On an even broader scale, who all are you supposed to tip and how much - the valet parking guy, the pizza delivery guy, etc. etc? And what about something that’s not a tip, but an annual gift?
Take the postman for example or the trash collector - do you give them a gift for thanksgiving or Christmas?
I give trash men gifts for xmas. Our postoffice banned gifting a few years ago for some reason. I tip the airport shuttle driver if I have a big bag. i also tip the pizza delivery guy, but i would like to keep the tip at restaurants at the old 15%. I find tipping wait staff 100% and watching them cry in gratitude a bit creepy.
I waited tables off and on from 1986 until 1996, was paid between $2.12 and $2.75 from the establishment, and was tipped about 10% - 18% on average. In NYC in the mid-1990s this meant If I worked around 48 - 54 hours a week (which I usually did) I could make between $600 and $800 a week. My rent and utilities was around $700 a month, so waiting tables allowed me to pay my rent an utilities, student loan, transportation, and food, and have a little left over.
Most of the waitstaff that I have asked recently still make under $3.00 an hour from the establishment before taxes. However, the cost of living has gone up quite a bit since the mid-1990s, so I don’t really have a problem with tipping 20 - 30%. To me that is part of the cost of eating out. I figure i am making up for people who choose to tip 0% - 10%. As a former server, I remember how it is all about the average. If some people tip 0% - 10%, and others tip 20% - 30%, I am still bound to make about 15% in tips over a period of time. And, servers do pay taxes on their tips. We are required to report them.
One of the things I liked about catering was that I knew I was going to be paid a certain amount per hour… $12 - $20 per hour in the mid 1990s NYC, and often there was a group tip we would split. I would sometimes make more in an evening waiting tables, sometimes less. Yet, both were pretty much always more than working retail, which was also super boring to me.
I don’t really understand why people have strong feelings against tipping when it is built into the payment structure. What is the difference between the bill being 20% more because the items are priced at 20% more in order for the staff to be “tipped,” and adding on the 20% yourself. To me it is 6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of the other.
With the American tipping system, how exactly does a server know if the measly tip left for them is an indication of poor service or the person being a cheapskate? The system is flawed IMHO. Better for restaurant management to do their job and train their employees well.
To me, 20% and up, being “expected” or necessary for the waiter to make a living, is wrong. When I look at a menu, I don’t want to have to do calculations in my head to figure out what it is going to cost. IMHO, a “tip” should be “a little something extra” for good service. They should raise the prices (and wages) to include what it costs to make and serve the food, but a “tip” - maybe 5-10% - should be optional.
No one should have to feel bad or be shamed for not tipping - it’s not a tip, then, it’s just a weird way of paying that, to me, makes no sense.
That said, I am of the “15% is normal” crowd, but usually go to 17 or 18% for dinner these days because I do feel bad for the servers at most places where I eat, and the service is usually pretty good. It would have to be extraordinary for me to go to 20%, unless the bill is small but we sat a long time, tuing up the table. I will leave 10-15% if the service is poor AND it doesn’t appear to be the kitchen at fault (can’t really blame the waiter if the kitchen is slow). I was taught, however, that less is expected for breakfast or lunch (10-15% being fine), or for a buffet or place where, say, you pick up your food at the counter (where I’ll usually leave just a few bucks, depending on the nature of the service). I sometimes feel like an old lady when I tip my hairdresser, but I still do it; do you? How about in a place like Supercuts?
I go to Sports Clips, and I typically tip $3 for a $19 haircut. Big spender here…
I do not tip people who work for the government. So no tip for the post office. My wife gives our garbage man $50 at Christmas.
In my mind I have a rule- if you get HC and retirement benefits you generally do not need a tip.
We give a tip to our newspaper carrier when we renew our subscription annually. He really works hard and gets paid very little. I don’t tip my mail carriers because they turn over so often on our route. We don’t tip the garbage collectors as they are union and state employees–they get benefits including health and retirement. It used to be traditional to leave them a case of beer but it felt wrong to me and we didn’t adopt that tradition.
Our hairdresser–I’m never quite sure what her charge is and she works independently so we give her $20, which is more than she says her charge is for each of us, H & me & D when she cuts our hair. My other relatives give her about the same, which we all feel is a good amount.
And you are supposed to leave extra money in the hotel room to make up for the hotel’s reluctance to pay the housekeeping staff any reasonable wage.
And if the restaurant owner actually serves you the meal, or an independent business owning professional cuts your hair, should you tip them or not?
How about tipping the dental hygienist?
I have never tipped the hygienist.
In a hotel I usually leave $3-5 dollars every day.
I no longer get newspapers delivered but I always tipped them when I did.
I give my barber a $20 for my haircut which costs $15. I get a crew cut #1. No fuss
I would wish for a living wage for servers and for tipping to just be a little extra as it is in other countries. It is more protection for the workers and less opportunity for cheaters to cheat.
If you all doubt stories of bad customers and bosses, take a look at the “behind closed ovens” column online. It is quite an eye opener. Food service people are paid a below minimum wage even for the hours they work with no customers around, filling salt shakers, cleaning up, etc. Restaurants have also withheld ALL paid wages by claiming that they brought in little enough income overall. Unbelievable that that is legal!
I’ve also been told that some bosses confiscate credit card tips, all or in part. And no, they’re not sharing with the kitchen staff. I don’t mind tipping, but our current system allows too many abuses.
My observation is just that if you do away with tipping, everybody except the most generous tippers of today will end up paying more. That’s OK with me–although I have to say that we often eat at an establishment that has no tipping, and the service is not great.
KFC again, @Hunt?
I have no complaints about the service at KFC. No, this is a club. The service isn’t really bad, but it is sometimes “finger in the plate” not great.
No tips for gov’t workers from me, either. And that includes the trash men.
Here’s the law for tipping mail carriers:
http://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2012/pb22349/html/cover_025.htm
Tipping government employees is a BIG no-no. I’m required to do business ethics/ anti-corruption training every year. Tipping gov’t employees can be construed as BRIBERY.
^^And if you work for a pharmaceutical company, you are bound by certain laws that prohibit certain gifts to medical professionals! Let’s just say “medical professional” is a term defined very broadly.
My “gift” to my mailman was a bottle of wine for xmas. I don’t think it was more $20 although close to it. Was a very good bottle that I use for our xmas dinner.
We sometimes dine at a club where there is no tipping–they give all employees a holiday bonus. Service tends to be superb there. It is so nice not to agonize over the appropriate amount to tip. Also at our local community college, there is NO tipping AND no tax but you can donate to the community college’s culinary arts program in a box they have at the sign in desk just for that purpose. Service tends to be excellent there as well.
I love the idea of adding 20% to the cost of menu items.
I also hate hate hate being rushed when out to dinner at a upscale restaurant. Do that and you’ve lost my business.
Most places we go to we have to ask for the bill.
We always tip at least 20%. H worked as a waiter and a bartender while in grad school so always tips high.
I think it’s hard job being a wait staff and tiring being on your feet all the time. I could never do it, I would be horrible at it.