Sleeper tipping

[The Davy Crockett]

I give a good tip for good service. For me, that means at least $10 a night - and more for exceptional service.

mr crockett i aplaud u,

but most amtrak passenger's are not as well heeled as u are

u are rich u can afford to tip like money grows on tree's, most amtrak passenger's

are not in your tax bracket. u are the exception to the rule

Thanks. But I'm comfortable. Certainly not rich. I have done my fair share of service jobs and therefore know how much some sort of acknowledgement - both verbally and monetarily - mean in those situations. I tip, percentage wise, no more now than in my younger days.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

All right guys & gals. We all have our own set of values. Neither right or wrong, just our own.

 

[AlanB]

One simply cannot compare an Amtrak job with jobs that have similar functions in the rest of the travel/entertainment industry.

Then why does everyone keep doing it?

Same reason that so many newspapers keep saying that the conductor blew the horn and hit the brakes prior to the accident; they just don't know better what is involved. They see a table with food on it and figure that the job is comparable to one in a restaurant.

 

[roomette]

I'm starting to think I'd prefer the Cruise industry model wherein your gratuities are automatically included in your total price. Of course you can always remove them or adjust the amounts, but I think I would enjoy the completely gratuity stress free trip.

 

[VentureForth]

I'm taking a couple of roomettes soon and it hadn't occurred to me to tip! When do you do this? As a Brit I find handing over money randomly to someone rather uncomfortable.

Williamn, I would suggest that it would be beneficial to understand the culture of the country to which you plan to visit. I grew up in Japan and when my dear Texan grandmother came to visit us, she got her hair done at a beauty parlor. She tried to tip something like $5, but the stylist came running out of the store to return it to her. In the end the stylist was more embarrased than grateful.

Tipping is common for service personnel in the US. Many jobs rely on tips to subsidize the wages of the employees. In Japan and presumably in the UK, many restaurants add a 15% "service fee" which is NOT voluntary, but used for the same purpose. As mentioned several times in this thread, it's OK not to tip when you are on the train - you won't get thrown off. These employees do not NEED to be subsidized. But I would highly recommend that you reward those who cater to you appropriately. Even a meager $5 per trip is appreciated.

On the other hand, if service is poor, and a tip is not warranted, and the crew member is audibly upset by it, it might mean a call to Customer Service.

 

[henryj]

Well Alan, the point is they do get days off in between. No one is forced to work more than the allotted 40 hours a week average.

Henry,

I'm not trying to be a pain here,

LOL Alan, well have it your way I just put in my two cents worth from my own experiences. From what I experience these people are well paid and happy with their jobs. If not they could just quit. There are plenty of people that would love to have their pay and hours. The original reason for all this was someone asked the question. I thought some of the answers were excessive. I am sure there are plenty of sleeper passengers that never tip. And I doubt if any coach passengers do and that job is just as hard or harder than a sleeper sca. So my answer to the original question was $5 to the sleeping car attendent and a dollar for breakfast or lunch and a couple for dinner. Unless you ask for something special. I don't use the redcaps, but a tip for handling your bags would be expected. If you have to check your bags in the first class lounge, say at Chicago, that service is tip free. That is my answer to the original question.

 

[henryj]

If Amtrak wants to compete with planes, buses and automobiles they should adopt a no tip policy.

Absolutely not. I enjoy letting service employees know that I apprecaite the work that they do for me and have no desire for your bitterly parsimonious lifestyle to be forced on me.

You may tip them $10 to $20 a night if you please, but I sure am not.

I'm pretty sure that we don't need your permission to tip, but thanks.

LOL, talk about bitter. Your dislike for me is well known around here. But you live in NY and no one tips anyone on those Acela and Regional trains. What LD trains do you regularly ride that you have to tip so generously? You can read my last trip report in the travelogue section.

 

[the Other Mike]

Wow, such opposite ends.

I always tip when I board and am being checked into my room. I always fold the money and give it to them in a firm handshake and say " PLEASE, do not let me sleep through a smoke stop".

There has only been one time that the service was lacking but I do believe the guy was covering someone elses job also.

