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Note: This information is not official. It is merely to serve as an example of what to expect when traveling in the United States.
Restaurants
Restaurants with table service: In the U.S., tips are expected in restaurants. As a general rule of thumb, people tip based on the quality of service. A 15% tip is standard. If you receive exceptional service, it is customary to it between 15-20%. For large parties of 6 or more, it is common for the restaurant to automatically add 15-18% to the bill. If you're with a large party, be sure to check your bill for "gratuity" to see if it was already included. If you received exceptional service, you can request to add more to the gratuity. And, of course, if you did not receive adequate service, you should inform the management before paying your bill and have the gratuity adjusted.
In most states, a meals tax is applied to the bill and is clearly indicated as such on the bill or check. In those states where the meals tax is 5% (Massachusetts as an example) or 6% it is simple to calculate by rounding the tax up or down to the nearest dollar and then multiplying by three.
Buffet restaurants: At buffet restaurants with limited table service, a tip of 10-15% of the bill is still recommended because the servers typically work harder keeping the buffet line stocked and clean. As a rule of thumb, the minimum tip should be $1 per person. As always, if you feel you have not been well-served, adjust the gratuity down, or add to the gratuity for exceptional service.
Fast food or counter service: Restaurants often leave tip jars on the counters, but you are not required to tip. If the service is exemplary or unusual requests are made, then they are expected.
Hotels
Housekeeping and maid service: For hotel housekeeping and maid service, it is customary to tip $2-3 per night. It is customary to tip up to $5 in high-end hotels, or f there are more than 3 people in a room or suite. Leave them on your pillow with a note that says "thank you" so housekeeping knows the money is intended for them. If you have additional items delivered to your room, such as extra pillows, hangers, luggage racks, tip the person who brings them $2 or $3.
Concierge: If you inquire with the concierge about directions or restaurant reservations, tipping is not expected. However, for any special individual or unusual service, a tip is appreciated.
In-suite dining waiter: Always read the bill, if there is one included, it will be on the bill breakdown. Inquire with the server if you're not sure. It is no longer the norm for the hotel to add the gratuity to the bill. Any "service charge" or "convenience fee" goes to the hotel, not the server. If there is no gratuity added, tip the server 15-18%.
Bellman/porter: If the bellman or porter takes your luggage to your hotel room, it is customary to tip $1-2 per bag.
Taxi driver: It is customary to tip between 10-15% of the taxi fare, based on service.
Hotel limo driver: If your ride from the airport was "free," it is customary to tip the limo driver between $10-20.
Drink server: While in a casino or bar, it is customary to tip the drink server $1-2 per drink. Some tip $5 for the first drink to make sure the waitress "remembers" them and returns often.
Valet Parkers: For valet parking, it is customary to tip $2-5 when they pick up your car.
Casinos
Casino dealers: While seated at a table game in a casino, it is customary to tip the dealer 5% of bet amount at end of session, or occasionally bet for dealer in amount of your normal wager (the dealer can show you where to place bet).
Slot machines host: If they make a hand payout (over $1,000), slot machine hosts are generally paid between $10-20.
Drink server: While in a casino or bar, it is customary to tip the drink server $1-2 per drink. Some tip $5 for the first drink to make sure the waitress "remembers" them and returns often.
Spas
Massage therapist: For a massage or other treatment, it is customary to tip between 10-20%. Some spas will include a gratuity on your final bill, so be sure to ask if it was included. Most spas will provide you with an envelope to leave at the reception desk for the person who gave you your treatment. Also, if you wish to leave a small gratuity of $2-5 for the spa attendant who showed you around the spa and got you situated, it is well appreciated.
Hairdresser or manicurist: For a hairdresser, manicurist, or like service, it is customary to tip between 10-20%.
Hilary Basile is a writer for http://www.myguidesusa.com. At MyGuidesUSA.com, you will find valuable tips and resources for handling life's major events. Whether you're planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, you'll find answers to your questions at http://myguidesusa.com
StateGuidesUSA.com, part of the MyGuidesUSA.com network of sites, provides comprehensive information for those living, working and traveling in the United States via 50 individual state portals. Find state information at http://stateguidesusa.com
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Tipping, the practice of giving someone extra money for service, has existed for centuries. We tip for various reasons: good service in the future, super service, and unusual service, like a singing waiter. You may have tipped someone because they were funny.
But most of us tip to compensate for low wages. Tipping has gotten confusing in the last few years. The question is, "Why?"
There are more people to tip. According to a "Forbes" article on the MSNBC Web site, we used to be looked after by a few service people. Today we are looked after by many. "Now there are pool attendants and ski concierges, personal shoppers and fitness coaches, not to mention butlers galore," according to the site.
