That time of the Year---TIPPING

Just finished - 3 br in battery park, one of the larger buildings.

Super - $150
Front desk - $100
Handymen - $100
Maintenance - $50

In total, just over $1,000, all in checks

Parking attendants still to come, prob $50 each

$100 for Handymen, what if you didn't have them do anything?

I gave what I can afford. I don't live in a "luxury" building no matter what the developer would like to believe. I'm pretty "poor" this year and for the next several years, so:

From $40 to $80 I gave. I didn't want to give anything really, but, I would rather go without food and live off ramen instead.

What about them's of us who live in somewhat crappy rental buildings that just happen to have an "attended lobby" (ie: doormen who rarely look up when one enters the lobby, but who are there nonetheless)?

I assume we're not expected shell out to the tune of high-end co-op owners, but what IS the correct protocol?

I live in a large apt of a mid-size coop bldg:
$300 to Super
$250 to my favorite doorman
$100 - $160 for all the other doormen
$150 to the Handyman

Tils, if the "doorman" is truly as gracious as you say & rarely looks up when you enter the lobby, I'd say to not tip at all; if they're not trying, why should you?

I don't agree w Miss Manners - I don't think that tipping is 'rotten', it's pay for performance. There was one guy who worked in my old building and he was lame, whenever he relieved the doorman he'd buzz the wrong apartments, my friends were always calling me from the lobby telling me that the doorman said I wasn't home, he kept forgetting to give people packages, etc. So there was no way I'd tip him the same as the other doorman.

And, while I agree it's not fair to stiff if you're having a bad year economically, I don't think it's unacceptable to cut back a bit if it's a true affordability issue on your part. You can make up for it in the good years.

Forget "customary"....Is there anything "customary" going on right now? Take a look at what you can afford, and that's what you tip. Ain't no way I can afford to give every doorman $100. each this year. And, frankly, even in a good year, there are always one or two who I wouldn't think of giving $100. to anyway. Do they look at you or acknowledge you the other 11 months a year? If everyone tipped what they felt staff deserved, instead of what was customary, then the tips would mean something. Good year or bad year, in an apt. building, in a cab, in a restaurant, anywhere - tip what you can afford, and what the individual deserves. Why reward slackers?

I give everybody $50 each by check (28 people in my building) -- Garage people $20. Everybody. There are people I do not see -- but they are surely working too. Happy Holidays.

To add my 2 cents to a question posted earlier on this thread, I'd always tip with a check instead of cash. With a check, I can always make sure that the right person got the tip. It seems like the only two reasons that a person receiving a tip would prefer cash are: (1) it saves a trip to the bank to deposit the check, and (2) it's easier to get away with not reporting the tip on their taxes. If I had to guess, I'd say (2) is the predominant motivation for most people. Frankly, I have no interest in facilitating someone else's tax evasion. And, more to the point, I (and you) lose out everytime they don't properly report income. So, I'd always suggest tipping by check.

I tip in cash. I hand it to the person in an envelope with one of those money holders and my name on the inside. I don't want to tip by check. Tipping by check to ensure IRS reporting is what a total loser would do. And if the guy taking my cash thinks that cash is more valuable than a check, well, then I am looked at even more positively.

My observation: The doormen said "thank you". The porters did not acknowledge the tip. Same thing last year & the year before.

I wonder: Those who are lower on the totem pole feel entitled, so they don't say 'thank you'? While those higher up (doormen) know that a tip is a gratuity, not an entitlement?

Just annoying since my total bld tips are north of $1,000.

I tip my favorite escort between $50 and $100 a "date", if she really gets the job done.

{Just checking if the mods on this board have ever awakened from hybernation! As this post is still here, apparently not}

If we had to tip moderators, would you still want one? Isn't it clear we can moderate ourselves?

Clinton B: "Tipping by check to ensure IRS reporting is what a total loser would do."

I am NOT tipping by check to ensure IRS reporting. I'm doing it because I can be sure that the right person gets the money (and because it's easier for me than having to deal with a lot of cash). And when you would otherwise just give a bunch of cash to one person and trust him to split it appropriately, you're asking for trouble.

My point was that the main (and possibly only) reason people "think cash is more valuable than a check" is because they're trying to skimp out on paying taxes. So, really, tell me again who is the loser--the person trying to ensure that everyone gets the tip they deserve, or someone who is committing a felony?

The most frustrating part of your reply, Clinton B, is that you don't even realize that you're screwing yourself by facilitating tax evasion. Normally, I wouldn't care when someone is injured by their own idiocy, but when there are external effects that affect others (including me), it annoys me.

