OT: Tipping etiquette

[Uncle Ruckus]

I hate just the tip

 

[Predestined]

Rumor is that "tip them" is all you ever do....

What about hookers? I never know if to tip them or not.

 

[johnson86-1]

If you have the means to tip - even for something silly - isn't it always best to err on the side of being generous to someone who likely earns less? I think it is satisfying to give to someone for even moderate service to simply show generosity and kindness and gratitude.

If you don't have the means to tip for something like carryout prep, don't do it and don't feel guilty about it.

If you're doing it as quasi charity, there are probably much better targets. If you are going to tip, you should do it for the right reasons (1) to alleviate the semi-subconscious guilt that you don't really deserve all your blessings and (2) as an offering in the hopes that they won't spit in your food on your next trip.

 

[patdog]

That's what she said.

 

[johnson86-1]

The two that irritate me are the hotel guys who want to take my luggage and I practically have to wrestle it back away from them and valet. I just don't carry cash. It's a pain in the ***. I'm already paying $25 to park at your stupid hotel, why do I need to dig up $5 in cash for this kid to grab my car. Just make it $30 and label it gratuity included.

^^^This^^^ I never have cash, so always end up looking like a cheap skate around baggage people, and golf course attendants and mandatory valet people.

 

[ReadyReady]

Tipping sucks.

For everything. For everybody.

Ignoring our natural biases toward appearance, race, etc., someone's income being tied to my perception of the job that they do is still problematic. I'm working off of incomplete information, and they're being asked to "practice politics" and gamify the system instead of just doing their job.

I'd much rather pay a service charge and fire people who suck than to have to tip, and I wish more businesses/industries had the balls to cut it.

Just my 2 cents

 

[RocketDawg]

Sure. Big city cabbies and Uber drivers set their fares.

Hell, why tip a waiter? They set their prices for the meal?

Because they're not paid minimum wage. Here, waitresses and waiters, at least in run of the mill restaurants (not sure about "fancy" places) typically get $2.13/hour, with the expectation that the customer will tip them 20% or so. I suppose one could say that if anyone is being cheap, it's their employer, but legally they don't have to play minimum wage rates.

 

[ckDOG]

I generally tip well - even in carryout situations.

However, I wouldn't mind knowing the pay policy wherever it is I may be tipping. Then I know how much that person relies on tips to make a decent wage. The less they need me, the less I'd likely tip. I know that will never happen so I just give them the benefit of the doubt. 20% for good restaurant service. A couple bucks for takeout. A few bucks for delivery. A couple bucks for baggage handling. Never tipped with Uber, but I probably will when it's made convenient on the app.

Helllllll to the no on restroom attendants. I'll take the house soap and paper towels. Been doing it since I was like 2. No help necessary.

 

[dawgdr]

And prolly work for themselves! Which should preclude tip to me.

 

[MississippiHeavyMetalDog]

Sonic carhops are paid more by their employer to wear skates. I have my tip money in hand when they come to the car. If they are polite and friendly, they get it. If not, it stays with me.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

I tip bartenders more than servers. But, I often eat at the bar in restaurants for the convenience & banter. Obviously this works better as a tandem on date night, than anything 3+.

Also, the gratuity added for large groups short changes the server. I have friends & family that worked in the trade & as soon as they figured out how to get around that BS they raked in so much more.

 

[mount lefroy]

What about hookers? I never know if to tip them or not.

Network covers it. Go see Barney

 

[o_fredgarvin]

I only tip sit down restaurant servers and anyone who picks my luggage up for a standard reason.

You do realize that the tip isn't just for the server. They have to split their tip with the cooks and bus boys. So if you are doing carry out, the cooks are still counting on tips to supplement their income.

 

[Go Budaw]

My tip rules:

Restaurant- 20-25% for good service. Maybe more if the service is exceptional.

Haircut- 15% generally

Luggage- $2 a bag, but I'm a man so I normally handle that ****

Sonic- 10% because they make more than servers but less than minimum wage

Self-Serve Yogurt- GTFO

I agree with this list. I also avoid valet parking like the plague, but usually throw them a $5 spot if its complimentary and I have no other convenient option. If not, just a couple of bucks will do. Another one that I do when I can is hotel cleaning staff, but I rarely have cash so this is a guilty one for me that I wish I would do more. They generally get the **** end of the stick and often encounter some unspeakable things from certain clientele, and I think they deserve it.

 

[o_fredgarvin]

deleted

 

[AlCoDog]

Don't forget to tip your bank teller.

