Tipping?

**MirrorDetailing** · 08-12-2010, 02:04 PM

I have always wondered if this was just me but for those that do this for a living, how often are you tipped and if at all? I do a lot of cars but maybe only 5-10% will ever tip me. Now first thought would be maybe they were not happy with the quality of work but I now that cant be right as almost all of them are return customer and refer me to others. But yet very very few ever tip. Anyone else have this happen as well or do some believe that the service we offer does not call for a tip even if the customer is very statisfied with the work?

**WAS** · 08-12-2010, 03:15 PM

Most people don`t think about tipping a detailer / detail shop. Think about it, when you were a kid, you were taught (either directly or indirectly), that there are certain professions / businesses that you tip, ex: at a restaurant, at the hair dresser, taxi cab, etc. Were you ever taught to tip the automotive detailer ? Probably not. Most people aren`t trying to be rude, they simply don`t know. When I swapped the POS machine at my shop to a newer one, I asked my merchant services provider to program in tipping. Whenever someone pays with a credit card or interac (which is 99.5% of the customers), the machine asks them if they`d like to add a tip, and forces them to select either "yes" or "no". I`ve had lots of comments from customers that they completely forgot about a tip until the machine asked them. As soon as that new machine went in, I`d say about ~40% of customers tip. Prior to the new machine going in, probably 10% tipped.

**imported_karwaxer** · 08-12-2010, 03:17 PM

Hi Its funny you brought this up, I also find that about 10% of my cust. tip me thier reason seems to be that I own the business and am getting all the profit from the job. However when my son works with me on a job he almost always recieves a tip as they deem that he is just a worker so a tip is warranted. Of my regular customers that do tip me they tip quite well.

**Barry Theal** · 08-12-2010, 03:19 PM

WAS thats awesome man. May I ask what new machine you have?

**WAS** · 08-12-2010, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by karwaxer

Hi Its funny you brought this up, I also find that about 10% of my cust. tip me thier reason seems to be that I own the business and am getting all the profit from the job. However when my son works with me on a job he almost always recieves a tip as they deem that he is just a worker so a tip is warranted. Of my regular customers that do tip me they tip quite well.

Do those clients KNOW for a fact that YOU are the business owner ? Unless they know this 100%, I would think that most people would tip anyways, since most service industry employees don`t make a high hourly wage, and generally rely on tips as a significant part of their income. You said your son works with you on jobs sometimes, maybe it has something to do with age perception as well ?

Originally Posted by Barry Theal

WAS thats awesome man. May I ask what new machine you have?

I picked up the Ingenico i5100plus. It`s an ethernet machine, so I don`t have those long transaction processing waits like with traditional dial up terminals. The tipping feature is something that is programmed by the merchant account provider, it isn`t something that you can setup yourself on the terminal (as far as I know). For me, it cost nothing to get done, it`s just a feature I had to ask for.

**Scottwax** · 08-12-2010, 05:14 PM

Probably close to 50% of my customers tip. Helps that some of them have been customers going back 15-16 years now. Christmas-time is always good.

**ADetailedFinish** · 08-12-2010, 05:18 PM

I`ve had about 40% tip. And not just in money either. I`ve had a lady bake me 2 dozen cookies of fresh home made cookies. (her son bought her a detail for her birthday and he said I was just doing it for free)