# Tip for Garrafón Delivery



## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

I seem to remember a few conversations about tipping, but when I did a search, the most recent I could find was from 2010-11, and I'm not sure that it was relevant to my situation even then, given my difficult to reach location. 

The house I am renting is located in a (pedestrian only) callejón off one of the main streets in Guanajuato. The water is delivered to the entrance to the callejón, and must then be hand carried from there to my house by the delivery man. It is a distance of about 3 blocks, and a fairly steep climb of 86 steps.

Can anyone suggest an amount as a reasonable tip for the delivery man? I doubt that the 5 peso tip mentioned in the old post was meant for this particular geography. 

Thanks!
TT


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

why don't you speak to your neighbors and see what they do,m it is a specific situation and only people in that situation have any idea..


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## WintheWin (Jul 15, 2015)

How much is it worth to you not to carry it up?

I generally tip 10 pesos to they guy who helps put my groceries from my cart to my trunk.

Not carrying a garrison 3 blocks? That's gotta be worth a pretty penny. 50 pesos at least.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

WintheWin said:


> How much is it worth to you not to carry it up?
> 
> I generally tip 10 pesos to they guy who helps put my groceries from my cart to my trunk.
> 
> Not carrying a garrison 3 blocks? That's gotta be worth a pretty penny. 50 pesos at least.


So you would tip 150% of the garrafon cost?


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Sometimes the freight is more the product,...for that reason ask the Mexican neighbors what they do on that street..


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## WintheWin (Jul 15, 2015)

chicois8 said:


> So you would tip 150% of the garrafon cost?


It would probably take me a buttload of time to take it up myself, not to mention the effort.

How much is your time worth?

Mine's worth more than 50 pesos to bring up a garrafon. 

I generally tip my garrafon guy a peso or two, but realistically he moves it a handful of feet from the water plant to my car.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I would boil the water and forget about the water bottle, what a pain.. 89 steps loaded with groceries or not ...no thanks. After we left California I swore I would never live on hills again. I live on a small hill in Chiapas but there are ways to get to the house without going up to muc and in Ajijic I live in the flats, no hill for me..


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

3 blocks and 86 steps? The garafon guy deserves a medal of honor. Get an undersink water purifier system.


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## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

> Why don't you speak to your neighbors and see what they do


My neighbors say 4-5 pesos is enough. This seemed so inadequate to me that I wanted to ask for another opinion.




> So you would tip 150% of the cost of the garrafon?


Like you, Chico, I was thinking at first in terms of a percentage of cost, like tipping in a restaurant. But there are other ways of thinking about it, and I started thinking about the amount of hard work required to bring it to my door. Much harder than, say, taking an order and delivering a meal in a restaurant (for which my neighbors here suggest tipping 15%, much more than the 4-5 pesos for garrafon delivery.) Many things here are a mystery! 

If I think in terms of Win's question about how much it is worth to me, there really isn't an adequate answer, since I couldn't carry it myself. But I use about 3 liters every other day, and not having to carry that up the hill along with everything else I eat or drink is worth a lot! Certainly more than the tip for the grocery bagger. 




> 3 blocks and 86 steps? The garafon guy deserves a medal of honor. Get an undersink water purifier system.


He does deserve a medal! Since I can't offer him one, I want to tip him. I do plan to look into purifying systems, but right now I have garrafón delivery. There are several fairly substantial negatives with this particular house, so it may not be a long-term rental for me.

Update: Since posting, my (local) Spanish teacher suggested 15 pesos to me. So perhaps an amount somewhere between this and Win's suggestion of 50 pesos. The water itself costs 34 pesos.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Tired of shlepping garrafones of water a few blocks from a local pharmacy and then up three flights of steps up to my apartment (my rather primitive building has no elevator), I bought a Nikken water purifying system from a friend who is an agent for the company. Every day I pour tap water into the top tank and in a couple of minutes I have all the water I need for drinking for that day. Easy peasy!


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

sitting in my favorite restaurant the Coca Cola walks in with 4 x 24 glass bottles up 3 stairs and has to maneuver around tables, never seen him get tipped, its part of the job........