Tipping rates vary. As the howstuffworks Web site explains, the practice "varies not only from country to country but from city to city." You know this if you're a frequent traveler. Tipping rates have increased almost everywhere. Daryn Eller, in his "Guide to Tipping" published the "Oprah Magazine" Web site, describes the change.
"If it seems as if you have to shell out tips left and right, that's because you do," says Eller.
Tipping has gotten complex. So complex the state of California, Division of Labor Standards and Enforcement, has established guidelines for it. The state Web site answers questions about tipping, employees' rights, and guidelines for protecting them.
One guideline: Employees should receive a credit card tip "not later than the next regular payday following the date the patron authorized the credit card payment." Under California law employers may not deduct tips from paychecks and may not use an employee's tips as minimum wage credit.
The tip you give depends on the service you get. Luxury service (cruise ship, five-star hotel, posh resort) requires larger tips. It can be confusing. To avoid confusion the Holland America Line adds a $10 per day tip to each passenger's bill. One third of this amount goes to cabin stewards, one third goes to food workers, and one third goes to behind-the-scenes employees.
How much should you tip? Here are some guidelines for the US. Consult your travel agent and travel guides for tipping rates in other countries.
Doorman -- $2 for hailing a cab
Bellhop -- $2 per bag (more if your bags are large and heavy)
Chambermaid -- $2 to $4 a day
Room Service -- $10% to 15% (unless it's included in your bill)
Coat check -- $1 per coat
Server -- 18% - 20%
Bartender -- 15% to 20%
Concierge -- $5 to $10
Taxi driver -- 15% to 20%
Airport shuttle driver -- $1 to $2 per bag
Hair stylist -- 15% - 20%
Postal worker -- $20 at holiday time
Pizza delivery -- $2 to $5
Newspaper delivery -- $15 to $25 at holiday time
Garbage collection -- $15 to $25 at holiday time
Part-time cleaning lady -- One day's wages (or more) at holiday time
When you give someone a monetary tip please take a moment to give them a verbal "tip." Your brief comment, such as "Thanks for your excellent service. I'll ask for you next time," will give them a smile that lasts for days.
Harriet Hodgson has been a freelance nonfiction writer for 28 years. She is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from http://www.amazon.com A five-star review of the book is posted on Amazon. You will find other reviews on the American Hospice Foundation Web site (School Corner heading) and the Health Ministries Association Web site.
Copyright 2007 by Harriet Hodgson
It's not tough to find a tip to help your golf swing. Open a magazine, switch on the tv set, or surf the internet you will find a free golf swing tip in each of them. Of course there are always your golf golf friends that are never short of a golf swing tip or two when you ask. Slowly but surely the internet is becoming the source of choice for many beginner golfers seeking tips to help improve their golf swing.
The question is: does a free golf swing tip really work or does it just add to a golfer's confusion and frustration? There's no question that some free golf swing tips aren't worth paying attention to. Because not all free tips are created equal some professionals and instructors suggest it's best for golfers to just ignore any free swing tips.
You should evaluate what the free golf swing tip is asking you to do. For instance a tip telling you to swing at the ball with all your strength is seriously incorrect.
The fact is that there are a lot of golfers seen attempting to almost injure the ball, but will often times injure themselves in the process. A second important point is a no free golf swing tip will suggest players twist their wrists in order to increase club head speed. Like the last free golf swing tip mentioned twisting of the wrists is likely to cause injury as well.
In order to generate maximum strength and speed in a swing the golfer must depend on techniques and drills that condition the body to create the power. A good free golf swing tip will show how to increase strength over time, and that it's not all in the arms but rather the pivot in your body.
Stretching and strength building exercises will help you increase the power in your golf swing, and better your game over time. Any free golf swing tip that emphasizes this point is bound to be genuine and may have a positive effect on your golf swing.
One thing that free golf swing tips do, is help the golfer thing more about your swing mechanics rather then just focusing on driving the ball hundreds of yards into the fairway, or dropping it in the cup on the green.
With online golf swing tips it's difficult to know who the person is on the other computer supplying you with the golf swing tips.. Of course there is no better way to determine this then to use your own judgement before you begin to learn a new technique or practice a new drill. Everyone has an opinion on how a proper golf swing should be done, as well as what technique or drill you should be practicing to increase your drive.
If you're looking for free golf swing tips take a few minutes to visit our website free online golf tips.
You are an expert. You have lots of content - even more than you deliver from the presentation platform or in your consulting engagements. But how do you package that content for the web, without giving away the store?
