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August 24, 2021

Besides waiters, who are you tipping, and how much?

Tipping has always been touchy, and the recession and its lingering effects have changed little about the act.

Toward the end of 2009, for example, our first real holiday season when the downturn was in full-swing, tipping was set to slim down in unison with our consumer spending. Not shocking news.

But if there’s to be any return to normalcy in the financial world post-recession, we’re bound to see it in tipping as much as anywhere else. Generosity, after all, often stems from what we can afford to lose.

So as a point of debate, why not take a step back and look at tipping from a distance – who are we tipping, who aren't  we tipping and how much are we giving?

Everyone knows you’re to tip your waiter at a restaurant (15 per cent as the common benchmark, depending on your quality of service and overall fat-catness), but what about your dog groomer or, say, your tattoo artist?

Are these professions worthy of tipping? If so, what denomination is expected?

The good people at CouponSherpa.com have come up with a handy reference list of 63 pointers for tipping, including several suggestions for gratuities where you might not have thought they were warranted.

A few notable entries:

1. Take-out food: 10 per cent when you pay, as per CouponSherpa’s recommendation.
2. Coat room attendants: $1 per coat for up to five jackets. Fifty cents per coat for six or more.
3. Taxi drivers: 10-15 per cent standard. Up that to 20 per cent if the cabbie helps with you heavy luggage.
4. Florists: $1 to $10 – a sliding scale based on the size of your arrangement.
5. Tattoo artists: 10-20 per cent – again, at your discretion based on the size and difficulty of your design.

Going through CouponSherpa’s list is a little daunting (at some point, gratuities have to be considered into the list price, don’t they?) but it’s a worthy task, nonetheless.

Readers: besides waiters and general food staff, who are you tipping most? And, on that note, who do you think gets tipped that doesn’t deserve it?

By Jason Buckland, MSN Money

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Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...

James HaversJames Havers

James is the senior editor of MSN Money living in Toronto. He has worked for the Nikkei Shimbun (Tokyo), canoe.ca, AOL.ca, Canadian Business and other publications. Havers turned to journalism after teaching overseas.

Jason BucklandJason Buckland

The modern-day MC Hammer of money, Jason can often be seen spending cash that isn’t his with the efficiency of a Wilt Chamberlain first date. After cutting his teeth as a reporter for the Toronto Sun, he joined the MSN Money team with...