How many customers tip????

Reflctn Perfctn

Reflctn Perfctn

Reflection Perfection
I was just wondering about home many customers tip you guys ranging from a 125+ detail to a basic 29.99 wash and vac?????
 
I sometimes get a 5 dolar tip on my basic 20.00 wash and vac. Same with my 40.00 wash and wax. On a 150.00 detail i've got 20.00 before but most times they will thro me 5 or 10.

One time though i was handed a 50.00 bill for a wash and vac on a big body bmw. I tried giving the guy change but he refused. To bad everyone can't be like that.
 
I havent really had any great tips. I get them every once and a while. I do amazing work and coudl really charge a ton more on my prices but yet people still dont grasp the idea of giving a tip. I have gotten $10 tips on my top package before and once got a $25 dollar tip for an interior job. Thats about it.

Greg
 
People in my area dont like to tip for anything. They figure that since they are paying you to do their car for your price they shouldnt have to tip but sometimes (rarely) you do get some.
 
I also forgot to add my pet peave with tips. Sometimes I will do my neighbors cars and I used to give them deals. When i would give them the deal they would never ever tip me. So I dont give them any cuts or deals anymore.

Greg
 
The lost art of tipping... I'd say around 25% of the folks I detail for tip. Tips as low as $5 and up to $20. The 20 spot was on a premium detail I did and charged $170. That boggled my mind.

I tip of course food servers (15-20% or more depending on service), hair stylist/ barber (I try to tip about 50% cost of cut), restroom attendants (I'm very seldom at a place that requires that), and the carryout dudes from HD, Lowes or what not. Most people don't know who to tip. I'm sure there are more service folks not on my short list that should get a tip.

My wife never tipped her hair stylist until I mentioned she should be tipped.
 
I have found this system helps me get more tips. I own/operate the detailing business. It is just me, one person blah blah blah. However I go by a nickname, and on the business end of things I use my legal name. Typically people will think that my legal name and my nickname are 2 seperate people, I don't necassarilly tell them this, but I don't prevent them from thinking it either. I tend to let them think that I am an employee of a detailing company and that the money they are giving to me for the detail is in fact going to go on to the business cash register and that I only make an hourly wage. You wouldn't beleive how much more often people tip you when they think that you are just a grunt making a small hourly wage and doing hard work. Of course sometimes people ask me if I am the same guy they talked to on the phone, and then of course I answer honestly and very rarely get tipped on those jobs.
 
The most I was tipped was $50.00 for a full detail (2001 Corvette) Regular client. Otherwise mostly no tips for me. Come to think of it, not too long ago I got $65.00 tip from someone too. I do charge a little more then other here though.
 
LastDetail said:
I have found this system helps me get more tips. I own/operate the detailing business. It is just me, one person blah blah blah. However I go by a nickname, and on the business end of things I use my legal name. Typically people will think that my legal name and my nickname are 2 seperate people, I don't necassarilly tell them this, but I don't prevent them from thinking it either. I tend to let them think that I am an employee of a detailing company and that the money they are giving to me for the detail is in fact going to go on to the business cash register and that I only make an hourly wage. You wouldn't beleive how much more often people tip you when they think that you are just a grunt making a small hourly wage and doing hard work. Of course sometimes people ask me if I am the same guy they talked to on the phone, and then of course I answer honestly and very rarely get tipped on those jobs.
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I was one of those grunts for a mobile business for a while, and let me tell you: I got much better tips than what I've been reading here. I guess I didn't ever make an effort to stress the fact, but it always came up in discussions with clients that I was just a wage slave working for the man. $20 for a 150-200 detail was pretty common (about 1/3 of customers perhaps), with many giving about 10 for our $50 wash package. One guy I charged $180 for a trashed Passat and he tipped me and my helper (who I was training) $30 each. Airplane owners sometimes tip extremely well too. But my favorite tip ever: I did the business truck (F-150) of a small wine cellar and got three bottles as my tip--worth about $65 retail.
 
I would say about 25% will tip , usually 5 to 20 bucks . The funny thing that I've noticed is you tell them the price before you do the work and when you're done they ask " how much do I owe you ? " and you tell them 150 . the same price you quoted them .

Why do they do this ? should I add my tip or what ?
 
see when i detail boats. id rather they save their money on tips and just not be there. I cant stand it when theres a lot of people around especially the boat owners. they always pump you for info about how your doing things or just keep talking to you like your not at work. so if there not there its hard for them to give tips. which is just the way we like it. haha. seems mean but its hard to do work with people talking to you the whole time because you have to put everything down that your working on.
 
Hawaiianelement said:
I would say about 25% will tip , usually 5 to 20 bucks . The funny thing that I've noticed is you tell them the price before you do the work and when you're done they ask " how much do I owe you ? " and you tell them 150 . the same price you quoted them .

Why do they do this ? should I add my tip or what ?
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No. :nono Because if you quote a different price than you did before the job, someone will call you on it.

Charles
 
Hawaiianelement said:
Why do they do this ? should I add my tip or what ?
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Some will ask you again, because they are hoping you forgot what you quoted the first time around (they think you're just making it up as you go). So, they hope to get a better price by asking again. If you quote a lower price, they will take it without hesitation. If you go higher, they will call you on it. Buyer psychology. Go figure. :rolleyes:

Of course, some just didn't listen to you the first time. Just be consistent.
 
Most of the marine customers dont tip since they are working through a middle man. Our private side customers almost always give some form of a tip 10-20 is typicall, but occasionally it can be a $50, and once i got $200... I was shocked!! I went back the next week and re-washed all 3 of his vehicles, and gave them a quick spray wax as a courtesy!
 
The Pit said:
Some will ask you again, because they are hoping you forgot what you quoted the first time around (they think you're just making it up as you go). So, they hope to get a better price by asking again. If you quote a lower price, they will take it without hesitation. If you go higher, they will call you on it. Buyer psychology. Go figure. :rolleyes:

Of course, some just didn't listen to you the first time. Just be consistent.
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Thanks guys you're right . consistent and solid pricing is the way to keep it . friends , relatives and all. because they talk to each other and might leave or ADD something thats incorrect..
 
I make $150 minimal to $200 per day in tips.

BMW20.JPG
 
SA DETAILER....share some of your knowledgs on owning a succesful Mobil Detailing business :) It seems like you really no your stuff.
 
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