My garafon delivery guy carries the bottle about 30 meters, the charge is 12 pesos and I give him 15 and he always thanks me, like I said its part of the job...


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

You inspired me Islaverde, I am going to do the same thing, these bottles get heavier as you get older...


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

citlali said:


> You inspired me Islaverde, I am going to do the same thing, these bottles get heavier as you get older...


Indeed they do, even when you are in good health. In addition, I was able to help a friend with her business. Once a year she comes by to replace the large gray pebbles that do most of the actual filtering of the water, and once a week I need to rinse out the dense sponge that aids in the cleansing process.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

I was thinking 20 pesos would be reasonable. 
By the way, I really like your signature byline, TurtleToo.


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## WintheWin (Jul 15, 2015)

I think 20 pesos seems reasonable, given the cost of the garrafon, it seems like the increase in price is considerable.

I'm in Mexicali, where everything is considerably more expensive than other places, and my garrafon is only 10 pesos. 

34 pesos seems to offset the extra pay they hopefully give the guy to transport it up and down hills all day.


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## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> Tired of shlepping garrafones of water a few blocks from a local pharmacy and then up three flights of steps up to my apartment (my rather primitive building has no elevator), I bought a Nikken water purifying system from a friend who is an agent for the company. Every day I pour tap water into the top tank and in a couple of minutes I have all the water I need for drinking for that day. Easy peasy!



This seems like a great solution! Though I don't think I will acquire one until I know that I'll be staying in this location more than temporarily. Moving belongings is incredibly difficult in this town where vehicle access is limited, and the closest vehicle access may be some distance away. (From both locations--the place you're moving from and the one you're moving to!) I arrived in Guanajuato last December with only one carry-on bag, which made moving about pretty easy. 

In the intervening months I thought that I had been very careful about acquiring new belongings, but I had to make four trips across town when I moved. (I'm trying out for a new life as a burro!) A pillow, bed sheets, a towel, a couple books, a few stationery supplies, a mug, etc. I thought I would leave the kitchen staples and cleaning supplies I've acquired behind, but then realized I would not only have to buy everything again--salt, oil, vinegar, etc--but would still have to carry it all up to my new house! 

When I arrived in Mexico, I was actually headed to Guadalajara, but I arrived 10 days early to see a little of this part of Mexico. My first stop was Guanajuato where I thought I would spend a couple of days. But I was so taken by the city that I couldn't think of a good reason to leave. And here I am. 86 steps above level ground.

.


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## bhamham (Feb 19, 2017)

This tipping delemma seems to be a problem the world over for ex-pats.

My thoughts are that there is a somewhat delicate, although very small, economic consequence at play here. If you tip the man 5x more than what your neighbors do they will certainly get wind of it - he may even use it to leverage the others to increase their tips. And, my guess is there would be some resentment felt towards you. Oh, another rich ****** blah, blah. It's another form of gentrification.

I think I'd use the teacher's suggestion of 15 pesos and give him a nice gift at Xmas or Easter. This way you're slightly bettering the average tip in recognition of his labor but not blatantly over doing it. 

Better yet, do as Isla Verde does and get a water purification system. Do they sell Brita filter jugs over there? That's what we use.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

bhamham said:


> This tipping delemma seems to be a problem the world over for ex-pats.
> 
> My thoughts are that there is a somewhat delicate, although very small, economic consequence at play here. If you tip the man 5x more than what your neighbors do they will certainly get wind of it - he may even use it to leverage the others to increase their tips. And, my guess is there would be some resentment felt towards you. Oh, another rich ****** blah, blah. It's another form of gentrification.
> 
> ...


I know what you are referring to, and I have certainly seen this at play, where wealthy foreigners pay based on the standards of their home country and their personal wealth, often claiming the moral high ground without consideration of how that can negatively affect the local economic “ecosystem”. Certainly if the local day rate for a construction crew is MXN$300-500 (approx US$15-25) and foreigners start paying MXN$600-800, that could negatively affect locals who are not able to afford the higher rate. 

