question: tipping the dock master - Page 8

psneeld · 06-30-2018, 01:48 PM

tips arent that steady in the marine fields....not like the traditional food service, hospitality, etc jobs.

in places where the locals know the situation of the help....that is where you see genuine tipping for a good reason.

the rest of the time, US marinas are like other places where tips are welcome but not expected and not routine.

in the service, obviously you didnt get tipped no matter what.....and I saw guys back in tbe day risking their lives for substandard living conditions.

so tipping was not my strong suit for quite a few years...but after a short time of getting a 5/10/or $20 bill shoved at me with the "have a nice lunch on me" added, I came to appreciate and make sure no matter what service someone does for me, I try to understand how a tip just may affect their day. So much of this thread is punchlines of only part of the story....like anchoring....lots of variables that people gloss over.

rclarke246 · 06-30-2018, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foggysail

I vividly remember my years as a teen with little skills to offer an employer and was paid minimum wage as were the others I toiled hard all day with. It was an instrumental force that drove me to get an education, one that would later result in a better life. Everyone is personally responsible for their own well being, not their neighbors or those whom they encounter during a work day.

You mean, it doesn’t take a village?
How refreshing!

Group9 · 06-30-2018, 02:26 PM

I'll tip dock masters and assistant dock masters when we're traveling, but at our home marina, the dock master and assistant dock masters are all friends of mine, and I just think it would be awkward to give them a tip, because we have two relationships, friend and customer, and I don't want to confuse the two.

Maybe, I'm wrong. I don't know.

foggysail · 06-30-2018, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rclarke246

You mean, it doesn’t take a village?
How refreshing!

Yes, I found it very refreshing.... and inspiring

wpc691 · 06-30-2018, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Group9

I'll tip dock masters and assistant dock masters when we're traveling, but at our home marina, the dock master and assistant dock masters are all friends of mine, and I just think it would be awkward to give them a tip, because we have two relationships, friend and customer, and I don't want to confuse the two.

Maybe, I'm wrong. I don't know.

No, you’re right. Instead of tips, I give the dockmaster at our local go-to marina a Christmas card, 2 dozen of my wife’s cookies, and a $200 gift card. We’re there about 40 times a year for fuel, pumpout and/or lunch/dinner. I’ve never waited for a courtesy dock, and I don’t concern myself with the boats circling the marina, or why they’re circling and I’m not. Dockhands get 5’s or 10’s. If we get great service at a remote marina, I send a thank you card to the dockmaster from our next stop, and include a twenty; I send it out of appreciation - if we get great service next time we’re there, so be it. I’m too old and crotchety to worry about the moral or social implications of what amounts to a rounding error in my maintenance/fuel/insurance/cruising budget.

Tom.B · 06-30-2018, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruceK

Does anyone tip flight attendants? I don`t mean in coach/cattle class, but elsewhere.

I never have... but that is a great idea! I will see if they take it next time we fly (assuming we get good service). I tipped the guy from DirecTV that came out day before yesterday. It wasn’t much... $20... enough to get him a good lunch and a 6-pack to take home.

OldDan1943 · 06-30-2018, 05:11 PM

When I was 15 or 16 years ago, I worked as clean up, at a dog kennel for $5/day.
That was long after Ford raised their wages to more than $5/day too, after the unions came in.

markpierce · 06-30-2018, 07:04 PM

Never received tips while splitting logs into firewood, constructing barbed-wire fences, painting sheds, or preparing/serving hot dogs, sandwiches, and sodas. Pay checks were never considered a living wage. Lived at parents' home or shared housing with others. Got along OK. The expectation was that with more hard work and self-denial there was a better future. I did have the "golden spoon" consisting of parents paying for my college education, however.

Wxx3 · 06-30-2018, 07:13 PM

I've lived in many places where tipping is considered an insult.
"What, you think you have to pay me extra to do my job well?
F...ing Americans, think everything is about money"

When I'm in the USA, restaurants, I tip, because i know that's considered part of their pay. Same for taxis.
But I don't see very much difference in service one way or smoother another.

