Tipping your SCA

How much do you tip your sleeper car attendant and why?

I tip 10-15 bucks if I get my bed turned down, conversation, minimal housekeeping and refills on bottled water. Most attendants encountered are always cool and friendly. I stiffed one guy who only said one phrase to me and that was good bye. I little late for kindness. Never saw him the whole Cap Limited trip.

For an attendant who does their job, such as asking when to put the beds up and down and then doing it, ensures the bathrooms remain in decent shape, keeps ice and drinks available, I tip $10 a night. Will tip more for attentive service, but if the attendant doesn't make up the room, or will only do it at his convenience, doesn't keep the car up and/or is consistently unavailable, I'll tip nothing.

Here we go again If you tip, tip at the end not at the start of the trip.

I recently tipped $15 on the CONO because the service was excellent. I also use the $2/$3/$4 rule in the dining car.

Tip at the start: Bribe

Tip at the end: Gratuity

I tip 15-20% in the dining car, depending on the service. I treat it like any other restaurant.

For SCAs, I tip $10/night for average service and $20/night for really good service.

Sorcha said:

For SCAs, I tip $10/night for average service

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Average service - that means just doing their job. Amtrak pays them well to do their job, not like a waiter who gets less than the minimum wage because he is expected to earn tips. Amtrak personel are well paid - they work under terrible conditions for very odd hours, but they understood that when they signed on. Why tip someone for just doing the job that they agreed to do when then started?

I plan on $10 a night. If the service is great if can easily go up to $20. But it can go down to $5 or $0 too.

Alot is based on personality. If they are friendly, look and act professional, and provide basic service, that's enough for $10. Asking me precise time about beds, always being around, keeping coffee and ice available, and over the top professional and friendly service.. that gets $20.

I tip less based on the same standards. Honestly if you treat me good and are professional, it's hard for me not give a $10 even if the service is lazy.. but if you act cold or uninterested in your job.. even if you do the job "according to the book" ... a $5 is all I'm giving.

I am in the $10/$5/$0 category.

Once on the Starlight and once on Builder I had excellent sleeping car attendants who went above and beyond their going-by-the-book tasks.. one time one made us cocktails from the sleeping car champagne and juice, chatted with us when we approached them, told interesting trivia about the route, in general, kept the trip mood very happy. They got $10 per roomette per night.

Another time, there was this almost-robot SCA who did exactly what their duty manual says, not a thing more nor conversation, he got $5

One time had this completely bored SCA who did not make bed at night until I had to go find him hanging out in the Dining Car with other staff, did not keep ice or juice refilled, never talked. He got $0.

I bribe my PORTER $20 and always get good service :hi: :giggle:

I think one reason there's new threads about tipping is that the search function requires at least 4 letters, as I recall. I know when I first found this site I could not search for "tip".

RRrich said:

Sorcha said:

For SCAs, I tip $10/night for average service

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Average service - that means just doing their job. Amtrak pays them well to do their job, not like a waiter who gets less than the minimum wage because he is expected to earn tips. Amtrak personel are well paid - they work under terrible conditions for very odd hours, but they understood that when they signed on. Why tip someone for just doing the job that they agreed to do when then started?

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I tip for service. If they do their job properly, I tip them. If they do it well, I tip them more. If they do it poorly, I don't tip at all.

I imagine some people do not tip the SCA because they aren't aware it's common, so my tip makes up for them not tipping. I used to get $5 tips when I delivered pizzas, and it was great because it made up for the jerk who didn't tip me anything after carrying four pizzas and two bottles of soda up their icy porch steps in the dark.

Anyway, that's my process, and I was simply sharing. I wasn't saying anyone else had to do that. That's what I do.

Just like anywhere else, the tips from me will depend on ability, service, and attitude. Never had any "set" amount. My g/f will usually add a few bucks to whatever I tip, if she is happy with the service......

Zepherdude, was the SCA a Hispanic gentleman by the name of Carlos??

