Tipping

Brandi

Hiiaaaa everyone ^.^
So I have always wondered what the thoughts are on tipping pro-cuddlers?
I have been tipped by a few amazing guys in the past that seemed to really appreciate my service, and it was so appreciated!

However, I'm not sure how I would feel about having a tip jar out because I wouldn't want to put out a vibe of like "please give me more money" or "oh those darn lazy pros and them trying to make even more easy money" But I think if pros are genuine and put in the extra mile, a tip jar could make all the difference to her and she could have more of a budget for cuddle supplies. *pillows, sheets, incense, hot tea. etc.  

 I have been asked for tips in the past from massage therapists and it made me feel forced and weird, so I wouldnt ever want to put someone in that position lol.

What do you guys think?

I pretty much only host so how would this work for clients such as myself who host and provide sheets, candles, incense etc? Do we get a discount? lol

greenearth2

I think tipping is a bad idea. Usually at massage places they ask for tips if they do extra things like hand jobs
So I get really turned off by tips and pros who act like they should get a bigger tip cause they were extra nice or something.
Rates are already high enough. Add tips and it encourages extras.

It also discourages clients from hiring pros.

Cuddle Comfort or Cuddle Clean-Em-Out?

Tipping and traveling and escorts OH MY!

Brandi

Green Earth well hold on, Tipping occurs in Restaurants, massage places, Starbucks coffee places, hair stylists, and many other professions... delivery dudes lol. And none of those imply hand jobs for tips, not sure why cuddling should be any different. 
I think if provided with good service anywhere, a tip makes the worker feel nice, and its nice to spread kindness, even a Dollar is appreciated in any place I'm sure

chococuddles, Oh, darn it! I was really trying not to come off that way haha, just trying to see other peoples views

The best tip a person can give a pro would be repeat visits. This says I could have booked any of the 40 local cuddlers but decided to come back.

Asking for or expecting a tip isn't a good idea

The Restaurant tip is because servers don't make minimum wage so a tip is expected for their wage to come out right

A massage parlor that asks for tips usually charges super low prices like 20 an hour. After the cut the business gets they need that tip to get a decent wage too.

Delivery dudes get tips for gas money, id definitely tip if a cuddler came to me but didnt charge for travel but every pro charges for travel.

Tipping has actually really harmed the restaurant industry and should be abolished in all business.

Brandi

thanks for the input Alternis, all very good points
how has tipping harmed the restaurant industry Morpheus?

I have a Tip for you. NO TIP JARS!!! I totally agree with @morpheus I hate tipping with a passion and only tip when it's required like restaurants. If you feel like you need a tip then by all means raise your rates. I want to be told what I need to pay and pay it. I don't want the pressure of trying to figure out if I should tip or not. If I see a tip jar it would be my last trip to see that pro.

Im going to get a new sign printed up for my man cave: LEAVE YOUR CAMERAS, TIP JARS, DRIVERS, AND JEANS AT THE DOOR.

Mark

Putting some of the usual trolling reactions to one side, this is a topic that is probably worthwhile briefly going over as it is something that I've seen done right here but also done very badly too.

Here's my view just from a personal perspective: I find any mention of tipping in an interaction awkward. For example, if someone before meeting me were to say that tipping is welcome but not expected, simply by the mention of it I feel it has now set a level of expectation. I think it's an obvious assumption that someone would appreciate gratuity so why mention it. And for the rare circumstances where it's not accepted, you can state that somewhere. Even in a situation where your offer is rejected, you're not going to feel bad after attempting a positive gesture.

So if I were to organise a session with a Cuddler and they told me "Tips are welcome", I would enjoy that session a little less because I would wonder if that was genuinely for informational purposes or as a subtle nudge. And if I were to visit a Cuddler and see a tip jar, that would also probably make me feel uncomfortable. On a store counter there is no personal connection with the jar recipient but in a cuddle session you are having an intimate experience directly with that business owner which to me makes that jar being there more significant. Some people won't find any of this at all awkward and be reading with bewilderment but I do think it's quite common.

