipping someone on your own payroll.

Oh, God. Tell me we aren't starting one of those dreadful "how-much-do-you-tip-at-christmas" threads in March. I thought I had another 8 months without those.

Look. Some of this depends on your building. Perhaps in a 500 unit mega-plex it may be common to give the doorman a couple bucks now and again. In my building which is much smaller (140 apts) and with the sort of atmosphere my coop has, giving the guys $1 or $2 seems almost insulting. When I park outside the door and they run out to help me in with weekend bags, it is part of their job and they are happy to help. But I don't treat them like bellhops by handing them $2 each time--they're better than that. I know their names and they know mine. We make small talk on occasion. They like to pet my dog. At Christmas I tip generously so we needn't sully our relationship with the exchange of money throughout the year.

And, yes, if they did something unusual and extraordinary I suppose I might slip them a $20, but if the deed didn't warrant a $20, then it was too small to start handing them money for.

I love the posters that hate the discussion topics yet write the longest responses.

That said, thanks for the response Kyle. I'm moving to a co-op soon and was curious since the topic came up. Still, I have no idea what "generous" means, but I'll figure it out soon enough.

Search tipping - we beat this to death in December. One rule that I thought made sense is to take app your monthly maintance amt and split it among the staff. So if you pay $1,400 in mainatance and have 14 guys, they get $100 each (and presumably have a lot of other apts tipping them). If you have $1,400 and have 3 guys, they get about $350 each (and presumably have much few apts tipping them). Its ultimately your call but there's plenty of guidance in the archives.

"One rule that I thought made sense is to take app your monthly maintance amt and split it among the staff."

That's the same formula I follow for tipping the mailmen and the garbage men!

But tell me, what's the formula you use for tipping the police at your local precinct?

Seriously, CAN'T WE WAIT FOR DECEMBER TO HAVE THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION ALL OVER AGAIN?????

Your apartment is your home -- not a hotel room.

Tip the doorman at holiday time. $50 - $75 is fine. $100 is plenty generous.