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Q. I hired a general contractor to retile my bathroom shower stall. There are two guys working on it. Am I supposed to tip the workers? If so, how much is customary? It’s a $2,000 job.
Tipping isn’t the standard in the home services trades, as it is in the restaurant and personal grooming trades. Still, it’s a question many homeowners wrestle with. To help answer it, Angie’s List recently polled nearly 5,000 home service professionals across the nation to find out if they expect a tip and if so, what they tend to collect.
I would first talk to the owner of the company to determine if tips are allowed. If tips are not allowed, but you still feel strongly about the work, you could write a letter to the company owner praising their work, and/or you could write a positive online review that spells out that great experience. This written proof will likely be appreciated just as much as a tip and may have a much longer lasting effect.
The Angie’s List survey showed movers and house cleaners are tipped more frequently than other service providers; contractors like plumbers, roofers and electricians are tipped the least.
Only 7 percent of handymen and painters say they routinely are tipped, though 28 percent say they receive tips for service that goes above and beyond.
Most contractors in the survey say they charge their clients what they feel is fair price for the work being done and don’t expect a tip.