I couldn't agree with @Mark more. I was put in this situation when I saw a Pro that told me "tips are appreciated, but not required". After a wonderful session I asked her what guys normally tipped her. She replied, "Anywhere from 0 to $200". I felt like for me I'd not feel good whatever I did. If I gave her 0 I'd feel like an ass. If I gave her 10 bucks I'd feel like an ass for giving her so little. If I gave her 200 I'd feel like a sucker for paying 300 for a cuddle session. I ended up tipping the girl 20 bucks but didn't leave feeling great about myself like I should have.

I think it best not to mention any tipping and if the guy gives a tip then so be it but even mentioning tipping at all suggests the Pro expects a tip at the end whether that's her intent or not.

Tipping is not something that I expect from any client.  I don't even bring it up.  I leave it up to the SOUL discretion of my client if he/she chooses to tip:-)  If I receive a tip, then that's just a bonus on top of our lovely cuddling experience!  Peace

I have much more love, light and positive energy to give than I do money. In my cuddle journey, the majority of pros have been more generous to me with their time than I have been to them with my money. I have had several pros stay past the paid time on their own time and I like to think it's because they have enjoyed the exchange of positive energy and what I have to offer beyond monetary compensation. Not all of us have excessive amount of money that we can throw around and for some of us, although it is well worth it, professional cuddling rates are already pricey without tips. I treat my pros with respect and kindness and I give them all the love and light that I have during our sessions and I am grateful to have those moments.

Fair question. Tipping is really up to the client in any profession, but should never be expected.

Personally, I feel whenever you are making the majority profit from a client (ie your split is higher than CC's split) then it's bad form and a tad greedy to ask for more money by way of tips.  Tips were created to supplement professions, like waiters/waitresses, who don't make much money to begin with.  Nobody tips at McDonald's even though it's also a restaurant, because the employees all make minimum wage.  You tip at restaurants because they need tips to supplement the lesser wage they receive.  Pro cuddlers may not have a ton of clients and therefore don't make a ton of money, but based on the hourly rate they charge and their cut of the take... it's a little greedy to ask.

All just my opinion.  Like I said above... if someone wants to tip you, that's up to them and you should take it as a nice unexpected gesture. And if someone doesn't want to tip you, don't take it personal or hate on them for not tipping. 

docgatorb

You don't generally tip the owner of the business.

Brandi

Thanks for the opinions guys Glad I started this topic, I liked hearing different perspectives ^.^

psilocuddle

I never have any 5's on hand, so when I pay for a session I usually round up to 10.  Otherwise I don't think tipping has any place in cuddling. 

One of my friends saw a pro that deleted her profile from the site recently. She still charged him the same amount she charged while on the site which means she actually made more because she didn't have to pay CC a cut. My friend said that she actually asked him for a tip and told him that he's the only guy that hasn't tipped her. When I heard that, I thought what nerve. She makes $75 an hour and still wants a tip? Such greed is absolutely disgusting.

CarlosHunt

@masterofcuddle - priceless!

>Im going to get a new sign printed up for my man cave: LEAVE YOUR CAMERAS, TIP JARS, DRIVERS, AND JEANS AT THE DOOR. <

Ninsiana

@CarlosHunt, yes! That is awesome!!!
But still, to expect a tip is revolting in my opinion. The prices are already high.

A friend of mine had a girl from Snugglebuddies say she would cuddle with him and bypass snugglebuddies. She said she wanted $80 plus tip yet cuddlers from snugglebuddies get a cut of $40 an hour. So if your cut is normally $40 an hour, how do you have the nerve to ask for $80 an hour plus tips??? Minimum wage in Californianis $10.50 an hour. There are people out there busting their asses for $10.50 and hour who don't get tips. A pro that charges $80 an hour walks away with $80 an hour that I'm sure they don't pay taxes on if it's a cash transaction. The minimum wage worker who doesn't get tips would have to work 8 full hours to get what that cuddler took away in one hour and she has the nerve to ask for a tip? Seriously?

I have an idea, how about pro cuddlers charge $10.50 an hour and I'll be more than happy to give them a very nice tip.

