Oh Great LJ Brain Trust, explain to me your custom of tipping

[cjsmith]

[Poll #1007086]

I'm sure I'll think of other situations shortly. Oh, and what would you do if you didn't have the right denomination(s) of money? I know it never happens in the movies, but humor me: what if?

Aw crap, I thought of another one already. How about the guy who brings you your mini-bottle of champagne and pours you a glass?

Comments

Having just gone through this...

[shoutingboy.livejournal.com]

I work for Big Huge Corporation, where they handle a lot of expense reports and have it down to a science. (Among other things, they don't even want to see any receipt for less than $75. If I submit it and my boss approves it, that's good enough for them. If I lied, they can always come back and fire me later...) Mind you, every company has its own rules. In most cases, companies are cool with minor expenses without receipts. (After all, if an employee wants lunch to be a $3 hot dog on the street, they don't want the employee to say "Nah, better get a $15 sit-down meal I can pay with a credit card, it'll be easier to expense.")

Anyway, tips are a standard thing. If the tip is associated with an item, it goes down on that item--e.g. if I order a meal in a restaurant, I put down one line for the whole meal, I don't put the tip on a separate line. Similarly with cabs and such. If it's a standalone tip (like for the bellhop), I put each tip on its own line, though it probably depends on just how you submit your expenses. (e.g. Depending on the tool, you might be able to put down one line per day for "misc. tips", and add supporting info to that line saying just what the tips are.)

Regardless of where you work, you're dealing with people who handle a lot of expense reports, and they know what looks normal. Trust me, they won't bat an eye to see random tip dollars scattered through your trip. It's all legit. Just keep track of which dollars you spent where.

(As for running out of small bills--if you're anywhere near the front desk, just say "Hold on a second while I break a twenty", and trust me, they'll be fine with that. ;-) But I did learn to keep a few small bills handy just in case.)