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Tipping Gas Attendents

Started by HighwayStar, April 13, 2022, 12:16:37 PM

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HighwayStar

Thought of this reading the Car Wash thread.

Do you tip a gas station attendant if they pump your gas?
Does your answer depend on the state (ie. Oregon and New Jersey require them to pump it for you)?
If so, how much?
There are those who travel, and those who travel well


kphoger

The only full-serve gas stations I use are in Mexico, where self-serve isn't a thing.  There, I tip a few pesos if the attendant washes my windshield while the pump is running, but I don't tip him if all he does is fill the tank.  If I do tip, it's only about 5 or 10 pesos (usually rounding up to the nearest multiple of 10).
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

HighwayStar

Quote from: kphoger on April 13, 2022, 12:22:16 PM
The only full-serve gas stations I use are in Mexico, where self-serve isn't a thing.  There, I tip a few pesos if the attendant washes my windshield while the pump is running, but I don't tip him if all he does is fill the tank.  If I do tip, it's only about 5 or 10 pesos (usually rounding up to the nearest multiple of 10).

For other reader's reference 5-10 pesos comes out to 25 to 50 cents.
But using the Big Mac Index a Big Mac is about 50 pesos it looks like so that seems more like 50 cents to $1 adjusted for PPP.
There are those who travel, and those who travel well

Rothman

Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 12:16:37 PM
Thought of this reading the Car Wash thread.

Do you tip a gas station attendant if they pump your gas?
Does your answer depend on the state (ie. Oregon and New Jersey require them to pump it for you)?
If so, how much?
No.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

kphoger

Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 12:25:16 PM

Quote from: kphoger on April 13, 2022, 12:22:16 PM
The only full-serve gas stations I use are in Mexico, where self-serve isn't a thing.  There, I tip a few pesos if the attendant washes my windshield while the pump is running, but I don't tip him if all he does is fill the tank.  If I do tip, it's only about 5 or 10 pesos (usually rounding up to the nearest multiple of 10).

For other reader's reference 5-10 pesos comes out to 25 to 50 cents.
But using the Big Mac Index a Big Mac is about 50 pesos it looks like so that seems more like 50 cents to $1 adjusted for PPP.

The cost of a Big Mac is irrelevant.  A lot of things in Mexico are just as expensive or more expensive than in the USA, yet wages are far lower.  And US fast food is not a good point of comparison.

Gas station attendants in Mexico make an income equivalent to about 50 MXN/hour.  Therefore, a tip of 5 or 10 pesos comes to 10% to 20% of his hourly wage.  That same position in the USA would earn, what? let's say about 13 USD/hour.  With that, 10% to 20% comes to about two dollars.

(By the way, I believe a Big Mac runs at least 65 pesos.)
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

hotdogPi

The fact that their wages are much lower but prices are roughly the same (on average) means you can afford to tip 20-40 pesos (US$1-2) – their regular wage is not enough money to live on, but it doesn't cost any more to you than if you were filling in the US.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

JayhawkCO

Quote from: 1 on April 13, 2022, 12:46:50 PM
The fact that their wages are much lower but prices are roughly the same (on average) means you can afford to tip 20-40 pesos (US$1-2) – their regular wage is not enough money to live on, but it doesn't cost any more to you than if you were filling in the US.

Tipping culture is different in different countries, no matter how high or low the cost of living is.

HighwayStar

Quote from: kphoger on April 13, 2022, 12:40:51 PM
Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 12:25:16 PM

Quote from: kphoger on April 13, 2022, 12:22:16 PM
The only full-serve gas stations I use are in Mexico, where self-serve isn't a thing.  There, I tip a few pesos if the attendant washes my windshield while the pump is running, but I don't tip him if all he does is fill the tank.  If I do tip, it's only about 5 or 10 pesos (usually rounding up to the nearest multiple of 10).

For other reader's reference 5-10 pesos comes out to 25 to 50 cents.
But using the Big Mac Index a Big Mac is about 50 pesos it looks like so that seems more like 50 cents to $1 adjusted for PPP.

The cost of a Big Mac is irrelevant.  A lot of things in Mexico are just as expensive or more expensive than in the USA, yet wages are far lower.  And US fast food is not a good point of comparison.

Gas station attendants in Mexico make an income equivalent to about 50 MXN/hour.  Therefore, a tip of 5 or 10 pesos comes to 10% to 20% of his hourly wage.  That same position in the USA would earn, what? let's say about 13 USD/hour.  With that, 10% to 20% comes to about two dollars.

(By the way, I believe a Big Mac runs at least 65 pesos.)

I will defer to your estimate on the cost of a Big Mac as I have never been to Mexico, Google gave me a range of 50-55 pesos but with food inflation globally now that might be off.