One of the most effective methods for delivering your content is in small chunks. In a speech you do this with quotes, tips to remember, and short items. In print you write a how-to article with the 5 tips. Or you create a booklet of tips.
Online you do the same thing. You create a series of tips. Tips can be delivered online in a variety of ways. The most obvious is a tip of the week or tip of the day. With this technique you merely change the web page as often as you've promised a new tip. But this can be very time-consuming, especially if you decide that a daily tip is appropriate for your audience.
How do you decide how often to change the tip? Determine how often you want your online visitor to visit your website and publicize new tips for that time frame. So if you want them to come back daily for a new tip, then plan to change it daily.
A trend to watch...increasingly experts are relying on their email newsletters to deliver tips to their audience, rather than trying to encourage people to visit their site regularly. Unless you change a lot of content regularly, there really is no reason for them to visit. You're better off delivering your content *to* the audience rather than waiting for the audience to come to you!
If you want them to visit daily you need to invest in an automatic method for updating your tips. Generally this will be a cgi (common gateway interface - it's a "techie" term you don't need to remember) or a web application that will automatically post a new tip daily. You'll need a technical person to do this one for you, so plan to pay for that expertise to set this up. Once it's set up, you can easily enter the tips and keep them updated.
As an alternative to a daily tip, you could provide a tip that changes each time someone visits the page. This may be more effective if you want to keep someone on your site. And it shows them a lot of content in a short period of time. Again, you'll use a cgi for this. Generally you can use the same one as you did for a daily tip - just set it to change each time the web page is loaded.
Yet another alternative is an animated gif. This is a series of graphics with tips on them. They are put into a simple animation program so that they change from one graphic to the next, as someone is on your page. If you have a graphics animation program, you can do this yourself.
Tips are the most versatile and useful piece of information you can create. Get into the habit of recoding tips each time you think of one and each time you share one with a friend or client. Keep those tips handy!
Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with experts who are ready to turn their knowledge and their websites into Gold. Her reputation as a speaker and trainer has earned her the title of The Technology Tamer. Jeanette shares her news and views in OnlineSuccessNews.com
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High levels of employee engagement in an organization are linked to superior business performance, including increased profitability, productivity, employee retention, customer metrics and safety levels. Hence effective employee engagement communication is a key part of any internal communications strategy.
Tip # 1 - 60% of people communicate visually. Use interactive visual screensavers to portray company values and vision. A picture paints a thousand words. Use screensavers to show a positive view of the company. Broadcast it round your organization to capture people's imagination in an appealing, visual way.
Tip # 2 - Visual cues are important. So your CEO can't be at the meeting? No problem. Use Video to let staff see the commitment and intent in your CEO's eyes and hear the passion and empathy in his or her voice. Where possible, customize video for different groups of employees at different times and you can measure cut through.
Employee engagement communication tip # 3 - The power of small groups. Smaller face to face executive communication, such as brown bag lunches and skip level meetings, offer a more personalized and engaging format for leadership communication. Multiple time slots and venues can also help maximize the chances that employees can attend executive briefing sessions.
Tip # 4 - Customize engagement communications for different target audiences. Work with managers to make engagement communications as relevant as possible to different groups of staff.
Tip # 5 - Expand awarenesss. Make sure employees understand how the unit they work in contributes to the overall success of the organization. Expand their awareness beyond their own performance and extend it out into their team.
Tip # 6 - Highlight best practice. Include articles in your staff magazine that show how employees are modelling organizational values or supporting wider company initiatives.
Tip # 7- Reinforce understanding and develop local context. Use the pop-up Staff Quiz to ask scenario questions to reinforce understanding and local context. For example, "When I see a colleague working in an unsafe way, I would: A, B, C, or D or all of the above?" or "In XXX situation, how would you apply our company values?" Offer prizes to encourage staff to take part. Include humorous or trick questions and answers that make the quiz fun and build employee engagement.
Tip # 8 - Provide employee helpdesks. Set interactive online helpdesks to let staff ask questions about any aspect of the business and their role within it.
Tip # 9 - Get respected managers and staff to blog about various aspects of the business. These people can, answer questions and provide context to staff regarding any aspect of the business.
Tip # 10 - Encourage and help senior managers share ideas with their staff.
Tip # 11- Show that you're genuinely concerned about employees' opinions and use social media as a communications tool to build engagement.
Tip # 12 - Let staff tell their own stories to build engagement. Encourage them to tell their own stories in the staff magazine about what they are doing to support company strategies or embody organizational values.
