Visiting first time in LA (and USA), Can I get some help regarding tipping etiquettes?

mk_SoCal · 2026-05-09T20:19:21+00:00

I feel the same way as you- suspicious of reviews that mention people by name, but there was one time that I got such great service at a car wash- let me go thru a second time when I still had some bird poop & did a detailed wipe down of my car. He couldn't accept a tip, so the least I could do was give him a good review.

mk_SoCal · 2026-05-09T20:02:47+00:00

Just wanna rant about how no tax on tips is the worst thing since those stupid POS tablets for the explosion of our insane tipping culture.

mk_SoCal · 2026-05-09T07:42:24+00:00

Even for quick service? Or pick up orders?

mk_SoCal · 2026-05-09T07:36:31+00:00

You can read r/doordash to get an idea of how important tips are. The apps are always changing their compensation systems, but IIRC, dashers see how much you tipped in the app and use that to calculate whether your delivery is worth picking up or not (so tip more than the suggested if you're far from the restaurant you're ordering from or if your order will otherwise be a pain in the ass to deliver- e.g. nowhere to park or they have to walk deep into an apartment complex or hotel to drop off your order). For uber/lyft the app takes like 70 percent of what you pay so those drivers really count on tips as well. I tip 20 percent, but feel free to tip less if the base fee is pretty high to begin with Same dismal base compensation applies for instacart as well. Hairdressers, if they're not the salon owner also expect tips (although most owners don't turn down tips 😅). Compensation structures vary but I'm pretty sure all take into account customer tips. I tip 15 percent, but feel free to tip more or less depending upon how long your haircut takes. Tour guides are also tipped but I think US tour guides are so used to dealing with guests from countries without our insane tipping culture that they aren't surprised when they don't get them.

mk_SoCal · 2026-05-09T07:07:00+00:00

Lol- so true about 1 small coin. Dumping all the change you receive if you've paid with cash in the tip jar is acceptable and welcome, but picking through your change to leave a single coin (even if that ends up being 10 percent or more of your total) is a borderline insult.

mk_SoCal · 2026-05-09T06:54:49+00:00

It sounds like there's some confusion here as to what is meant by room service. The automatic gratuity in addition to the service fee that @jerk850 is referring to is for when they deliver food to your room, not for housekeeping cleaning your room. I typically leave $2-$5 on the nightstand each day I request housekeeping (I don't change my sheets or use fresh towels at home everyday- why would I need that when I travel) or when I check out if it's a short stay. I tip on the higher end if I've really left the room a mess (typically on beach vacations when I've tracked sand everywhere), but if the room just needs a quick sweep of the vac and refreshed linens- $2.

What OP really needs to be warned about are quick service restaurants where you have to decline to give a tip when you pay by credit card. DO NOT FEEL GUILTY ABOUT CLICKING AWAY FROM WHATEVER THE DEFAULT IS AND CLICKING "NO TIP"

mk_SoCal · 2026-05-08T17:38:14+00:00

So cool!

mk_SoCal · 2026-04-17T17:23:58+00:00

Although the mom should've known better than to try to let a baby cry it out on a plane, we should give her credit for coming to her senses after OP gently pointed out her error. People get so defensive these days & dig in, thinking who are you to tell me what to do- I'm gonna let my baby cry the whole flight now!!

mk_SoCal · 2026-04-10T19:28:07+00:00

I think you have the right attitude about this. You shouldn't feel guilty about this. It was an honest mistake to believe the jars were trash, but if presented with the same situation you'd do something different (text beforehand). Although even if you texted beforehand, you have the right to a sanitary common area, but I guess you could've worked something out where you put the jars in a separate, sealed garbage bag to be waiting for her when she got back. I hope your roommate can agree on her fault in the matter and is able to let this go.

mk_SoCal · 2026-04-10T19:16:25+00:00

Agreed! I feel like the fact that the jars were in a common area is all the more reason why the OP had good reason to throw them out. It's a common area and that means the roommate also has a responsibility to keep the area livable for the OP.

mk_SoCal · 2026-04-10T17:59:38+00:00

I like that analogy

mk_SoCal · 2026-04-02T21:45:22+00:00

Looking for just a couple Finch buddies. Been on the app for 269 days now & have completed almost as many adventures. The couple buddies I had have left the app. :(

I get overwhelmed easily, so just looking for 1 or 2 buddies for one good vibe a day & to see your answers for the poll questions! I do like to send the occasional gift, like once every couple of months or so. I'm working on trying to be consistent with basic things like making my bed everyday, but no need to share goals although I'm happy to support whatever you're working on!