I have never had bad service but many times have had outstanding service. Sure, you are not forced to tip, but sometimes people deserve it.

 

[white rabbitt]

Well Alan, the point is they do get days off in between. No one is forced to work more than the allotted 40 hours a week average.

Henry,

I'm not trying to be a pain here,

L. I don't use the redcaps, but a tip for handling your bags would be expected. If you have to check your bags in the first class lounge, say at Chicago, that service is tip free. That is my answer to the original question.

henry in chicago u prefer to do the long kindergarden walk to the train

insted of useing a redcap in a cart and rideing

 

[Ryan]

I wasn't aware of the fact that I had to be a "regular" on a LD train to have an opinion on how one should tip. I'm on a LD train for roughly two trips a year, but it's usually a different train. Does that make my opinion less valid?

I also don't live in NY, but that's just the tip of the iceberg for "facts" that you're mistaken on.

I don't even really dislike you, just you trying to dictate what I'm allowed to do when I take a LD train or your fact free rants about "bloated overhead" that seem to have no basis in reality.

 

[roadman3313]

Regardless of the job of the Sleeping Car Attendant (SCA) and each individuals view on that, Tipping is a personal choice. It can be debated all day and all night long, but at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference. People have different ways of showing appreciation as well. Some give cards, some give a smile and a thank you, and some tip as appreciation for the service recieved. There is no law governing tips. Some people may be judgemental about tips, but in the end, let them be judgemental. We are all adults or young adults I presume and can make the decision on whether tipping is right for us.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Nonsense.
When in Rome or England or the USA - do as the Romans or English or Americans do. When I'm oversees I always do my best to follow the country I'm in way's of doing things. Then I'm much less likely to be either the ugly, or the foolish, American.

I also find that people in other countries appreciate the effort of trying to do what is right in that country, even if I don't always get it exactly right. It has served me well on more than one occasion and has made my time oversees much more rewarding and safe, in ways that have nothing to do with money.

I agree that "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". In the US, it's practically mandatory to tip waiters and waitresses, which is why I mentioned it. After thinking about it, it's also customary to tip cab drivers. So, if you take a cab, it's customary to tell the cabbie to "keep the change" when doing so would round up your bill by 10-20% or so.

It's also customary to tip hairdressers (if they are not the owner of the establishment) by 20% or so, but that's probably not likely to happen - unless you're visiting for more than a month or so, most tourists are not likely to get a haircut here.

After digging into it a little more, I found this piece of advice on a travel site: "Tip taxi drivers, personnel who deliver pizza and definitely hotel personnel."

So again, taxi drivers, food service (including pizza deliveries), and they added hotel personnel. "Hotel personnel" applies at 4-5 star hotels where people handle your bags and such; I never travel that way (Holiday Inn generally doesn't have bellhops), so it didn't occur to me.

So, I'd add taxi drivers and hotel service people to my original list. Is there another category I'm missing?

 

[TimePeace]

[SIZE=14.399999618530273px] [/SIZE]
So, I'd add taxi drivers and hotel service people to my original list. Is there another category I'm missing?

Yes. You forgot to mention the guitar player (Oh wait... he's the pizza delivery guy too. Nevermind,,,)

 

[roomette]

I think it's consider polite to tip your mail carrier at the holidays. I wonder how many here do that?

 

[D.P. Roberts]

I think it's consider polite to tip your mail carrier at the holidays. I wonder how many here do that?

Possibly, but again it wouldn't apply to travelers visiting the US.

Personally, I don't tip my mail carrier / part-time postmaster. She skips us entirely at least once or twice a week, closes the post office early with no notice, and skips just about every house when it's snowing house. Unlike the post office motto, pretty much EVERYTHING keeps her from her appointed rounds.

 

[rusty spike]

I think it's consider polite to tip your mail carrier at the holidays. I wonder how many here do that?

Gave mine a $20 Subway (the sandwich shop---not the mode of transportation ) Gift Card last Christmas.

