Sleeper Car Attendent Tips

[Alice]

Unfortunately, during my nine day (5 train) trip, I saw many who stiffed their servers completley. I guess they think a free meal (part of the ticket) included everything. This is a disgrace. On the flip side, I did see some, though not many, who did tip 15% or more. Most tipped like me, $2 per person per meal for lunch and dinner.

I've also noticed this. It is particularly striking on less busy trains when coach and sleeper passengers eat together, and some coach passengers, obviously financially challenged, work out on paper how much to tip and count it out to the penny.

I sometimes tip a little early if I suspect my table-sharers are non-tippers. Often they'll then ask about it.

 

[Latisha]

Tipping isn't required or even suggested by Amtrak so I don't do it. Crusie ships suggest it, so I do. If the company doesn't say it's proper I figure they know best. I do always say thank you, for good service no matter what.

 

[PRR 60]

Tipping isn't required or even suggested by Amtrak so I don't do it. Crusie ships suggest it, so I do. If the company doesn't say it's proper I figure they know best. I do always say thank you, for good service no matter what.

Very interesting point. As far as I can see, Amtrak does not indicate that tips are expected for on board service people. Regular riders know that, but how would someone riding Amtrak for the first time know that tips are expected? If their prior experience is with airlines and flight attendants (who cannot accept tips), they likely would have no clue about tipping service people on Amtrak.

 

[AlanB]

Tipping isn't required or even suggested by Amtrak so I don't do it. Crusie ships suggest it, so I do. If the company doesn't say it's proper I figure they know best. I do always say thank you, for good service no matter what.

So does that mean that you don't tip in restaurants either? They don't suggest it or require it either, unless maybe you're with a party of 8 or more. Most hotels don’t suggest that you tip the bellman or the concierge, yet people do. What about cab drivers? Their companies don't suggest it or require it. And then there are the pizza delivery people or other food deliveries, their companies don't suggest it either, yet most people do tip the delivery person. I've also never seen the US Postal service suggest or require tipping, yet many people give their postman a Christmas bonus, which is still a form of a tip for good service.

Cruise ships suggest it because they know that by doing so they can underpay their employees. They'll tell you that it's to motivate them, and yes that's part of it. But that's not the real reason that they promote the idea. Just like your hotel telling you that by putting your towel back on the rack is the green thing to do. Sure it is a green thing, but their real motivation is saving money. They have to buy less soap, they need less hot water and water in general, and they need less people working in the laundry room. Every time you don't drop that towel on the floor, you're saving that hotel money.

With respect, just because the company didn't tell you to do it or suggest it, doesn't mean that it's right or wrong.

 

[Tony]

Unfortunately, during my nine day (5 train) trip, I saw many who stiffed their servers completley. I guess they think a free meal (part of the ticket) included everything. This is a disgrace.

Maybe Sleeper passengers should still get a "bill", that they sign but do not pay? At least this way, they have a grand total value of their meal(s) right in their face, and therefore, have a gauge as to how much of a tip should be left.

I have noticed lately, that a lot of restaurant coupons state right on them, that the customer should tip on the full value of their meal(s), and not on the after-coupon amount. Just because the restaurant is offering a free meal (one per table?), doesn't mean the waitstaff isn't working just as hard for that one meal/person.

I too have seen people get up in the diner car and leave (including those sharing a table with us), without leaving a tip. I don't think they are "cheap" but simply unaware that a tip would be expected.

 

[jmbgeg]

Tipping isn't required or even suggested by Amtrak so I don't do it. Crusie ships suggest it, so I do. If the company doesn't say it's proper I figure they know best. I do always say thank you, for good service no matter what.

So does that mean that you don't tip in restaurants either? They don't suggest it or require it either, unless maybe you're with a party of 8 or more. Most hotels don’t suggest that you tip the bellman or the concierge, yet people do. What about cab drivers? Their companies don't suggest it or require it. And then there are the pizza delivery people or other food deliveries, their companies don't suggest it either, yet most people do tip the delivery person. I've also never seen the US Postal service suggest or require tipping, yet many people give their postman a Christmas bonus, which is still a form of a tip for good service.

Cruise ships suggest it because they know that by doing so they can underpay their employees. They'll tell you that it's to motivate them, and yes that's part of it. But that's not the real reason that they promote the idea. Just like your hotel telling you that by putting your towel back on the rack is the green thing to do. Sure it is a green thing, but their real motivation is saving money. They have to buy less soap, they need less hot water and water in general, and they need less people working in the laundry room. Every time you don't drop that towel on the floor, you're saving that hotel money.

With respect, just because the company didn't tell you to do it or suggest it, doesn't mean that it's right or wrong.

