Tipping the oxygen guy?

[EFS]

I was wandering how many people tip there oxygen driver. I dont every time but feel i take care of them pretty good. Just curious if others do the same? I have found it tends to give me above the norm service.

[hashmasta-kut]

i dont, but i help him move the tanks everytime pretty much. he says he tries and gives me the best liquid tanks, we get along pretty good.

[Forche]

I give him at least 5 bucks a week

[KT-Old School Glass]

Um no...

Do we get tipped if someone orders glass and we drop it off at the store for them?

[TlkQ]

We schlep our own oxy.

[B.C. Creations]

dont they get paid by the hour already plus have health insurance incase they get hurt while delivering?

[ALIEN!]

do you tip your mailman too? If he's a cool guy, maybe kick down a lil glass gift of some kind once or twice a year. Otherwise, drop the tank and piss off, I gots shit to do.

[Andy P]

My gas guy takes good care of me. I pick my tanks up and buy him lunch. Keeps the prices low and everybody happy.

[Andy P]

Sorry, this was about delivery though. My situation is irrelevant.

[Deez]

oxy guy aint never tipped me!! f that

[Kato]

You tip the kid who delivers your pizza right? I think I can find a 10 spot for the dood bringing the 700 lb LOX tank to my shop. I'm a little surprised at the amount of tight asses saying fuck the guy. Damn.

[Lurch]

I tried tipping my oxy guy in the past. He refused… They hardly charged me anything for the tank I used to pay $120 for a Liquid delivered 45 minutes away from their location… so occasionally I would slip him some money and tell him to grab lunch for the crew on his way back to the shop…. Tipping never worked.. but he would gladly grab the $$ for lunch for everuybody.. .win win

[ALIEN!]

Dude, you're tipping someone that most likely makes more than you do to drive a fuckin truck. I care not whether there's volatile gases or not. Unlike a waiter or a stripper, he is a professional. He holds a CDL and a Hazmat endorsement and gets paid accordingly. Professionals don't get tipped. To tip him is asinine. Believe me when I say he's laughing all the way down your block. Hell, you might be the only customer he ever sees. The drivers NEVER came in any welding shop I worked in, just swapped tanks in our cage and left. Again, do you tip the mailman, the UPS delivery guy, the fucking Jehovah's Witnesses?

Andy P, sorry bro, but you earned The Picard Award for this thread.

36040

[brian falls]

Dude, you're tipping someone that most likely makes more than you do to drive a fuckin truck. I care not whether there's volatile gases or not. Unlike a waiter or a stripper, he is a professional. He holds a CDL and a Hazmat endorsement and gets paid accordingly. Professionals don't get tipped. To tip him is asinine. Believe me when I say he's laughing all the way down your block. Hell, you might be the only customer he ever sees. The drivers NEVER came in any welding shop I worked in, just swapped tanks in our cage and left. Again, do you tip the mailman, the UPS delivery guy, the fucking Jehovah's Witnesses?

Andy P, sorry bro, but you earned The Picard Award for this thread.

36040

lol


Damn , do those guys really make good money? Honestly I kinda doubt it but I`ve never driven a truck for a welding gas distributor. I would expect a sub par corp wage myself but if not I`m in the wrong business....

That said I pick up my own bottles...but I have a great relationship with my guy and that keeps my prices low. The six pack of homebrew probably helped a little too.

[Forche]

Well my delivery guy comes once a week and fills my tanks. They charge in quarter tank increments, and it is up to the delivery guy to shake it and decide how much to charge me. So my $5 a week tip saves me $50-100 a month.

[B.C. Creations]

do you tip the ups or fedex guy for dropping off your raw material? i already pay enough for my gas. plus they already add a delivery fee onto my bill. consider that your 25 dollar tip.

[bildo]

delivery fee equals no tip. no delivery fee hook it up. And I seriously doubt that my delivery driver makes more than me.

[Icarus]

I had a buddy who delivered for Airgas for a while. With a wife and three kids I think he would disagree that he was a well paid professional. I'm with Kato. Somebody brings you something that saves you time (and money) from having to get it yourself AND they do it in a prompt, polite and friendly manner, five or ten bucks every once in a while isn't gonna hurt anyone.

