OT: Tipping

[upj87]

I saw a good Op/Ed in the PG this morning about tipping. Simply put, "decent people tip, bad people don't." I don't think it is any more simple than that.

Two excerpts from behind paywall:

Someone signs the credit card receipt at the restaurant and puts a zero in the space for a tip, writing in “I give my money to charity” or “I save my money for Jesus” (those of you with Bibles, see Matthew 25:31-46). Or they give a supposedly principled reason, like “I don’t believe in tipping” or “Your boss should pay you better” or “Tipping lets businesses exploit their workers.”

Or worse, the very worst, the lowest of the low, they scrawl some sneer like “Get a better job.”

Yes, let's start a tip jar for Jesus campaign! Brilliant.

Opening the door to her huge stone mansion, the kind you see in movies or a hyper-wealthy Pittsburgh borough, the woman took the bags of Chinese food she’d ordered, and handed my son a quarter.

He was working to make money for college. A quarter did not help.

Another evening, he took a much smaller order to an apartment “on the wrong side of the tracks,” as people used to say, to a Black family having, the father told him, a treat. He handed my son a lot of money for a tip — for some reason I remember $8 — a quarter or more of the total bill.

I suspect the first situation is people with so much money, they have no concept and think a cookie is a just reward for a job. Or they are so old, they think it is 1950 when they were on the other end. The 2nd situation is folks who appreciate that these people are working this job to live.

I err on the side of over tipping. It pisses me off even getting takeout and picking something up, people don't tip. Unless places tell you they no longer accept tips because they are paying a working wage, then don't. But I would still tip anyways.

I would think the one thing that most waiters and waitresses would agree on is that in general they would rather serve a group of six guys drinking beer and eating wings while the game is on as opposed to six ladies from some book club. First of all those ladies will request separate checks....If that is not doable they will itemize every morsel of food and ever ounce of liquid down to the penny and maybe if they are feeling generous might come close to a 20% tip to the penny. You know they all have change purses and will be able to do that....The guys on the other hand might have the equivalent of two drafts and a dozen wings each which averages out to about 27 bucks a pop. Some may owe more and some may owe less.....They all throw two twenties each on the table and are on their way....Aside from the significantly better tip the odds are the six dudes were significantly less pains in the ass than the six ladies during their server encounter.... My court ordered sexist post of the day requirement has been fulfilled.

 

[OH Pete]

I would think the one thing that most waiters and waitresses would agree on is that in general they would rather serve a group of six guys drinking beer and eating wings while the game is on as opposed to six ladies from some book club. First of all those ladies will request separate checks....If that is not doable they will itemize every morsel of food and ever ounce of liquid down to the penny and maybe if they are feeling generous might come close to a 20% tip to the penny. You know they all have change purses and will be able to do that....The guys on the other hand might have the equivalent of two drafts and a dozen wings each which averages out to about 27 bucks a pop. Some may owe more and some may owe less.....They all throw two twenties each on the table and are on their way....Aside from the significantly better tip the odds are the six dudes were significantly less pains in the ass than the six ladies during their server encounter.... My court ordered sexist post of the day requirement has been fulfilled.

Only thing missing from this one is you saying that you tip the waitress more if she is hot.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Only thing missing from this one is you saying that you tip the waitress more if she is hot.

well, there is a reason bars have hot bartenders and it's not because they are good at switching out empty kegs at the end of the night..

 

[303vND]

Studies have shown that 97.3% of people who door dash or use uber eats are just too damn lazy to go pick up their own food.

Someone had to do a study to determine that? Waste of time and money.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

I tip pretty much everyone.

Recent trip:
- Tipped the hotel shuttle driver even though I carried my own bag on and off. Dude was an older guy and I felt bad.
- Always leave something for hotel cleaners, except in the rare instances when the room wasn't very clean.
- Bartenders or wait staff, look at the check and multiply by .2 (easy math) then adjust based on whether service was good or bad. So I'm usually always over 20% when basing off the total before tax.
- We went to a little mom and pop diner for lunch. It was great, service was great, and bill for 2 of us was under $19. I gave them $25.
- But I do have an issue tipping 20% or more on really expensive dinners. I'll usually gravitate lower in the 15-18%. Does the woman at the mom and pop diner do less work than the waitress in the expensive restaurant?

