# Bad tipping AND conservative nonsense? Straight Dopers, assemble! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 8, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436 "2013-01-08T02:35:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/41 "2013-01-08T07:23:21Z")
> [@Sevencl](#): > > Yes, I know that. If you know that, and you understand that tipping is an accepted custom in the US then you shouldn’t have a problem. I understand that Europe has different customs, but honestly to say you **never** tip makes you seem like very selfish person, the kind most of us here would not like to associate with. ---
**Author:** ![Sevencl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sevencl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevencl)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/42 "2013-01-08T07:37:34Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > If you know that, and you understand that tipping is an accepted custom in the US then you shouldn’t have a problem. > > I understand that Europe has different customs, but honestly to say you **never** tip makes you seem like very selfish person, the kind most of us here would not like to associate with. Something being an accepted custom doesn’t make it law. I wouldn’t tip in the US any more than here. If that’s selfish, well, I guess I am. I support, volunteer for and donate to the causes I really care about. I’m just not willing to make every social ill my personal responsibility to fix. The only scenario I can imagine I would ever tip would be if I ate out with a friend who believed in it. I don’t have any such friends in travel distance, but if I visited a few in the US, I’d tip to spare them the embarassment/shame/guilt or whatever it is you guys feel about not tipping. It’d be for my friend’s benefit though, not the waiter’s. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/43 "2013-01-08T07:45:24Z")
You’ve made your points very clear by now, **Sevencl**. If you want to further discuss the merits of not tipping, feel free to in Great Debates. Let’s end the hijack of it in this thread, however (this goes to everyone). ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/44 "2013-01-08T07:52:51Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > In the U.S., the waiters do NOT receive minimum wage, because they’re expected to make up the rest of their pay in tips. Weeeell, that depends on the state. Minnesota, for example requires that servers be paid minimum wage plus tips. The takeaway here is that it’s good to be a server in MN. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/45 "2013-01-08T11:08:08Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > **Sevencl,** do you tip now? Did you tip last year, before the fiscal cliff/whatever went into place? Have you ever tipped? If so, why? If you stopped tipping at one point, when would that have been? Not continuing the hijack, just acknowledging the cleverness of this post. Went over Sevencl’s head, though. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/46 "2013-01-08T13:15:19Z")
A Republican and a Democrat are talking about tipping wait staff. The Republican says, “I always leave a generous tip and tell them, ‘Be sure and vote Republican!’” The Democrat says, “I leave _no_ tip and tell them, ‘Be sure and vote Republican!’” The OP sounds like a real-life version of this joke, except the Republican is cluelessly doing the Democrat’s work. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/47 "2013-01-08T13:47:06Z")
Cheap pricks are always looking for a reason not to tip. I promise this person never tipped generously, if at all. These types are very easy to spot, they’re the ones spewing every possible tangential rationalization they can dream up, to everyone within ear shot, why they don’t/won’t/can’t/ shouldn’t have to - tip. Tip or don’t tip, just shut up about it. No one cares, (not even the waitstaff )what their lame justification is, and they’re not convincing anyone. All they’re doing is pointing out that they’re one of _those_. They should do everyone a huge favour, especially themselves, and just don’t leave a tip, and leave it at that. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/48 "2013-01-08T14:13:11Z")
A perfect way to get the waiter to agree with your position. It’s sure to make him understand the great sacrifice you are making and there’s absolutely no chance that this will make him eager to become Democrat for the rest of his life. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/49 "2013-01-08T15:09:11Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Of course, this is most probably a bullshit photo. Agreed. It just plain looks fake. I can almost guarantee this never happened. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/50 "2013-01-08T15:22:12Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > We’ve already seen one poster in this thread defending this sort of behavior, so what’s your justification for calling it “bullshit”? It does smell of troll. But I suppose there could be \>0 dickweeds who would do just this. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/51 "2013-01-08T15:26:13Z")
If I was going to leave one of those notes it would be something like, “The person I was eating with had a gun under the table and was threatening to shoot me if I left a tip. I’m so sorry!” ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/52 "2013-01-08T15:49:51Z")
