Why are Las Vegas cabbies so weird about tips?

[DanS]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
All,

Everyone tips the cocktail waitresses $5 per drink, though, right?

[/ QUOTE ]

$5 is a bargain when coming from a country where the law prohibits the casinos to give out free drinks and instead charge market price (some $10). I'd tip $5 for the first couple of drinks, and $3 for the next ten or so if I'm on heavy drinking duty.

[/ QUOTE ]

Food for thought: Vegas bartenders are unionized and make $17/hr base. On a decently busy day, a $1-2 tip is making them $45-60/hr, easily. Still feel the need to throw down a $5?

It's not unskilled labor or an easy job, but it's not [censored] rocket science.

[Mama Poker]

[ QUOTE ]
shane,

"the dude who opens the cab door"

I tip that guy whenever he's actively managing a line and waving cabs over. When there's no line in the middle of the day and I just walk up to a cab and he then strolls over to get the door I don't always tip. I dunno, this service is just so useless to me and frankly a little annoying at times.

A few weeks ago w/ beetz, he goes to hand the guy a dollar but all he has is hundreds. He turns to me and asks if I have any small bills. Cab door guy says "hey guys, don't sweat it no big deal if you don't get us every time, I appreciate the thought." I gave the dude $5 for his attitude.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the best example of how the tip system should actually play out IRL. GG to ELD and the CabCatcher.

[El Diablo]

DanS,

"Food for thought: Vegas bartenders are unionized and make $17/hr base. On a decently busy day, a $1-2 tip is making them $45-60/hr, easily. Still feel the need to throw down a $5?"

I don't feel a need to throw down $5. I just do.

[Dragonball]

I live in Manhattan, part of the only city (that I know of) with a higher per capita amount of cabs than Las Vegas. Cabbies are very different here than they are in Vegas.

Notable differences:

-Many NYC cabbies are not fluent in english, and even if they are, they almost never engage you with small talk. In Vegas you are about 95% certain to end up chatting with the guy, whether you like it or not. I'm almost always fine with it, but sometimes I just wanna get where I'm going.

-NYC cabbies never hustle you. In Vegas you have to deal with guys taking roundabout routes and scamming you verbally for tips. On my last visit:

I get into the cab and say "hi, how you doin'?" The guy replies "horrible, I just got a $2 tip on an $8 ride." Sigh... here we go. And he launches into this tirade about how people don't know how to tip him and how he's starving. It goes on for the entire ride, which ends up costing $8.60. When I am dropped off, I give him twelve bucks and tell him that it's all my larcenous evil heart can stand to part with.

-Spending $10 for an $8.50 fare, or $13 for a $10.80 fare, etc. etc. is standard in NYC. In Vegas it seems that tips vary much more widely. One thing is for sure: the cabbies are definitely more aggressive about expressing displeasure with them.

[MaverickUSC]

I offer $10 bonus tip for every curb they hit good. Makes for entertaining drunken cab rides.

Devo

[gonebroke2]

[ QUOTE ]
you give driver $10 and ask for $2 back on 6.60-6.80 fare??

that is beyond cheap! give him the whole $10 you tight ass!

[/ QUOTE ]

Tight ass is too nice. He is a cheap [censored].

[anduril]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Um what the hell else is he supposed to ask?

[/ QUOTE ]

He's not supposed to ask anything. He's supposed to give you your change and wait and see what, if anything, you hand him back as a tip.

[/ QUOTE ]

Incorrect. He is supposed to expect a tip. That's the tacit agreement you participated in when you got in the taxi, even if you don't like it like that.

[/ QUOTE ]

So are waiters, but when did you go into a restaurant and pay in cash, only to have the waiter ask how much you want back?

[/ QUOTE ]

JESUS F'IN CHRIST HAVE YOU EVER EATEN IN A RESTAURANT?

In case you haven't, here's how it goes, standard-like: Waiter gives you check for $150, you put $200 (or whatever amount) in the folder. Waiter, without looking at the amt of the bill or what you left, will ALMOST ALWAYS ASK, "Can I bring you change for that or are you all set?"

[/ QUOTE ]

In my experience, if the waiter says "do you need change?" The answer is always "yes."

If instead I hear "I'll be right back with your change," then it goes up.

[anduril]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
pretty sure he understood that

10 seems like a lotttt

[/ QUOTE ]

if he lets me smoke and/or is conversational and/or plays decent music on the stereo, I'll spring for a good tip. Two NYC cabbies have let me smoke joints in their ride; they got very good tips.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll be out for the ME, if you're around, we should take a ride to the rhino in a cab.

[Emperor]

[ QUOTE ]
Sci,

I leave $2-5/day, more if the room is messy. I also leave all accumulated change as well on the last day. I prefer leaving it every day, since you don't always get the same maid for your whole stay. Leave it on the pillow or in the bathroom. Write "Housekeeping, thanks!" or something on a piece of paper and put it under the money - otherwise they will sometimes not take the money.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously?... you leave a note in english... that can't be right...

[nath]

[ QUOTE ]
I have lived in ATL and MPLS, both of which have pretty trivent strip club scenes.

[/ QUOTE ]
...um, what?