This thread has evolved from my original question about sleeping car attendent tips (answered well) to a major discussion of dining car attendent tips. There, I tend to tip $2 minimum and in general, 10-15% of the menu price for the ordered items; depending on service quality. If service has not only been poor, but accompanied by a bad attitude, I tip no more than $2 and sometimes zero. Although it does not make it right, one thing to think about in the service industry that the you are sometimes affected by the events leading up to their contact with you. They are only human and if a prior customer(s) has been in their face, it is sometimes hard to get back on track and smile for the subsequent customers. Think of gate agents at airports (who don't get tips ever) who have to deal with customers after a flight delay or cancellation. Sometimes they are treated very unreasonably by customers. Certainly there can be bad service provided by incompetent employees, but others times as a customer you are just at the wrong place at the wrong time, and I try to have empathy for that.

 

[Rail Freak]

On my x-country trip ( my only sleeper train trip), I, traveling alone, tipped between $5 & $10 per night because that was suggested on one discussion on this forum. I'm now wondering why a tip was expected for the service I received. The attendant turns your bed down & puts it up, has coffee in the morning, opens & closes the door at stops & sometimes has a news paper. If every sleeper tips like I did, the attendant makes a pretty good buck when adding & $20.00 an hr. pay. I'm not complaining but, from the attendants I had, I'd have to say they were over paid and over tipped. There were 2 attendants out of 7 that were deserving,IMO!

 

[Greg]

I had a troubling experience on the Silver Service one trip. I was in the smoking car (when there was a smoking car) and I overheard a coach passenger tell someone that she took all the tip money off the table after everyone left the meal. She stated that she was broke and need the money more than the wait staff in the dining car needed it. From a humanistic standpoint, I've been troubled by that experience since, but I also now hand the tip to the serving staff directly rather than leave it on the table.

 

[RRrich]

I had a troubling experience on the Silver Service one trip. I was in the smoking car (when there was a smoking car) and I overheard a coach passenger tell someone that she took all the tip money off the table after everyone left the meal. She stated that she was broke and need the money more than the wait staff in the dining car needed it. From a humanistic standpoint, I've been troubled by that experience since, but I also now hand the tip to the serving staff directly rather than leave it on the table.

Sounds like simple theft to me. I have trouble with the whole idea of tips, but that is irrelevant - taking the money off the table is STEALING!!

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

The difference on $22 steak between tipping your server 10% ($2.20) or 15% ($3.30) is basically a buck. Don't be a cheapskate.

On a nine day trip (20+ meals times two people), it's much more than a buck.

On my LSL last May, tipping the sleeper attendants $5/night and tipping the servers in the pretend dining car based on the menu prices and what I would tip in a non-moving restaurant ended up with the total tips for the trip being somewhere around 2-3% of the cost of the railfare and accomodation charges. 2-3% hardly struck me as a large amount of money that would be worth worrying about. If Massachusetts found a way to collect their 5% sales tax on the trip, I'm sure that wouldn't have prevented me from taking the trip...

 

[AAARGH!]

The difference on $22 steak between tipping your server 10% ($2.20) or 15% ($3.30) is basically a buck. Don't be a cheapskate.

On a nine day trip (20+ meals times two people), it's much more than a buck.

On my LSL last May, tipping the sleeper attendants $5/night and tipping the servers in the pretend dining car based on the menu prices and what I would tip in a non-moving restaurant ended up with the total tips for the trip being somewhere around 2-3% of the cost of the railfare and accomodation charges. 2-3% hardly struck me as a large amount of money that would be worth worrying about. If Massachusetts found a way to collect their 5% sales tax on the trip, I'm sure that wouldn't have prevented me from taking the trip...

True enough. If I had tipped the full 15%, that would have been roughly 4% of the fare/room. As it was, I tipped about 2.5%. Again, I am NOT opposed to tipping the appropriate amount. What I beleived to be appropriate may have been in error I now realize. It was ignorance, not being a cheapskate.

 

[Hamhock]

True enough. If I had tipped the full 15%, that would have been roughly 4% of the fare/room. As it was, I tipped about 2.5%. Again, I am NOT opposed to tipping the appropriate amount. What I beleived to be appropriate may have been in error I now realize. It was ignorance, not being a cheapskate.

My use of "don't be a cheapskate" was meant to be a general admonishment, not a specific one to you. I'm not interested in singling out anyone for condemnation. I can see from my use of the aforementioned $22 steak that it could come across so, but I was just using it as a handy example. My apologies if it seemed like I was directly dissing.

 

[AAARGH!]

True enough. If I had tipped the full 15%, that would have been roughly 4% of the fare/room. As it was, I tipped about 2.5%. Again, I am NOT opposed to tipping the appropriate amount. What I beleived to be appropriate may have been in error I now realize. It was ignorance, not being a cheapskate.

My use of "don't be a cheapskate" was meant to be a general admonishment, not a specific one to you. I'm not interested in singling out anyone for condemnation. I can see from my use of the aforementioned $22 steak that it could come across so, but I was just using it as a handy example. My apologies if it seemed like I was directly dissing.

I didn't take it a such, though now that I re-read the thread, I see how it appears as if I do. I do sound a bit defensive. :unsure:

No worries.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Tipping isn't required or even suggested by Amtrak so I don't do it. Crusie ships suggest it, so I do. If the company doesn't say it's proper I figure they know best. I do always say thank you, for good service no matter what.

