The Grass Doctor

Are you supposed to tip lawn care workers?

Public Comments

1. you can do whatever you want. I have someone take out my garbage now b/c our city is on strike. I give him a tip b/c he charges me very little. It all depends on how much you pay the person. If you pay him very well, then i wouldnt tip but if he doesnt charge much then i would probably give him a small tip.
2. You are supposed to tip them once a year, usually for the holidays, just like the rest of your service workers.
3. Are you a financial adviser who takes retention bonuses? If so, yes, you must tip the lawn care workers. If they just cut your grass, $5,000 each would be reasonable. If you want them to come back again, then you must give each one $50,000 in addition to the $5,000. Of course they actually do not have to cut your lawn, that's just an idea about the business of lawn care. They can poison your lawn and make it uncultivatable. It works like this: if they happen to own lawn poison and can't sell it to interested parties, they can just mix it with the good stuff and sell it to you as a derived lawn care product. Of course, you have to pay them triple the amount to repair the same lawn they destroyed. There's some homeless people on Park and Main, use their money.
4. Hi, Obligated to: No; to show appreciation: Yes.
5. People in the service industry should be considered for a tip based upon your level of satisfaction. Tipping on an annual or periodic basis would be appropriate.
6. i wouldn't- it's not like having your hair/nails done.
7. If someone is your regular gardener and you see them all year round, I would give them something extra around the holidays (if you can afford it). Otherwise, you are ALREADY paying them for their service when you pay them to cut your lawn. They are not getting paid minimum wage like servers in a restaurant. And the reason nail/hair get tipped is because those workers usually have to give a good portion of what WE pay to the owner for the rental of their spot, so their wage/commission ends up being like the situation of a food server. They either make money off of each client they have, or they keep very little of the $25-40 you pay for your nails or a haircut. That's why a tip is appropriate for them. I don't know where you live, but in the case of a gardener, they have likely been in the business for years, most of them are self-employed latinos, and the money they make throughout the year more than pays for their overhead (other workers) and equipment. They usually charge about $60-80 to come 2x a month. How much do you think it takes to recover the cost of a lawnmower and a set of garden tools? They cost hundreds, but gardeners recover this. Theirs is an always-needed business that isn't so much costly but a service they do that we don't want to do ourselves. I'm being crass but the long and short of it: Obligated - No. Appreciation or because you feel like giving them more - Go ahead!