Halstead Property

Richard Grossman
Executive Director of Sales, Downtown
rgrossman@halstead.com
(212) 381-4274

Tipping For Work Well Done

BY PHYLLIS FURMAN

DAILY NEWS BUSINESS WRITER
 
 
Wilson Sierra, who has worked as a doorman at 440 W. 34th Street for nine years, is expecting a $3,000 windfall in tips this holiday season. 
 
 
Parking attendant Wilson Lata says younger customers don't reliably tip for good service. 
 
It's not rocket science, but figuring out how much to tip at the end of the year can make some of the smartest New Yorkers feel like fools.

"People are confused," said Richard Grossman, director of sales/downtown, for real estate brokerage firm Halstead and the former president of two Greenwich Village co-op boards.

Don't expect to get a straight answer from a friend. "Asking someone how much they tip is like asking them how much they earn," Grossman said. "Most people will tell you they give more [than they actually give]."

"Holiday tipping is such an arbitrary thing," added Micki Smith, executive vice president at real estate management firm Akam Associates. "I used to live in a rental building in Riverdale. Half the people didn't tip. I thought that was disgusting."

A better way is to take inventory of all of the people who improve your day-to-day life: from your doorman, to your garage attendant, to your hairdresser.

Don't forget the people you may not see every day, who are nonetheless providing an important service, such as the aides who tend to elderly parents, said Hilka Klinkenberg, founder of Etiquette International.

Regardless of the task they perform, for many tips account for a big portion of their compensation for the year.

Grossman estimates that a doorman whose base salary is about $45,000 a year could take in an additional $7,500 in tips during the holidays.

Wilson Sierra, who was born in Colombia and has served as a doorman at 440 W. 34th St. in Manhattan for nine years, expects to collect about $3,000 in tips this holiday season.

"I plan to buy a ticket to go to my country with my wife and three kids," he said.

What does he consider a reasonable tip per tenant?

"Like $50 — but not everybody can do that," Sierra said.

Wilson Lata, an attendant at Imperial Park Systems on 10th Ave. near the Javits Convention Center, said he isn't counting on much this year.

"A lot of people don't tip, every year it's less and less," he said.

Lata said he expects to get about $800 in tips during the holiday season — far less then a decade ago. He lamented that younger customers are less generous.

He said he gives "the same treatment" regardless of whether he gets tipped.

Despite the pressure, tipping is not mandatory. Don't feel forced to fork over cash if you feel someone doesn't deserve it.

And don't hesitate to complain to management if you believe you are getting inferior service because you did not tip, Smith said.

How much to give spans a wide scale. In an apartment building, do you live alone or have several kids and a dog?

Among all workers you might tip, consider whether you've been tipping throughout the year. If so, that could effect your holiday gift.

If you're feeling stretched for cash, remember there are alternatives to money.

"A small gesture is better than nothing at all," said etiquette specialist Lesley Carlin, co-author of the "Etiquette Grrls" books. "Even if it's a note of appreciation — that goes a long way."

Thursday, December 14, 2006