Look, why don't you not take the train, since you apparently don't care to do the clearly appropriate thing. The rationalizations people use to save themselves a buck in tipping are fascinating sociologically, but otherwise just irritating.

I mean, dude. I've made maybe $4000 this year, and I've probably spent $2500 of it on rail trips. And I tip. I am so cash strapped it hurts, and I tip people. Either I can afford to tip the wait people, or I can't afford to eat in the diner. I can afford to tip my sleeping car attendant, or I have no business riding in a sleeping car.

I eat out at restaurants, too. The price of the meal I figure before going in includes my estimate of the tip. It should be the same on Amtrak. If they lose themselves a tip, and some do, thats a boost to your bottom line. Better to overestimate cost anyways.

 

[Latisha]

Look, why don't you not take the train, since you apparently don't care to do the clearly appropriate thing.

Look, why don't you just not tell me what to do? It's not against the law not to tip.

I would never tip a City Council Member or even a Meter Maid. It's not an appropriate thing to do.

I simply don't believe in tipping government employees. That's just my opinion. I'm allowed to have one of those.

Thank you

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Amtrak employees are not government employees. They are Amtrak employees, a private corporation that happens to be largely (although not entirely) owned by the U.S. Government.

I will be happy to continue sharing my opinions with you on this forum, considering a forum is a free exchange of opinions.

 

[AAARGH!]

Look, why don't you just not tell me what to do? It's not against the law not to tip.
I would never tip a City Council Member or even a Meter Maid. It's not an appropriate thing to do.

I simply don't believe in tipping government employees. That's just my opinion. I'm allowed to have one of those.

Thank you

Why does being a government employee have anything to do with it? They are servers at a restaurant. I don't tip my council member becuse the custom is not to do so. It's the job, not the employer.

I find your rationalization (and this is what is is) to be perplexing at best.

You are entitled to your opinion. But you will find that it is in the vast minority.

Also, I don't believe Amtrak employees are government employees. Amtrak is subsidised by the governement, but I believe it is not an agency. I may be wrong, so somebody correct me if i am.

 

[AlanB]

Also, I don't believe Amtrak employees are government employees. Amtrak is subsidised by the governement, but I believe it is not an agency. I may be wrong, so somebody correct me if i am.

You are correct, Amtrak employees are not government employees. They won't get a government pension when they retire, and they don't get a paycheck from the US treasury, which would be the ultimate definitions of a government employee IMHO.

And only about 1/3 of Amtrak's total budget comes from the Federal Government. The rest is raised through fares charged for travel, payments from states for services, real estate, and a few other sources.

 

[Hamhock]

I simply don't believe in tipping government employees. That's just my opinion. I'm allowed to have one of those.

You're allowed to have an opinion, and others are allowed to find it asinine. A discussion forum is a conduit for exchange, not edict.

 

[Latisha]

All of Amtrak's preferred stock is owned by the U.S. federal government. The members of its board of directors are appointed by the President of the United States and are subject to confirmation by the United States Senate.

Close enough for government work.

 

[Rail Freak]

All of Amtrak's preferred stock is owned by the U.S. federal government. The members of its board of directors are appointed by the President of the United States and are subject to confirmation by the United States Senate.
Close enough for government work.

& close enough for attendents tips

 

[AlanB]

All of Amtrak's preferred stock is owned by the U.S. federal government. The members of its board of directors are appointed by the President of the United States and are subject to confirmation by the United States Senate.
Close enough for government work.

Sorry I must respectfully disagree. As I mentioned above, if Amtrak workers were getting Government pay checks and government pensions, then I'd be inclined to agree. But Amtrak workers don't get those things. Who owns the stock has nothing to do with wether or not the worker's are government workers or not.

 

[Latisha]

All of Amtrak's preferred stock is owned by the U.S. federal government. The members of its board of directors are appointed by the President of the United States and are subject to confirmation by the United States Senate.
Close enough for government work.

& close enough for attendents tips

Hey, spelling counts and I still don't have to tip if i choose not to. Thank you.

 

[JayPea]

I figure that if I'm paying a decent amount for the privilege using a sleeper car, what's a few more dollars for a tip? I usually tip $3/meal in the diner and $5/night for sleeping car attendants. The last long distance trip I took, last fall on the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago, the sleeping car attendant really didn't do much besides sit in his room and read the newspaper. No ice and we (my uncle and I traveled together) did the beds ourselves. However, he was such a nice and pleasant man that I gave him 10 bucks anyway. I guess I was feeling charitable. :lol:

 

[AlanB]

All of Amtrak's preferred stock is owned by the U.S. federal government. The members of its board of directors are appointed by the President of the United States and are subject to confirmation by the United States Senate.
Close enough for government work.

& close enough for attendents tips

Hey, spelling counts and I still don't have to tip if i choose not to. Thank you.

That is correct, you don't have to tip if you don't want to, although you may not get good service because of it.

But please don't fool yourself into thinking that it's ok not to tip because they're government employees. They are not! And therefore it's not a valid reason not to tip.