The Big Mac index is a widely used PPP index to understand the role of prices, I did not just come up with this, its been around for a while. Its far from comprehensive for the reasons you state, but it at least enables some comparisons in a product that everyone is familiar with.
There are those who travel, and those who travel well

HighwayStar

Quote from: JayhawkCO on April 13, 2022, 12:49:09 PM
Quote from: 1 on April 13, 2022, 12:46:50 PM
The fact that their wages are much lower but prices are roughly the same (on average) means you can afford to tip 20-40 pesos (US$1-2) – their regular wage is not enough money to live on, but it doesn't cost any more to you than if you were filling in the US.

Tipping culture is different in different countries, no matter how high or low the cost of living is.

This is very true, and the US is more or less at one end of the spectrum. Many countries don't do it at all, or tip at far lower rates. In England the practice is to leave some change with the bill, maybe a couple pounds.
There are those who travel, and those who travel well

kphoger

Quote from: 1 on April 13, 2022, 12:46:50 PM
The fact that their wages are much lower but prices are roughly the same (on average) means you can afford to tip 20-40 pesos (US$1-2) – their regular wage is not enough money to live on, but it doesn't cost any more to you than if you were filling in the US.

I don't know anybody who tips more than 10 or 15 pesos.  People washing windshields at stoplights only get about 1 or 2 pesos, in my experience, and plenty of people don't even tip pump jockeys at all.

Quote from: JayhawkCO on April 13, 2022, 12:49:09 PM
Tipping culture is different in different countries, no matter how high or low the cost of living is.

Right.  I mean, I could theoretically afford to just hand random people 20-peso bills out the car window whenever I'm there, but that doesn't mean I'm going to.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

kphoger

Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 12:54:36 PM
This is very true, and the US is more or less at one end of the spectrum. Many countries don't do it at all, or tip at far lower rates. In England the practice is to leave some change with the bill, maybe a couple pounds.

In Mexico, 12% is a decent tip for a sit-down restaurant.




Nobody has chimed in on Oregon or New Jersey yet, except for one "No".  Anybody else?  I've never been to those states.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

gonealookin

I drive into Oregon once or twice a year.  I would pump the gas myself but for that state's laws.  The thought of tipping the person pumping the gas has never occurred to me and this thread isn't making me think about it at all.

abefroman329

Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 12:16:37 PM
Thought of this reading the Car Wash thread.

Do you tip a gas station attendant if they pump your gas?
Does your answer depend on the state (ie. Oregon and New Jersey require them to pump it for you)?
If so, how much?
I haven't used the full-service option when there was also a self-service option in 25 years, and I've never tipped in NJ because the attendant has never done anything other than fill the tank.

texaskdog

I tipped $1 every time in Oregon. 

kphoger

Quote from: 1 on April 13, 2022, 12:46:50 PM
... their regular wage is not enough money to live on, but it doesn't cost any more to you than if you were filling in the US.

Minimum wage in Mexico is less than 200 MXN/day.  Those attendants are making twice that figure.  That's hardly "not enough money to live on".  I didn't say everything is at least as expensive there as here, just a lot of things–and "things" is the pertinent word.  Rent is cheaper, utilities bills are lower (most houses don't have heat or a/c), basic food products are cheaper (eggs, rice, beans, etc):  the life that you and I are used to is unaffordable to most Mexicans, but that's not the same thing as "to live on".
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

HighwayStar

Quote from: kphoger on April 13, 2022, 01:04:41 PM
Minimum wage in Mexico is less than 200 MXN/day.  Those attendants are making twice that figure.  That's hardly "not enough money to live on".  I didn't say everything is at least as expensive there as here, just a lot of things–and "things" is the pertinent word.  Rent is cheaper, utilities bills are lower (most houses don't have heat or a/c), basic food products are cheaper (eggs, rice, beans, etc):  the life that you and I are used to is unaffordable to most Mexicans, but that's not the same thing as "to live on".

The best proof that it is enough to live on is the fact that Mexico is not depopulated. If wages were really so low no one could afford to exist the country would be empty.
It goes without saying that the standard of living is not the same as the US, but people can and do live without everything we do.

Quote from: kphoger on April 13, 2022, 12:56:53 PM
Right.  I mean, I could theoretically afford to just hand random people 20-peso bills out the car window whenever I'm there, but that doesn't mean I'm going to.

For some reason I pictured you driving into some little Mexican town in a big Cadillac with long horns on the hood and rolling down the window with a fistful of bills in hand to scatter as some woman stands up and tells everyone that Señor kphoger is in town again!
There are those who travel, and those who travel well

HighwayStar

My policy on NJ and OR is to not tip as it is a legal requirement that they pump the gas. But more importantly my policy is to not buy gas in those states at all.
There are those who travel, and those who travel well

kphoger

Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 01:16:43 PM
The best proof that it is enough to live on is the fact that Mexico is not depopulated. If wages were really so low no one could afford to exist the country would be empty.
It goes without saying that the standard of living is not the same as the US, but people can and do live without everything we do.

I agree and I disagree.