But to keep TurtleToo’s situation in perspective in the Mexican context, the difference between MXN$15 and MXN$20 (or even between $5 and $20) is not going to have an impact on the local economy, and hardly even on the economy of the water carrier. 5 pesos is a difference of US$0.25. It is more of a way of communicating to the water carrier that his hard work is recognized and valued. (MXN$50 would be over the top, though, in my opinion.)

And the option of getting a filter to avoid the tip dilemma ends up reducing available work for the water carrier and therefore reduces his income. I don’t think that is a solution if the main inconvenience of getting the bottles is discomfort around how much to tip. (There are other reasons someone may opt for their own water purification system, though.) By the way, a Brita filter isn’t enough to get rid of microorganisms (parasites, bacteria, viruses) that may be in the water in Mexico.


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## Anonimo (Apr 8, 2012)

Sounds good, but I would prefer a water purifying system where I don't need to pour un the water by hand.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Here is a reverse osmosis with 3 filters at Mercado Libre =$253.00 USD w/ free delivery........

https://articulo.mercadolibre.com.m...ersa-inicio-agua-potable-sistema-de-filtr-_JM


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## bhamham (Feb 19, 2017)

Good point, ojoazules.

Didn't know the MX public water system has unhealthy microorganisms




ojosazules11 said:


> I know what you are referring to, and I have certainly seen this at play, where wealthy foreigners pay based on the standards of their home country and their personal wealth, often claiming the moral high ground without consideration of how that can negatively affect the local economic “ecosystem”. Certainly if the local day rate for a construction crew is MXN$300-500 (approx US$15-25) and foreigners start paying MXN$600-800, that could negatively affect locals who are not able to afford the higher rate.
> 
> But to keep TurtleToo’s situation in perspective in the Mexican context, the difference between MXN$15 and MXN$20 (or even between $5 and $20) is not going to have an impact on the local economy, and hardly even on the economy of the water carrier. 5 pesos is a difference of US$0.25. It is more of a way of communicating to the water carrier that his hard work is recognized and valued. (MXN$50 would be over the top, though, in my opinion.)
> 
> And the option of getting a filter to avoid the tip dilemma ends up reducing available work for the water carrier and therefore reduces his income. I don’t think that is a solution if the main inconvenience of getting the bottles is discomfort around how much to tip. (There are other reasons someone may opt for their own water purification system, though.) By the way, a Brita filter isn’t enough to get rid of microorganisms (parasites, bacteria, viruses) that may be in the water in Mexico.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

You live in Paris and use a filter??


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## bhamham (Feb 19, 2017)

Yes, more to remove/reduce the calcium carbonate; otherwise, I find the public water in Paris very good to drink. Many however buy bottled water.


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## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

Thank you all for your replies! I appreciate everyone's input since it helps me to listen to varying perspectives. In the end, I settled on 20 pesos as a median point where I hope that neither local custom nor fairness is compromised too badly. (And my foreign biases do not completely take over!)

In general I prefer to be generous, but not foolish. It can sometimes be challenging to discern the difference in an unfamiliar culture. In this particular situation I am hoping to signal my appreciation for the hard work involved in getting water to my door, without throwing the neighborhood custom too far out of balance. That seems to be the best I can hope for!

.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Don´t you have neighbors, they would know a whole lot better than people who do not live there...
Sometimes things change from town to town.. In Chiapas no one tips the garbage people if they have extra bags and they also wait for the sound of the bell to take out the garbage, They also do not get tipped at Christmas..


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

I live in an area which is full of well-off gringoes who overtip, which seems to make them feel quite proud of themselves. The result is that locals get an attitude, assume and expect that all foreigners, even if they live here, are not wealthy, and work for pesos, can afford to do that and should be tipping like that. 
I went out to eat and drink wine with a couple of friends- the service was poor- the waiters were all gabbing by the till and not paying attention to their tables and we had to keep trying to get their attention throughout the evening. We left a tip, but not a large one (about 10% as I recall) thinking they'd get the message. They actually chased us out onto the sidewalk when we left, informing us that the tip wasn't included in the bill and basically demanding that we give them more. We told them we'd have left more if their service had been attentive and walked away.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

surabi said:


