"Economy puts a pinch on holiday tips" by Michael Levenson, Globe Staff | December 17, 2008
.... With the economy in tatters, the time-honored tradition of handing a generous holiday tip to the help is going the way of the 401(k), sapped and battered into a thinner version of its former self. Concierges, house cleaners, letter carriers, and dog walkers are lamenting fewer and smaller tips than in past years, adding a blue note to a Christmas season already made paler by economic uncertainty....
Tips have been long a part of the social and economic dance of the holiday season, with some service-sector workers counting on tips the way that corporate executives count on fat year-end bonuses....
Which THEY ARE GETTING this year!!!
Only YOU, average AmeriKan, must SUFFER!!!
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Perhaps not surprisingly, there are those who are determined to invoke the Christmas spirit and tip even more generously this year, saying they want to strike a blow against gloomy times. Beacon Hill resident Linda Berger said she was happy to give her building superintendent a gift certificate to Beacon Hill Bistro for twice the amount she has given him in past years.
"I feel the need to make things better, not worse," she said.
Even some victims of the recession are taking that vow in hopes of keeping their economic pain from spreading. Andy Freilich, who lost his job in the financial services sector three weeks ago, said he is determined not to cut back on the tips he gives to his newspaper delivery person and building superintendent.
"They shouldn't suffer," he said.
Still, just about everyone who works in a service job is planning for the worst....
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