Have none of you ever worked in the service industry before you became flameworkers? Is the term "tip karma" completely unknown to you? Even working a job where I work a set amount of hours and I have a set wage, I still notice the effects of tip karma. I tip and I tip well, for good service because it and more always comes back to me. Being super tight has always only resulted in longer periods of being broke.

[Icarus]

I should also note what Alien says about tipping a professional. There is one person every year who gives me a x-mas card with a $5 McDonalds gift card in it. This is the only "tip" I receive professionally all year. I haven't eaten McDonalds in years, I just give it to a friend or a relative and tell them to have a blast. But any time during the rest of the year that that person has a computer problem, I'll practically break my fuckin neck to get their quickly and fix it. All because of a nice thank you and a gift card to a restaurant I don't even eat at. Maybe I'm the chump here, but I just don't see it that way.

[Greymatter Glass]

Back before I moved my own tank I always tipped the driver when I had extra cash.

The drivers are also salesmen (or women, never seen a female driver at Airgas tho) and have access to your records.

Before I started tipping the driver I would pay about $145 a tank + tax +delivery and hazmat = $180ish and I would always get the tanks that would blow off half their load in a week.

Once I started tipping the driver I would get the best tanks they had - almost always a new shiny refurb tank, high pressure, for $90 a tank - $55 off for a $10 tip was well worth it. Plus he would make sure we were always early on his route and a few times even worked out same day deliveries for us....when his little boy got sick I made him a big marble, oxygen guy dropped like 3 tanks in a row for free.

So all in all, yeah, tipping was well worth it for me.

Also, a CDL isn't really on par with a PhD in terms of salary, and benefits are up to the company.

I also tip the guys who fill my propane tanks usually, and they always make sure I am in and out before the dork with the 5gal bbq tank gets filled.


I don't tip people who don't always work for me... i.e. mailman - I have like 6 people that carry mail on my street, and they come and go often enough. my Airgas driver was the same guy 90% of the time, as is the propane team (family biz).

I don't tip fed ex and ups because they have a pre-set route that is tracked, so there's no incentive - they're not going to get me my stuff faster, nor do they have access to the sales/billing computer to lower my rates.


Tipping is, always has been, and always will be a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" proposition. You have to decide when it's right and what it's worth. In my experience tipping my oxygen guy was well worth it.

[kage]

i gave my guy an ornament this past christmas, he gave me a calendar

[menty666]

What Doug said.

If you're dealing with something that you might possibly need someone to go above and beyond on, it helps to grease the wheels ahead of time.

Oh, and CDL's aren't hard to get, and usually you have to pay extra out of pocket above the normal operator's license to maintain it, ditto for your endorsements. When I left college I had a CDL-B with airbrakes and passenger endorsements but I let them lapse because I no longer needed them. A hazmat endorsement requires regular renewal which means more money, not always covered by your employer.

Having said that, I schlep my K tanks myself and I really only get a delivery about once a year for my propane swap. I have a trailer, I'm thinking of nixing that particular lease and getting a couple 100# tanks from the hardware store that I own instead, but I've never learned to back the trailer up right, so....it's safer to pay for delivery and the 25 bucks or so for an annual lease.

Heck, I don't even like travelling with the 20# tanks in my vehicle.

[ALIEN!]

To each there own, if you save a lot of money, I guess it could be beneficial, but typically I would not do this. Like I said, a glass gift maybe twice a year they will love. I showed some beads to my guy and he saw the dragon eye ones and was like "oooooh my sister would love one of those" so I picked out the nicest one and said here, give this one to her. I got some free gas out of it. Money is always a good lubricant, but I find a little glass now and then plus just being pleasant, smalltalk goes much further. Handing out money can work against you sometimes, people can get to expect it even though they really dont deserve it, and they'll remember the one time you didn't tip more than the times you did. A gift they'll never forget.

And yes, delivery guys can make very good money. One of the guys from my old supply place had a nice home nearby and a kick ass cabin up north w/ lots of land. He invited me up once when I found out where his place was it turned out to be right around the corner from a friend. Plus we were both gun nuts, so one weekend when I was up there, he said come on by, we'll do some shooting and I did.