And to keep on topic, I do tip the Dining Car staff as I would in any restaruant, and the SCA $10-$20 per room per night depending on how much effort they expended on my behalf. Even tip the CA if he/she goies the "extra mile" to help with my baggage or whatever.

 

[white rabbitt]

rusty u must be flush with money doing all that tipping

do u hire a body guard who holds your money bag

when u tip the hoi polloi

 

[roomette]

I wonder if a gift card would be appreciated as a tip in the dining car or sleeper?

 

[the Other Mike]

So, I'd add taxi drivers and hotel service people to my original list. Is there another category I'm missing?

Yes. You forgot to mention the guitar player (Oh wait... he's the pizza delivery guy too. Nevermind,,,)

How do you improve the areodynamics of a guitar players car ? Remove the Domino's sign on the roof.

What do you call a drummer who reads music ? Gifted

 

[henryj]

I don't even really dislike you, just you trying to dictate what I'm allowed to do when I take a LD train or your fact free rants about "bloated overhead" that seem to have no basis in reality.

Well of course everyone knows that Amtrak's overhead is bloated as are all government run agencies. And we all know they skew it to make their railroad, the NEC, look good. They load up those LD trains with it and spin off as much as they can to the state run trains and then claim the NEC makes money. lol. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The NEC is less than 750miles and as such should be state run, but they know that won't work and they don't want to lose 'their' railroad. So the rest of the country is ignored and pays for the NEC.

We all know this topic was a set up just to get us ranting with each other. Just look at how it was worded by Scott. lol. I don't see how I am dictating anything from down here in little Texas. People can do whatever they want. I just told you how I tip. Some people like to flash their money. I like to keep mine. When I flew back from Ft Lauderdale, I didn't have to tip anyone and I was home in four hours.

 

[Ryan]

Well of course everyone ... And we all know
We all know ...

You may think that you know all of that stuff, but you seem to be lacking in the evidence department and sure never seem to be able to provide a straight answer to what an appropriate amount of overhead is.

I don't see how I am dictating anything from down here in little Texas.

Let me refresh your memory...

If Amtrak wants to compete with planes, buses and automobiles they should adopt a no tip policy.

 

[rusty spike]

rusty u must be flush with money doing all that tippingdo u hire a body guard who holds your money bag

when u tip the hoi polloi

The size of my bank account balance is none of your business. Or whether I have ten body guards holding my money.

The choice of tipping as has been stated over and over again, is a personal one based on ones needs and the service received.

BTW, I don't consider tipping the Amtrak service personnel on the limited occasions I ride Amtrak, nor the annual Christmas gift to my mail carrier, tipping the "masses" as you have stated so eloqently.

 

[white rabbitt]

well blow me down , rusty that was a joke u took it way to serious

dont blow a gasket couse someone cracked a joke at u lol lol :giggle: :giggle:

 

[JayPea]

One of the reasons I like the Bradt travel guide "USA by Rail", written by a Brit, John Pitt, is that it includes a section about the US and its customs written specifically for an overseas visitor to our country from his point of view. About tipping, he says "You may think that tipping is a class-conscious anachronism where everyone is proclaimed equal". He goes on to say that this isn't a good line to adopt with with the average cabbie. He also mentions bartenders and hairdressers, and says to do as other customers do or you will find an abrupt change in the level of service. Finally he also mentioned that hotel porters, as well as bag attendants for airlines and railroads, are amongst those who should be tipped, and that Amtrak attendants "should" be tipped for exceptional service.

This from a Brit's point of view.

I fully agree whether to tip or not is nobody's business but their own. My own opinion is that it is a good way to show appreciation for good service. And what one considers good service is entirely up to them. I tend to tip SCA's $10/night. At meals, I go by what the price of the meal would have been should I have paid for the meal. And I fully reserve the right NOT to tip for lousy service. For instance, last year on a trip on the CS from Sacramento to Portland, the SCA was nowhere to be seen the whole trip. The only tip he deserved was the tip of my shoes to his hindquarters. :angry:

I figure that if I can afford a trip I can afford a few $$ for a tip.

 

[amamba]

I wonder if a gift card would be appreciated as a tip in the dining car or sleeper?

No.