Mailleweaver

Tipping always makes me uncomfortable whether I'm giving or receiving, so I avoid it whenever possible except where culture has made it absolutely necessary (like restaurants). Even then, I go to restaurants less often than I would if the staff's wages were simply included in the price of the meal. The uncertainty of when, how, and how much is all negative.

There's another aspect of it as well that's even more important. In the past 10 or so years that I've spent repairing copiers I've had a few customers insist on tipping me for the service I provide them and it has always made me feel like it's a bribe or something to get special treatment. I'm already paid for my work and already attempt to give the best possible service to everyone, so anything on the side seems shady and unnecessary. I hate giving service to those people because of the dirty feeling that they'll shove into my shirt pocket if I won't open my hand to it. Even my neighbor insists on paying me when I help him with something, and it feels like it reduces the value of just being neighborly and doing him a kindness.

I believe that set prices should include everything expected and accepted so that personal interactions can be valued in themselves without monetary exchanges tainting them.

quietman775

Mailleweaver, that's interesting. Might you be one of those people who has trouble accepting a compliment?  I ask that with no sarcasm intended. See, you just want to do a neighborly good deed. And your neighbor also wants to do a good deed by tipping you. Maybe he feels like a little extra cash would be a blessing to you. Or maybe he just wants to keep himself from feeling like a "taker" who takes the good will of his neighbors for granted. Whatever he's thinking, his tip doesn't change your good deed or the motive you had for doing it. So his tip can't reduce the value of your act. I work in an occupation where tips and/or gifts are not permitted. But were it otherwise, I would just say "thank you" and accept the tip in the spirit in which it was given, and not let it make me feel uncomfortable. This is just a suggestion, not a criticism.

quietman775

As for the original question, I'm with Docgatorb: I don't generally tip the owner of a business. Like most business owners, pro cuddlers set their own rates.  For them to expect (or even suggest) tips on top of $60-$100 per hour they charge seems unreasonable.

Mailleweaver

I don't really know how to respond to compliments besides saying, "Thanks," but I do quite like them. It's the idea that money is the only thing meaningful to people that ruins things for me. Money is as useful to me as to anyone, but it's just a utility--no more valuable or meaningful than food or clothing. Stuff is just stuff. It's deeds and relationships that matter.

snuggle554321

 I posted this and why would clients tip:

"A lot of pros, except for on here, don't make nearly as much money.  Most of the time they only make 50% of what is charged.  Tipping is supposed to be appreciation for the service.  If someone gives you good quality service then they get a higher tip. If they give you cruddy service then they get a very small or no tip.  I assume that any pro that posts in their profile that "tips are encouraged but not   Required" would discourage  some customers who are not comfortable with that. 

I also give discounts  to clients who book 3 hours or more.  I also typically end up going over time unless I have something else going on afterwards ESPECIALLY  if they didn't test ANY of my boundaries!  I'm also planning on cuddling for an extra hour to anyone who has to pay for a hotel room in order to specifically cuddle with me. I REALLY APPRECIATE my clients especially since I am new to this!  The only drawback that I have come across is once you go over time to show appreciation to a client, they want you to immediately give them even more extra time.  Clients continuing to push the envelope for more time  has become a little bit of a problem.  Sometimes I just don't have that extra time.  Then they can feel gypped when they don't get it because they are expecting it. 

 I also focus on my clients being really happy with the cuddling session. I don't focus on myself at all because I want them to  really enjoy their cuddling session.  So if they are more comfortable with a cuddle position  then I am, I will still cuddle in that position, unless I feel that it could lead to problems during the cuddling session. I've also been physically uncomfortable in a cuddling position before. But they were comfortable so I just dealt with the minor pain until they wanted to change cuddling positions. Pros who are truly pros put their clients first! I've never expected a tip, nor will I ever, but if I were to receive one, it would be greatly appreciated!"

Extra time should never be expected but appreciated like a tip would be.

snuggle554321

I also plan on making this my career so even though I get paid in cash frequently I still plan on paying taxes on it. It also helps contribute towards Social Security.  I think asking for a tip is in poor taste but giving a tip is absolutely wonderful. When giving a tip it makes me feel truly appreciated especially since I don't expect one!