I was always told the tip should be based off the standard pre-tax price of something- 15% for ok service, 20% for outstanding. If the item is on sale, you still shouldn't reduce t... moreI was always told the tip should be based off the standard pre-tax price of something- 15% for ok service, 20% for outstanding. If the item is on sale, you still shouldn't reduce the tip to correspond with the sale price. Is that correct? How do you calculate your tips?