Gratuity etiquette

Remember that great scene from "Reservoir Dogs" on tipping? I still face dilemmas on that topic.

I'm pretty comfortable with my tips to servers in restaurants. Fifteen percent standard, more if they're exceptional.

And I try to tip in cash whenever possible. This was pointed out to me by a friend when I tipped on my credit card.

"Hey, they have to pay tax on that," he explained.

Pizza delivery drivers and hotel cleaning persons remain in the gratuity gray area in my mind.

Is 15% enough for the guy who drives his own car to your house to bring you a pizza?

When it comes to hotel staff, I only know one person who tips the cleaning lady. But when you get right down to it, their jobs are a lot tougher and more unpleasant than that of a restaurant server. Then again, you could say that about a lot of jobs that aren't usually thought of as tip-worthy.

In high school, I worked at a rural truckstop for a while. I'd often get tips for pumping diesel or washing trucks. And then later in life, I worked at a tree care company and ended up with a $20 tip or two.

It's a nice reward for otherwise monotonous labor.

If I had a way to tip the readers of this blog, I'd consider it.