Most Americans seem to have little grasp of what it means to have "enough to live on", cannot really conceptualize a different standard of living as being acceptable.  And, while it's true that nearly a million Mexicans come to the US each year, that figure doesn't take into account the number of them who leave the US to go back to Mexico each year–which is a surprisingly large number.

However, there is also a lot of abject poverty in Mexico.  Most of the work I've done there over the years has been with children whose families can literally not afford to both feed them and pay for school tuition–kids who go home Friday evening and return back on Sunday evening wearing the same clothes they left in, from families who struggle to have even one meal a day on the table.  Unemployment, and especially under-employment, are big issues there, especially in small towns and villages like where I go.  There is a decent-sized gap between the impoverished and the making-it-OK in Mexico, and a lot of the former group are living with quite desperate means.

Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 01:16:43 PM
For some reason I pictured you driving into some little Mexican town in a big Cadillac with long horns on the hood and rolling down the window with a fistful of bills in hand to scatter as some woman stands up and tells everyone that Señor kphoger is in town again!

Nope.  In Mexico, I go by the nickname Callito.  Or occasionally John Cena, because I'm skinny.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

Max Rockatansky

Just in Mexico, I've never tipped in Oregon or New Jersey.  I did give a gas attendant a tip once in Oregon not to touch my Camaro though, I did appreciate the willingness to flub the rules on my behalf.

1995hoo

I've never been to Oregon; while I'm likely to go there later this year, I don't expect to be renting a car. I actively avoid buying gas in New Jersey. Can't say as I recall whether I tipped in Mexico because I haven't been there since 2006.

I never use full-serve gas anywhere else.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

webny99

I've fueled up in New Jersey a few times. It's different, but I've never had any problems doing so and I don't see anything inherently wrong with full service. At one point, friends in the area actually recommended getting gas in NJ because it's cheaper there, although I'm not sure if that's still true now.

As for tipping... never done that except the one time my dad asked the attendant to clean the windshield, he did so and I believe we did tip him for that.

1995hoo

Gas in New Jersey, where the state gas tax is 42.4¢ per gallon, is generally cheaper than it is in Pennsylvania (58.7¢ per gallon) or New York (46.19¢ per gallon), but Delaware is likely cheaper than any of those at 23.0¢ per gallon. (None of that includes the federal gas tax because it's the same regardless of state.)

One reason I don't like stopping for gas in New Jersey is that I've observed that gas station attendants will just let the gas cap dangle so that it bangs against the side of the car instead of hanging it from the fuel-filler door. At some stations, they will also demand that you wait on line so your gas cap is on the same side as the pump even if it would just be faster for you to loop around to the other side of the pump to face the other way. (I think that's usually an issue at highway service plazas and is less of a problem at off-highway gas stations, but still, why should I have to wait when there's a vacant pump that I'd be able to access?)
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

doorknob60

#22
I grew up in Oregon and still visit frequently, and my parents both grew up in Oregon as well. I've never tipped a gas attendant, and never seen or heard of anyone (family, friends, etc.) doing it. I'm sure it happens on occasion, but it's definitely not expected.

On the topic, I'm not a fan of requiring full service, and when it's convenient I will try to avoid it. It's gotten even worse recently since many gas stations are scraping by without enough employees, and the lines/wait times can be atrocious. There's a video game store in Vancouver, WA (across the border from Oregon) that I like to stop at when I'm in the area, and if I'm going to Oregon afterwards I try to top off my gas while I'm in WA. I also take advantage of the rural eastern OR counties that allow self serve, eg. stopping for gas in Boardman or Ontario.

On my recent Oregon trip (across the state east to west and back) I only had to gas up once in a full service area (Salem, OR, and the Costco there was doing a good job). Though the Shell station in Burns, OR does full service as well, even though it's not legally required there. They have enough employees to keep things moving there though so I don't mind stopping there (it's the nicest gas station in town, best C-Store and it's 24h). Other than that, gassing up in Boardman and Vancouver was adequate.

vdeane

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 13, 2022, 04:42:22 PM
One reason I don't like stopping for gas in New Jersey is that I've observed that gas station attendants will just let the gas cap dangle so that it bangs against the side of the car instead of hanging it from the fuel-filler door.
Yes, that.  They've done it correctly once or twice, but full serve usually means dangling gas cap.

Also, the wait.  With self serve, you start the process of pumping gas as soon as you get their, and leave as soon as you're done.  Not so with full serve - as attendants serve multiple cars unless the station is empty, you have to wait a minute or two both times, even if there's no line.

Quote
At some stations, they will also demand that you wait on line so your gas cap is on the same side as the pump even if it would just be faster for you to loop around to the other side of the pump to face the other way. (I think that's usually an issue at highway service plazas and is less of a problem at off-highway gas stations, but still, why should I have to wait when there's a vacant pump that I'd be able to access?)
Service plazas tend to be set up on a one-way system, so that's probably why
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

kkt

"Dad, what's a full-serve gas station?"

Tipped a couple of times in Oregon, if they did a good job cleaning the windshield.



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