<p>First of let me start by saying I have no problem giving tips ($). However when did all of our services become something that needed to be tipped? For example i don’t think my mom tips the car mechanic, but my friends tips the nail technician, we tip taxi drivers but not bus drivers. When did tips become something so importan in society. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>???</p>
<p>Tips are a way of showing appreciation for individual service. Also, those that tip better get better and faster service. </p>
<p>I always tip my bartender/waiter/cabbie/barber very well. I pay the company for the service and these guys a tip for the personal service. Shrug…</p>
<p>I don’t, however, tip people that give bad service or don’t perform to a level I expect, including waiters. Tips are for service above what is expected and not just to be expected.</p>
<p>Sounds like someone needs to read [Waiter</a> Rant](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Waiter-Rant-Thanks-Tip-Confessions-Cynical/dp/0061256684]Waiter”>http://www.amazon.com/Waiter-Rant-Thanks-Tip-Confessions-Cynical/dp/0061256684).</p>
<p>Did you know that the minimum wage for tipped employees in Virginia is $2.13/hour? Yeah, that’s right. Enough to buy a bagel with cream cheese at Dunkin Donuts. Waiters rely on a great service, that’s on you, but unless the waiter is grossly incompetent, you should be tipping them something.</p>
<p>I enjoy tipping when the service is great, and am happy to tip when the service is adequate, but don’t feel bad in the least for leaving no tip (and complaining to management) when the service is not acceptable. Love it or hate it, tipping is optional… so don’t blame people who tip according to the quality of the service they receive, blame lawmakers for bad laws, cooks for bad food and management for not providing an environment where waiters earn what they deserve.</p>
<p>The only issue I have with tipping is when a tip jar is set up at the cash register of a fast food place. You turned around and grabbed a pretzel or cookie off the self… is that really tip worthy?</p>
<p>One tipping oddity Ive noticed. Go to a ballgame and buy a beer. Most people tip the person who brings them a beer. Get a hot dog and soda, very few tip. How did alcohol become a must tip and not other food items. </p>
<p>I fully recognize the need to tip well at restaurants and have no problem adding in the now-standard 20%. But I do have a problem tipping the Starbucks counter person who just pours me a coffee. Or the Dunkin Donuts person who picks up a muffin and puts it in a bag. </p>
<p>Just got back from Europe where service charges are typically built-in and staff is paid better. Frankly, I like that approach much better and kinda wish wed evolve to that here in the states.</p>
<p>I agree with the European way of paying a living wage to waitstaff and include service fee in the bill. Some may argue that this discourages good service but I had very attentive service in Europe with 3-hour dinners and no one rushed us out the door to turn over tables. In the US, I still tipped for bad services (out of guilt and social pressure) but simply vowed never to come back to the establishments.</p>
<p>Planet Money has an interesting story on Why We Tip
[Why</a> We Tip : Planet Money : NPR](<a href=“Why We Tip : Planet Money : NPR”>Why We Tip : Planet Money : NPR)</p>
<p>Contrary to common belief, the size of the tip has less to do with the quality of service and more to the weather and the mood people are in!</p>
<p>Hey everyone I’m not saying I dont tip or plan on not, I was just wondering. I tip everyone, I understand waiters need tips and like I said I don’t mind paying 20+ % tip that’s not a problem I was just making an observation.</p>
<p>After looking around a bit, I have a few observations of my own:</p>
<p>(1) Waiters’/waitresses’ feeling entitled to a tip is none of my concern;
(2) Society’s believing that I should tip according to some predetermined schedule is none of my concern;
(3) Researchers’ belief that my tipping is influenced by anything other than how happy I am with the service is none of my concern;
(4) I tip waiters for good service and I pay butchers for steak; if a butcher gives me rotten steak, I expect not to pay for it, and if a waiter gives me rotten service, I expect not to pay for it.</p>
<p>There are a few things a waitress/waiter can do to that will almost always result in no tip from me:
(1) Blame others (cooks, crowd, etc.) for poor service;
