tips from customers

PUClimber

PUClimber

Location
Indiana
It seems that this has almost become a regular thing the past 5 weeks or so. We've gotten tips from people from everything to dropping off a load of chips to just doing nice work. Like Thursday we did some storm damage work and the guy was very impressed by the way we rigged everything off the roof using the grcs and didn't do any damage. He gave us $10 each for doing nice work and an excellent job on clean up. The plan we had worked so well and we had it all set up. The plan came together and it worked like clockwork. Any one else getting tips and/or do you think it is wrong to accept tips as an employee?
 
The last 2 weks I have gotten close to 60 dollars in tips. One day all 3 jobs gave us a tip of 5-10 each. It is a very nice gesture! And much appreciated by the crew. Pays for extra water and gatorades in this hot weather.
 
I'm not the owner of the company or the boss. I am just a regular guy on the crew. I agree on being nice to help with more water and gatorade in the hot weather.
 
we did a gnarly hill job (removals) where all the brush had to either be dragged hundreds of feet up switchback steep steps or be cut to fit a 4x6 trolley the customer had just had rebuilt for like $30k. ridiculous. i told him when i did the bid that my crew would walk if we had to drag it all, so we got to use the trolley. super nice guy - he was so sympathetic by the end of the first day (yes first, as in more than one) he tipped each of us with a benjamin. that went over verrrry well.

i don't get why you think the owner shouldn't be tipped? are you saying if they're not working on the crew?
k.
 
We have one customer that tips every person on the crew $100 every time that we are on site. One time we got pulled off of the job early for an emergency job and she gave me $500 to give to the crew. Then when we came back the next day she gave another $500 tip and asked if I was sure that $1800 was enough for all of the work that we did.
 
I always call over one of my guys to take the tip. I agree with the owner shouldn't get tipped. This way the homeowner knows I not putting it in my pocket. Although I usually get the money back to make change and split between the four guys. I'm always appreicative of the gesture and try to covey that to the guys to be thankful to the homeowner for the tip. Only exception is if the home owner says to get lunch on him/her it goes towards to some good eaten.
 
Any time we get cash on jobs it gets divided between the crew that was on the job that day. Sometimes it goes for lunch or ice in the cooler, sometimes right into the worker's pocket.

From time to time we will get a side job, i.e. chipping a little brush, small removal, etc. that usually stays in the chip truck for whatever.
 
Why does it seem that the home owner that haggled with the price to get a better deal seems more likely to tip. Do they fell bad they were beating up on the tree guy, or since they saved some money they got more to spread around?
 
A couple of weeks ago I was on a job where the client had some movers bringing in new furniture. After the client left, the movers made some comments about how the lady was cheap, because she only gave them $20 each for a tip, even with a bill of almost $1,000. It's nice to get a tip, but there's no law saying you have to get one.
 
My SOP went like this:

If the homeowner gave me the tip I thanked them and let them know that I always gave the tip money to the crew. If the tip was too small to divide I would take the crew out for lunch either that day or the next and use the tip for the meal.

If the crew got a tip from a homeowner I needed to know how much the tip was and any of the conversation. The tip money stayed with the crew.
 
My favorite tip story is of a former employer, who we'll call "Rob":

Nick (19yo at the time) and a co-worker (considerably older and wiser) each received a $100 tip from a customer. Nick came in that afternoon and happened to mention to "Rob" that he received the tip. "Rob" said: "That must have been for your labor. I guess this means I don't have to pay you for today." And he didn't.

So I suppose there can be disincentives for telling your boss about the amount of tips you receive. I don't care to know whether my employees are tipped or how much. I consider that transaction between the client and them. We all benefit from the satisfied customer.
 
That's not a boss I'd want to work for. Bosses should be pleased when their employees receive tips, it means the client feels that the guys went the extra mile- something that should be pretty valuable to an employer.
 
For sure, that "boss" is a JERK!


<font color="green">The TreeHouse</font>
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We have had 2 customers tip us $100. in the last few weeks. I used to always give the tip money to the employees but since we haven't had much luck finding employees latley it goes to the 2 of us.
 
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...Like Thursday we did some storm damage work and the guy was very impressed by the way we rigged everything off the roof using the grcs and didn't do any damage. He gave us $10 each for doing nice work and an excellent job on clean up.

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Thank you very much sir. It is greatly appreciated. This will help with lunch, gatorade, school, fuel etc.

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The plan we had worked so well and we had it all set up. The plan came together and it worked like clockwork.

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All in a days work. Get better and make some money.

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Any one else getting tips and/or do you think it is wrong to accept tips as an employee?

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On occasion this happens. Tree work can get expensive. For a client to reach into their pocket and show a gesture of appreciation by tipping the crew with money shows respect for the crews' skills. I'm learning to accept these gifts graciously, and I'm sure to acknowledge the gift to the client.

Joe
 
I often try to graciously decline a tip but often it seems like I am offending the home owner if I do not take the tip. If they are persistant whitch they often are it gets divided up amongst the crew. Even though I am the owner I often throw the guys a bonus at the end of a long day/week to show my appreciation, but when the tip is substantial I get a cut also. I mean I am there doing all the climbing, technical rigging, operating the bucket, as well as dragging the brush with them when my feet hit the ground not to mention all the other time and responsibilities the owner takes on. We have recieved over a grand in tips this week alone, I buy breakfest, lunch, and drinks every day regardless if we get a tip or not. For those reasons I believe the owner/operators are intitled to there cut of say $100.00++ tip's. Just for the record I think my feelings would be different if I was just running the company and the guys were doing all the b@ll busting work with out me, then they would get 100% of the tips and not just there equal cut.
 
Tips from customers and company safety bonus's were always divided up amongst the crew,, when I run the show. Though other foremen I've known always kept it to themselves. Rude Dude's.
 
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