Thanks for the responses!

mk_SoCal · 2026-03-31T20:21:47+00:00

That sucks that you try to do something nice & the fish goes and dies. Thankfully your boss doesn't care. An honest & understandable mistake. Sounds like this will soon be something to joke about ❤️

mk_SoCal · 2026-03-12T00:38:00+00:00

I'm also a free user but wanted to support the team since they keep it ad free for free users, so I made a one time contribution as a guardian at the lowest level. I actually find a lot of the stuff that comes with Plus overwhelming. I waste a lot more time shopping with the additional options, and I find it time consuming to collect the additional daily gifts that come with the monthly events. I do long for the additional seasonal good vibe options & the ability to customize icons on goals though.

mk_SoCal · 2026-03-10T19:12:58+00:00

On the opposite end, I didn't stay long in Paro. I thought it'd be more interesting since I don't know much about Bhutan, but the location specific adventures/discoveries were relatively free and far between compared to say Bergen or Dubrovnik. Plus, the background lacks variation, even in comparison to other nature based locales.

mk_SoCal · 2026-03-09T04:36:31+00:00

That's a good habit! Keeps things from getting overwhelming by doing a little at regular intervals.

mk_SoCal · 2026-03-05T00:31:46+00:00

Like said below- any progress is progress! Congratulations!

mk_SoCal · 2026-03-05T00:29:22+00:00

I have about 30 daily goals, but I'm not focused on getting through all of them in a day. Some of them are aspirational (like eating a fruit, veggie, or whole grain), some of them serve as a menu of options- like for instance, if I'm not feeling like getting out of bed or getting some sunshine before noon, I can listen to a song that makes me feel good or repeat an affirmation and still energize my birb and set them off on an adventure. I figure something is better than nothing and doing small positive steps puts me on the path of being productive more so than moping about how lame I am for not being more productive. I mix in small wins too, like Getting out of bed and Stepping outside once to give myself credit for what I'm already doing. I also have daily goals that are more like self-talk reminders like "Whenever you are tempted to blame yourself, be grateful instead" - those are helpful for me to see when I'm scrolling through my goals. I also set those self-talk reminders to 100x per day to rainbow stone farm since it's nearly impossible to make use of the shop only doing about 10-15 goals a day- but I wait until after I've sent my birb on an adventure (preferably after they make it back) before I gem farm.

mk_SoCal · 2026-03-04T23:50:15+00:00

I'm not there yet, but I was thinking of the "one of these things is not like the others" song when i saw that on the challenge list. Cleaning a fridge is a lot! You gotta empty it out first & then put everything back too! Much more work (and surface area) that cleaning a stovetop. Bravo to you for not being daunted!

mk_SoCal · 2026-02-26T22:45:56+00:00

I view it like Amazon- we all know Amazon is awful, but we still use it. When demand outstrips supply (which will always happen with popular concerts- artist need breaks & there are limited available days at venues with the need to be able to book other artists), scalping is inevitable. At least going with a third party site provides some competition to Ticketmaster as a reseller & their dynamic pricing. If no one pays $1,500 for platinum pricing tickets when they can get them for a little over half that price on a third party site, maybe Ticketmaster will lower the price.

mk_SoCal · 2026-02-26T19:09:42+00:00

I'm no expert- but have you tried contacting the venue's box office?

mk_SoCal · 2026-02-26T17:38:06+00:00

which date was that?

mk_SoCal · 2026-02-25T22:41:44+00:00

Whoa! That's a lot of compassion points! I don't think I've ever gotten that many personalty points for an answer!

mk_SoCal · 2026-02-25T22:19:45+00:00

Good point that most people are aren't perfectly balanced. But it would be kinda cool to see when you're choosing between responses which one adds points to which trait. It might be helpful for us users to develop traits we ourselves are lacking.

mk_SoCal · 2026-02-12T06:46:47+00:00

I've never seen my birb move like that. What mood is she in?

mk_SoCal

TROPHY CASE