Let's Talk Tipping

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I usually just do $5 no matter how much the bill is in restaurants.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

I never tip.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Extra $20 if I finish, $50 if she cleans it up.

I stick between 15% to 20%. Tipping is customary in the US but not mandatory. It used to be 15% but somehow jumped to 20%. I credit that to mass immigration, food subsidies, and American's rich pockets and poor math skills.

I've never not tipped a food server. But I've also never had that bad of an experience. I waited tables back in college and grad school so I am probably pretty sympathetic.

3 to 5 bucks for a haircut. That is a shitty job but it takes some skill. It's not their fault I walked in to their shop ugly and balding. Never in my adult life asked to get my hair washed but I would tip her if undoubtedly.

I've never used a bell hop.

2 bucks or so a bag at the airport. I fear what those guys are capable of and rarely ever use their services.

Nothing in tip jars. I don't drink coffee so I rarely see one. Anytime I would tip the Mexican guys at a late night joint they'd put sour cream or beans on my food despite the fact I would say none. So not tipping them is more superstition than anything.

A couple bucks a night for a hotel cleaning lady depending on how good of a job they do and how big of a mess we made. I once tipped $20 but I'd rather not get in to that story.

15% rounded up for cabbies who I hate fucking tipping and have no idea what is appropriate.

Never tipped a matri' d (sp?). Once tried to tip a concierge and got rebuffed.

Six points of green rep if you make me laugh, make me think, or express yourself really well.

 

[Con T.]

I never tip.

Aren't you just a jam up guy.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Oh, and a dollar a drink at a bar but that goes down the more drinks I get. And I always tip the hot chick bartender more despite the fact she sucks at her job and make me feel back about myself.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

Aren't you just a jam up guy.

I work in the food industry, trust me. No one is holding a gun to anyone's head. I go to the restaraunt to eat, congrats you bring me my food. I could get my own drink and forks. I don't expect to get tips when I work. I run the register, take the orders, and more. The most I've made in tips in one night is like 7 bucks.

And its not because ima shit worker. I work there 5-6 days a week lmao. People love me, I've had several talks with my owner about calls he's receved on my good service.

Bottom line, I go to a restarant to eat. Not pay the waitresses salary, it might sound like I'm being a dick. But my mom was a waitress, for almost 10 years. She didn't like the pay, so she got out. I barely talk to them, they take my order, give me my food, and bill. And tbh thats the end of it. I've actually politely told a waitress to stop checking on me so much. Its like dude... I ordered a steak and potato, not a heart transplant. I know its your job, and you're doing it well.

 

[justinsayne]

I never tip.

...and we found WZ's Mr. Pink

 

[Uncle Phatso]

...and we found WZ's Mr. Pink

Like mr. Pink, on a very rare ocasion I will tip. Mostly around christmas, to a mother that's busting her ass.

But I've worked in two restaurants, a pizza shop, and a pretty nice joint with a pretty busy crowd all day. I've waited, done dishes, cooked, and in my pizza shop now I've run the register, made the pizzas, took the phone orders, ran the ovens. Nothing to me In the food industry is hard. I'm sorry for saying it.

I've also worked 12,14, 16 hour days in 115+ degree factorys. That shit was brutal, butni was paid well for it.

The bottom line for me, is I've worked it. If I want to give them a tip, I have, and I will again. But If I don't want to tip, I won't.

I work, I give to chairity, I'm concerned for the environment and shit. On earth day I filled up six recycling bins and 11 trash bags full of trash. Because I could...

But people still call me an asshole because I won't leave someone a tip.

 

[Danger Burger]

Coming from Ireland the whole thing baffles me. Tipping isn't that big a deal over here. Most instances I let people keep the change. Always sounds like a cocky insult when I say it though. If there's a charity box, they get priority.

Taxi gets to keep the change up to the nearest £5. As if the pricks aren't over charging as is.