Tip # 13 -Show how feedback is being used. Articles in staff magazines, updates on scrolling news feeds and even interactive corporate screensavers can be a great way to demonstrate to staff how their feedback is being used.
Tip # 14 - Involving employees builds engagement. Use Staff Quizzes to involve people. For example, by asking them to name new ways of working (e.g. new systems, projects) or suggest improvements. Offer prizes for the best ideas and recognize them using targeted corporate screensavers and articles in the staff magazine.
Tip # 15 - Promote employee development programs. Interactive corporate screensavers and articles in staff e-magazines can be effective ways to raise the profile and perceived value of employee development programs.
Tip # 16 - Promote employer brand. Internal brand messages can be lost if they are buried in email or on the intranet. Bring brand messages to life with interactive, visually engaging Communications channels such as messages on screensavers. Involve staff in creating brand values using staff surveys and discussion forums. Find out what staff know and think using fun staff quizzes.
Tip # 17 - Actively promote organizational effectiveness, reputation and ethics. Use all the internal communications channels at your disposal to raise employee awareness. Employees want to feel good about their leaders, where they work, the products they sell and the reputation of their company. Hence these types of engagement communications can valuable.
Tip # 18 - Communicate value. Screensaver images can be a very effective way to promote 'free goodies' available to staff. Anything from staff parties, discounted gym memberships to health checks, fun runs and fresh fruit can be promoted easily and effectively on corporate screensavers. Raising awareness of additional staff benefits can help employees feel more valued and engaged.
Employee engagement communication tip # 19 - Department highlights. Often people don't see where they fit into the bigger picture or why a specific department is working so hard on a particular initiative. Use screensaver messages and short articles in the staff newsletter to provide project updates and progress reports.
Tip # 20 Tell managers first. This gives them time to plan how they will react when their team hears important news and time for managers to prepare answers to the questions that may be unique to their team.
Tip # 21 Get managers to share ideas with one another. Social Media tools allow managers meet online to discuss strategies, share ideas and plan. This is especially useful when managers work in different locations.
Tip # 22- Measure how well managers are communicating. Help Managers see the importance of effective communication in order to increase engagement.
Tip # 23 - Not Communicating or Communicating late can damage employee engagement. Hearing about an important update from media, colleagues or family and friends can have a negative impact on employee engagement. Ensure employees hear these messages from the business as soon as possible. Desktop Alerts can achieve fast, effective message cut through. Reporting options let you check which recipients have opened the message. Message acknowledgement options allow you to ensure communications compliance.
Tip # 24 - Deliver localized content. Setting managers or their PAs up as internal communication assistants is a good way to make sure staff get information that is directly relevant to them as soon as it is available.
Tip # 25 - Measure understanding and impact on behaviors. Measure employee understanding and the impact of engagement communications on behaviors.
Tip # 26 - Celebrate both financial and non financial achievements.
Tip # 27 - Highlight success visibly. Interactive corporate screensavers are great engagement communication tools. Use visual communications to highlight and celebrate successes.
Tip # 28 - Document local success. Encourage employees to submit articles to the staff magazine that talk about what they have achieved (e.g. simpler ways of working, important milestones met).
Tip # 29 - Catch dissatisfaction early. Two way internal communications channels such as Staff Surveys and Social Media channels make it easy to regularly gather feedback from staff and to catch dissatisfaction early - to understand what's really going on.
Employee engagement communication tip # 30 - Promote opportunities for staff. Include a section in the employee newsletter promoting internal vacancies. Promote training opportunities and staff support schemes on interactive screensavers or as articles in the staff magazine.
Article by Sarah Perry. Questions and comments to info@snapcomms.com. Visit http://www.SnapComms.com for internal communications tips and tools.
Teen Weight Loss Tip 1 - Use a small plate, this will give you more control over the amount of food you take.
Tip 2 - Eat smaller amounts but more often. This will increase your metabolism during the day and help to control your diet. As a guide you could use breakfast, lunch and dinner with small snacks in between.
Tip 3 - Wait at least 20 minutes before you have second helpings. It takes your brain that long to register what's in your stomach so you may be consuming more than you need.
Tip 4 - Don't use butter for cooking or baking. Try vegetable oil instead.
Tip 5 - Don't give yourself an unrealistic target. It's okay if you aim to lose 3 pounds a week, but the important thing is that you achieve it.
Tip 6 - Never, ever miss breakfast. Ingesting the majority of your days' calorie allowance early will give your body more time to burn them off.
Tip 7 - Chew your food properly. Good digestion starts in the mouth. When you chew your food, it mixes with your saliva and the digestion assisting enzymes that contains.
