Tipping

[Eponine]

I don't remember anyone tipping 20% regularly when I was younger, but maybe I just wasn't aware of it as a child.

I don't mind tipping for good service, what I hate is having to decide what to do if the service is bad. I don't want to speak the manager except as a last resort where someone was purposely rude or inappropriate to me. But I don't want to give someone 20% for doing an unquestionably bad job. And I know that if I were to give them 10%, there's a good chance that they'd curse me for being a bad tipper without wondering if they'd done something wrong (not that that would be my problem at that point). There's this gray area of badness between being ok with giving someone the benefit of the doubt that he was having a bad day, and wanting to put his job at risk.

[Guest Other-in-Law]

But I do know that if I ever had a server pull that " So do you need any change " stunt.. I'd be tempted not to tip at all out of spite.

The problem isn't that it was a server asking that (if the cash you handed over at a restaurant was within range of the total including tip, it seems reasonable to me, but you could as easily indicate that you don't need change yourself), it's exactly that it wasn't a server. It was just a freaking cashier.

[Seventh Pup]

However -

The chocolate shop girl was way out of line. So far out of line, I would actually call the manager and very politely ask him or her to have a talk with the girl.

I'm glad to see I'm not crazy for being annoyed by this. :)

Also while I do try to tip well, (Usually at about 20% of pre-taxed amount) in Washington State even tip based jobs make minimum wage, in Washington that is $8.55 an hour.

I guess I can break down my feeling like this.

-I hate it when I'm asked if I want change by anyone, though the chocolate cashier really angered me, it also annoys me when servers ask. If I don't want change I will tell you, if I want to leave the change I will, but either way give ME the option of that.

-I hate how it seems random who gets tips and who doesn't. I recently had to get my blood drawn, the phlebotomist who drew my blood was friendly, knowledgeable, quick, and I did not feel the needle go in. I would have happily given her a $5. But the Jimmy Johns guy who is 3 blocks away (at work we order them because I work night shift and nothing else is open) and usually bikes over expects to get a good tip.***

-I am annoyed by having the pre-taxed amount not being on the final bill when I sign for dinner. In Seattle the sales tax at restaurants is almost 10%. I don't think I should have to tip based on that the server did not have to work 10% harder because of the tax, and most of my friends though out college said they expect their tips on the pre-taxed amount of the bill. But when you go to pay sometimes the final bill will not show the tax, it just shows the amount you where charged on the card (which includes tax), and then gives you a section to fill in the tip. I get that most credit card machines don’t print out receipts with sales tax, however if that is the case just don’t take out the bill that showed my amount before tax. This irritates me because I feel like I'm being tricked into giving a higher tip.

-While it has only happened once that I know of, I hate it when restaurants don't allow employees to keep tips. An insanely good Indian restaurant that I used to frequent had this policy. Apparently they paid their servers more per hour, but did not allow the server to keep any tips. BUT THEY POSTED THIS FACT NO WHERE IN THE RESTAURANT. I found out by accident when a former server was at a party of a friend. The next time I was in the restaurant I asked my server if this was still the policy, she said "I'm not going to lie, yeah it is." It just shocked me to the bone. Where the hell did the tip money go then? No wonder the manager always came out and gives you a free dessert.

But all of that said I still do try to tip well because I appreciate the people service that people give me. I think I have just had a round of bad service lately and feel a bit miffed about the whole thing. :)

***It is uncommon for them to have the correct amount of sandwiches when they arrive. They usually are short one or two, we then have to call back and they usually then send another delivery person with the missing sandwiches who also expects a tip.

[buy one get one free]

I'm glad to see I'm not crazy for being annoyed by this. :)

Also while I do try to tip well, (Usually at about 20% of pre-taxed amount) in Washington State even tip based jobs make minimum wage, in Washington that is $8.55 an hour.

I guess I can break down my feeling like this.

-I hate it when I'm asked if I want change by anyone, though the chocolate cashier really angered me, it also annoys me when servers ask. If I don't want change I will tell you, if I want to leave the change I will, but either way give ME the option of that.

-I hate how it seems random who gets tips and who doesn't. I recently had to get my blood drawn, the phlebotomist who drew my blood was friendly, knowledgeable, quick, and I did not feel the needle go in. I would have happily given her a $5. But the Jimmy Johns guy who is 3 blocks away (at work we order them because I work night shift and nothing else is open) and usually bikes over expects to get a good tip.***

-I am annoyed by having the pre-taxed amount not being on the final bill when I sign for dinner. In Seattle the sales tax at restaurants is almost 10%. I don't think I should have to tip based on that the server did not have to work 10% harder because of the tax, and most of my friends though out college said they expect their tips on the pre-taxed amount of the bill. But when you go to pay sometimes the final bill will not show the tax, it just shows the amount you where charged on the card (which includes tax), and then gives you a section to fill in the tip. I get that most credit card machines dont print out receipts with sales tax, however if that is the case just dont take out the bill that showed my amount before tax. This irritates me because I feel like I'm being tricked into giving a higher tip.