 

[dickiedawg]

Regarding tipping on takeout, I was eating at a starkville restaurant not long ago when a young lady who works at a different starkville restaurant was complaining about her employer plenty loudly for anyone nearby to hear. Apparently it was this girl's job to cash out the to-go orders, and she was upset that the tips went straight into the owner's pockets instead of her getting them like the regular waitresses do.
It's an odd situation- I have no idea why she thinks she's entitled to a tip for cashing someone out, but also if someone does leave a tip the customer clearly didn't intend for that to go to the owner.

 

[Mr Todd French]

The business owner can decide if there is a tip line on not at the bottom if the credit card receipts. My business is quick service food and you'd be suprised how much extra money a person can make in a shift by be polite, happy and helpful. I've seen a girl make $30.00 in $1amd $2 dollar tips in a 6 hour shift.

 

[PapaDawg]

The one I can't understand is tipping the barber.
You are paying for the haircut. Why should he or her expect a tip.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

$1s and $5s belong in the g-string. $10s and $20s belong in the champagne room.

 

[kired]

I took a few uber rides last night, expected I'd be able to tip after i got out, but there was no option for it. This was in Nashville. I looked it up and looks like it only works in certain cities for now.

 

[ezsoil]

I'm with the growing number of people who are moving to more frequent "fast casual" dining options where a tip is not part of the business model ..and only go to establishments that have full service once a week or more often for special occaisions. This is a big issue as many of the middle range dining establishments are suffering... Fridays, Chilis, Olive Garden etc... are truely struggling.
As far as these other clowns that ask for tips if they went out of their way or if I required something out of the ordinary, I will happily give them extra...but I do resent the "expectation" of a tip.

 

[thekimmer]

This is the biggest and most outrageous issue I have with tipping......

Because they're not paid minimum wage. Here, waitresses and waiters, at least in run of the mill restaurants (not sure about "fancy" places) typically get $2.13/hour, with the expectation that the customer will tip them 20% or so. I suppose one could say that if anyone is being cheap, it's their employer, but legally they don't have to play minimum wage rates.

Essentially restaurant owners are using the tip to line their own pockets. The model is underpay your people and rely on your customers to make up the difference by tipping even if the service was nothing to write home about.

 

[johnson86-1]

Essentially restaurant owners are using the tip to line their own pockets. The model is underpay your people and rely on your customers to make up the difference by tipping even if the service was nothing to write home about.

Not really. If tipping lines anybody's pockets, it's the waitstaffs, because they do much better than they would if they were paid hourly without tips.

There have been some restaurants try to do away with tipping, and I think they generally go back to tipping because they can't keep waitstaff. It's weird because you'd think the kitchen workers would get paid more because it's physically more uncomfortable work and you'd think it'd be harder to keep workers that can consistently execute dishes in the kitchen, but as with other areas, the soft skills pay more and the waitstaff ends up making more than the kitchen staff.

 

[DawgInThe256]

There was an interesting Freakonomics podcast about the issue of restaurant tipping. They had the owner of an upscale restaurant group in NYC that instituted a no tipping policy. He mentioned that tips were causing a big pay gap between the wait staff and the kitchen staff. They had cooks that spent $30,000 to go to culinary school, but chose to become waiters to pay off their student debt. He also pointed out how tips were incentivizing the wait staff to work weekends instead of spending time with their families.

 

[BiscuitEater]

He mentioned that tips were causing a big pay gap between the wait staff and the kitchen staff.

I work with a guy that has two sons working as waiters in Charleston SC. Both have declined manager jobs because of the pay cut.

 

[DerHntr]

If eating alone, I at least tip $2. This includes if I order only coffee and hash browns at Waffle House. I figure it's worth $2 to have someone else bring me food/beverage since I didn't have to do it.

On most other occasions where $2 is not enough, for acceptable or good service I tip 18-20%. For poor service I tip 15%.

I only tip below 15% if I am also willing to complain to management about the service. I believe that truly bad service needs to be brought to management's attention because a low tip alone will only result in the server bad mouthing you to the rest of the staff and not fix the problem.

ETA: I agree with the original post about not tipping when you aren't actually being served. It has gotten out of hand.

 

[Connor Mead]

Growing up when we would go to big cities, my parents would always tip the cab drivers. Why has that changed?

The other day I tipped an Uber driver, on a small fare, and it was if I had given him a goose that laid golden eggs. You can now tip in the app too. He told me, for some reason, people think gratuity is included. It's not.

My understanding is, and it could be wrong, that Cabs and Uber are two different business models. Cabs are more like a waiter at a restaurant and they rely on tips, Uber is more like a franchise where they get the majority of the funds and Uber gets a transaction fee.

 

[GTAdawg]

Read this and thought it was somewhat related to the thread.

http://www.wapt.com/article/poll-reveals-the-best-worst-tippers-in-the-us/10284726

 

[TheBigShaft]

You are wrong. The Uber model has changed. Both cabbies and Uber drivers

rely on tips.