Back to my point, Icarus, it doesn't sound like your pal drove for them very long. No one starts at the top. My guy says between his hourly plus sales commission he cleared over 65k. How many of you guys can say that?

Bottom line, if you want to tip, fine, but it is unusual in the trade, and gifting and just being the cheerful customer can go much much further IMO. Some of you guys seem to have gotten great deals by tipping, I would say your situations were probly unique, and it works for you so fine, but for the rest, don't get it in your head thinking its an expected thing, things like helping w/ unloading, pleasant small talk etc can make a guys day that much brighter and is probly worth more than a lousy 5-10 dollar tip to them. Give em a bead for their wife, they might get laid = you are fukkin winning.

To each their own, whatever works.

[ralph]

For sure tip!

[bildo]

I am really glad this came up. I will start tipping him on the occasional. I had been curious, but yall are right a little sometimes goes along way, and if it happens not to go anywhere it was just a five spot anyhow.

[KT-Old School Glass]

do you tip the ups or fedex guy for dropping off your raw material? I already pay enough for my gas. Plus they already add a delivery fee onto my bill. Consider that your 25 dollar tip.

exactly!

[Bo Diddles]

$50 at Christmas. If he didn't want to deliver to my residential address, pushing and pulling my tank up 50' of icy driveway in the winter, then I wouldn't be getting liquid oxy. I'm getting my money's worth.
When I asked the other oxy company in town if they could deliver to my house, the regional salesman brought the driver by and asked him. He said no.
Ridiculous, but whatever....

Kato and Icky are right on.

[B.C. Creations]

guess my situation isnt as bad as others. the guy backs his semi trailer up to the shop door lowers the tank outa the truck with the lift gate and moves it about 20 feet. we sit and bs with the guy for 20 mins sometimes. he even watches us work for a bit if we are in the middle of a piece but he wouldnt take any glass as a 'gift'.

if you are paying a delivery charge then you are already tipping.

dont get me wrong. i tip at bars and restraunts when service is proper. when service sucks then so does my tipping.

[n3rd]

if you think the guy delivering your oxygen is making more money than you, you're doing this wrong.

[Bruce Dille]

so whats the proper percentage?
If servers get tipped 15 to 20 percent,what percentage would be proper for the gas guy?
I use 120cf tanks, I get a fill exchange every week,But I go there and the guy rolls my tank 10 feet to my truck bed Then I pay the girl inside.she knows my name and what I get.She has a candy basket on the counter and I say "LUNCH" every time I take one.She deserves a glassy knick knack.Him too,Neither deserve a tip.
Ill make her somthing for her candy kindness.

[KT-Old School Glass]

guess my situation isnt as bad as others. the guy backs his semi trailer up to the shop door lowers the tank outa the truck with the lift gate and moves it about 20 feet. we sit and bs with the guy for 20 mins sometimes. he even watches us work for a bit if we are in the middle of a piece but he wouldnt take any glass as a 'gift'.

if you are paying a delivery charge then you are already tipping.

dont get me wrong. i tip at bars and restraunts when service is proper. when service sucks then so does my tipping.

Pretty much the same situation here. Drive backs truck up to the back of the studio, lowers the tank, moves it 3 feet, moves empty 3 feet, raises lift and secures empty. We talk and bullshit the whole time.

I'm also the same with tipping at restaurants. I tip according to performance.

[Bruce Dille]

Mr.Pinks veiw on tipping.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qV9wVGb38

[BrassMonkey]

I tip the mail lady,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yearly

[Greymatter Glass]

if you are paying a delivery charge then you are already tipping.



That's almost never true. Most use the fee to offset the extra insurance premiums they have to pay to have a delivery service, pay for the vehicles and related wear and tear costs, pay for fuel, etc....

I know in the case of Airgas the delivery fee is NEVER a part of any kind of "tip" or bonus pay for the driver, it's ALL related to delivery cost overhead.

If you really think that a delivery fee is shared with the delivery driver you're delusional.

[Julian]

The delivery fee is shared with the driver in the form of a salary, right?