-While it has only happened once that I know of, I hate it when restaurants don't allow employees to keep tips. An insanely good Indian restaurant that I used to frequent had this policy. Apparently they paid their servers more per hour, but did not allow the server to keep any tips. BUT THEY POSTED THIS FACT NO WHERE IN THE RESTAURANT. I found out by accident when a former server was at a party of a friend. The next time I was in the restaurant I asked my server if this was still the policy, she said "I'm not going to lie, yeah it is." It just shocked me to the bone. Where the hell did the tip money go then? No wonder the manager always came out and gives you a free dessert.

But all of that said I still do try to tip well because I appreciate the people service that people give me. I think I have just had a round of bad service lately and feel a bit miffed about the whole thing. :)

***It is uncommon for them to have the correct amount of sandwiches when they arrive. They usually are short one or two, we then have to call back and they usually then send another delivery person with the missing sandwiches who also expects a tip.

I agree with your being teed at the chocolate cashier. I'd have looked at her incredulously and said "yah, the bill was 15 and I gave you 20, so 5 would be the change........"

Cabbie shouldn't have bitched, of course. Was it impossible to grab another cab when he first objected to the credit card? But, yah, it is a life lesson there to now be prepared to have cash when you expect to take a cab. Who knew (I didn't)

Pre-emptive strikes from a couple of situtions above will help you, too. I try to base my 20-25% tip on the pre-taxed amount, too. Just seems asinine not to. But you don't wait to look at the bill when you get your credit card receipt back. You look at it when the server first brings it to you and it should show you what the tax is, if not the pre-tax subtotal.

Jimmy John's dude....have you not learned to count the sammiches before delivery person leaves? The fact that they are only 3 blocks away is irrelevant. He delivered your food, he gets a tip. It's the fact that he isn't doing his job correctly that would require no tip until he returned with your complete order.

[paddington]

20-25% geeze thats insane. I tip at restraunts a around 10% unless theres a service charge already included. Cabbies and delivery guys get to keep the change, an I'll usual get a drink for the bar staff.

Seriously people expecting 20-25% of the bill is crazy.

[S John]

I don't know if you can pay with a credit/debit card in a cab in DC. I've always paid cash. As someone mentioned above (Isk, I think) one of the only times I actually go to the ATM is when I'm about to take a taxi. I suppose that overall the cab service in DC is pretty good, there is certainly no shortage of them. Most of the time I shoot the shit with the driver unless they don't seem like a talker. Its a lot easier when you know your way around, because if I sense that they are driving slow on purpose or trying to take the long way I'll either not tip or make them let me out.

If they are good though, I usually tip cab drivers pretty well. It helps that approximately 50% of my cab rides are at the end of the night. At that point I'm feeling a little fuzzy, a little more generous, and thankful that I'm being dropped of at my doorstep instead of having to stumble around through my quasi-shady neighborhood at 3am.

[Guest Raidne]

The chocolate chick was, yes, WAY out of line. That's not tipping culture, IMO, that's just a girl trying to scam you for money.

I would have tipped the cab driver as per usual, but cabs really rarely if ever take credit here. Without the bitching, I would have tipped a good chunk more than usual for having the luck to get a cab driver who accepted credit (after all, in a spot like that, it would have cost me an extra $3 to get any cash), and same as usual with the bitching, because the fact that I got a cab at all in those circumstances would have been remarkable. I also would have thanked him profusely up front and told him I'd make it worth his while, to try and head off the bitching.

I'm not MC, though - I don't tip cabs $5 every time. My usual cab fare is $5-7, and I usually tip $3, depending on what kind of cash I need and if I feel like asking for $2 back.

I don't tip at Starbucks anymore, because the people who work at the Starbucks by my work are assholes, and the place is basically McDonalds. They also get paid more than minimum wage, get health benefits, etc. I always tip a buck or two at the cafe by my house with barristas who still exercise some skill to get me that perfect espresso, though, but as a person who used to work that job, your change is really appreciated and is plenty.

[WhiteHaven]

I honestly don't get the tipping culture in the US. It confused the hell out of me when I was over there. Overcomplicates otherwise simple transactions.

