How Do You Feel about Tipping?

[Ruth Harris]

I rarely tip for good service as that should be why they work anyway.

Do you make that clear to the staff before they seat you?

If you don't, you're a cheat.
Tom

He’s Australian, so the staff is not expecting a tip.

Oh, I didn't realize that; I thought he was an American. My apologies, @Tigers! Just ignore everything I said regarding your post

Ruth

 

[bilby]

Seriously though, I can't imagine that the service is as good if everyone gets paid the same regardless of how well they do.

What you can or cannot imagine is of very little consequence here. Most waitstaff in Australia give excellent service to everyone (rather than just to customers who they think might be good tippers). When a tip isn't expected, and wages are adequate without them, the staff are less stressed, and generally happier.

Most people don't work in jobs where tips are an expectation or even a possibility, and they generally don't do a noticeably better or worse job as a result.

I do a directly customer facing job that nobody (even in America) expects to get tips for, and I smile and say "Hello" even to people who are being rude or unreasonable or otherwise "difficult", because that's my job. Generally I find that a politeness campaign actually improves the attitudes of those who are inclined to be either dismissive or aggressive.

If people were expected to tip me, I couldn't do much more to make them happy and comfortable, but I could (and though I would like to think better of myself, likely would) be ruder and more surly towards those who failed to tip, or whose tips I felt were inadequate.

 

[bigfield]

Seriously though, I can't imagine that the service is as good if everyone gets paid the same regardless of how well they do.

In every cafe and restaurant I patronise the service is good. I don't need service staff to be pretty, kiss my ass, or hurry around. I want my workday to be relaxed and I want the same for everyone else, too.

If employers want their staff to perform better then give the high performers a raise. If customers want better service then go to the cafe or restaurant that serves you best.

 

[Tigers!]

I rarely tip for good service as that should be why they work anyway.

Do you make that clear to the staff before they seat you?

If you don't, you're a cheat.
Tom

He’s Australian, so the staff is not expecting a tip.

Oh, I didn't realize that; I thought he was an American. My apologies, @Tigers! Just ignore everything I said regarding your post

Ruth

Thats Ok. It's hard to hear the accent through the keyboard.

I never said I do not tip. I will tip for exeptional service but not for what is part of their job. s has been noted earlier if tipping is required to have a decent wage then something is not right esp. in a first world (The USA is considered part of the first world, is it not?) country.
Perhaps I have see too many movies where the chap who brings in the luggage expects a tip.

But the best tip is always "Look after your mum".

 

[bilby]

But the best tip is always "Look after your mum".

Nah, that's just basic decency.

The best tip is "never screw into the end grain of wood".

 

[thebeave]

I'm fairly conventional when it comes to tipping at a restaurant. If the service is good, I'll tip a little extra, and if its subpar, then there's little or no tip. There is a more recent trend to tip those who spend 20 seconds taking and fulfilling your order at a walk up counter. It used to be just a tip jar, which made it feel like tipping was low pressure and you could ignore it, but now its become much more high pressure with the tip amount line posted on the credit card receipt or screen so you have to explicitly acknowledge the tip. I'll admit that's made me a little anxious. I found this comic in today's paper to be spot on for me (especially with inflation so high these days!):

Pearls Before Swine - Tipping

Just came across this clip from CBS News on my youtube feed that highlights what I was talking about. Seems I'm not the only one.

 

[Elixir]

In situations where no tip is earned but is asked for nonetheless (e.g. counter service) I always wish there was a text box option where I could leave my tip:

”Midnight Shadow in the 2nd at Belmont!”

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Tip who?

 

[Thomas II]

I don't mind typping.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I went to Subway sandwiches the other day. I decided to treat my 2 sons and myself to sandwiches for dinner. Does anyone remember $5 footlongs as a Subway ad, you know, the jingle? I realize that was years ago. Due to rising prices and inflation, I decided I'd do just a footlong, not a combo, and each of my sons would also do a footlong and only one of them would have a combo (baked chips and soda with the sandwich).

