What ever happened to the employer paying their employees? Does anyone feel as ripped off as I do?
Example 1. You go into a coffee shop and pay $4.00 for a freakin cup of coffee and there sits the tip jar so you feel obligated to throw in another dollar. For $5.00 you could go to the store buy your own can of coffee and have the whole neighborhood over for coffee.
Example 2. Your at a BUFFET, (you know the place where you get your own food and drink) and there sits the tip jar at the counter.
Whats your view on tipping etiquete?
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Sometimes, when i'm lonely... i crawl into a laundry basket and tickle my ears. But, Some times I don't...
I think tipping in this country is WAY out of control, and it's no longer even used properly.
The ONLY time I think a tip is warranted is when a service was provided AND PROVIDED WELL!
For example, a waitress, who was pleasant and brought your food and drink quickly, made sure you were happy with everything, etc., deserves a tip. But everyone suddenly seems to think a tip is now mandatory regardless of the quality of service.
Three examples pop into my mind,
I hired a moving company a few years ago, it cost $500 to have them move all my stuff. The delivery men EXPECTED a tip, and not a small one. I know this because they not so subtly worked it into the conversation.
I'm sorry, but I am explicitly paying for the act of having my property moved, there should be no reason for a tip for doing exactly what I paid for.
the second one was when I stayed at a hotel a few years back and I foolishly tipped the waiter for the overpriced room service food at a rate of almost 20%, I then later read the menu closer and found that the price of the food already included a 22% gratuity! GRATUITIES ARE NOT MANDATORY, THEY SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE PRICE OF THE SERVICE!
The third is a little harder to deal with, because I feel bad for the delivery guy, but it's still a joke.
JD and I often order a pizza from a local pizza place when he's in the studio on Sunday nights, well for years I was tipping the delivery driver generously, when it dawned on me that the entire time they had been charging me a "delivery charge" when I order. I asked the driver who gets that charge and sure enough he does.
Now he was getting the 1.50, and usually another 2.00 from me, for every $15 pizza I ordered.
The thing is it wasn't so much that I minded giving a $3.50 tip as it was that I don't like being FORCED to tip regardless of the service. And to me service includes the attitude of the server (sometimes you get these people who act like they're being forced at gunpoint to do their job).
Needless to say, now that delivery driver only gets the mandatory $1.50 because it ticks me off so much that I'm forced to give it.
I believe that a company should pay their employees enough to where a patron doesn't has to tip. For Example when I was in Salt Lake City at a Marie Calenders, there was a sign that stated not to tip as they pay their employees well. With the markup on food, clothing and other items and services an employer should pay their employee rather than sucking all the profit for themselves.
I agree also. It shouldn't be assumed that you are going to tip them anything. The employers need to pay them well and if they don't the employees shouldn't take the job in the first place. I would be insulted.
That's just it, we don't have to visit their establishments that they are providing a service in. They need to remember where their business is coming from and without us where would they be. Let us choose if we want to pay 15% gratuities, 20% or not at all but don't force us!
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Sometimes, when i'm lonely... i crawl into a laundry basket and tickle my ears. But, Some times I don't...
I am inclined to agree with you in part. But, will say that when you generously tip your service increases.
As a waiter and bartender back in the late 80's and early 90's, I almost always received more in gratuities than my co-workers. They asked my secret, becasue I will tell you that I am certainly not the best there is. I tipped my bus person 30 to 40 percent rather than the standard 15% of my take. I also tipped the dishwashers and cooks. The other wait staff hated it, but guess who's tables got the best service from the bus boys, and whose food came up on the line first. With all that tipping, I still walked out with more than my co-workers.
However, I do agree that you should not be forced to give gratuity.
There is a difference in good service, great service, and NO service, The biggest tip I have ever given to anyone was to someone who dropped my food in my lap. She was so appoligetic and had a great personality and did everything to make things right. You can't be mad at someone like that. On the other hand you have someone come up to your table and stare at you without greeting you, pen and paper in hand, waiting for you to say something, takes your order and walks off without a smile or anything. Then brings your food to you and walks away without asking if you need anything else like silverware, more coffee, napkins or condiments shouldn't expect you to tip her/him a mandatory 15% gratuity.
I firmly believe in paying for what you get! Great service= great tip
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Sometimes, when i'm lonely... i crawl into a laundry basket and tickle my ears. But, Some times I don't...
I used to waitress at a buffet style restaurant. You could order off the menu, but most people got the buffet. You don't get tipped as much in a buffet restaurant, but you work twice as many tables bringing drinks, clearing empty plates, etc. So it works out and I nver expected 20% gratuity.
If I am ever confused about tipping, I just ask. People are pretty frank about it - I don't think they want to intentionally rip you off. Although you guys with the pizza might want to double check for loogies on account of diminishing the delivery guy's tip from what he's used to.
The one I get most confused about is when you pick up your own food at the restaurant, charge it, and there is the gratuity line on the receipt. I usually leave it blank since I'm picking up my own food, but always feel weird about it.
I think with places like coffee shops, I'd tip if I frequented the place enough that they might get used to seeing me there. On vacation I've been with people who were miserly with tips and who were overly generous. The hotel staff actually remembered the names of the latter, and it truly improved the quality of the trip, believe it or not.
Be thankful we have a tipping system at all! I have friends on a work visa in Holland. You aren't allowed to tip the wait staff there. It's no surprise then when the wait staff takes it's good old time taking your order and bringing your food. My friend says they've sat for a good hour on occasion waiting for service. Can you imagine?
In the UK you are not expected to tip, yeah sure if your being waited on, then you more than likely would but its is left down to discretion, you decide if you tip and how much, I think that works much better, I would hate to feel like I had to tip no matter what the service was like!
