It’s that special time of year again.
Brick Underground, a website about apartment-living, has surveyed apartment owners and renters in New York about tipping and has some interesting and useful stats. Interesting because it’s always fun to know what your neighbors are up to. Useful because it’s tipping season!
Supers tend to get $75 to $175 on average, and doormen receive $25 to $150, according to the site, which also reveals this somewhat disconcerting stat:
“Owners in doorman buildings: Twenty-five percent of
Scroogesowners in doorman buildings reported tipping nothing at all, with the bulk (38 percent) reporting tips totaling between $250 and $1,000. On the high-roller end, 21 percent tipped in the $1,000 to $2,500 range, while just 4 percent said they anted up more than $2,500.”
Interestingly, only 4% of renters in doorman buildings tip $0.
Check out the full tipping guide here, and leave comments about your own practices below.
Those totals are pretty meaningless if you don’t specify how many staff the totals cover. $1000 for four is lot different from $1000 for fifteen.
Remmemeber that these guys are our front security they take care of us and thats why i take care of them. They do more than open doors, mail, packages, security, and deter thiefs… my doormen are my police. Happy holiday all…
We tip about $1300 for 13 people the smallest tip of $25 for a super (who almost killed our dog “accidentally”, hate him, but still feel it’s wrong to give him zero) and $175 for a concierge who has been with the building for 25 years. In a more bullish year, tips have been slightly higher (in the range of $175-200 vs $125-150) for our favorite doormen/concierge who are the most helpful.
In my office building, I give $50 pp for about 8 guys (doormen and a couple supers). I also give them extra cash tips year round if they are especially helpful (carrying heavy boxes beyond what is reasonable, like file cabinets, into the office).
I live in a rental building on the UWS with the best doormen and porters in NYC!. Every year we tip 11 wonderful guys plus the super between $1,200 – $1,500. From what I hear they do very well at holiday time and deservedly so.
We have a staff of 5 doorman , 1 x Super , 1 x Porter .. Typically we give about $80$ -$120 per person. This year money is tight. New Baby , New Job and we’re thinking about lowering $$ across the board .. Any thoughts ?
I don’t tip during the year for day to day assistance like getting taxis, carrying a package, etc. so the holidays are where I show my appreciation. We give $200 each to the Super and Desk Attendants, $100 each to the Doormen, and $20-$50 each to the handymen and porters. Total is about $2,000 and we tip every single worker whether we ever see them or not.
As a Property Manager I see both sides of the fence every year. If there is one thing I have noticed above all, it is that Tenants tend to tip higher for building staff that work hard and go above and beyond their job description. I believe many Tenants also find Union staff to be inferior to non-union probably because Union (32BJ) have so many paid days off (29 days after 5 years served) and only work 7.5 hours per day, which is absurdly low here in NYC. Since of course the rest of us do not get tipped, I think some people tend to feel it does not make sense. That being said, if a property has five staff as opposed to 20 staff, there is usually a much better chance of a generous tip.
On another note, I think this new commenting policy is an improvement.
It is amazing that some people have no comments for all the other issues we face on the UWS – i.e. tipping, a great story and eager to read others comments!
If its not about moving an extreme agenda of socialism, demonizing landlords, chain stores, the wealthy, while knee jerking defending to the death the poor , vagrants, and minorities even when they have done wrong (as all people are capable of doing), then they have no comment.
How interesting…….and sorta sad.
I loathe the new comment policy. The comments were 90% of the reason I read these articles. Now I skim the front page of the site before x’ing out. It’s not as interesting when all the people don’t have a voice — that’s free speech and that’s nyc! the crazy and non-crazy alike should all be entitled to say crazy shit to each other on the internet — and it is my right & delight to watch!
We’ve heard that reaction from a few people but we’ve gotten lots of positive feedback on the decision too (probably 3-to-1 in support of limiting comments). We may reopen comments on more posts, but moderate them to keep them on-topic. WSR
You mean like comments to an article entitled “SURVEY: 25% OF APARTMENT OWNERS TIP THEIR DOORMEN $0” that begin “On another note, I think this new commenting policy is an improvement”?? That’s “on topic”??
I miss the open exchange of ideas. While I still check this blog occasionally to see about openings, closing, or vehicular slaughterings I may have missed, I feel much less drawn to it than I was. Just saying, since the topic seems to have been opened for discussion.
And while I do not miss the reflexive rant of a few individuals who — as here — took every opportunity to mount their usual soapbox with their predictable ideologies, I do hope that the decision to limit comments, or to keep them on-topic, will apply to everyone, and not just to those who choose to respect it.
We are owners in an UWS building with about 90 apartments. We tip the super $150 and the doormen in a range from $60 to $100 each based on hours worked and our perception of their helpfulness and attitude. $60 to porters.
We live in a 60 unit building and tip the same as you do, Mike. $150 to the super, $60-$100 for the doorman, $60 for the porter, and so on. The year our favorite doorman was retiring, we gave him $140 because we knew we wouldn’t see him again.
We are new to our building (7 months). We are in a rental building with a part time doorman (6 hours per day). We were thinking around $100. Are we way off?
I’m curious to see how others weigh in on this issue. I have part-time doormen, too, and most of them work during the day when I’m not there.
I also have garage employees which I tip $3 every time I drop off or pick up my car (so, about $12-24 per month out of pocket). I never know if I should give more at this time or just spread it out during the year.
Not being stingy, just on a limited income.