In general, I tip less than I used to attend when outside USA, I watch the locals closely and follow their lead.

Group9 · 06-30-2018, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wpc691

No, you’re right. Instead of tips, I give the dockmaster at our local go-to marina a Christmas card, 2 dozen of my wife’s cookies, and a $200 gift card. We’re there about 40 times a year for fuel, pumpout and/or lunch/dinner. I’ve never waited for a courtesy dock, and I don’t concern myself with the boats circling the marina, or why they’re circling and I’m not. Dockhands get 5’s or 10’s. If we get great service at a remote marina, I send a thank you card to the dockmaster from our next stop, and include a twenty; I send it out of appreciation - if we get great service next time we’re there, so be it. I’m too old and crotchety to worry about the moral or social implications of what amounts to a rounding error in my maintenance/fuel/insurance/cruising budget.

Great idea!

live2fish · 07-01-2018, 09:52 AM

For our trips to FL and the Bahamas we are like most. We keep an envelop of fives. It's worth the assistance dock hands give.

CanadianBoater · 07-02-2018, 12:49 AM

I think what a few of you are overlooking is the minimum wage in Canada, is a lot higher than in many other places, and rising rapidly.
If we had a minimum wage of just $6, $8, or even $10 an hour, it might make a lot more sense to just tip everyone.
But the minimum wage is already far above that, and many places pay far more than minimum wage anyway. My niece started a job at McDonald's a few months back, $14 hour from day one. Saw her last week and was asking how it is going, she is 17 years old, and still new there, already making $16.
Some countries pay terribly, generally speaking Canada is not one of them.

BruceK · 07-02-2018, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom.B

I never have... but that is a great idea! I will see if they take it next time we fly (assuming we get good service). I tipped the guy from DirecTV that came out day before yesterday. It wasn’t much... $20... enough to get him a good lunch and a 6-pack to take home.

We recently had 200NTD (New Taiwan dollars,about $4AUD), left when exiting Taiwan. In the airline lounge in Taipei waiting for our flight, my partner was impressed with work of the ladies cleaning the toilets, each of 2 surprised cleaners got a 100NTD tip. Unless we did something with it, it was valueless after we left.

FF · 07-02-2018, 05:24 AM

"For our trips to FL and the Bahamas we are like most. We keep an envelop of fives. It's worth the assistance dock hands give."

J.D.Rockefeller was hassled for giving a dime as a tip.

No question boaters are not in Rocky league ,

but inflation adjusted from 1913 , a $5.00 tip ( usually for nothing) seems OK.

smitty477 · 07-02-2018, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom.B

I never have... but that is a great idea! I will see if they take it next time we fly (assuming we get good service). I tipped the guy from DirecTV that came out day before yesterday. It wasn’t much... $20... enough to get him a good lunch and a 6-pack to take home.

Apparently some airlines do not allow tips and others do...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/trave...ant/102912112/

This says average cabin attendant pay is mid $40K's - don't know if it is correct.

smitty477 · 07-02-2018, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markpierce

Never received tips while splitting logs into firewood, constructing barbed-wire fences, painting sheds, or preparing/serving hot dogs, sandwiches, and sodas. Pay checks were never considered a living wage. Lived at parents' home or shared housing with others. Got along OK. The expectation was that with more hard work and self-denial there was a better future. I did have the "golden spoon" consisting of parents paying for my college education, however.

Yes - I agree, Never received tips as a gas station worker, warehouse fork driver, lifeguard, floor installer , etc.
But I am in a position to tip now as opposed to being on the receiving end (or not) and times have also changed.

Nomad Willy · 07-02-2018, 08:00 AM

Tipping is not a set rate. It's about how an individual feels about service he's getting and the person giving it. Very subjective. This thread seems to be about people that don't want to be seen as cheap. As in wanna be a respectable member of an abstract community. Status perhaps.

Just tip (or don't) till you feel good. Hard to believe there's so much talk about tipping.