Holiday Triple-A Tipping Tips

Have you heard the story about the man who went into a Cleveland, Ohio restaurant and bar, had a single beer, and then left a $3,000 tip. This happened just before the business voluntarily closed temporarily due to COVID-19, putting all the employees in a precarious financial position.

The owner of the restaurant posted the man's receipt on Facebook, explaining that when it happened, he chased the man down to make sure it wasn't an error. The generous patron said it wasn't, wished the owner good luck, and told him to share the tip with the four other people who were working that day.

This isn't the only story of this kind that has made its way into our collective consciousness. Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, there are still incredibly kind and generous humans on this planet.

Now, what about the rest of us? Many of us would truly give anything to be able to share that sort of generosity with fellow passengers on this COVID-19 affected globe. But perhaps we can all do it on a smaller scale.

Triple-A, the travel/insurance/lifestyle experts, have put together "A Guide to Holiday Tipping", to help all of us determine who and how much to tip this holiday season.

• Tipping is not obligatory, (despite what some may believe) it is a simple act of gratitude
• What does your budget allow? - You shouldn't go into debt trying to be kind to others. Prioritize. How close are you to the person? How high is the value they provide to you & your family? Also, handmade gifts and baked goods are a great way to show appreciation without spending a fortune.
• It comes down to how you feel about tipping and what sort of financial position you're in. If you aren't able to tip, make sure you let people know you appreciate their hard work and everything they do for you.

You can find a list of specific tipping guidelines on the Triple-A website.

Sources: CBSN Pittsburgh and Triple-A Club Alliance