This morning I has the rare occasion to visit the Dry Cleaners. Being a self employed consultant working on websites and forums it's not very often that I need to see a client. T-Shirts and shorts are the uniform of choice. In preparation for the Jewish High Holidays I thought it would be nice to have the suit that hasn't seen the light of day since last year cleaned and pressed. When I picked up the garments I paid cash for the $7.50 transaction. After pocketing the 2 quarters and turning to leave the woman behind me in line had the temerity to mention I should of put the change in the tip jar sitting out plain as day on the counter. Normally I'd have ignored her, mumbled something about privacy under my breath and left. Today was the exception. I turned to her and asked "What did this kid behind the counter do beyond hand my suit and make change for the transaction that deserves a tip?" She stammered a bit before resulting to insults on how cheap I was. I countered her argument by calmly stating I had paid for my purchase at the stated price, did not try to negotiate a discount and that the kid did nothing more than his job. The kid didn't even say thanks, in fact beyond me stating I was here to pick up my suit while handing the kid the ticket and the kid saying that the it was $7.50 there was no other conversation. The kid didn't say "$7.50 please" he just said $7.50" Now she was a bit taken aback and I pounced for the kill. Glowering at her I went on to ask why a Dry Cleaner needed a tip jar anyway. Going on in rapid fire not even allowing her to stammer I keep pushing my point that the Tip Jar has become a fixture in many places now. That got me going...When I was at the Chinese Take Out place they had a Tip Jar. I called in my order, I went and picked it up. Am I supposed to tip them for actually doing their job!! I growled at this woman one more time and said loud enough that if the tip jar is going to stay then I will find a new dry cleaner. I can see handing the Pizza delivery kid a few bucks so long as it is there in a decent time period, the cheese is not all on one side from his drifting the beater Honda on the way to my house and he actually remembered the soda too. What annoys me is when I call to order said pizza and pay with a CC that the person on the other end asks me how much of a tip I want to add for the driver. The last time that happened I told the person that until I see how the service is I can't commit to an amount. Do you think these tip jars should be everyplace? Are you shamed into putting in your loose change? What really gets my goat is I popped into a 7-11 for a drink after the Dry Cleaner. There on the counter was a gallon jug with a tattered sheet of paper with "Tips!" scrawled in red taped to the outside. I'll be damned if I am going to tip some kid that looks unwashed, unkempt and probably stoned for the pleasure of handing over money to purchase a drink.
I hate tip jars! And I hate servers who expect a certain percentage of the bill as a tip. A tip is a way of showing gratitude for a job well done. A job that was above and beyond the standard expectations. It is not an entitlement to pad a persons wage because they don't think they are making enough.
must be a TX thing. We have them here, but randomly. Not ubiquitous. I've never had someone solicit for a tip at a store like that. I'd have done the same thing if someone tried to do that.
There are tip jars just about everywhere here now, too. I'm not offended by them. But I would have probably gone postal like Nathan in the same situation...
Save going postal for when the mailman knocks on your door and asks for a tip. :crazy: That might not be too far off. The only tip jar I find non-offending is the one at the muni club house bar and the one for the beer cart driver. Those poor gals putting up with a bunch of obnoxious old farts deserve all the tips they can get.
I never tip outside the restaurant environment. I never order delivery, so that is not an issue. I tip at a restaurant only if the service was above and beyond, or if I personally liked the server. Tip jars are bad.
nabes... I hope you like the taste of phlegm, now that your tipping behavior is public record on the internets... A little MS Paint illustration of this complex concept:
You all are so right, tip jars should go the way of the dinosaur. Tipping is for good service, if my watier is polite and service is good I leave a tip, if my BlackJack dealer has been kind to me (winning) I share. But a tip jar at Quick Trip, I think not...:nonod:
I will have a lot to say, but this a weekend so I will save it for later. The fact that 15% has become the norm despite of service received is ridiculous. 15% used to be reserved for good, courteous and timely service. Anything less got less and anything more was at your discretion. But the recent generation's sense of entitlement has corrupted even that concept. More on that later.
I tip at restaurants/bars according to the service I get, and being fairly easy to please, i.e. hot food, cold beer, the wait staff usually do OK by me. But if they tag on a pre-determined amount, which is never as high as I usually give, well that's all they get, and I'm likely not going back. Don't even think about getting me started on the rolling eyes of wait staff when you asks for separate bills, BEFORE ordering:mad5::incazzato:rrr: At a 7-11, dry cleaner, Home Depot, etc, neverut: Mark
Good work on the drawing, I like it. :lol: My father never tipped. I guess I got it from him. He would rant for literally minutes about how they don't deserve it for just doing their job, etc.
