Tip amount when buying bottles?

In a way younger life I ran a bar, loved my job, met all kinds of people, and never sneered at the "no-tippers". I made great money because I liked what I did and people knew it. I never expected anything.

 

At a bottle shop buying bottles to take home to drink? Why would you tip for that?

 

If I'm at a place where the servers are acting as conventional waiters/bartenders as well as selling stuff to go then I don't generally tip for bottles or swag beyond perhaps rounding up a bit if I've also ordered pints/food.

When I'm at a brewery where the servers are only handing out bottles/swag though, I've taken to just checking the 5% tip box on the ubiquitous checkout IPAD. It's a small enough number that it's no skin off my back and a big enough number that I assume it adds up nicely for the server (given how many more transactions per hour they can manage compared to a conventional waiter or bartender).

 

I think my being viewed as a good tipper has waaaayyyy more to do with narcissism and not an outward projection of the need to be liked. "That guy is dark, arrogant, and may very well be Satan, buy hey - he's a helluva tipper, so..."

In all seriousness, I've tended bar quite a bit and only sneered at bad / non-tippers that were dicks to boot. I valued conversation and the impartation of wisdom from sage, older drinkers just as much as a tip sometimes.

 

Retail bottle shop, no tip. Bar service, tip.

At breweries, I tip for service - growler fills, flights, samples, whatever, or the single instance (Jack's Abby) where someone's helped me schlepp cases out to the car.

Hill Farmstead doesn't accept tips anymore but they have a jar into which, if you're determined to show appreciation, you can toss some cash for various local causes, which is very cool.

Tree House, on the other hand, pisses me off with their shameless tip-whoring.

 

Do you tip the person at the counter when you order takeout and go pick it up yourself and take it home?

 

For off-premise consumption, no, definitely not. Why would I? I work in a liquor store and no one ever tips me, and I do the exact same thing. I don't expect a tip, either. I'm just doing my job, which I am already compensated for.

For on-premise, probably, but no more than my typical $1-2 per drink that I give for draft or growlers (dependent on service). Maybe I'm undertipping (I normally tip 20% for average quality foodservice, so I'm definitely not typically a poor tipper), but I just do not think that someone opening and pouring a bottle (something I would gladly do myself) is worth more than $1-2. For example, if I buy a bottle of Cable Car for on-site for $80 (hypothetically), I'm not tipping even 10% on that bottle. That would be $8 for opening and pouring a bottle, which, to me, is insanity.

I've worked in the service industry all my life, and I would never expect such a tip no matter how friendly I was to a customer for that service rendered. I'm a firm believer that America is far too tip-happy. Foodservice, sure, I get that since they don't make much of an hourly wage usually, same goes for bartenders (where my $1-2 per drink is more than 20% usually), but baristas? Off-premise bottles? Take-out food? Where does it end? For me, that's the line.

 

I don't tip on bottles, since it I basically just ask for them after eating and all they do is bring them when they bring the check. Practically no extra effort on their part.

 

If I'm at a brewery I usually tip a few bucks. I don't tip anything crazy like the 20% some have said unless I'm actually getting service but do feel like they deserve something for their time.

 

For bottles never, for pours ay a brewery it depends on who is serving you. If it's one of the owners no, if it's hired help yes.

 

I look at it this way. If I'm asking for a bottle or two, then I'm probably not going to tip. But if I ask for 10-12 bottles and the employee has to take 5-7 minutes grabbing a box and packing them up, I'm probably going to toss them a couple bucks for two reasons:

• I appreciate their effort and service.
• While they're doing that for me, they could have potentially poured a pint or two for someone else and gotten a buck or two from those pours.

I tended bar for a couple years and anyone who has worked in the service industry will tell you that good tippers are always remembered.

 

I wouldn't even consider tipping for bottles to go. If the employer is going to have a bar tender deal with bottles sales, then it's on the employer to compensate the bar tender for the additional service, same goes for growler fills.

 

At a bar/brewpub, I would tip the same for a bottle or a draft, if consuming there, especially if I'm sitting AT the bar. If I'm at a table, and have to go up to the bar for a bottle, it would sort of depend on my mood and whether or not they acknowledged my existence or not. If they do, then I'd tip at least a buck for a bottle, maybe more. If someone in that type of instance is literally just sliding a beer over the counter and doesn't say a word to me...probably not.

 

First of all, that's not really how it works in the real world. Second, you've got no problem tipping when a bartender walks a few feet and brings you back a pint, but not if they walk a few feet and grab some bottles out of the cooler for you? Think about it my friend.

 

Lol it actually is "more" work getting bottles to go then pouring a pint at my brewery. But I honestly don't care as long as they like the beer. That's all that matters.

 

Oh boy, thank you! I hauled a few out by their necks when dickishness overcame them, but in general people were great, and I was naive and young enough to learn how not to be.... tips do not happen by accident! I have great friendships and memories to this day from those years pouring Blatz, selling Gablinger, and living in a remarkable area. Good bartenders ought to be conferred a semblance of a degree, or at least know well a balance about temperaments that does them well the rest of the way. Cheers to you friend!

 

I tip for growler fills, samples and pints - because I asked someone to do something for me and they had to go and do it (pour the beer, wipe the growler etc). When buying bottles I don't. Pro tip - a lot of the breweries near me do the iPad thing and after you hit No Tip, hit the "New Sale" button (top left corner in the app most seem to use - Square I think?). That way, you're not handing back the iPad that says "$50 + No Tip". And it saves them a tap later.

 

I am a good tipper. But I don't tip people for simple checkouts. I tip for service and with the understanding that the server is on a server pay grade. Now, if I bought $100 in beer and they helped me carry them out? That's different.

 

What you are asking them to do is his or her's job.

 

Short answer first - I don't tip on bottles, but I tip well on any tab and even better if it's a place I go regularly.

I actually gave a friend of mine some grief over this recently:
Great, longtime friend, staying in town as a house guest.
They're running to a taproom, I say "grab me ____" and give him my CC because I had no cash and obviously trust the dude.
He comes back and tipped $1 per item on some bottles and a couple glasses. I asked if he got free beer or something at the bar (no) or had beer there (no) and why he'd tip on bottles since they reach into a box at the register, ring you up. Done.

It was about $10 total so not like it's something that would end a friendship or anything. But his wife agreed - "would you tip if you bought these at any other store?" because that was essentially what he did.

If I'm at a bar and buy bottles in addition to pints/flights etc. I tip well (usually like 25%) on the part of the bill I consumed there, especially if anything was free, and just sort of think of grabbing bottles as included the overall nice tip on the stuff I consumed there and they poured for me.

If I'm at a bottle shop to buy beer, I tip on pints poured while I'm there (and on growler/crowler fills) but not on the full bill including bottles.