(2) Argue about what was ordered when the wrong food is delivered;
(3) Discuss the tip or tipping etiquette with customers (this has actually happened to me).</p>
<p>European way is best I’ve seen thus far. I typically tip 15-20% with more for great service and <10% for poor service (including pennies when available).</p>
<p>Hmm, aegrisomnia: I guess you are none of my concern. Joking aside, wait staff need to learn that the customer is not there for a debate so you’re spot on with that.</p>
<p>well, if you are not going to tip, I would highly recommend you not return to that restuarant. I can promise that the waiters, bartenders and bus staff will remember you. </p>
<p>And it won’t only be “bad service” they bring you. Though you won’t know. ;)</p>
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I should be so lucky as for one of them to bring me out something special. God knows I could use a large settlement and/or free food.</p>
<p>In seriousness, though, I have no problem not going to restaurants where I get consistently bad service. I’m actually not as picky as some of this might imply… I very rarely have problems with the service staff. My thing is this, though: when you do have a problem with the service, America needs to stop sugar coating it. Nobody wants to be the guy who calls somebody out on being incompetent, rude or unprofessional; much less in a way that humiliates the waiter/waitress in public. Using the tip to communicate that the service didn’t meet standards is, in my opinion, pretty civil… even polite.</p>
<p>As an addition to the NPR story</p>
<p>In Italy, everyone at my table ordered an after-dinner espresso except for me since I can’t do caffeine late at night, the waitress brought an extra one anyway and indicated “gift from the house”. Later, she brought out Vin Santo and cookies, again en gratis. Such charming gestures happened again at another restaurant in another town, except this time a yummy Melon Liquor offer! And yes, I threw in extra euros on top of the bill so I guess I belong to the “good mood” crowd cited by the study…</p>
<p>I tip in restaurants because the compensation structure requires it–waiters make minimal wages. I don’t tip in Dunkin Donuts or McDonalds because the employees make normal wages and don’t deserve extra from me any more than the guy who waits on me at the UPS store of the woman who fetches ten pairs of shoes for me at Macys. No one needs special treatment just because they handle food.</p>
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<p>That’s the employer’s problem; not mine.</p>
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<p>And that’s WRONG.</p>
<p>hops_scout: Did you know that although waitstaff are paid less than minimum wage, they are taxed as if they actually rec’d the tip? </p>
<p>So if the Denny’s worker does her 6 hour shift and gets paid her $18 from the restaurant, she will have payroll taxes based on ~$80 of actual earnings. If she ends up getting $40 in tips that night, wow. She’ll have made a whopping take home of about $44 for her six hours of grief.</p>
<p>BTW: I said 6 hours b/c very few employers have full-time waitstaff and their accompanying benefits.</p>
<p>When you say the compensation structure is wrong, what’s your sol’n to it in the meanwhile? Not to tip? Your choice but I heard about non-tippers my whole life from my waitress mother. </p>
<p>You know the best tippers? Waitstaff themselves. She was always generous to waitstaff whenever we ate out – I am the same, seeing her example.</p>
<p>Why can a food company do that? Why should they be allowed to pay their employees mere pennies? My boss is not allowed to do that. When I order pizza, I tip based on what I actually ordered; not based on all the fees they charge me after the fact. Those delivery guys may get screwed because of it; THAT’S NOT MY FAULT!</p>
<p>I tip what I deem is appropriate. It might be 10%, it might be 25%. Or it might be pennies.</p>
<p>I am a good tipper and frequent the same restaurants, barbers etc frequently. For some reason I always get good service.</p>
<p>So you think it’s wrong, but instead of saying “let’s try to reform the system,” you say “let’s screw the guys who had no part in implementing the policy and have no chance of changing the system from within.”</p>
<p>Classy. Real classy.</p>
<p>What bugs me is the imposed gratuity charge on parties of, say, 8 or more in restaurants. Are they afraid we’ll undertip?</p>