Tip 8 - Try not to get stressed. The chemical reactions this produces can actually cause weight gain. So chill out and take deep breaths before you eat.
Tip 9 - Why not have a salad for your lunch. If you don't want to prepare it yourself most supermarkets have a fresh salad bar with all kinds of tasty, satisfying ingredients.
Tip 10 - Change to a fresh, healthier lifestyle. Unregimented diets can have an adverse effect and can cause you to gain more weight instead of lose it.
Teen Weight Loss Tip 11 - Tell the important people in your life that you intend to lose weight. It's comforting to know those around you are supporting you and this will give you a much needed boost.
Tip 12 - Distract yourself while exercising. When you workout you should listen to music or watch TV. If your focus is on your own body while exercising, it will make your workout really boring and you'll soon lose interest.
Tip 13 - If you really want to lose weight then do it correctly and invest in a good weight loss program.
Tip 14 - Keep a record of how much weight you lose, so as to motivate yourself.
Tip 15 - Eat slowly for the same reason given in tip number 3.
Tip 16 - Focus on burning more calories than you ingest.
Tip 17 - Be aware of any negative comments. Some people will try to dishearten you when you try to lose weight.
Tip 18 - Comparing your efforts to those of others is normal and does no harm as long as you stick to your own program. What works for them may have negative effects on you.
Tip 19 - Females should be aware that their metabolisms and physiologies are very different to males and should not align their weight loss programs with those of male co-participants. Different sexes can have the same diets but must have separate goals.
Tip 20 - Only under professional medical supervision should you resort to weight loss pills. End of story. These can be extremely harmful physically and psychologically. Try to lose weight in a natural way.
Weight Loss Tip
Top Useful and Effective Weight Loss Tips
Tip 1
The first most important step you should exactly do is to giggle by yourself and swear to god as you will be happy every-time you try to lose your weight. Most people will be serious with any weight loss methods that it makes negative attitude or emotion at the begining. Be happy is the first step you have to do!
Tip 2
Open your mind to accept to any weight gain reason. Do not give up! Be honest with yourself, when you begin your weight loss. To keep off the weight in the future, you may have to change your lifestyle to stay slim.
Tip 3
Spend your time to learn and understand about weight loss and any methods of how to lose weight. It will help you to find the best way for you easier. Many people who diet believe that if they eat more than their body needs, they gain weight. If they eat less than their body needs, they lose weight. Basically that's true. But, this is one common mistake that they don't really understand there are still have other factors which its be involved as they trying to lose weight, especially, hidden calories and how much is provided by the food they are eating.
Tip 4
It's most important thing, you should exactly do is to do not skip your meals forever. Remember the metabolism of your body will increasing and working properly by eating. Every-time you do skipping your meals, your body has to slow down the metabolism to attempt to conserve calories during that period. It makes you feel not so good and slicks you into a nightmare completely!
Tip 5
Before you start an exercise or weight loss program, you must to consult your doctor.
Tip 6
Good health achievement is a first point you should focus when you start to lose your weight.
Tip 7
Focus, monitor, and increase your activities to help your weight loss.
Tip 8
Fast walking is the easiest way, best method (can be done anywhere) you should add it into your weight loss program to hasten the burning of excess fat.
Tip 9
Do not stay with your weight loss program alone. Try to find your weight loss partner, friend, or club for motivation.
Tip 10
Learn about nutrition and find out the good healthy recipes, then try to test and grab any recipes that you think they are properly for you. This begins for your good cooking and healthy eating.
Tip 11
Avoid to have one or two big meals. Let's get two times of snacks and three mini meals everyday instead of.
Tip 12
Learn how to make your favorite recipes without sugar, fats, and salt.
Tip 13
Instead of salt to taste, do use spices and herbs for your favorite foods.
Tip 14
When you are cooking with fry or stir method, do avoid using oil.
Tip 15
Avoid to adding the yolks into your foods as much as possible you can.
Tip 16
Use non-fat yogurt instead of cream.
Tip 17
Sometime you try to eat low fat mayonnaise but you realize that it's not be good taste for you, let's try to combines 1 teaspoon (or little more... depends on your tastable tongue) of satay sauce or dijon mustard with it. Your dream will come true!
Tip 18
During meals, you should to chew each bite and eat slowly. Slow eating will kill your appetite.
Tip 19
In the morning, let's try to drink hot or warm water to speed up your metabolism and burn calories out.
Tip 20
Try to drink 8 glasses of water per day. It's very important for your health and also helps to loss weight. Please remind that large quantities of water is required for an active metabolism which weight loss need.
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