Take out, I usually tip a few bucks on a small order and $5 or $10 on a larger order.

Also tip mail carrier and garbage men.

Tip anyone delivering large items into the home. Don't tip Amazon, Fedex or UPS.

 

[noelr]

i always found southerners and yinzers to be pretty poor tippers. could be related to income. i was a waiter once and it sucked busting your ass and not getting tipped.

 

[303vND]

I tip every where I go and it's at least 20%. However, I don't like the places that stick you with a mandatory 20% service charge irrespective of how many are in your group. What I noticed about those places is that the service can be lackluster, poor or just plain bad because they already know they're guaranteed the 20%.

Plus - you have to be aware of built in gratuities and then they try sneak in an additional tip. I had that happen to me twice, the bar waitress just showed me the bottom line with the tip line open. I was writing in an additional tip when one of my boys told me...they already hit us for 20%.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

There was a viral post about a woman being given the option to tip when buying her wedding dress. Shouldn't they just pay her a commission? I hate always getting the tip option at places like Subway. They are paid a salary or hourly. Waitresses and hair cutters (in many cases) are not.

 

[pittdan77]

Also tip mail carrier and garbage men.

I like to leave a six pack for the garbage men at Christmas. They seem to appreciate it because I never get charged for extra.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I like to leave a six pack for the garbage men at Christmas. They seem to appreciate it because I never get charged for extra.

you know they are drinking that 6 pack immediately after they get it, right?

 

[pittdan77]

you know they are drinking that 6 pack immediately after they get it, right?

Oh yeah. For sure. But it's not like anything about most of the garbage haulers in my neck of the woods are safe to begin with.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

when you are in your younger age when all your friends are getting married and you are going to a wedding what seems like every other weekend and you still drink til your blind at weddings. here is the move..

Go to the open bar early, be one of the first ones and drop the 20 in the tip jar and let the bartender see it. that way, you'll have drinks coming your way all thru the reception.

Yes, we have done that before.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

Does anyone tip the maid in a hotel? I always do on vacation, but rarely on business, mainly because I wouldn't get reimbursed for it.

I was in a Home2Suites recently and there was a QR code sticker on the nightstand that customers can use to tip the maid.

Depends on how long I stay

 

[USN_Panther]

There is no tipping culture in NZ. People who travel to the US from here get really stressed out about tipping. I get asked for advice about it all the time.
Here I do tip delivery drivers, barber, bartender, wait staff, taxi. It is not expected and it is usually well appreciated.

 

[Farnox]

i cant disagree with that at all. i think i over tip at bars, usually give 20% as a base at restaurants, 25% if it's really good service..

give 6 bucks for the haircut.. i always forget to tip the mailman at christmas but i give the garbage guys a 20.. i put a dollar in the tip jar when i get a dunkin, i give the happy ending massage parlor girl a tip too... oh wait, that's not me, thats a friend..

So your saying that you gave the parlor girl the tip and a tip?

 

[upj87]

Only thing missing from this one is you saying that you tip the waitress more if she is hot.

we hold these truths to be self-evident...

 

[Parkview57]

I put in 60 hour weeks going above and beyond for clients all the time, and I don't even get a thank you let alone a tip.

That is why I tip the traditionally non tipped workers, I mean everyone else is getting a tip.

 

[pittzap]

Not judging, but are you saying this so that the server can avoid paying taxes or does the company take some of it if you use a card?
I bartended while in grad school. We made $2.13/hour because we were eligible to receive tips. We were told to claim ~10% of our sales as tips at the end of our night in order to not set off a red flag to be investigated. Tips were usually 15%-20% of the bill, so you were able to make more money that wasn’t taxed. But if they paid the tip on the credit card, all of it had to be reported.

Not as many people paid with a card in the mid 1990s.

 

[pittbb80]

...and making the dough with flour and water and yeast, shaping it into a round crust, putting on the sauce, layering with cheese and toppings and monitoring it in a 750 degree oven along with three other pizzas and two strombolis it really is not that much..... the tip jar is not for the guy who hands you the thing it is for the whole crew that took part in its creation..I go into my local place and am amazed at how hard these folks work...I feel a helluva lot more obligation to throw a couple bucks in their tip jar than the folks who pour you a cup of coffee at some snooty coffee shop...

