Last week's Ask Curbed post on what to tip building doormen and their brethren tipped our scales at 104 reader comments (and counting; notes commenter #102, "Believe or not, I just read through this ENTIRE string! I think it wraps up pretty well towards the end"). One theme in the thread was the idea of offering gifts in lieu of cash; as #101 put it, "I bought a box of 10 glass-tubed romeo y julieta cigars at J&R on 47th and 5th for $50, each will stay fresh so long as the tube is sealed. they look really nice, i plan on giving them along with the cash, in hopes that most of them smoke."
Not bad. But comes New York to up the ante on the whole barter/gift thing in a piece this week on tipping. Don't feel inadequate as you read on:
Aljady Arroyo, a concierge at the Atlas on West 38th Street, got a home entertainment system two weeks ago; last year, he took home a restaurant-grade cappuccino maker. H.N., who works off West End Avenue and asked that his full name not be used, reports getting a $2,000 suit from a resident who works in the fashion industry. While working in the East Fifties, doorman Radames Pagan was tossed the keys to a Mercedes CL55 to use when its owner went on vacation.Okay, go ahead and feel inadequate. It's the holidays, after all.
· Tips of Today [New York]
· Ask Curbed: The Tipping Point [Curbed]