Why not just pay staff more and up the price of goods slightly to compensate? If someone does an exceptional job you're still free to tip them, and if the service is shit you vote with your feet and don't go back there again. Everyone wins.

Yus. It was really hard for me to understand the whole tipping thing. First of all, no one explained to me why the waitress got pissed when I tipped her 3-4 Dollars and not 15% or 20%. Here in Germany, you give them 3-5 Euros, if you want. They're happy, you're happy, perfect situation.

But then again, people working in a restaurant get shitty wages here, too but the situation is not as fucked as in the US.

2,someting$ an hour? Seriously? WTF. That's just plain wrong.

[Artas]

Excuse my ignorance, but I just don't get this. How can it be legal to pay less than minimum wage?

[Sirius]

Excuse my ignorance, but I just don't get this. How can it be legal to pay less than minimum wage?

In Canada atleast, I believe it is legal if the employee signs an agreement.

[Kymeera]

I really hate the tipping culture and wish the employees would be paid what they are worth. I don't care if they tack on $10 or whatever to my bill for services, just let me pay my bill and leave. If the service is exceptionally bad I can either complain or not come back.

One of my problems is that I'm math challenged. I don't like having to calculate out a fair percentage, then add everything together. It honestly does freak me out. The other problem is that I'm often not sure of which situations I should tip and which I shouldn't. I almost never take cabs, but if I did I might not realize the driver should be tipped. What about bus drivers? Should they be tipped? I'm always afraid of insulting someone with a forgotten or lousy tip. Just charge me upfront already!

I'm also annoyed by wait staff with a sense of entitlement. In my hometown local newspaper there's a section where people can write in about anything they want. For a while it was a steady string of waitresses complaining about people not tipping 20%. Maybe they happened to have a string of assholes who screwed them out of what they deserved, but maybe they gave crappy service. You don't get a tip just for handing me my order. You don't get a huge tip if all you did was bring me a bowl of soup and a drink. You don't get a huge tip if you were surly or kept forgetting about me. Tips aren't a contractual obligation.

[pika]

The problem isn't that it was a server asking that (if the cash you handed over at a restaurant was within range of the total including tip, it seems reasonable to me, but you could as easily indicate that you don't need change yourself), it's exactly that it wasn't a server. It was just a freaking cashier.

Oh that definitely makes it worse..

[Seventh Pup]

I would have tipped the cab driver as per usual, but cabs really rarely if ever take credit here. Without the bitching, I would have tipped a good chunk more than usual for having the luck to get a cab driver who accepted credit (after all, in a spot like that, it would have cost me an extra $3 to get any cash), and same as usual with the bitching, because the fact that I got a cab at all in those circumstances would have been remarkable. I also would have thanked him profusely up front and told him I'd make it worth his while, to try and head off the bitching.

I'm not MC, though - I don't tip cabs $5 every time. My usual cab fare is $5-7, and I usually tip $3, depending on what kind of cash I need and if I feel like asking for $2 back.

In Seattle both of the major cab companies (Yellow Cab and Orange Cab) accept credit cards and have those little Visa and Mastercard stickers in their windows. Since they are who I ride with most frequently it seems odd to be if a cab driver didn't accept credit cards. This guy was with Yellow Cab, so I felt like he should have been a little more understanding of getting paid with a debit card. :unsure:

I usually tip cab driver fairly well. I rarely tip under $3, usually tip about $5. (Most of my cab rides are fairly short, and don't take them away from popular cab catching areas.)

I don't expect a cab driver to entertain me, and if they want to make calls, listen to their music, or pretend Im not in the backseat Im fine with that. But listening to one chew me out for couple of minutes was not okay. It crossed the line into rude, and Im not going to tip someone for being out and out rude to me. But as I said in my original post perhaps I am slowly turning into a curmudgeon.

[Liadin]

Excuse my ignorance, but I just don't get this. How can it be legal to pay less than minimum wage?

In theory, because they're working in jobs where they receive tips and the tips make up the difference. As other posters have mentioned, technically the employer is supposed to pay the employee up to minimum wage if he/she doesn't get enough tips, they just don't.

[Guest Raidne]

In Seattle both of the major cab companies (Yellow Cab and Orange Cab) both accept credit cards and have those little Visa and Mastercard stickers in their windows. Since they are who I ride with most frequently it seems odd to be if a cab driver didn't accept credit cards. This guy was with Yellow Cab, so I felt like he should have been a little more understanding of getting paid with a debit card. :unsure:

Oh yeah, Houston was like this also. Maybe he was new to the area? I think you were within the bounds of reasonability.

