Tipping Personal Shoppers

[jamesglewisf]

Question via email:Hi!
I arrived at your site hoping to learn the appropriate amount I need to tip a personal shopper. Your site lists "no tip" for this service. Is this correct? In the coming weeks, I am having a personal shopper at a major department store in Chicago assist me and I do not want to offend her. I have not requested this service before and am not sure why a tip would not be appropriate. The service is free. Are they making commission off of my purchases?

Thanks for your help!

[jamesglewisf]

Answer:Personal shoppers that work for the department store are not tipped. That is a free service from the store. All it really amounts to is you getting personal attention from one of their salespeople. I verified my prior research by calling Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus today and talking to their personal shoppers.

[Grimey]

Anybody here use a personal shopper? My mom used to be my personal shopper, but she quit years ago.

[abbnickeli]

I work with a woman who offered to do some clothing shopping for me for a party I will be attending. She did the shopping on her lunch hour without me present. She purchased the items and those that I did not like, she returned. However, I will be purchasing a number of items that cost about $130. I plan to give her a check for the amount. My question is - should I give her a tip? If so, how much? I will probably use her services in the future as she has a great knack for selecting clothing for me.

Thanks,
Andrea

[jamesglewisf]

Most independent personal shoppers are not tipped. They charge by the hour or by the shopping trip. Typical charges range from $25 to $250 per hour. I'm sorry I couldn't be more specific. You might just ask her what she wants. It will probably be lower than what you would guess.