You should amend that to, > [@](#): > > The evil rich gun fetishist Republican I was eating with had a gun under the table and was threatening to shoot me if I left a tip. I’m so sorry!" then take a picture of it and put it on facebook. It’d spread like wildfire and millions of threads like these will be created and huffpo and lefty blobs would be slobering all over it and hell it might even make the TV news. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/53 "2013-01-08T16:13:48Z")
I’m an Internet retailer and we sent out an email blast to our customers featuring new products the Thursday after the election. We received three replies blaming Obama’s reelection for their inability to spend money on luxuries. The tone was precisely that of the note in the OP. I looked up the customers and they were all one-time, small order value customers who hadn’t placed an order in years. In other words, they were blaming Obama for a behavior change they had already made years before anybody even knew who Obama was. The authenticity of the tipping note is totally plausible and was likely left by someone who rarely tipped anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Jungian\_Camisole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@Jungian\_Camisole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jungian_Camisole)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/54 "2013-01-09T02:04:37Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > 14:59:59 Although I am new, this got a big and hearty “HA!” from me. 🙂 If this photo is real, the dude’s (or dudette’s) a total twatwaffle. I think that he/she might expect extra spittle in their next drink. ---
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/55 "2013-01-09T02:22:19Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Agreed. It just plain looks fake. I can almost guarantee this never happened. I’m not saying that this is definitely fake, but it appears that it would be relatively easy to fake. By the way, on the outside chance that this IS a fake, would all those on here bashing conservatives be ready to take it back and apologize since if it IS fake then it obviously was obviously done to make right wingers look bad, and it would seem that the left wingers would be the ones trying to make the conservatives look bad. I’m just asking. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/56 "2013-01-09T03:59:23Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > You’ve made your points very clear by now, **Sevencl**. If you want to further discuss the merits of not tipping, feel free to in Great Debates. Is there now to be some blanket rule that in recreational outrage OP’s it is verboten to challenge whether the incident described was in fact outrageous? Are there now certain topics (such as tipping) where the board consensus is so powerful that challenging it is not permitted? The last time I saw that sort of modding I was on Conservapedia. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/57 "2013-01-09T05:50:04Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Is there now to be some blanket rule that in recreational outrage OP’s it is verboten to challenge whether the incident described was in fact outrageous? Are there now certain topics (such as tipping) where the board consensus is so powerful that challenging it is not permitted? The last time I saw that sort of modding I was on Conservapedia. I wasn’t talking about debating if the OP really happened or not or if it’s legit. I was talking about the hijack that started from **Sevencl** ’s posts, which was about another thing entirely (whether a person should tip at all). If you have any further questions, please feel free to open a topic in About This Message Board. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/58 "2013-01-09T05:57:17Z")
I understood what you were talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/59 "2013-01-09T07:02:32Z")
I waited tables and barbacked 20 years ago. I was unemployed for over two years recently, and guess what? I still tipped. I worked freelance, collected some unemployment, but I still didn’t tip less than 20%. My local bar and restaurants hook me with freebies without me asking. I seriously doubt that note is real, since it’s so neatly written, but if it’s real, the guy that does shit like this isn’t familiar with the Regular Customer + Good Tip = Fringe Benefits custom. Same type of people tip a valet a 20 for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436/60 "2013-01-09T07:21:20Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > It’s part of the cost of dining out. Ever wonder why when large parties go out to restaurants, the “tip” is automatically included as part of the bill? There is no option but to pay a 15% tip, or gratuity. Would you feel better if restaurants simply made it mandatory and included a tip in EVERY bill? Yes, absolutely, the way it is done in civilized countries where workers have rights (and, wow, even things like unions, with some actual power), and so are not at the mercy of assholes, and where customers are not made to feel like assholes if they don’t happen to be fully up to date with the local customs and their latest variants. (And when did it go up from 15% to 20%, because I never got the memo until I read about it on here? Thank og I am now out of America and no longer have to keep track of this shit.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-tipping-and-conservative-nonsense-straight-dopers-assemble/646436.md?page=4)