When my refrigerator arrived from Sears, I tipped each of the two young men who installed it and hauled the old one away. They were gracious, but slipped the $5 into their pockets without even looking at it. Clearly, they were accustomed to receiving tips. They did a nice job, I'm assuming they don't get paid a great deal and that (like waitstaff or cab drivers) tips are an expected portion of their income.
Today, two men from a local, independently-owned appliance store came over to install my new air conditioner and haul the old one away. While less physically taxing, this was a more complicated task than the one the Sears duo had to do. As they were leaving, I did the same thing. I handed each of them $5. They both looked so surprised and happy.
The AC installation was a bigger deal than rolling in the new refrigerator and plugging it in. After they left me, they were off to install a new range, which had to be far more complicated than my window unit. So why would they be surprised by the tip, while the Sears deliverymen took theirs as their due?
Is it a major chain vs. independly store thing? Is it that the Sears guys were (probably) independent contractors while the gentlemen who came over today were employed by the store? Were the Sears guys also unaccustomed to tips, but just better actors?
And am I supposed to tip these people, or not? Who makes the rules, and how am I supposed to know them?