In that I never made out with an Italian dude maybe you can tell me how their saliva tastes as that is probably what you are getting in addition to that pepperoni you had put on it..

All the more reason not to tip them Lots of people work hard. Should I tip the guy at the deli counter so he doesn’t spit on my meat? Or the gal at the cake counter who she doesn’t spit on my cake Or the dude at the sheets so they don’t do something to the food in the store. Guess it says a lot about the degeneracy in our society that someone would to that and others would essentially condone that but then it’s not surprising. We have a degenerate pedophile as the leader of the free world

 

[upj87]

That is why I tip the traditionally non tipped workers, I mean everyone else is getting a tip.

and also not making the traditionally significantly lower wages than the tipped workers are...you could be screwing some kid making 5 bucks an hour to tip someone making 18 bucks an hour...

 

[pittbb80]

Does anyone tip the maid in a hotel? I always do on vacation, but rarely on business, mainly because I wouldn't get reimbursed for it.

I was in a Home2Suites recently and there was a QR code sticker on the nightstand that customers can use to tip the maid.

You mean back in the day when they actually provided room service every day. Sure.

 

[Parkview57]

and not making the traditionally significantly lower wages than the tipped workers are...

You decide, the ones I am talking about are not getting rich.

(That is a universal "You", not you personally)

 

[razzaba]

If you don't want to tip, do the service yourself.

Cook at home; cut your own hair; go pick up your own take out; ect...

I think this is most people’s issue now, however. It’s not the tipping at the places where it’s been typical to tip, it’s tipping at all the other places, and always having it in your face every time you pay for something. like you said “go pick up your own takeout“ - I pick up my own take out ALL THE TIME and every single time I’m asked to tip. Either at the restaurant, or on the website ahead of time while I am paying.

I generously tip in sit-down restaurants, bars, my hair cut place, etc. AFTER the service is received, and the amount is usually based on some degree of how good of a job they did.

I do not like feeling pressured to tip when getting take out or before I even receive the service, and have no idea how good or bad said service was.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

I think this is most people’s issue now, however. It’s not the tipping at the places where it’s been typical to tip, it’s tipping at all the other places, and always having it in your face every time you pay for something. like you said “go pick up your own takeout“ - I pick up my own take out ALL THE TIME and every single time I’m asked to tip. Either at the restaurant, or on the website ahead of time while I am paying.

I generously tip in sit-down restaurants, bars, my hair cut place, etc. AFTER the service is received, and the amount is usually based on some degree of how good of a job they did.

I do not like feeling pressured to tip when getting take out or before I even receive the service, and have no idea how good or bad said service was.

Yes but think about it. They are still preparing your meal and packaging it. But moreso to the point, if they are getting paid at some low wage with some expectation of 10-20% tips per check, then you are screwing these folks.

 

[upj87]

You decide, the ones I am talking about are not getting rich.

(That is a universal "You", not you personally)

the one you are talking about "the non tipped" may not be rich but they legally cannot make less than minimum wage like the ones you stated you do not tip can...

 

[Fk_Pitt]

i'll tell you what though, people that use these uber eats or 3rd party services to pick up a cheeseburger and dont tip, need punched in the face. i think it's beyond lazy for a capable person to use these services in the first place but if you are truly that lazy, you better tip and tip well.

why the hell you would trust some person with zero affiliation to the restaurant to pick up, handle and deliver something that you are going to eat, man you have way too much faith in people. i wouldnt trust these people to save my life.

and yes, it's a huge HUGE difference than having an employee of a pizza place delivering a pizza.

What’s worse about this is people are putting miles on their own cars to drive you your own food. So it’s a lot worse than not tipping a server.

But I’ll say this, we may think that tipping is simply what you do…but it’s also a cultural thing. So people who don’t tip aren’t necessarily bad people. My wife and I were in the service industry in our younger days and all my kids have been….and generally speaking, Indians, English and African Americans don’t tip. There are certainly exceptions but by and large that’s the case. My daughter dated an English guy for a couple years and they fought all the time because he and his friends/family refused to tip. It’s just not something they do. It’s an American thing.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

What’s worse about this is people are putting miles on their own cars to drive you your own food. So it’s a lot worse than not tipping a server.