I'm screwing myself by facilitating tax evasion? First of all, evading taxes on $100 is not a felony. Second, if the person feels that $100 by cash is worth more than $100 by check (and they do, they at minimum see it as more classy - you are accommodating them, not making them run to cash it) then my gift is looked at more highly, and consequently I've achieved more through my tip than otherwise. I'll screw you over any day - sorry you don't get your 30% tax on $100 divided by 300 million people, and sorry you are "fturstrated."

Oh, and "easy for [you] to deal with a lot of cash" - yeah, those ATM machines are really tough. Get some class.

ClintonB: "First of all, evading taxes on $100 is not a felony"

Problem is, you're wrong. Completely wrong. Next time, before you make any legal claim whatsoever, STOP and DON'T SAY IT.

Just to prove to you how wrong your statement was, take a look at 26 U.S.C. 7201:

"Any person who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax imposed by this title or the payment thereof shall, in addition to other penalties provided by law, be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $100,000 ($500,000 in the case of a corporation), or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution."

I know that this is complicated stuff, but I can assure you that the words "any tax" in the phrase "attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax" does, indeed, cover evading taxes on $100.

Also, in case you missed it, I'd like to point out that the phrase "shall, in addition to other penalties provided by law, be guilty of a felony..." means that it's a "felony" to "attempt[] in any manner to evade or defeat any tax."

So, sorry dude. You're wrong.

In Manhattan in all of fiscal 2007, there were 12 prosecutions, the most in any district in the country.
in 30 out of all 94 districts, there were zero prosecutions under this section.

Good luck collecting on that $100 cash tip your doorman made.

We tip our people all in cash, they appreciate it. I also tip at the hair and nail salon in cash.

ClintonB, what's your point...

You said: "First of all, evading taxes on $100 is not a felony."

I clearly demonstrated that you were flat out wrong.

And your response is (in essence) that although the particular law I pointed to is enforced, it's not enforced as much as you'd like. What in the world that has to do with anything is beyond me. In fact,your repsonse is especially off the mark since--by your own statistic--the most prosecutions for tax evasion are in **MANHATTAN**--the very area where (presumably) you're tipping your doormen.

By the way, since your earlier post demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of a basic legal concept, please provide a citation for the information in your most recent post. Otherwise, I'm going to assume (probably correctly) that you made it up.

In any event, my prior point stands: I tip by check because: (1) it ensures that the proper person gets the money, (2) I don't like carrying around large sums of cash, and (3) it's easier than going to the bank to take out large sums of cash. To me, those are 3 solid reasons to tip by check when it comes to significant amounts. And, since the ONLY rational reason to prefer to be tipped in cash is to commit a feony, I don't see any reason to change my ways.

NotMamma: tipping in cash at a hair and nail salon isn't the same. (1) I don't usually carry my checkbook around on me while running errands, (2) the amounts are much smaller, so I'm not going to worry about being mugged and (3) I can make sure to give the money directly to the person, which eliminates the potential someone other than the intended party getting the money. Also, because checks can bounce, they're usually not accepted at nail and hair salons. With my doorman, if my check bounces, well, they know where I live.

I have to disagree with Miss Manners that tipping is "rotten." I think it's a wonderful practice because the recipient of the tip is happy to get the cash - clean (and no, I really don't want to get into the IRS argument). It's good for the building residents because it keeps the rents/maintenance fees down. Yes, supers, doormen, and maybe even porters get a good chunk of change in Christmas tips. And I'd be SHOCKED if any of them reported it to the IRS. But if tips were prohibited, if 100% of staff compensation had to come from their check, and if one assumes that compensation would have to remain at the same level to retain qualified staff (remember to subtract both employer and employee taxes), do the math on how much your monthly costs (whether you rent or own) would increase.

6 person staff with about 100 units and we moved in Dec 1. Super, Handyman, 4 doorman/porters...these guys seem to be lean and mean and rotate.
Was thinking:
$50 for Super and Hnadyman and $25 for everybody else but the $25 seems low to me but I've been there 22 days!

rvf35: You may not want to get into the IRS argument, but your point boils down to: "this keeps costs lower because it's a form of tax evasion." I'm sure any form of tax evasion could be justified along those lines: just think how much more company X would have to charge us for their products if they actually paid their taxes! But even ignoring this aspect of your argument, given that there doesn't seem to be any shortage of people willing to work in these roles and that tipping increases opacity around compensation which usually leads to market inefficiency, I don't think there's any merit to the notion that costs/compensation would increase if the "year end bonus" was paid normally rather than via tipping.

Super $50
Porter $50
Barber $20

"but then I realized the doorman I give it to might just pocket the whole thing"

LOL. I thought migration from the south to NYC had stopped...