I used to never tip gas delivery people in any way. When I heard that people tip them I was surprised... I never even considered it. I have noticed that 75% of them have always acted like they hated me, but a lot of welding companies act like they hate glassblowers, so that wasn't unusual. They have always hated my driveways, too.

Now, I'm very fortunate and the nicest delivery guy ever comes to my house. I figured I should bribe him a bit, just to make sure, and gave him a couple of pendants for his wife.

[Icarus]

so whats the proper percentage?
If servers get tipped 15 to 20 percent,what percentage would be proper for the gas guy?
I use 120cf tanks, I get a fill exchange every week,But I go there and the guy rolls my tank 10 feet to my truck bed Then I pay the girl inside.she knows my name and what I get.She has a candy basket on the counter and I say "LUNCH" every time I take one.She deserves a glassy knick knack.Him too,Neither deserve a tip.
Ill make her somthing for her candy kindness.

First off, get bigger tanks.

Second off, so uh, when did giving a glassy knick-knack not become a type of tip? It's not about cash, it's about a "hey, this is an appreciative gesture for what you do to make my life easier. I might not be giving you cash, but I'm letting you know in a physical way that the job you do helps me do the job I do." I don't know about you guys, but my welding shop is five miles way, which is damned close. Still, the time it takes me to pack up tanks, schlep them to the store, change them out and bring them back, costs me WAY more than $5. Maybe I think my time is worth way more than you think yours is worth, which I hope is not the case, as 90% of you are better flameworkers than I am, but still, are you seriously making so little that $5 is the end of the world? What you pay for a bag could be what you pay in tips to your oxy guy for the entire year. When it gets down to it, are you really going to miss it either way?

I may be wrong in this, but in the times that the money runs out, all you have is the relationships you've built. Those are priceless. Money might buy you a bed, and it might even buy someone to share it with you, but only the relationships you build will keep the other side of the bed warm when the money runs out.

[Aaron Ellis]

T.I.P.S.( To Insure Prompt Service ). And if you don't tip please don't come to my bar. I don't want to waist good service on ya lol. Naw even non tipers get good service from me just slower service cuz the tippers come first right.

[EFS]

if you think the guy delivering your oxygen is making more money than you, you're doing this wrong.

I have never heard anything more truthful than this

[rockstar glassworks]

A bottle of Johnnie Walker Double Black for, and xmas ornaments for everyone at Keen Gas. Plus when all the call me around xmas at the last minute for gifts.... I give them a really good deal.

They deliver to my residential address, and take really good care of me. So I try to take care them at least once a year. Plus I invite them to go disc golfing whenever I go.

No need for cash tips, just make people feel appreciated.

[Y-M-4-2-0]

i dont get deliveries, i bring my K tanks in to swap out myself......but i do throw my guys at airgas random pens, ornaments, pendants, really whatevers laying around randomly. it gets me good prices, they always messing with the computer & my account when i go in. dont know how true it is, but believable, i pay $20 for a K tank they claim most welding & scuba shops pay almost $60 for. and they hit me up $13 on 20# propanes when everywhere else wants $18-22.........so yea, tipping, whether its cash or cool glass stuff will help most. its definately worth it to me anyway

[Julian]

You might badger them a little more, Y-M-4-2-0 - a good price on a K tank is $10-15 these days. The going rate for a 20# propane is just that, $13. There's not much leeway on the price of propane, because it's actually a market rate - for oxygen, the gas is very inexpensive and you're mainly paying for the service.

[brian falls]

i dont get deliveries, i bring my K tanks in to swap out myself......but i do throw my guys at airgas random pens, ornaments, pendants, really whatevers laying around randomly. it gets me good prices, they always messing with the computer & my account when i go in. dont know how true it is, but believable, i pay $20 for a K tank they claim most welding & scuba shops pay almost $60 for. and they hit me up $13 on 20# propanes when everywhere else wants $18-22.........so yea, tipping, whether its cash or cool glass stuff will help most. its definately worth it to me anyway

In Cali my occasional kick down for my airgas guy gets my T (300cuf) bottles filled for $17 so guess a six pack now and then helps. Not to mention he gives out my number to anyone needing welding services....I`d say its worth ten bucks occasionally. Its kind of like doing something nice for your customers around the holidays....Not required but it never hurts,

Now the mail man , UPS, and fed ex.....I`m with Greymatter on this....it ain`t gonna affect your service really....I`ve never even thought of it. I just let them do their jobs.