But I’ll say this, we may think that tipping is simply what you do…but it’s also a cultural thing. So people who don’t tip aren’t necessarily bad people. My wife and I were in the service industry in our younger days and all my kids have been….and generally speaking, Indians, English and African Americans don’t tip. There are certainly exceptions but by and large that’s the case. My daughter dated an English guy for a couple years and they fought all the time because he and his friends/family refused to tip. It’s just not something they do. It’s an American thing.

yep, french people too, cheap-ass culture.. you wait on people from france, be happy they even pay the bill.

 

[lilspainishflea]

i'll tell you what though, people that use these uber eats or 3rd party services to pick up a cheeseburger and dont tip, need punched in the face. i think it's beyond lazy for a capable person to use these services in the first place but if you are truly that lazy, you better tip and tip well.

why the hell you would trust some person with zero affiliation to the restaurant to pick up, handle and deliver something that you are going to eat, man you have way too much faith in people. i wouldnt trust these people to save my life.

and yes, it's a huge HUGE difference than having an employee of a pizza place delivering a pizza.

Uber Eats is also just a terrible service. Extremely expensive. My food never arrived hot. Often it is mashed together. Twice it was stolen, once it took the driver over an hour to deliver my food, he drove right by my apartment and "canceled" the order when he was 100 yards away. By that time, everything else was closed and I couldn't get food from anywhere. Uber's remedy was to refund my order price. That's it. No coupon to try again, nothing for ruining my entire night.

When I told them I would never use them again unless they gave me something - anything - to compensate me for missing a meal, not just the value of the food, they basically hit me with the shrug emoji. Completely awful app and terrible company. I use Lyft now (and just pick up my own food if I order out).

 

[Fk_Pitt]

yep, french people too, cheap-ass culture.. you wait on people from france, be happy they even pay the bill.

I actually can’t remember if I tipped when I was in France. I hope I didn’t. Lol. Actually, I hope it did. It’s just the right thing to do. But then again, my culture and my upbringing ingrained that in me.

 

[lilspainishflea]

What’s worse about this is people are putting miles on their own cars to drive you your own food. So it’s a lot worse than not tipping a server.

But I’ll say this, we may think that tipping is simply what you do…but it’s also a cultural thing. So people who don’t tip aren’t necessarily bad people. My wife and I were in the service industry in our younger days and all my kids have been….and generally speaking, Indians, English and African Americans don’t tip. There are certainly exceptions but by and large that’s the case. My daughter dated an English guy for a couple years and they fought all the time because he and his friends/family refused to tip. It’s just not something they do. It’s an American thing.

I tip toward the upper end of what has been described in this thread. Always 20% at dinner, my barber gets about 33%, 10% for take-out, minimum $1 per drink at the bar (even for non-alcoholic drinks), etc. I was never really annoyed about it but tip proliferation seems to have exploded post-2020. I'm seeing options to tip absolutely everywhere now and it's making me colder toward the idea of tipping in general, even to people I was normally very generous to. Not saying that I have gone down that road, it's just soured my mentality.

My main problem with tipping is that tippers subsidize the non-tippers by paying more for labor on the same experience. The labor wouldn't exist without the tipper. So the non-tippers get a service they didn't pay for. And there's basically no enforcement against non-tippers. They don't even guilt trip themselves since they think they're owed the service via their payment of the bill. I'd rather just get rid of the entire tipping structure so that tippers and non-tippers are paying the same amount for service. If I'm already paying an extra 10-33%, I doubt any increase would be worse for me and the cheapskates who can't afford the service without my help can feel free to stay away.

 

[FreeportPanther]

I tip toward the upper end of what has been described in this thread. Always 20% at dinner, my barber gets about 33%, 10% for take-out, minimum $1 per drink at the bar (even for non-alcoholic drinks), etc. I was never really annoyed about it but tip proliferation seems to have exploded post-2020. I'm seeing options to tip absolutely everywhere now and it's making me colder toward the idea of tipping in general, even to people I was normally very generous to. Not saying that I have gone down that road, it's just soured my mentality.