I suppose I assume that $1-2 is basic subsistence, and anything over that is my actual tip. Kind of like the way I'll tip a flat 15% for subpar service, but I won't take more action than that unless the problem is worth speaking to somebody's superior.

(ETA: Case in point, husband and I were at a deserted bar the other night, and our waitress, after bringing us the check, didn't return to run our card for over 15 minutes because she was flirting with the guys down the bar. That's a long time to wait with empty beers, check in hand, when you're sitting not 10 feet away. 15%. Rounded down.)

On the other hand, if he took a route he wasn't supposed to take, he probably ate hi $1-2 right there. Although you never know? I've watched the traffic maps on my iPhone in cabs, and the drivers are amazing about knowing exactly where traffic chokes things up. They follow the most traffic-free routes to a T. But if I wasn't looking at a traffic map, I'd think they were crazy. OTOH, I know my sister's convinced that in Chicago they scam you for whatever they can and always insists on specific routes. I noticed some of this in Houston also. Cab cultures are so different from city to city, it's amazing.

[Seventh Pup]

I suppose I assume that $1-2 is basic subsistence, and anything over that is my actual tip. Kind of like the way I'll tip a flat 15% for subpar service, but I won't take more action than that unless the problem is worth speaking to somebody's superior.

(ETA: Case in point, husband and I were at a deserted bar the other night, and our waitress, after bringing us the check, didn't return to run our card for over 15 minutes because she was flirting with the guys down the bar. That's a long time to wait with empty beers, check in hand, when you're sitting not 10 feet away. 15%. Rounded down.)

See you are a better person then I. For that I would have tipped 10%. How my tip scale usually works is if there are no problems, but no real effort you get 15%. (You take my order, you get me my food, you bring me my bill, you run my card all fairly efficiently). For anything extra you get 20%. (You check in on me at least once after my food arrives, you have helpful knowledge of the menu, your friendly). If I feel like the server has really good, I tip more then 20%. But if I get subpar service like what you described I tip 10%, unless I frequent the place then I would probably do 15%.

[Tempra]

2,someting$ an hour? Seriously? WTF. That's just plain wrong.

Don't feel too bad. My fiancee makes $3.25 an hour and can walk away with $250 in tips on a good night for about 6 hours of service.

[Guest Raidne]

20-25% geeze thats insane. I tip at restraunts a around 10% unless theres a service charge already included. Cabbies and delivery guys get to keep the change, an I'll usual get a drink for the bar staff.

Seriously people expecting 20-25% of the bill is crazy.

Well, here's the thing. If you're at one of my regular bars, where I tip 25-30% and there's a mass of people waiting to be served, I'm going to get my drink well before you even though I just walked up and you've been waiting 10 minutes. I mean, what are we talking about here, at the end of the night? An extra $5-10? That's deal in exchange for not having to wait.

As with all things, you just get what you pay for.

[Iskaral Pust]

I don't mind tipping for good service, what I hate is having to decide what to do if the service is bad. I don't want to speak the manager except as a last resort where someone was purposely rude or inappropriate to me. But I don't want to give someone 20% for doing an unquestionably bad job. And I know that if I were to give them 10%, there's a good chance that they'd curse me for being a bad tipper without wondering if they'd done something wrong (not that that would be my problem at that point). There's this gray area of badness between being ok with giving someone the benefit of the doubt that he was having a bad day, and wanting to put his job at risk.

This is definitely tricky. We were at a family-oriented chain restaurant recently at had a bad server who compounded her bad service by making some comments about how impossibly difficult it was for us to ask for a fresh fork after our young son dropped his. I left only a 10% tip and wanted to write "for poor service" at the bottom. My wife persuaded me not to write anything because the low tip would be message enough. But it's more likely that the server just thought that people with kids are bad tippers and she'll treat the next family just as bad.

We won't be going back to that outlet of the chain again.

I know some people say you should speak with the manager, but who wants to get involved in that level of aggravation? That's well and good for the compulsive crusaders among us but not for most people.

[lotuspixie]

In the last year or so, I have taken a new tipping philosophy: If I can afford to go out, I can afford to tip 30%. That's my rule. If the service is shitty/nonexistent, then I'll only tip 10-15%, but that almost never happens. And like others have stated, the difference between tipping 15 and 30% is not enough to have any significant impact on me.

Now, I'm only a grad student and don't make much money. But that's the point. If I can actually afford to go out and spend $30-$50 on a combined bill with my boyfriend, then I can also afford to leave $10-$15 if the service was decent.