To tip or not to tip? Tipping etiquette can be tricky, especially when it comes to your florist. Often we’re torn between sticking to a budget and showing appreciation for a job well-done. Sometimes service fees are included in the price too, which complicates matters. 

As a general rule of thumb: tipping is strictly optional when service fees are included, but a good idea otherwise. Let’s take the mystery out of tipping your florist with our guide below. 

You should always tip when…

There are situations when you should always tip. 

• Above-and-beyond service: If your florist goes out of his/her way to please you, you should always tip. This includes scenarios when a flower is hard-to-find or when you need a rush order. Anytime you’re especially happy with the service, you should show it with a tip. 

• Delivery obstacles: If you’re receiving a flower Delivery and there are special circumstances, you should tip. For example, bad weather or several flights of stairs would warrant a tip. This makes sense: the delivery person will work extra to provide you service. 

However, tipping depends a lot on your situation. Let’s go over a few common scenarios and the tipping expectations for each. 

If you pick up the flowers yourself… 

Let’s say you’re picking up a flower order yourself. In this case, tips aren’t expected but they’re definitely nice to give. You’ll likely see a tip jar near the cashier. If you love the bouquet or the florist gave you quick service, you might consider adding $2-$5 into the tip jar. 

If the flowers are delivered to you…

Delivery is slightly different from store pick-up. Generally speaking, you tip for delivery of any services to your home. (For example, it’s common practice to tip for food delivery.) Often floral delivery workers will receive a $2-$5 tip for a bouquet. If the order is particularly large, you might consider closer to $10. However, if a service fee is included in the order, you can pass on giving a tip. 

If you’ve sent flowers to somebody as a gift…

In this case, it’s not a bad idea to add a tip to your order. This way, the gift recipient won’t feel obligated to give a tip. Simply add $2-$5 to your order for the delivery worker. Most florist websites have a line on the checkout page for adding a tip. Of course, if your gift delivery has special instructions, you might consider giving $10 or more. 

If you’ve hired floral services for an event (such as a baptism or wedding)…

There’s no one answer for tipping for floral services. Nowadays, many florists include service fees into their event prices, which means you can forgo a tip. (This is especially true for owner-run businesses.) If not, however, you should plan a larger tip than a regular delivery. For weddings, florist tips usually run from $50-$150 depending on the scale of service. This tip can be given at delivery in a special envelope, or you can give it in-person or by mail after the event. If you’ve hired a wedding planner, he/she can take care of coordinating this tip instead.

If you’re on a tight budget and can’t tip…

Sometimes it’s hard to factor in tips. For a normal order, you have some room to show appreciation in other ways. If you’re short on giving a $5 tip, you might consider writing a 5-star review online. Florists depend on great reviews to get more business, so it’s a nice way to say thanks. However, when hiring floral services or making a large order, you should plan ahead and have a tip set aside. 

If you’re a florist and want to clarify your tipping policies…

Are your customers always asking you about tips? As a florist, you can get ahead of their questions by adding a quick note to their order or on your website’s FAQ page. Clarify your tipping policies so that customers feel confident about tipping (or not). You’ll also save yourself a few phone calls and emails from customers. 

At the end of the day, tipping is simply good etiquette. Now that you’ve read these must-know tips for tipping your florist, we hope you understand it once and flor-al!

This article is part 1 of our series on Tipping. Read part 2 to see what our florists have to say about how to tip their employees.