My main problem with tipping is that tippers subsidize the non-tippers by paying more for labor on the same experience. The labor wouldn't exist without the tipper. So the non-tippers get a service they didn't pay for. And there's basically no enforcement against non-tippers. They don't even guilt trip themselves since they think they're owed the service via their payment of the bill. I'd rather just get rid of the entire tipping structure so that tippers and non-tippers are paying the same amount for service. If I'm already paying an extra 10-33%, I doubt any increase would be worse for me and the cheapskates who can't afford the service without my help can feel free to stay away.

So, like NIL?

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I actually can’t remember if I tipped when I was in France. I hope I didn’t. Lol. Actually, I hope it did. It’s just the right thing to do. But then again, my culture and my upbringing ingrained that in me.

if you showered more than once a month, you probably stood out from most of the locals in France..

 

[OH Pete]

You mean back in the day when they actually provided room service every day. Sure.

My last vacation (Hard Rock Orlando) in November had daily maid service. They just resumed it at some point in 2023, because my trips there in 20, 21 & 22 didn't have it.

 

[OH Pete]

I actually can’t remember if I tipped when I was in France. I hope I didn’t. Lol. Actually, I hope it did. It’s just the right thing to do. But then again, my culture and my upbringing ingrained that in me.

The waiters in France are insulted by you if you tip them. They are also insulted by you if you don't tip them.

 

[Pitt1975]

always ALWAYS tip in cash. dont write it in, dont put it on the card, but tip in cash. i always do. at bars, restaurants, getting a hair cut, pizza delivery guy, whatever..

If it's possible, again, tip in cash. i worked in the service industry in my younger days, it makes a huge difference..

I ask many servers here in Hilton Head if they prefer cash.
Most say it doesn’t matter. Surprises me actually.
Worked at Steak N Ale in early 70’s. Having cash was amazing.

 

[pittdan77]

generally speaking, Indians, English and African Americans don’t tip. There are certainly exceptions but by and large that’s the case. My daughter dated an English guy for a couple years and they fought all the time because he and his friends/family refused to tip. It’s just not something they do. It’s an American thing.

When I was in Europe, it was explained that if you wanted to tip you left the equivalent to a dollar or a euro or whatever the currency is in that country. Not as a form of pay, like it is here, but as a sign of appreciation and nothing more. Tipping isn't really a thing in most countries.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

When I was in Europe, it was explained that if you wanted to tip you left the equivalent to a dollar or a euro or whatever the currency is in that country. Not as a form of pay, like it is here, but as a sign of appreciation and nothing more. Tipping isn't really a thing in most countries.

Probably because most countries pay their servers working wages.

 

[WillyDavis33]

A friend of mine was divorced and had his kids for the day of one of their birthdays. The child said that he had to bring a snack to school for his birthday to share with the other students. He did not have a snack ready so he gave him a dollar to give to each student and for good measure he gave him 5 dollars for the teacher.

Was that wrong?

 

[MorningCoffee13]

I think this is most people’s issue now, however. It’s not the tipping at the places where it’s been typical to tip, it’s tipping at all the other places, and always having it in your face every time you pay for something. like you said “go pick up your own takeout“ - I pick up my own take out ALL THE TIME and every single time I’m asked to tip. Either at the restaurant, or on the website ahead of time while I am paying.

I generously tip in sit-down restaurants, bars, my hair cut place, etc. AFTER the service is received, and the amount is usually based on some degree of how good of a job they did.

I do not like feeling pressured to tip when getting take out or before I even receive the service, and have no idea how good or bad said service was.

I once tipped 20% at a sandwich shop when I paid. I ended up waiting over 45 minutes and didn’t get my food. Finally told someone and then waited another fifteen for it to be prepared. I just don’t tip there anymore.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I once tipped 20% at a sandwich shop when I paid. I ended up waiting over 45 minutes and didn’t get my food. Finally told someone and then waited another fifteen for it to be prepared. I just don’t tip there anymore.

This is why I dont understand being given the option to tip at places where you order at a counter, pay, and take the food to go. You are being asked to tip before the order has even begun to get processed. You can tip them $100 and then they make your food, give it to you, and then punch you in the face if they want and they will still get your tip.