The tipping argument in I, Anonymous

[Gomezticator]

I can't understand why the people having that argument can't just a) join the Forums and have it here, where others can participate and everyone can make themselves known without the chickenshit 'anonymous' tag, or b) take that anonymous squabbling bullcrap over to craigslist where it belongs.

And for the record, I always tip at least 20%, unless the service is terrible, as in 'keep me waiting forever for no reason then fuck up my order' terrible. That's probably why I'm so broke these days: I'm just SO generous. :D

[Jimmy Flame]

Couldn't agree with you more. I just think it's funnier then shit that people are arguing over this. :cool:

[ParanoidDepression]

I've been a waiter. I also get annoyed as shit seeing a tip jar for the dry cleaners and every other person you interact with. So I am conflicted.

[Molotov]

I tip 20% unless the service has been inexcusably awful (only twice so far), in which case I'm still tipping at least 10%. Let's say, however, that you leave "bad" (appropriate) tips all the time... There are so many nice restaurants out there, couldn't you just tip however you want, try out some new restaurants or other old favourites, and come back later when you've been forgotten and/or (perhaps more likely) the waiter/waitress has quit/been fired/commited suicide/backslid to retail?

[Ladibug]

Is it expected that you tip every time you buy an espresso? I always do. I always tip a dollar, regardless of the coffee cost. Is it an expectation of baristas that every person who buys a cup of coffee is going to tip?

I also noticed that Starbucks (Yes, I've been in a Starbucks recently, it's not a habit) doesn't allow you to include a tip if you pay with a credit card, which is completely sucky. Since I'm one of those people who hardly ever carries cash I was unable to tip. Which made me feel bad. Especially since the baristas there had a line to the door and they were still cheery.

[raymondrna]

I tip based on service. When it's poor I don't tip. I figure poor service is covered in my bill. If it's bad I leave a complaint. I love filling out comment cards to issue both kudos and complaints (a lot of places give you free shit for filling em out anyway).

And if someone is a complete bitch I'll make sure to talk with management. I go out for relaxing and having a good time, not for putting up with some asshole's disdain for life.

[ParanoidDepression]

people argue that tipping should be based on the service you get. But if you took starbucks for example....it is really more of a production line, very little service. They push a button and espresso comes out. Fill it up with milk or water and voila....it is done. It doesn't seem that hard and I usually have very simple orders. So does that merit a 30-50% tip. I don't know.

Coming from a finance point of veiw did I get an extra $1 worth of service? If I order a double carmel, hazel, half/decafe, with sprinkles and cherries and shit, then yeah maybe a tip is in order. It seems that any service based job puts a tipjar out there now. The line has been blurred between who should really get a tip and who is panhandling at the business. But reality is that not all services require the same amount of effort from the employee. Flat rules of compulsory tipping are dumb.

[raymondrna]

Flat rules of compulsory tipping are dumb.

agreed.

:eek:

[Gomezticator]

You know what else I do when the service is really shitty at a restaurant? I don't go back. For a long, long time. So if the waitress is a bitch, she doesn't just lose my tip, her restaurant loses my business. I tell friends, family and colleagues, and perhaps the restaurant loses their business as well. I got bad service about six months ago from a regular waitress at a dine-in restaurant I shall keep nameless, a restaurant at which I was a regular, and I stopped going there. I only recently went back, different server, and the service was fine.

Most reputable coffeehouses don't make their espresso drinks by pressing a button, they actively steam the milk and pack the shots. Only amateurs and corporate whore coffeeshops use those push-button instant-coffee machines.

I must amend my tip remark: I tip servers at restaurants or baristas who make me espresso drinks, people who provide some length of service. It's silly to tip a barista for pouring a cup of black coffee and handing it to you. (If they offer free refills, though, I'll offer a tip as goodwill) And I agree that tip jars in laundromats, fast food joints and the like are rather silly.

[pokervixxen]

I sheepishly admit getting riled up over I, Anonymous.

I'm just sick and tired of the tipping argument because it's always the same people who don't "believe" in tipping blah,blah,blah... .

Really want things to change? Quit bitching about how I'm selfish for working for tips and tipping isn't your responsibility, to make the owners pay us more, and, it's not a real job anyway (Even though it pays real money, so what is it then?).

Bitching solves nothing. It only makes you look ignorant and self absorbed. You want change? Get off your lazy asses and lobby for it. You tell us (servers) to make the change, but we aren't the ones with the problem. You are, you have some sort of distain for tipping. You make the change.
Otherwise, suck it up. This is how the system works. Don't like it? Too fucking bad. Get over it. Either tip or don't. But if you don't, be prepared to be known as a cheapskate, and only to get the bare minimum service at any place you frequent....of course, you could always move to Europe where gratuities are built into the prices. I doubt anyone would miss you.


There are hidden "service charges" in everything, we have no choice to not pay it. We shop at Nordstroms knowing full well that not only are we paying for the product, but we are also paying a hidden "commission". When we take our car to the mechanic to be fixed, we are not only paying for the parts, we are also paying for the "labor". If we call the bank to order checks, we're also stuck with a "service charge" that magically appears deducted out of our bank statement. I doubt the sales clerk, the bank teller, or the mechanic will wave their fees just because you don't "believe" in them. Gratuties in a restaurant on the other hand are left up to the customer to provide voluntarily based on the percieved amount of service the customer has been provided.

I have never advocated tipping for bad, indifferent, or sloppy service. The best defense in that case is to notify a manager of the ordeal when it occurs. Trust me, if the server sucks from a customer perspective, they more than likely suck as a coworker. Good riddance.

Serving the public is an art, it takes talent, resillience and stamina, not everyone can do it. I've trained and watched many secretaries, teachers, clerks attempt this profession only to plummet and crumble under the physical and mental pressure of serving countless hungry patrons. There are many service professionals, on the other hand who have fought their way through to trenches, attended tedious culinary classes, wine and spirit seminars and climbed the corporate ladders to make your dining experience an enjoyable one and for that they deserve every penny they earn. Pay it forward.

[KellyBoJo]

Hi,

I don't know the exact tipping arguement, but my stance on tipping is that when there is an obvious employee of an establishment who is the one putting forth the effort to do the service you enjoy, while someone else (the owner) is the one who receives the revenue for that service, then it makes sense to tip. (for restaurants I'm a 20% sort)

Those who are sole proprietors, in most cases, should be able to set their actual prices to reflect the amount of revenue they need to stay in business and make a fair profit.

The underlying inspiration for tipping is to motivate that underling sorta person to perform his or her service adequately and to fairly gain something from it other than another fee for the owner.

Just my thoughts.