I'm a big tipper, ever since my days as a delivery driver I've always tipped at least 20% for good service, higher if they go above and beyond. This only applies for tips at standard restaurants (not fast food or buffets), food that's delivered, and barbers. My Grandma's worked in a restaurant for at least 25 years and her pay is taxed with the expectation of a certain amount of tips, this means if she or another server were to make nothing in tips she still pays taxes as if she made 20% in tips of her total sales, so tipping less than that amount and the server is essentially paying to serve you. Granted at the end of the year one could tally up the difference in taxed earnings versus tips received and claim the difference in a refund but should someone have to wait a year to collect the money they paid in taxes because you didn't think my grandma was hot enough to get a tip from you? There's a million and one reasons to tip, it has nothing to do with entitlement, when gas first went to two dollars a gallon there were quite a few nights when my tips didn't cover the gas needed to fill up my delivery vehicle, it didn't help that at the time I was driving an old farm truck but I found that I could get 20mpg in that thing, V8 and all, on the way out to the houses of people who didn't tip. This site's a good read: Remember To Tip The Pizza Delivery Driver And remember, tip the delivery guy, he knows where you live. Oh, and I never don't tip. If you leave no tip for bad service the server thinks your just a jerk, if you leave a penny then the server knows, you thought about what amount to tip left the penny out of dissatisfaction
I spent sometime waiting tables so I can appreciate what it takes to put out great service in light of the fact your making below minimum on your hourly rate. I'll give 15% fairly easily ala mark, hot is hot, cold is cold and stop by the table every once inwhile. 20% for someone going out of his/her way. (as he gets on his soapbox.........) The one that frys my cookies is the mid level quality carry out joints, Calif Pizza Kitchen comes to mind as one of the biggest offenders. You call your order in for pickup, drive to the restaurant, go in and pick up your own food and see a tip tray. The staff at the one closest to me will with sledgehammer subtlety will make sure your eyes are drawn to the tip tray. ie tidying it up while you are stashing the receipt in your wallet. Let me get this straight- You removed my food from a heater/took out of a fridge and rang it up and I owe you 10-15%? really And the beotch of it is that people are actually falling for it, if the tip tray they keep the charge slips in is any indication. PEOPLE WAKE UP Ok I'm done..........
Yeah... in general, tips for carry-out is nuts. I occassionally tip the cute girls at the dedicated carry out counter at my local Italian joint - but not much. You get 15% for being attentive to my table's needs for 30-90 minutes, for taking my order, for making sure my drink glass and bread basket are never empty, and for getting my food to the table in a timely, hot, and correct manner. If I'm at a location where those things don't happen, then you don't get tipped for them. In my earlier post, I said I wasn't offended by tip jars anywhere. I'm not. But that doesn't mean I put stuff in them.
I tip my sushi guy when I do pick up. I don't tip him the same amount as if I am sitting at the bar, but I appreciate well prepared sushi. And I have been going to the same place for the past 10+ years so the extra tipping buys me things like being able to get a table when the place is packed, or having my pick up order prepared on short notice instead of the customary 1 hour. (this place gets busy). I also tip a few bucks at my local Deli on pick ups. They have you pay before you get the food and maybe this is a placebo effect, but I don't seem to wait as long as others. It could also be that corned beef on rye is not that hard to make. The ones that burn the hairs on my butt are the self proprietors who have tip jars. I used to go to a barber who charged reasonable prices and had a movie like Italian accent and his name was Tony and he had a gift of gab. He ended up selling the place to a Russian guy who immediately raised the prices and added a tip jar. I did not feel like discussing the virtue of him setting his own prices, working for himself and the need for the said tip jar. I just bought a set of Wahl clippers and started shaving my head.
I used to deliver flowers and would sometimes get tips...this was nice but in no way necessary as most who order flowers are not the intended recipiant...The other guys would sometimes ***** about not getting any tips, but I kept having to explain that most people didnt even know they were getting flowers until the phone rang with some delivery guy asking if there was anyone home to receive them... I agree with the above posts...if a tip is deserved, then I leave a tip...the paper boy for instance - always leaves the paper on the mat (not in the driveway...the bushes...the roof...you get my point) he is well mannered, respectful, and always gets my paper to me on time. I like him, so when the time comes for collection...I always leave a little extra...I used to do the same thing with the girl that cut my hair until she raised her rates...now the 5 bucks that i used to give her as a tip doesnt exist any more cuz its included in the cost of the haircut... If someone is just doing their job then who are they to ask for a tip...is that not PanHandeling???
It is one thing to add a tip for someone making less than minimum wage, but here in OR they have to pay everyone a minimum wage (which is close to $9 an hour now).
I am HAPPY to say I have not seen tip jars pop up around me in the 7-11 or Wawa. I do see them in the Dunkin' Donuts, but I rarely leave a tip..... maybe if they are speedy fast with preparing my order and I am in and out. I am a very good tipper.... I was a waitress throughout college. I tip 20+ % at restaurants, I tip drivers, valets, my tattoo artist, etc. But I really have a problem with like many of you have stated, tipping someone for DOING THEIR JOB! No one tips me in the office for showing up on time or completing a project... that's because it's my job and I'm expected to do it. if I didn't, then I wouldn't have a job anymore. I agree that kids today really feel like they are entitled to a lot! Oh, and L'Shana Tova, Nathan
OK, see, this one always confuses me. Tattoo artist, hair dressers, etc. Most of them are technically self employed. They are renting a chair from the shop, or splitting their fees if they don't outright own the establishment. I know my tattoo guy ain't cheap. If I spend 3-4 hours in the chair he usually charges me $300-400. I don't have a problem with that. But since he keeps most of it, do I really have to tip him and if so, how much? Is it the same ~20% as the waitress who brought me booze and made me think she liked me?
That does get tricky, I typically tip a few maybe two bucks on a hair cut which works out to just a little less percentage wise than a waitress would get and that's really because she does a great job and I have a tendency to fall asleep while she's working. If it's a buffet where all the waitress does is refill drinks and remove dirty dishes I tend to tip quite a bit less since there's less overall work on his or her part. For a delivery guy (using there own vehicle) I tip hugely, basically $5 is the minimum at that point since I know how much wear and tear that puts on a car. I also don't tip the kids at the coffee shop, it's one of those situations where it's simply your job and I have to stand at the counter and wait. If the person owns the business outright I see no reason to really tip unless they do something that goes above and beyond in service but even if they're only renting the chair in the store I see fit to tip them since they can't really set their prices above the other people in the shop, even if their service or skills are superior. The big reason for a tip as I see it is to set a positive encouragement for better service, especially in situations where you'll encounter that person repeatedly.