I honestly think the tip jar at Starbucks serves a dual purpose. Sure, it goes to the baristas at the end of the day. But I have seen some Fat Cat Wanna Be's ordering their 1/2 caf mocha venti whipped cinnamin skim lataes with a shot of hazelnut double-cupped (or whatever) and then, as if to show the world that they (supposedly) have a high disposable income level, make it very apparent that they are dropping an extra buck in the jar so that the "little people" have something "a bit extra" for the effort. When you order a $6 drink, and tip $2, you are paying for the experience of being seen looking extravagant and trendy in a long line of people trying to prove the same thing.
Any time I go into Starbucks, I get my big (er...I mean venti...)dark roast, $1.90 (keep the dime) grab a seat, and people watch. It's simply amazing.
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"And like Web, I enjoy throwing JR under the bus. Problem is, it's usually under the special bus that I ride every day". Ghostdancer 12-18-09
JD-- I saw the same thing at the same place. Her total order came to $18. and some change. Paid with a 20. She dramatically went through her purse pulling out 100's. She announced every bill she went through, until she found a 20 and since that was the smallest denmonation she had that would be her tip. I don't care what she tipped, but it should have been between her and the jar, there was no need for the 150 of us in line to witness and listen to the commentary. Not impressed.
Why exactly do they do that at Starbucks? Because it's so "hip and trendy"?
Are we far away from the day when we have to start tipping the clerk at McDonalds? Maybe pass along a little extra for the fry guy and the grill man?
This is how things get ruined, everbody starts trying to get a peice of the pie and then eventually consumers will become jaded and NO ONE will be getting tips.
And I really despise this whole notion of a better tip means you'll get better service in the future. That's BS. If my service goes down because I don't tip as much as the next guy then I'll be talking to your manager. You are PAID to do your job to the best of your ability, my tip is supposed to be icing on the cake.
If a server is going to have that attitude then it's no different than having a mandatory tip included in the bill.
I mean look, HONESTLY, I have NO problem with tipping, and I never sit and figure out exactly X percent. Many a time I've had an exceptionaly good waitress and when it was time to tip I basically just empty the singles out of my wallet, even if it winds up being 25% or more. I always think "whats that one or two remaining dollars in my wallet mean to me" and wind up leaving it in the tip.
But when it starts getting to a point where it's expected, or else my service will decline, that's when I start saying no tip and let me see your manager.
That's just it with the pizza kid tho Riggs, he seems like a good kid. I don't mind tossing him an extra buck irregardless of the delivery charge just he's a good hardworking and friendly kid.
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"And like Web, I enjoy throwing JR under the bus. Problem is, it's usually under the special bus that I ride every day". Ghostdancer 12-18-09
I don't mind throwing him some cash either, but I consider the fact that he's already getting a mandatory $1.50 for his 5 block drive over here, so at most I'll round it up to an even $2 now.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Your right though, it sucks because the PROBLEM I have is with the owner/management, not the driver, but it won't do the driver any good if I just stop ordering from the place all-together because then he won't even get his $1.50.
The bottom line is this, if you want to pay the delivery guy more than make your pizza $16.50 instead of $15.00 and pay the kid well to begin with. The end results the same and I'm not feeling like I'm being forced into a delivery tip regardless of service.
In fact, they could probably just raise their prices on ALL pizza's, delivered or not, and then they would only need to increase it about .75 or less and still raise enough money to pay the guy right.
Even from his angle, that's a more fair way to do it. I would HATE to have a job where on any given day I didn't know if I was going to make a decent wage or not.
MAN, THIS TOPIC IS GETTING MY BLOOD PRESSURE UP!!! WHO STARTED THIS THREAD, THEY'RE BANNED! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNED I SAY!
Just kidding Sparky, we'd never ban ya! We need you to keep us on our toes, in fightin' shape!
I've resisted coming here, despite Mr. Riggs' repeated pleas on the air, because I know I'll get caught up in it and start having too much fun and end up not getting any 'real' work done during the day. However, this tip topic came up for me today. I got 'To Go' at Ruby Tuesday's while I was out this afternoon (To Go is like Curbside take-away at Outback, etc, for those who don;t have any Ruby Tuesday's where you live). I went inside the restaraunt to order it, and they had me sit in a booth while they made the food. In the meantime, they brought me the bill, and it was a standard restaraunt bill for a credit card that has the total, a line for gratuity, and the grand total line. And I sat there wondering, do I need to include a tip? The waitress didn't really do much waitressing for me, but she did take my order, process my credit card, and ultimately bring me my food to take home. So, I ended up tipping 10%. Was this appropriate? Any thoughts?
In the meantime, I guess I'll sign up while I'm here and get me my bingo cards!
There ya go Anonymous! Sign Up! You'll find you'll be MORE productive at your job because you'll be a happier employee! Soon your boss will shower raises upon you and marvel at your increased productivity!
I think you did the right thing with the tip, because to me, it's NEVER WRONG to tip, as long as you did it because you wanted to, not because you felt you were expected to.
I mean, I'm sure it brightens anyones day to be slid an extra buck or two for their efforts.
Then again, it does annoy me that they have the line right there on the bill basically asking for a gratuity. But I know almost everyone does that now.
I will be called murscclub instead of anonymous as soon as my e-mail confirmation comes through!
Yeah, I figured it didn;'t hurt to at least tip something. This girl's main job seemed to be handling the 'to go' orders, so I imagined her doing all this work all day and never getting any tips because she didn't have any tables, and that didn't seem right. Especially when she has to take the food out to people in single-digit weather (central PA)!