If the barber does a good job, the tip is that I will return for the next hair cut. Been on the one guy for two years. Dude offers a student rate... I doubt he charges me less in the hopes I'd pay him more under the table.

Can you tell me at the very least that the food is cheaper in the ol' U.S. of A.? I'd pay about £15 for a mid-level restaurant, so £30-40 for a meal, cause if I'm eating alone I'm not wearing pants. If I tip it's a £2 at most. And still I'm worried some prick a table over is going to sneak it into his pocket.

Why are you not paying your employees??

 

[Gelgarin]

It depends how much my meal was and what country I'm in. If I go somewhere nice where the bill is going to be comfortably up in the hundreds of pounds then I'm not going to go by a percentage because that's insane.

In Russia I tend to tip considerably lower than in the UK for a number of reasons. For one, Russian service is fucking appalling - seriously, I got a new found appreciation for service staff in the UK after twelve months in Russia. It's the little things they do like bring you the food that you ordered that I feel make them deserving of a tip. Secondly, in Russia, unless you go to a really nice place, hardly anyone tips, and will actively try and dissuade me from over tipping if I do. It's easier to put down less money than go twelve rounds explaining myself every time.

I have never met anyone who was self righteous about not tipping and wasn't a total douche.

 

[Con T.]

Like mr. Pink, on a very rare ocasion I will tip. Mostly around christmas, to a mother that's busting her ass.

But I've worked in two restaurants, a pizza shop, and a pretty nice joint with a pretty busy crowd all day. I've waited, done dishes, cooked, and in my pizza shop now I've run the register, made the pizzas, took the phone orders, ran the ovens. Nothing to me In the food industry is hard. I'm sorry for saying it.

I've also worked 12,14, 16 hour days in 115+ degree factorys. That shit was brutal, butni was paid well for it.

The bottom line for me, is I've worked it. If I want to give them a tip, I have, and I will again. But If I don't want to tip, I won't.

I work, I give to chairity, I'm concerned for the environment and shit. On earth day I filled up six recycling bins and 11 trash bags full of trash. Because I could...

But people still call me an asshole because I won't leave someone a tip.

Probably because you're being an asshole?

 

[justinsayne]

Probably because you're being an asshole?

Was literally about the post the exact same thing

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

About 10% I tend to aim for no matter the place. I don't tip for haircuts though, partly because my hair isn't really styled, it's mostly razor work. I work in a little coffee shop with my friend that he set up and we have a tip jar, and I think you'd be surprised how well it does considering especially if you just be a nice guy to the customers.

Had a guy come in the other day just asking for tap water and he offered to pay. I told him it was fine and that I wouldn't charge for tap water, not to worry about it. He dropped two quid in the tip jar, twice the value of the bottles of refrigerated water we sell. But I think it's easier to be nice to customers when in an independant place like that as opposed to a Costa or something similar, and so people tip quite well where we are.

 

[Danger Burger]

I have never met anyone who was self righteous about not tipping and wasn't a total douche.

Is there any arguement that can be made that doesn't come off doucheworthy?

How did it ever come about in the first place that the employer does not pay the employee?

 

[Con T.]

For those if you that will argue that waiters are unnecessary; clearly you have never worked in a restaurant, or worked with cooks in a restaurant

 

[Dirk]

I had a part-time job on a wine farm. Pretty sweet deal - decent per-hour pay, 7% commission on all the wine I sell and I used to make at least R100 over the weekend through tips. Once, some rich old Scottish dude gave me R200, which would be as much as I'd make in a day.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

For those if you that will argue that waiters are unnecessary; clearly you have never worked in a restaurant, or worked with cooks in a restaurant

It surprises me that no one has taken a chance by creating a restaurant with tablets for ordering and mute runners/busers to take over the role of servers. It would also eliminate menus.

Seems like it would save the restaurant from one level of messenger and keep angry, uptight patrons from having to worry about the custom of tipping. The bartenders and busers would just get a higher wage than other places.

