A gratuity is the personal recognition and a tangible thank you for superior service and as such...the decision is never wrong if you feel the tip was earned. There are few absolutes in the world of gratitude...do as you see fit and dismiss the opinions of the masses. Many people deserve tips but never receive them because the masses consider them "unworthy" which is an easy excuse for keeping the money. In my experience, the best tippers are those who once relied on gratuities for financial survival. I know I have served time in such a profession and am thankful I no longer live in that world because a large portion of society sucks and have no clue what it's like to need tips. Don't listen to most people...follow your heart. There are only two people you need to consider...you and the person you feel earned the additional coin.
Bruce, in my opinion, this is an excellent reply, you perfectly depicted my feelings on the subject… I certainly couldn’t state it better
I have probably 20-25 pieces of taxidermy at my house from hides, to euros, to shoulder mounts from a few different taxis, I have tipped one once, and another one every time she’s done work for me, I don’t tip because I think I should, but when someone charges low prices, and produces something better than much higher price work and is a pleasure to deal with, I want them to know that I appreciate them going above and beyond.
One shoulder mounted blacktail, first time using this gentleman, and it was his last year before retiring, he was truly passionate about his work, and wanted everything perfect, and charged 10 year old rates, just a pleasant person, the opposite of burned out, still cared as much as anyone, and did stunning work for cheap.
The other lady I always tip, she does my euros, she’s about half the price I was paying before learning of her, and again, pleasant human, happy to have your business, and does incredible work… I always thought a euro was a euro until I brought her my biggest roosie a few years ago and there was a wow factor, and everything is absolutely perfect and clean every time, no oil spots on skulls after a few years, and I don’t know what she does with the antlers, but they look alive (if that makes sense) she produces a standout product, and she does them cheap (relatively)
I tip her every time, because she kicks ass… I have a really big lion skull she’s metalizing right now, and my buck from last year… not a quick turn around, but always well worth the wait, I didn’t know there was such a large gap in talent in regards to euros.
The other taxis I have used I thought their price was fine, and they did nothing special, maybe seem a little inconvenienced by bringing them a critter, or whatever… not bad, but nothing stood out.
I almost always tip gas attendants, if they have a good attitude, I give them 5$ at least, they don’t make great money, deal with jackasses every day, and I appreciate someone in that environment who still maintains a good attitude… especially during Covid stuff, the guys who still went to work, I want to show my appreciation for their integrity keeping the country alive by working when so many sat on their ass as government beneficiaries, and those same lame asses wouldn’t come back to work unless they were paid more… it’s still going on, nobody wants to work, yet they want the country to function…
I tip when I see fit, even if it’s not work that’s traditionally tipped, I appreciate work ethic and good attitude, and it’s becoming pretty rare, so I like to express my appreciation and respect, tipping is a universal way to do that