> I live in an area which is full of well-off gringoes who overtip, which seems to make them feel quite proud of themselves. The result is that locals get an attitude, assume and expect that all foreigners, even if they live here, are not wealthy, and work for pesos, can afford to do that and should be tipping like that.
> I went out to eat and drink wine with a couple of friends- the service was poor- the waiters were all gabbing by the till and not paying attention to their tables and we had to keep trying to get their attention throughout the evening. We left a tip, but not a large one (about 10% as I recall) thinking they'd get the message. They actually chased us out onto the sidewalk when we left, informing us that the tip wasn't included in the bill and basically demanding that we give them more. We told them we'd have left more if their service had been attentive and walked away.


I had the same thing happen once to me here in Mexico. We were a group of 5 peace Corps volunteers. We left about 5% or 10%, I don't remember exactly. They followed us out onto the sidewalk and "reminded" us that the tip was not included in the bill. In hindsight, I wish I had said "You're right we made a mistake", and then reduced the tip.


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## [email protected] (Nov 12, 2017)

TundraGreen said:


> I had the same thing happen once to me here in Mexico. We were a group of 5 peace Corps volunteers. We left about 5% or 10%, I don't remember exactly. They followed us out onto the sidewalk and "reminded" us that the tip was not included in the bill. In hindsight, I wish I had said "You're right we made a mistake", and then reduced the tip.


It happens up here too!


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

When the " service charge " is added to the bill I always ask what is the charge, the waiter always says it is a 10% tip, and I say OH I was gonna leave a 15% tip and walk out....I don't mind paying a service fee as long as it is stated on the menu...


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## lbs_momma (Mar 18, 2015)

chicois8 said:


> So you would tip 150% of the garrafon cost?


I agree 50 pesos is probably what I would offer too. We have people clean our cars here in Tijuana for the same price and I imagine the effort used to climb 86 steps is about equal to cleaning a car if you want to think of it that way instead of based on a percentage.

Also how valuable is the service to you? I pay 50 pesos just for cleaning up dog poop because I absolutely refuse lol but that's just me.

Best!


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## ElPocho (Aug 25, 2017)

TurtleToo said:


> My neighbors say 4-5 pesos is enough. This seemed so inadequate to me that I wanted to ask for another opinion.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You are a good man Tortuga. 
I'd probably tip him 30 pesos or I'd buy 3 bottles of water at a time and tip $50.
The grocery bagger makes $5-10 pesos for doing next to nothing. The water guy carried this several blocks. 

Recently the garbage truck stopped by my house while I was arriving. I rushed into the house fumbled with the keys, wasted time, figured I missed the truck. As I walked to close the door the guys were waiting for me. I went back inside and got my garbage and $20 for a tip. I think I paid $150 for 6 months service.
These are the same guys that would not pick up my garbage someimes.
Now they remember me, and like me.

I tip people as a way to thank them, they live hard lives.


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## WintheWin (Jul 15, 2015)

ElPocho said:


> You are a good man Tortuga.
> I'd probably tip him 30 pesos or I'd buy 3 bottles of water at a time and tip $50.
> The grocery bagger makes $5-10 pesos for doing next to nothing. The water guy carried this several blocks.
> 
> ...


Tipping the garbage dudes is good policy. They'll take trash away they aren't supposed to accept.


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## Corri (Nov 2, 2013)

TurtleToo said:


> I seem to remember a few conversations about tipping, but when I did a search, the most recent I could find was from 2010-11, and I'm not sure that it was relevant to my situation even then, given my difficult to reach location.
> 
> The house I am renting is located in a (pedestrian only) callejón off one of the main streets in Guanajuato. The water is delivered to the entrance to the callejón, and must then be hand carried from there to my house by the delivery man. It is a distance of about 3 blocks, and a fairly steep climb of 86 steps.
> 
> ...


Maybe another way of looking at this is, what is it worth to you to keep them interested in delivering to you? What if they decide not to deliver water to you at all?
Remember, delivery persons go where the money is, or not. Good luck.


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