No this was a nose in the air young dude with no name. He never showed up to my bunk and never greeted me at all. I never stiff service folks but I sure did this time.

zepherdude said:

No this was a nose in the air young dude with no name. He never showed up to my bunk and never greeted me at all. I never stiff service folks but I sure did this time.

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You didn't stiff a service person, you rightly stiffed a non-service person.

RRrich said:

Average service - that means just doing their job. Amtrak pays them well to do their job, not like a waiter who gets less than the minimum wage because he is expected to earn tips. Amtrak personel are well paid - they work under terrible conditions for very odd hours, but they understood that when they signed on. Why tip someone for just doing the job that they agreed to do when then started?

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I have to agree. The SCA's are basically well paid. I have tipped, but only when I get extraordinary personal attention or service. That happens, probably, with only about 20% of my sleeper trips.

Sorry folks, if all the SCA does for me was to provide me with a clean room at the start, and to wave "good bye" to me at the end, that is him (her) simply doing their basic job.

I have to ask, do you all well tip the ClubAcela attendant because there are chairs to sit in?

Perhaps my definition of "average" doesn't match everyone else's. I didn't mean they simply clean the room and wave goodbye. I meant that they are personable and friendly. They don't go over the top, but they are attentive and provide good service. This is what every SCA should do, so I tip $10 instead of $20 (which is what I tip for over the top).

If someone simply makes the beds and waves goodbye, that isn't $10 tip service. That's doing the very basics of their job and not making extra effort to make me feel welcome.

Regardless of what they get paid, that is what I tip because that's what I feel like tipping. I don't understand why this offends people so much. And as I said, my slightly higher than average tip makes up for people who don't tip at all, even if the SCA provides amazing service. It's my money, and I'll do what I want with it. Why do people care so much?

Bellhops and valet drivers also get paid a living wage, but I still tip them. I also tip my hairstylist, even though she probably makes as much as I do. In my little world, service positions get tipped, and if that makes me an idiot, I really don't care. At least I made THEIR day happier, and I DO care about that.

Plus, we usually travel around Thanksgiving or Christmas, so if it makes you feel better about the money I take out of MY pocket (not yours), consider it my little holiday bonus to the people stuck working away from their families. But again - why is this such a big deal? You tip what you want, and I'll tip what I want, and the world will keep turning.

Well said Sorcha!

So now that I think about it, why should I tip a well paid person who gets paid to provide nominal turn down service to me in a space I have paid maybe 500 bucks for. These are not service persons being paid .95 cents an hour and do all types of side work and works for tips. These are not the Porters from the Pullman days that had to kiss serious booty to keep their jobs. These folks have better insurance than me and get paid a fair wage. Whats the deal anyways?

I bring this up for discussion and review, this is a valid point.

Also valid points, but OBS Crews arent getting Rich, these kind of "Blue Collar" Jobs are what allowed so many Americans to get out of Poverty and have Good Careers! Suddenly it's the American Way to Not provide Livable Wages and Good Health Insurance and Pensions to workers? I don't get that Attitude at all when the "Executives" are making Millions and Corporate profits and the Stock Market are Booming! The Race to the Bottom to be "Competetive" on the Backs of American Workers isnt the answer! As the old Bob Dylan song went; "When you Gonna Wake-Up?" YMMV

There will be two of us in my bedroom while traveling. The SCA will bring the food and what not to us as well as we have that in the paperwork or whatever you call it exactly. I was thinking something like $20 a night being there's two of us? Is that too much? Too little? I don't like shortchanging people who bust their butt. My grandfather was a bar tender and my other a farmer, so I know how hard people work for money.

If they're making my life easier, whether it's their job or not, I want to compensate them.

Cooley, tip the amount you feel is appropriate. Ask 100 different people, and you'll get 100 different answers. Tip what you want, and don't let anyone dictate for you what you should or shouldn't tip.

JayPea said:

Cooley, tip the amount you feel is appropriate. Ask 100 different people, and you'll get 100 different answers. Tip what you want, and don't let anyone dictate for you what you should or shouldn't tip.

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Thank you very much!!!

It's all relative!