How much?

Steve Dublanica, the brutally honest writer of Waiter Rant, answers the question 'how much should I tip?' in his new book Keep the change.  Dublanica starts out seriously exploring where tipping began, the origin of the name, and discussing just how much employees rely on tips as part of their income.  The following chapters are a narrative of his first-person interviews with workers in various professions (and they are very varied - some legal, some not), their straight talk on tips, and appropriate amounts for each service provided.  He takes a comic approach to gathering his data and the tax write-offs he claimed for researching this book must have garnered a few chuckles.  His wit and storytelling ability make this a quick, enjoyable light non-fiction book.  The insight gained by the reader in directly hearing from tipped employees is invaluable.  Never will I look at tips I leave in the same way.  Although as someone who has worked for tips in the past (I waitressed my way through one degree), I always feel I overcompensate when leaving gratuities (even though I usually can't afford it).  This look at tipping is especially relevant as the holiday season is approaching and an extra gratuity to service workers is a nice way to remember their attention throughout the year (or insure good service next year).  Take a tip from me:  Read Keep the change.