Oh, and on your point. Most cooks/chefs I've ever worked with need to stay as far away from the patrons as possible. Being good with food and people does not seem to be a common connection.

 

[shattered dreams]

I don't recall hearing many arguments on either side of the tipping "debate" that don't come off as doucheworthy.

The only people that really seem to be passionate about the need to tip everything are those with a tie to the industry. That is fine but when they get all haughty about it I can't help but wanting to slap them with a reality check. It is a shit job that you agreed to and there are plenty of people that work shit jobs that no one even thinks about tipping. Why does your ability to carry as many as three hot plates give you this higher ground to stand on? Fuck off with all this entitlement.

For those if you that will argue that waiters are unnecessary; clearly you have never worked in a restaurant, or worked with cooks in a restaurant

Don't usually have many problems when you replace waiter with a cashier ...

 

[Uncle Phatso]

Probably because you're being an asshole?

How so? Because I don't have the same belief on tipping as you, and I'm blunt about it?

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I don't recall hearing many arguments on either side of the tipping "debate" that don't come off as doucheworthy.

The only people that really seem to be passionate about the need to tip everything are those with a tie to the industry. That is fine but when they get all haughty about it I can't help but wanting to slap them with a reality check. It is a shit job that you agreed to and there are plenty of people that work shit jobs that no one even thinks about tipping. Why does your ability to carry as many as three hot plates give you this higher ground to stand on? Fuck off with all this entitlement.

Knowing that it is unlikely that you consider your job a 'shit job'. How would you feel if you didn't get a bonus or a raise or had your pay slashed whether the reason behind it was your fault or not? Why does something being a 'shit job' justify the owner or customer from meeting the generally accepted custom of rewards?

 

[Con T.]

How so? Because I don't have the same belief on tipping as you, and I'm blunt about it?

That, and you seemingly don't care. You may notice this, but without waiters, your order doesn't get to you.

Whether or not you realize it, those waiters are working hard. And trust me, without waiters, your food gets messed up. Except, they don't have a minimum wage; their wage is off of working hard.

Basically, what you're saying is that I don't care that you made sure my food doesn't get fucked up, that it gets to you in a way the chef understands (which I assure, isn't exactly what you think it is), and that you're not paying for a service provided.

Again, asshole

 

[Барбоса]

I will tip - either a percentage or rounding up to a whole note amount. However, tipping in general makes me feel uncomfortable as in many cases, particularly in the US, it helps perpetuate a broken system.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

Do people really tip as much as they say they do? I spot liars.

 

[shattered dreams]

Knowing that it is unlikely that you consider your job a 'shit job'. How would you feel if you didn't get a bonus or a raise or had your pay slashed whether the reason behind it was your fault or not? Why does something being a 'shit job' justify the owner or customer from meeting the generally accepted custom of rewards?

I think my problem would be this idea of generally accepted. The process has been completely inverted. The idea behind tipping is motivation of people that provide mundane services to do a good job. I think it is an alright concept that has been perverted so far that it now is used primarily to benefit everyone except the actual consumer and the only motivation is also on that consumer not to appear cheap. The problem is that the tip became expected without any justification. The tip getters have no desire to change the system to something like minimum wage yet they become indignant when they get bad tips. You can't have your cake and eat it too. A tip isn't a bonus, a bonus comes from your employer. I am suggesting that when they make more than minimum wage in the current system they shouldn't be complaining about facets of it because that is probably more than they are worth. I think it is almost impossible to work a job where your coworkers have no impact on your performance. This isn't something that only happens to waiters but they sure act like it is. If my job kept resulting in me getting less than I was worth then I would go work somewhere else. If once I looked around the job that paid better didn't exist I would realize I was already getting my market value, regardless of how that number came about.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I defend the girls at Sonic because they aren't tipped for shit. When I worked at like, an actual restaurant the servers ended up making more than I did. I was making 8 bucks an hour while these chicks would usually clear 100 bucks a night in tips on the weekends.