There is a thread posted on annieorphans.com that says broadway ushers do not get tips. Julie Stevens who runs the website says ushers get paid well and do not get tips, you would tip the coat check person but not the usher. I disagree. I think Tipping is common practice on Broadway.
I've never tipped an usher, I've never seen anyone tip an usher, and it would never even have crossed my mind that anyone would tip an usher. How would that even work? Most of the times they hand me a Playbill and point to the row I am supposed to be in. When would you even have time to hand them money? And it's not like I can't get to my seat on my own either. I don't know why some people have a hard time finding where they are sitting, it's written right there on the ticket.
Well, it's almost always when the usher escorts the person to their seat. It's given when the usher has finished showing them the seats and handing them the Playbills. It's simply courtesy. It's not required.
I've never heard of tipping an usher. Maybe it's just me, but I've only even been handed my playbill and pointed to my seat. Most of the time I take the playbill and tell them I can find my seat myself, it's not that hard to do...
Perhaps those who never heard of tipping an usher are too young to remember, but I remember back in the day, it was a common occurance. I remember my parents doing it, and even when I started going to shows alone, I'd always have the dollar ready to hand them. You'd hand it to them as you entered your row, and they handed you the playbill.
Even now, there's the occasional patron who will tip. I see it happening more often when the usher is able to move the patron to a better seat!
Also, I have to echo that ushers are not, I repeat not, paid well.
It really doesn't happen any more, but, back when theatre going was an experience, tipping did happen.
TIPS stands for To Insure Proper Service, and that's how folks thanked the usher.
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I sometimes usher at an off broadway theatre, and on many occasions i've recieved tips from 1- 5 dollars. Usually at least one patron a day would provide some kind of tip, but its still really always a surprise.
be honest... do you think they do it so they may get better seats?
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The usher on the left side of the mid-mezz at the Lunt last night definitely didn't deserve anything. She was AWFUL!! There was no one at the bottom telling us where to go, so we found our own seats (had the row to ourselves as it was n the side and there were 4 of us), and she glared at us as we went in. Though she made no effort to move towards us; just stood in the middle of the stairs. When we asked for Playbills, she glared some more and demanded to see our tickets before she handed them down to us.
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I get tips occasionally. Usually it'll happen if I'm working the orchestra, and generally it's a couple of dollars and sometimes a five. One time someone asked me if they could move to the box on a particularly empty day and I said it would be fine, and she slipped a twenty into my pocket. I tried to refuse it but she insisted. One man presented me with fifty cents, which I found hilarious. Dammit, I'm not even worth a dollar????
"be honest... do you think they do it so they may get better seats?"
I don't know about that but what I was referring to was on occasion, there will be patrons who don't even request better seats, but are given them by our own decision. Then, the tip is given after the seats were changed!
I never heard of tipping an usher until I became one myself. I never got tips when I worked off-Broadway. I get a lot of tips at one particular theatre I work at. They're usually around one to five dollars (I got a three dollar tip just yesterday). They're especially good if you do late seating - I led someone to their front orchestra seat after a cue, and he slipped me a twenty.
And yes, middle class people tip better than high class. I got tipped more working in the balcony one show than I ever did in the orchestra.
Always used to tip ushers. No reason not to, but these days, audiences are all discounts and that sort of crowd doesn't tip, I guess. People used to get dressed up for the theater too, but, ah well, what are you gonna do?
I'm sure a lot of people going to the theatre expect the ushers' courtesy to be paid for in the price of their tickets.
I've never seen anyone tip, and the usher usually just points you in the direction of your seat or to another usher. If you're on a line of people, it just seems like it would be weird to pull out money and hand it to the usher for telling you which direction to go, especially when you're generally required to go to the usher.
I know the ushers generally walk people to their seats in the orchestra, but tipping doesn't really seem to be common there either.
Updated On: 1/14/08 at 05:09 AM