Do I tip the owners?

June 3, 2022 5:24 PM

I’m having my parents’ house deep cleaned tomorrow in preparation for putting it on the market. The two owners of the cleaning company are the ones who will be doing the cleaning. Since they’re the owners, do I tip them? If so, how much?
posted by bookmammal to Work & Money (17 answers total)

I personally would not tip them simply because they are the owners. But if they showed up driving a rusty car or something then I could feel like tipping them $50 or $100. We all know cleaning is hard work.
posted by little eiffel at 5:51 PM on June 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

I tip the owners. They aren’t doing less work. Especially for a deep clean! $10/hour is my tip rate.
posted by Bottlecap at 5:55 PM on June 3, 2022 [13 favorites]

Assuming they've given you a quote for the job, I wouldn't - unless something ends up being more complex or time-consuming than either you or they expected.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:58 PM on June 3, 2022 [2 favorites]

I would tip them the same as anyone else who was doing the same work.
posted by Glinn at 6:18 PM on June 3, 2022 [8 favorites]

I have never considered company ownership as a factor related to tipping. I would tip them based on the quality of their work and/whatever other tipping standards you typically follow.
posted by fies at 6:54 PM on June 3, 2022 [4 favorites]

I can understand why the question comes up, but I wouldn't get hung up on it. Tip the way you would anyone else who did the job. If they feel it is beneath them to accept a little extra cash then they're free to speak up.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:08 PM on June 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

Tips go to the people doing the work. Presumably the quote would be a bit higher if they had overhead for workers doing the job, who would be tipped, so.
posted by rhizome at 9:17 PM on June 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

I understand your question - when I worked for a cleaning company, half the hourly rate went to the owners, the other half to the cleaners. So essentially, now the owners are getting 100% - but, only because they are doing the work of cleaning. They likely need the tip less than your regular low-income cleaner, but I'd still tip them - though a bit less than whatever your normal amount is fine.
posted by coffeecat at 10:37 PM on June 3, 2022 [3 favorites]

Never understood this whole line of reasoning myself.

If the owner serves you themselves at a restaurant, would you not leave a tip?

Leave a tip.
posted by doomsey at 11:02 PM on June 3, 2022 [5 favorites]

It used to be the norm that you didn’t tip business owners, but from what I can tell, that’s changed, and now you tip them like you would anyone else.
posted by MexicanYenta at 1:40 AM on June 4, 2022

No. The owner sets the price and gets the full amount you pay. An employee gets only a portion of the price and deserves a tip for doing a good job.
posted by Dolley at 4:23 AM on June 4, 2022 [5 favorites]

I would tip them the same as if they weren't owners.

Assumptions about ownership could be wrong, and assumptions about their wealth and earnings are even more likely to be wrong. It's not a thing I want to try to determine.

Owners profit off the labor of their employees doing the work, but here they are doing the work themselves. Their rates might be lower because they don't have as much overhead, although that's not necessarily true.

Ultimately, they're doing exactly the same work. I would just tip the same and move on.
posted by J. Wilson at 5:35 AM on June 4, 2022

No. The owners set the price. They’ve built in their profit already. Their “living wage” has already been accounted for.

This isn’t about underpaying. Whatever reason you’d tip them for is built into the price they’re charging you.
posted by vivzan at 7:05 AM on June 4, 2022 [2 favorites]

I would tip, but mostly just wanted to note that I would advise against the recommendation to make your decision based on their car or whatever else you observe. People shouldn’t have to perform poverty for you to earn a tip. And for that matter someone who is hard up might prioritize a well cared for car since their livelihood depends on it, but that doesn’t mean they might not be making very difficult cuts elsewhere to afford it. Tip, or not, regardless of whatever you observe about anything other than the work they do.
posted by Stacey at 7:17 AM on June 4, 2022 [6 favorites]

When I was a young adult I was told not to tip an owner, say a salon owner. However, I have always tipped the woman who cuts my hair. She was an employee first, and I tipped. When she became an owner I continued it because she does a great job, and it seemed sort of insulting not to pay her the same amount, with tip, than I had been paying before. I've continued this, though my tips might be just a little less generous, like 15% rather than 20% as her prices have risen. She is a sole owner.

I also tip my cleaners, though when I did an initial deep clean - like 7 hours, including all the woodwork and baseboards, the oven and all the windows, I tipped the 2 workers but not the owner, who cleaned along side them. The owner also cleans commercial businesses and remarked how happy her employees were to get tips, since businesses rarely tipped. I was happy to do it, and not have to do my own baseboards, oven and windows. I am also rewarded with on-time arrivals and a wonderfully clean house.

They are coming on Monday, and I have the tips prepared.
posted by citygirl at 10:52 AM on June 4, 2022

If the opportunity presents itself to tip someone, and you have the means, you should always tip. I've never felt bad about tipping someone and often it feels good! There's no reason to make it contingent on their quality of work, timeliness, whether they own the business, or their car make or model. If you can do it without feeling it financially, why withhold? It's a way of saying "thanks for your efforts."
posted by twelve cent archie at 4:37 AM on June 5, 2022

Response by poster: Update—I was prepared not to tip, but they were so nice and their work was excellent so I tipped and told them I planned to leave an excellent online review, which I did this morning. Dilemma solved, and the house is sooooooooo clean!
posted by bookmammal at 7:48 AM on June 5, 2022 [3 favorites]