[Firekist]

I've tried, and I've been refused by both drivers.
I argued with the first guy for 5 minutes, after he backed up a 100foot up hill snow and ice covered unpaved nightmare of a driveway.. to cart the tank another 40 feet over shoveled grass that had 4 inches of packed snow on it to take the 20 bucks.
I've never tried that hard again, cause the drivers never had to try that hard since then.

Situation/person dependent id guess.

Seth

[Greymatter Glass]

The delivery fee is shared with the driver in the form of a salary, right?

Never. Or at least almost never. Delivery fees usually go towards (in order) fuel costs, fleet maintenance, insurance, misc losses (like when someone broke in and stole $1200 worth of batteries from the trucks at my local AirGas).

In the rare instance that the delivery fees exceed the projections in the budget they will either a) adjust delivery fees or b)roll it into the next fiscal year.

There may be times when special circumstances call for overtime pay or special compensation to a driver which may or may not be paid for out of the delivery fee budget, but general annual driver salaries aren't determined by delivery fees.

Now I can only speak to what I know about the added fees for Airgas, FedEx, and a company my dad worked for - all of whom I have had this exact conversation with. Some other companies may offset their salary budget with delivery fees, but I suspect that they don't.

There was a time when profits were higher, costs were lower, and many companies offered free delivery - since then salaries have gone DOWN, and costs have gone UP and it's not always been matched strictly by retail price increases, hence delivery fees.



Now, I'm very fortunate and the nicest delivery guy ever comes to my house. I figured I should bribe him a bit, just to make sure, and gave him a couple of pendants for his wife.

THAT is the name of the game right there. A good person, no matter the profession, is worth keeping around. If that means a few bucks out of pocket from time to time, then so be it. these guys do NOT get tips when they deliver to a hospital, a lab, or a large commercial user... they love it when they get tips, and they WILL take care of you. Those other users have account reps they can complain to - we have our drivers.

[D. dino i ninjah]

Seriously
stop being cheep and tip your delivery driver. Everybody loves Safety Breaks..... it has been my experiance that gas guys are no exception. The bad part is when they start comming over not at work then you can get yourself in trouble. give that man something ...if your nice to the driver they'll do things like tell their boss they can fit you in when the boss has you scedualed for later that week.
I cant spell but Im smart enough to know that a happy driver means a good concistant supply of o2.

I

[Melkio]

"all business runs more smoothly when oiling some palms..."

[Aymie]

I have always tipped well. I got the best tanks and same day delivery, 45 minutes outside of town without charge. It's worth it.

[hashmasta-kut]

i tried to give him a 2 inch dichro marble but he refused. said no no, you sell it :)

i think he would be insulted if i tried to tip him. i just help wheel the oxygen in, and chat a lot, we get along great.

[Forche]

I don't think he would feel insulted...maybe appreciated, not sayin u don't.

Also I'm surprised to see these poll results.

[Aymie]

It was awkward tipping my guy at first. We already had a friendly relationship built at my previous place. But I just did it anyway. $10 for regular delivery, $20 for same day. I always had the delivery charge, that's not his. I know he didn't get paid well...enough, but not a lot. I knew when he was able to save up and take his daughter on vacation. He struggled every bit as much as most single parents I know. Tipping him was only awkward the first time. Since then I just figured it right in to the cost of oxy and I never missed it.

When I moved to Bastrop, he continued to deliver to me, outside of his regular route. I am 45 minutes from the shop and the only customer out this way. At this point, $20 became my regular tip. In order to keep the tank I knew vented so rarely, he would pick it up and being it back the next day. You can't expect this kind of service from your supplier, even if you start tipping, but I got this kind of service because I tipped. I spent years building a great relationship, taking care of him in return for his services. In the end, he was more than willing to take care of me when I became difficult.