To tip the Center Parcs staff??

[goddessofplenty]

So DH and I have been to Center Parcs a couple of times and he always scowls and sighs when I leave a bit extra for the staff at restaurants and - most annoyingly for him - the spa. He says it’s already extortionate and service is included everywhere but the spa. But the poor staff work such long days, are usually deluged with kids and beaten parents and (mostly) still manage to smile and be lovely. So, AIBU to tip more, or should I stop throwing away money we can’t really afford in misguided OTT displays of gratitude? All views in partic re: spa tipping much appreciated …

It would never remotely occur to me to tip in a spa. And if a service charge is included at a restaurant I think it's madness to tip over and above that.

I don't tip. Makes life simple.

I think the key is you say you cant really afford it. If it didnt make much difference to leave a little extra, there is no harm, but if you are leaving yourself short to do this it seems odd especially as they add service charges in restaurants and I think tips in the spa are very rare.

I would tip the restaurant staff and the lodge cleaning staff but not anyone else, I’d be bankrupt giving all the lifeguards and rangers tips

I alway tip taxi drivers, bar staff, waiting on staff, my hairdresser, beautician and spa staff. I feel if someone has provided a "personal" service for you then you absolutely should tip. We tip bar staff, waiters/waitresses and housekeeping on holiday.

Do you tip checkout staff in supermarkets?

I agree with PP in that if you can't really afford it don't do it. It's a nice gesture though OP x

We have just returned from centre parcs.

The restaurant prices are terrible. £10.50 for ONE GLASS of wine. £7.50 for a pint. £3 for a small bottle of water. The food costs are also very very overpriced. The food is of a poor standard (honestly we are not fussy), £200 for a family of 4 to eat out (£2 glasses of wine, 2 pints), is daylight robbery.

Dps burger looked disgusting. I even questioned if it was indeed meat no joke.

We asked nicely for the service charge to be removed. No awkwardness at all, you could tell a lot of people must do.

If service was included the bill would have been nearer £220!!

What about carers? Fast food staff? Retail staff who help you choose purchases? I know you don't tip those because no-one does. Yet they do very similar work to all the people you do tip, for very similar money. Makes no sense.

DP used to work in a high end bike shop where he'd regularly spend 30-60 mins helping customers choose a custom bike, including fitting saddles, adjusting a bike so they could go on a test ride, building the bike, advising on accessories etc etc. People were spending thousands on these bikes. He got paid NMW.

A couple of times a year a customer might bring a crate of beer in for the staff but apart from that, not one person ever tipped.

Yet people somehow think that someone pouring you a drink or carrying a plate of food over to you, for which you've already paid handsomely for and the person doing the job earns at least as much as those who never get tipped deserves an extra reward? I don't get it at all.

OP, what are the 'such long hours' that spa staff work? It's unlikely to be any worse than anywhere else/standard full time and the terms and conditions look quite good for hospitality on their recruitment page, above minimum holiday allowance, free day passes for Center Parcs, sick pay, heavily discounted holidays, profit share scheme.

I'm not arguing for a race to the bottom or think people in these jobs don't deserve recognition, but as jobs go, it's probably about as pleasant and stress free as you can get compared with other ways to earn that sort of money.

@Bjorkdidit 10 hour days for the spa people. Thinking about it, mine are longer but the hours just aren’t contractually required!

@Tiredeveryday i know - nearly £100 yesterday for horrendous mains only meal. Have significantly lowered expectations. And been to the market

I think some of the CP staff are amazing! I think it might be better when you get exceptional service to email head office with their name regardless of if they are spa, waiting staff or they sort your badminton booking.

It's a good point about the cleaning staff. I might leave them a tip next time.

I wouldn't think to tip spa staff but I always tip my hairdresser. It's so random isn't it!?

I wouldn’t tip spa staff - presuming by which you mean those who provide spa services. They’re skilled vocations which staff have actively chosen to train and become qualified for presumably because they’re quite lucrative, not unstable jobs which rely on top ups

I think a lot of tipping culture pre-dates NMW legislation and legislation around certain pay in industries. It used to be in some places that waiting staff were often very low paid, as they were expected to make up their wage through tips, and didn’t always have proper employment contracts with guaranteed hours; and that the hairdresser/beauty salon girl who washed your hair or did general dogsbody duties around the salon was paid poorly so relied on tips. That’s all changed, but attitudes towards who should be tipped and who shouldn’t haven’t.

ten hours isn't particularly long, is it? I was doing 12hr shifts at 16. I doubt they are doing 5 days a week of 10hr shifts, they have made the choice to do fewer but longer days compared to more shorter days - essentially condensed working. The key part of that is choice. They also don't have to deal with kids, and, tbh, it's not the most stressful job, is it? Handing people out free towels and booking them in for treatments?

Of course you are free to tip whoever you want but I agree with some of the pp's that considering spa workers as somehow harder working and deserving of extra pay than the cleaners or rubbish collectors or whatever is a bit strange.

No, but it's not a thing.

but why not, its a personal service?

I have no idea!