Christmas Tips for the staff for Manhattan High Rise Renters

[Lucky Luciano]

I live in a nice new high rise in a 1 bedroom apt of 550-600 sq ft in midtown Manhattan. Rent is $3,300 which is killing me right now because bear markets suck with my income down significantly in the last two years (there are many morons I can thank for that). Perhaps I rented this apartment a little overconfidently based on a great first year of income in 2006 out of grad school. I am ashamed to admit the disgrace that I was laid off from my job with about 5 months of salary, but it is the case - and the rent is high. The building had a holiday note with the list of all the employees. Often the tipping that people do is based more on who has the power to be a pain in the ass than who has done the most labor.

There are roughly 250 apartments in the building.

Googling around, some other people gave a list of what they tipped for a similar building and it came out to roughly $600-$800!!!!!!!!!!

I was thinking $100 total until Google gave me a reality check...andI saw the list of 16 employees, most of whom I never met.

Our building's staff:

Resident Manager - Some person who I never met and never heard of. $20 (Google showed people give $200 quite often)

3 Handymen - One I never heard of ($10), One has been helpful on the three occassions we asked ($40)and one was helpful on the one time we requested help ($20). Googling showed that $40 was avg.

6 Concierges/DoorPeople - All friendly and very smily. I like them, but don't really know their names. All pleasant people though. They are not really doorpeople since they mostly sit behind the desk and do not actually open the doors and quite frankly, I can open the door myself - which have motion detectors to open the door. They get my larger pieces of mail and things that are signed for etc and are a first line of security. $20 each. Google had a $50 bare minimum for each.

6 Porters - Apparently a porter maintains a lot of the common space etc for the building. Don't know any of them. $10 each. Google said most people avg about $20 per porter.

So, the bill comes to $270...and it looks like, according to Google, that I am a super cheap son of a bitch that will get dirty scroogy looks for the rest of the year and shitty service for the year (though I demand almost no service).

So, am I cheap son of a bitch? Or are the people paying $600-$800 out of their minds? Or is it a bear market and I am not the only one who will seem like scrooge?

Confused,
Lucky

[Arugula Latte]

1. Wow ... I don't have any advice but this makes me realize

what a different world Manhattan apartment living is.

New York is fabulous and exciting and I sometimes daydream about living there but I think I'd probably be able to afford to live in a tunnel in Central Park.

[ThomCat]

2. One of the problems living in an over-staffed building

is that you end up paying %600-$1000 in holiday bribes every year to get your packages delivered, repairs done promptly, and get the other services that they're supposed to provide for you simply because it's their job.

But if you don't go along and pay the holiday bribe they remember, and suddenly you end up on the bottom of their priority list for everything they are supposed to do. x(

[Lucky Luciano]

4. So, it sounds like they are going to be highly pissed at

my numbers and that the $600-$800 figure is actually accurate....So, I should just give them zero then (my preferred number) if they will be angry about $270.

[amitten]

3. This shouldn't even be an issue, in my opinion.

These people are paid a salary for their work, and do not earn "tips".

I say tip what you feel to whomever you like. If you don't require any additional services, it shouldn't affect you negatively. And if they give you dirty looks for not giving them money they haven't earned, to hell with them. You are not their employer.

Oh, and your rent is ridiculous. Get out.

[Lucky Luciano]

5. Wow...another message board gave me a snooty response

"You should be living in a walk up building with maybe one staff member. You should also know the names of some of the employees?"

Any other NYers who can give me some color?

I guess I want a NYer who knows how it is that can take my guilt away for only tipping $270!

[billyoc]

6. I live right here, in the Biltmore on 8th Ave, 52 stories.

Manager needs $50. That's the important one.
Porters $10.
Handymen and concierges $20.

I wouldn't give anyone any more than anyone else in any group.

[grasswire]

7. how long are you staying there, without a job?

Considering that in my fairly high real estate town $1700 will get you 2400 sq ft single family home in a lovely old neighborhood two blocks from the city bus and lots of shopping, just think how far that severance package would go elsewhere! Gee, the last apartment I had, in a smaller town 60 miles away, I had 1200 sq ft, fireplace, garden patio, swimming pool, big greenspace, city bus at the door, for $565.

The city is only good to you as long as you have a job there.

[pitohui]

8. if you're going to be considered scrooge anyway don't tip at all

i would never tip a person i had never known or met before until they put their hand out at christmas and if you're unemployed, you're unemployed

i never lived in manhattan though

but i'm thinking if you're really hurting and if the under-tip will not get you any better treatment than no tip, might as well don't tip at all

$600 is more than my entire christmas gift giving budget including my MOM who gave birth to me, i'm not giving christmas gifts to some guys who open the door, sorry

this bear market is not going away any time soon, you may not be in that apartment or even in new york next year and you will regret throwing away hundreds of dollars in tips to impress somebody who couldn't give a shit about how you're hurting

maybe learn to do your own repairs and open your own door, get your mail at the office so nobody can fuck with your mail, and then where are they? ha!