(Before I get jumped on by trolls for having a car, I should note it’s 13 years old and used to get to clients and for family emergencies. My mom is elderly and does not live near any transport, and neither do my clients. When my dad was in and out of rehab and the hospital, it was a Godsend to have it and not have to rely on Zip-cars as they were all sold out the weekend he passed. I have a pretty okay deal on parking, and I love my garage, and my business can afford to shoulder the parking costs. Whew.)
We rarely tip during the year and give one month’s rent for a big tip at the holidays. I’m guessing either way is acceptable.
We live in a 400 unit coop, so there is a lot of staff. The property manager gets $100. The day and afternoon full-time doorman get $120. The guys that are sometimes porters but who relieve the doorman for breaks get $60. The night doorman, whom we hardly ever see, gets $60, as does one who I feel could work harder. Porters and mechanics gat $20. The groundskeepers get $100 for everyone.
Having said that, we’re do-it-ourselfers. There is very little that we ask the porters or mechanics to do for us, and on those rare occasions, we tip them. Some people here ask the porters to change their light bulbs.
$3K to the super and $2K each to the 5 doormen.
I share the author’s incredulity that 25% of “owners” (presumably excluding tenants) don’t tip anything. Our building’s staff are essential to our quality of life, and that has been the case in every one of the dozen plus UWS buildings I’ve lived in.
I have always found that practice and expectations differ widely from building to building (as do services and resident income levels). If you are very concerned with being “out of step”, the best thing to do is to speak with your neighbors.
Ha ha ha
What about Tenants and Renters that tip their doormen? I’ve been doing it for 20 years. Dropping $250 every holiday is a bigger burden for some of us..and we do it!!!!
..let me add that Doormen who are Union also have wonderful pay and benefits…more so than I do…..however their personal days have diminished over the last few negotiations..and they do make time and a half on holidays.
So…realistically…$25-$50 per person is fine…depending on how much they have helpe you managed your deliveries/packages …opened your door and generally answered your questions and helped over the year.
Their personal days have gone down?
Not in New York City
Not from Union 32BJ
15 Vacation Days
10 Sick Days
1 Personal Day
1 Birthday holiday
2 Union Days / Clinic Days
Just under a month
I looked into this, by asking one of my doormen.
Once 32BJ employees get into the union, they start at 2 weeks paid vacation. They move to 3 weeks after 5 years and then 4 weeks, i think that last after 15 years.
In my building, they usually have to spend a few years as “temps” before getting into the union.
Can i ask, what the heck is wrong with this vacation benefit? shouldn’t someone who is on a professional job for 5 years get 3 weeks paid vacation? what sort of Scrooge would refer to that as “featherbedding”?
As for sick days: umm… you have to be SICK to take them. Many 32BJ employees do not use all their sick days.
The comments below, about the non-union “concierges” in a certain building who make $12/hr with few benefits, should tell us something. Instead of complaining about the decent pay and benefits of our union workers, why don’t we worry about the inadequate pay and no benefits of those who are non-union? Everyone deserves a living wage, health care, and some time off.
That is ridiculous Union featherbedding. Just another reason New York City is so expensive FOR ALL..
That said, of course I tip the whole staff..
around $50- 60 each.
I don’t mind tipping but I refuse to just tip across the board. My UWS building has a staff of eight union workers and round the clock concierge that work for an outside service & are non-union, making only $12/hour with very minimal benefits, compared to the union doormen who make $22/hour. Most of the porters are lazy and do the bare minimum and are not at all helpful.I refuse to tip them at all. They do nothing for me all year and I don’t ask for anything. I will tip the super, and I will tip the concierge staff because they make less money,they give me my packages, and are friendly and helpful.I don’t feel that staff who do nothing all year round should expect a tip because it’s Christmas.
I live in a rental building with a great staff of about 9-10 doormen, porters, and a super. I give everyone besides the super $100 since I think the porters work just as hard as the doormen. I give the super $150 because he keeps the building running wonderfully. I would tip more if I could, but times are tough.
I always wonder how representative those published “surveys” really are. A lot depends on the neighborhood and wealth of the building and respondents.
And doesn’t the size of one’s apartment and the number of people living in it factor in?
I live alone in a one-bedroom in a 300 unit coop. There are 15 people on the staff tip list. So the max I gave to anyone this year was $70 (two great doormen), while the super and 2 handymen each received $60. Add the tips to the postman and the security company I gave about $800 in total. If I had a spouse or kids or a larger apartment I would expect to give more. And I rarely ask for any assistance throughout the year.
Sorry – I meant this as a separate post, not a reply to JC.
Just took cards, money, and wine downstairs for staff of 10 – we’re always as generous as possible (live 70s Upper West Side). Similarly, tip the delivery guys and the Fresh Direct guys. These people work hard.
$200 – $240 each for the doormen, handyman and super, $150 for the porters. I think they’re the best staff on the UWS, and should be rewarded.
Never give them anything during the year, tho.
Garage dudes get $60-$80 at Christmas, but also get $2-$3 per car-take-out.
We have 8 doormen, 6 porters, 1 super, and 3 repairmen. They all gave holiday cards out to all the residents. The tipping becomes a bit intense at this point. That is 18 people, and I would say that I’ve never even seen the porters or super at all in the year that I’ve been here. $25 to everyone except the two doormen who actually bother to greet me and are friendly, they got $50 each. These buildings with so many employees need to do a tip pool to make it easier on residents.
To those who only tip at the end of the year, what is your rationale for not tipping throughout the year at the time of receiving any services or favors?
And what about the mail carrier, UPS and FedEx carriers? Perhaps these warrant a separate post?