The lady behind the counter was nice, but she was extremely slow. I try to make things simple by simplifying the orders, too. So each of my sons got exactly the same sandwich, copies that could be made side-by-side. My sandwich was tuna on wheat with all the vegetables. She made the 3 sandwiches. There was a tip jar. I decided to be a nice guy and leave a tip in the jar. So, I looked in my pocket and I had only $2 cash. So, I left that.

I was expecting the bill to be like $25-$30. I didn't even look at the menu and I hardly go to Subway, like maybe once a year kind of thing. Like I wrote, I've got that $5 footlongs jingle in my head. I was aware that was the past years, but I was not expecting the price increases to be much more than that. Perhaps I was thinking maybe $8 per sandwich plus the soda and chips but reduced price as a combo. Anyway, she rings me up and it's $40. $40??!

I put my card in to pay and the kiosk gave me the tip screen. WTF? This was so unexpected and I was like thinking to myself, "Fuck, I just put the $2 in the jar and I thought it was optional." Now the tip screen is showing and the way that works is that it shows you a multiple choice of selections and the human tendency of looking at someone in the face who just served you and then seeing the multiple choice makes you normalize the middle value. The choices may have been 0, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and custom amount. The middle value might have been 15%, like $6.

Now the thing is that it's telling me I'm a bad person because I only gave $2 in the optional tip jar, but the middle value was $6. I selected $0 and then spent a bunch of mental energy on the way home driving trying to convince myself that I'm not an asshole. So the next time I go through this process I am probably just going to comply with our corporate overlords and select the middle value. Less stress.

 

[Gospel]

I think it's important to remember that tipping is optional. It's a way of showing appreciation for good service, but it's not something that you're obligated to do. If you feel like the service was good, then by all means, leave a tip. But if you don't, that's okay too. I've always perceived tipping as discretionary, and if anyone takes issue with my choice not to tip, I believe their discontent is misdirected. It would be more constructive to address the issue with their employer, who has placed them in a position of dependency on customers for their livelihood.

 

[Harry Bosch]

I think it's important to remember that tipping is optional. It's a way of showing appreciation for good service, but it's not something that you're obligated to do. If you feel like the service was good, then by all means, leave a tip. But if you don't, that's okay too. I've always perceived tipping as discretionary, and if anyone takes issue with my choice not to tip, I believe their discontent is misdirected. It would be more constructive to address the issue with their employer, who has placed them in a position of dependency on customers for their livelihood.

Well, yes it is discretionary. However, if you don't leave a tip, you're costing the server money. In most states, servers pay a 8% tax on their gross sales.

 

[Gospel]

I think it's important to remember that tipping is optional. It's a way of showing appreciation for good service, but it's not something that you're obligated to do. If you feel like the service was good, then by all means, leave a tip. But if you don't, that's okay too. I've always perceived tipping as discretionary, and if anyone takes issue with my choice not to tip, I believe their discontent is misdirected. It would be more constructive to address the issue with their employer, who has placed them in a position of dependency on customers for their livelihood.

Well, yes it is discretionary. However, if you don't leave a tip, you're costing the server money. In most states, servers pay a 8% tax on their gross sales.

Sounds to me like they (aka we) need to have a conversation with the government as well.

 

[Gospel]

Consider this: servers in California should unquestionably receive the standard minimum wage. It's unjust for companies to circumvent paying this wage to exploit the benevolent instinct of patrons to reward service workers with a gratuity for their effort. While it's reasonable for state and federal governments to consider these tips as taxable income, the notion of reducing base pay on said uncertain premise of tip income is fundamentally flawed.

 

[Harry Bosch]

I think it's important to remember that tipping is optional. It's a way of showing appreciation for good service, but it's not something that you're obligated to do. If you feel like the service was good, then by all means, leave a tip. But if you don't, that's okay too. I've always perceived tipping as discretionary, and if anyone takes issue with my choice not to tip, I believe their discontent is misdirected. It would be more constructive to address the issue with their employer, who has placed them in a position of dependency on customers for their livelihood.

Well, yes it is discretionary. However, if you don't leave a tip, you're costing the server money. In most states, servers pay a 8% tax on their gross sales.

Sounds to me like they (aka we) need to have a conversation with the government as well.

