May 2--The hair stylist. The waitress. The guy who delivers the pizza. 

It seems all of these people expect customers to drop them a little something extra for their services. But how much is enough when it comes to tipping? 

The word "tip" is thought to mean "to ensure prompt service." And while it's a pleasant plus for some workers, it's a make or break for others. 

In restaurants, it's common for diners to leave servers something on the table at the end of a meal. But receiving enough is another matter, said Mary Masella, senior sales manager at Holiday Inn Select in Central Park and president of the Fredericksburg Regional Hospitality Council. 

The minimum hourly wage for most workers is $5.15. But servers earn much less than that--a minimum of $2.13 an hour. And many share their tips with bus boys and bartenders. 

Diners, depending on age, will tip anywhere from 10 percent to 20 percent of the bill, said Masella, a former bartender. 

She said the biggest tippers at Shannon's Nightclub in the Central Park hotel tend to be those "in the business," who either wait tables or have in the past. 

"When they go out, they generally tip 30 percent," she said. "They know how difficult it is to make a living on money people leave as tips." At Carlos O'Kellys Mexican Café in Stafford, servers usually are tipped well, said General Manager Tracey Powers. On good nights, they can earn from $15 to $20 an hour, she said. 

"Servers here make pretty good money," Powers said. "Otherwise, they wouldn't stay on as long as they do." 

Steve Janney has driven through rain and shine to get Domino's pizzas to customers on time. 

Although he is paid by the hour at the Princess Anne Street store, he only receives 75 cents a trip for gas and car repairs. He said that's where tips really help out. 

"Tips are our main source of income," he said. 

Deliverers consider $2 to be a good tip, and they fight over who gets to deliver pizzas to people who give more. 

If someone hands out $5, "Those are the customers we remember," he said. 

"We all know where they live." A Domino's survey found that 52 percent of customers decide what they're going to tip before the driver gets to their house, said Julie Kreider who owns the Fredericksburg Domino's and two others in Spotsylvania County. Tips often are based on how long it takes to get the pizza, she said, although drivers have little to do with it. 

For florists, it's a different story. 

Gary Limbrick, owner of The Flower Shop on William Street in Fredericksburg, said he discourages tipping his drivers. "We expect our drivers to do an excellent job all the time," he said. 

He tells drivers to tactfully decline bonuses. But if customers insist, the drivers can accept tips, he said. 

Tips for hair stylists aren't only encouraged, they're almost necessary for workers to make a living, said Melissa Black, manager of Trade Secret salon in Spotsylvania Mall. 

"This is their bread and butter," she said. 

Black said many stylists work for commission, meaning they don't get most of what's being charged for a haircut or perm. So if they spend three hours on one person's hair, that's less time to see other customers. 

If no one tips, they're out of luck. 

Twenty percent of the total bill is the going rate for stylists' tips, she said, but only three out of 10 customers tip at all. 

"They just don't get it," Black said. 

Masseuses view tips differently, said Nora Eldridge, licensed massage therapist in Spotsylvania County. 

She said therapists across the country are split into two camps: Some say people don't tip other health care professionals, like their family physician. So why tip them? Others say physicians do receive gifts or free services, which are tips. So massage therapists can, too. 

Eldridge falls into the second group. 

"I don't turn down a tip, but I don't expect anybody to tip me unless they really want to," she said. 

For other pampering services like facials, waxing or makeovers, a 10 percent or 15 percent tip is usually expected, said Mary Claire Janiga, campus director of Career Training Solutions. The Plank Road school teaches skin care and massage therapy. 

For waxing or makeovers, she said $3 is a pretty good tip. 

Then again, some gracious customers tip beyond what's expected. 

Janiga said a former student in Richmond called one day to share excitement over a huge tip: A jazz singer left her $100 for a massage. 

"It depends on how much money people have," Janiga said. 

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(c) 2002, The Free-Lance Star, Fredericksburg, Va. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.