Agreed! I'd like to talk to them about several things that don't make sense to me!

 

[Shadowy Man]

Consider this: servers in California should unquestionably receive the standard minimum wage. It's unjust for companies to circumvent paying this wage to exploit the benevolent instinct of patrons to reward service workers with a gratuity for their effort. While it's reasonable for state and federal governments to consider these tips as taxable income, the notion of reducing base pay on said uncertain premise of tip income is fundamentally flawed.

I believe it is California law that servers receive minimum wage. They don't operate on a "get paid less and make it up with tips" approach. AFAIK, that's illegal.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I think it's important to remember that tipping is optional. It's a way of showing appreciation for good service, but it's not something that you're obligated to do. If you feel like the service was good, then by all means, leave a tip. But if you don't, that's okay too. I've always perceived tipping as discretionary, and if anyone takes issue with my choice not to tip, I believe their discontent is misdirected. It would be more constructive to address the issue with their employer, who has placed them in a position of dependency on customers for their livelihood.

Well, yes it is discretionary. However, if you don't leave a tip, you're costing the server money. In most states, servers pay a 8% tax on their gross sales.

What a lot of people are objecting to is the proliferation of tip requests in areas that were not traditionally tipped. You tip a server, not a clerk.

 

[Harry Bosch]

I think it's important to remember that tipping is optional. It's a way of showing appreciation for good service, but it's not something that you're obligated to do. If you feel like the service was good, then by all means, leave a tip. But if you don't, that's okay too. I've always perceived tipping as discretionary, and if anyone takes issue with my choice not to tip, I believe their discontent is misdirected. It would be more constructive to address the issue with their employer, who has placed them in a position of dependency on customers for their livelihood.

Well, yes it is discretionary. However, if you don't leave a tip, you're costing the server money. In most states, servers pay a 8% tax on their gross sales.

What a lot of people are objecting to is the proliferation of tip requests in areas that were not traditionally tipped. You tip a server, not a clerk.

Agree. And I dang sure am not tipping a machine! Had a terrible experience at Big Sky while on vacation. Skied all day, powder day with 4 little kids. Went in for late lunch. We were all starving. The only restaurant was just terrible service. There was no server. Everything was order by computer, self serve. It was all messed up. Hard to figure out. To make it worse, they added 22% tip to the bill! That pissed me off!

 

[Politesse]

Consider this: servers in California should unquestionably receive the standard minimum wage. It's unjust for companies to circumvent paying this wage to exploit the benevolent instinct of patrons to reward service workers with a gratuity for their effort. While it's reasonable for state and federal governments to consider these tips as taxable income, the notion of reducing base pay on said uncertain premise of tip income is fundamentally flawed.

I believe it is California law that servers receive minimum wage. They don't operate on a "get paid less and make it up with tips" approach. AFAIK, that's illegal.

This is correct. Since 2003, if an employer tries to "offset wages" with tips or gets caught claiming tip money for themselves, they can be convicted of a misdemeanor (as it should be).

 

[Tigers!]

I think it's important to remember that tipping is optional. It's a way of showing appreciation for good service, but it's not something that you're obligated to do. If you feel like the service was good, then by all means, leave a tip. But if you don't, that's okay too. I've always perceived tipping as discretionary, and if anyone takes issue with my choice not to tip, I believe their discontent is misdirected. It would be more constructive to address the issue with their employer, who has placed them in a position of dependency on customers for their livelihood.

Well, yes it is discretionary. However, if you don't leave a tip, you're costing the server money. In most states, servers pay a 8% tax on their gross sales.

What a lot of people are objecting to is the proliferation of tip requests in areas that were not traditionally tipped. You tip a server, not a clerk.

Agree. And I dang sure am not tipping a machine! Had a terrible experience at Big Sky while on vacation. Skied all day, powder day with 4 little kids. Went in for late lunch. We were all starving. The only restaurant was just terrible service. There was no server. Everything was order by computer, self serve. It was all messed up. Hard to figure out. To make it worse, they added 22% tip to the bill! That pissed me off!

Tell them to get stuffed.
Fortunately in Australia compulsory tipping is generally a no-no.