# For the first time ever, I didn't leave a tip **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 14, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502 "2006-07-14T18:29:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/61 "2006-07-17T16:36:40Z")
[QUOTE=dnooman] [Cue standing ovation and teary-eyed critics] Only six years on one’s high school debate team could produce such a stunning rejoinder. Congrats. I am humbled by your simple sarcasm. [/QUOTE] **dnooman** , you appear to be very satisfied by what you must imagine is some stirring success in your debate in this thread. I’m glad that you are able to feel as though you’ve accomplished something here. Congratulations. You still haven’t made a reasoned argument, but I’m glad that you’re able to pretend that you are somehow winning here, when the evidence is that most people - myself obviously included - simply aren’t willing to waste the time required to speak with you. I think you have your new argument strategy! If you act stupid enough, no one will want to talk with you - and then you’ll win arguments by default! It’s not a strategy I would use, but you’ve got unique talents that make it particularly right for you. And besides, it’s not like you have any other hope. > [@dnooman](#): > > Behavior such as this: > > > [@PunditLisa](#): > > > > Finally I shouted, “I have been waiting for five minutes to pay my bill. If someone doesn’t wait on me in ten seconds, I am walking out without paying.” > > is never acceptable for rational people. How many of the “vast majority of posters” have said that they would have handled the situation in the exact same manner? Hmm? Pray tell, what _should_ she have done? Mmm? Since there wasn’t any help forthcoming, how should she have behaved? I’m actually quite intrigued by this; you have repeatedly demanded that other people act like doormats when service personnel choose not to provide the service they’re being paid for. Obviously there is no rational argument to be made that a customer is somehow morally obligated to simply wait for an indefinite period of time until workers decide to extend them the courtesy of performing the jobs they are being paid for. Nevertheless, your statement here _requires_ someone to submit to poor service in precisely that way. So present your argument. _Why_ should a “rational person” accept such poor treatment without complaint? You won’t be able to present a meaningful argument to that effect, but frankly, I look forward to watching you try. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/62 "2006-07-17T16:47:36Z")
[I shouldn’t be here! I should be away from here! I asked for my bill… THREE HOURS AGO!!!](http://www.kithfan.org/work/transcripts/two/notnow.html) I had an experience just like this on Saturday. A bunch of us went out to a bar and after we’d finished the food and the first round the waitress never came back. I mean, never. At least half of us wanted more beer and we put up our hands but no dice. We joked loudly about wanting more to drink when the waitress was right behind us but no deal. Normally we’ve gotten really good service at this place, but I think that was because we always sat in the smoking section and they take better care of you there. I’m not going back, unless we sit in the smoking section. The whiny asthmatic bitch who wanted non-smoking didn’t even drink any alcohol. The worst part? There was a 15% gratuity fee because it was a large party. So we couldn’t not leave a tip. I’m debating about whether to write a letter; it seems pretty whiny, but it was a really shitty night and the “serving” didn’t help. > [@Frylock](#): > > Aw c’mon, man, he wasn’t trying to be mean! I agree. Just seems like a harmless joke to me. I also wouldn’t call myself “disabled” if I only had a broken bone, but that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/63 "2006-07-17T17:10:12Z")
[QUOTE=davenportavenger] [ The worst part? There was a 15% gratuity fee because it was a large party. So we couldn’t not leave a tip. I’m debating about whether to write a letter; it seems pretty whiny, but it was a really shitty night and the “serving” didn’t help. . [/QUOTE] You can “not leave a tip” even with a 15% gratuity fee. Just go speak to the MGR and explain how the service was. You know, I think I need to put this in a Word doc and just copy to all these threads- Unhappy with Service? \*See the MGR! \* Unhappy with food? \*Complain to waitstaff, then if no fair solution forthcoming, go to MGR. \* No one takes your bill? Go to front counter, ask for MGR- no one there? stick nose into kitchen and loudly demand MGR if nessesary. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/64 "2006-07-17T17:20:51Z")
[QUOTE=Excalibre] **dnooman** , you appear to be very satisfied by what you must imagine is some stirring success in your debate in this thread. I’m glad that you are able to feel as though you’ve accomplished something here. Congratulations. You still haven’t made a reasoned argument, but I’m glad that you’re able to pretend that you are somehow winning here, when the evidence is that most people - myself obviously included - simply aren’t willing to waste the time required to speak with you. I think you have your new argument strategy Pray tell, what _should_ she have done? Mmm? Since there wasn’t any help forthcoming, how should she have behaved? So present your argument. _Why_ should a “rational person” accept such poor treatment without complaint? You won’t be able to present a meaningful argument to that effect, but frankly, I look forward to watching you try. [/QUOTE] He seems to be doing quite well as far as I can see. His arguments are well reasoned and on the side of civilized behavior. _“when the evidence is that most people - myself obviously included - simply aren’t willing to waste the time required to speak with you.”_ This is in the middle of a 5 paragraph response. :rolleyes: Do you write a **20** paragraph response when you \*are \* willing to waste the time? Five whole minutes then resorting to yelling and threats? Try- calling out “Hello, anyone here?” Then, if that fails- sticking nose in kitchen and saying “hello, I need help up at the register!”. \*Then, \* you can get rude. Who said anything about "accept such poor treatment _without complaint"_? You’re very good at putting words in other peoples mouths. _It’s not a strategy I would use, but you’ve got unique talents that make it particularly right for you. And besides, it’s not like you have any other hope._ ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/65 "2006-07-17T17:52:46Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] He seems to be doing quite well as far as I can see. His arguments are well reasoned and on the side of civilized behavior. [/quote] I apparently missed that part entirely, because what _I_ saw said nothing but “rational people wait longer than that” and “five minutes isn’t very long.” Perhaps you are confused about what an argument is, since neither of those things is an argument at all, good or bad. They are _opinions_, delivered with snarky gibes at **PunditLisa** for not submitting graciously enough to the incredibly poor treatment she received. > [@](#): > > _“when the evidence is that most people - myself obviously included - simply aren’t willing to waste the time required to speak with you.”_ This is in the middle of a 5 paragraph response. :rolleyes: Do you write a **20** paragraph response when you \*are \* willing to waste the time? When you don’t have to look every word up in the dictionary, it doesn’t take very long to compose a brief post like that one. > [@](#): > > Five whole minutes then resorting to yelling and threats? Try- calling out “Hello, anyone here?” Then, if that fails- sticking nose in kitchen and saying “hello, I need help up at the register!”. \*Then, \* you can get rude. Sure. Or you can demand adequate treatment after five minutes, when the restaurant’s employees have already been rude enough to have ignored you completely. This is not a situation that calls for any particular forbearance on **PunditLisa** ’s part. > [@](#): > > Who said anything about "accept such poor treatment _without complaint"_? **dnooman** did. Perhaps you should read the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/66 "2006-07-17T17:59:41Z")
[QUOTE=dnooman] I’m wrong, because you say so, that makes sense. Other poster will back you up (and presumably provide arguments that you cannot). Sorry, the “vast majority” of posters will back you up. That also makes a lot of sense. [/quote] Actually, you’re wrong because your position in this thread is a hysterical over-reaction. And by “hysterical,” I don’t mean “really funny.” > [@](#): > > You would have “gotten away” with a free dinner? People don’t “get away” with things that they’re entitled to. They get what they pay for. In this case you got a meal, and threatened to not pay for it. Without even discussing your poor service with a person in charge. You threatened to steal food. They heard you screaming (your words) and then they took payment. Truly, you are a champion of the people’s rights. There’s no part of this that makes even the tiniest little bit of sense. And where in this thread has **PunditLisa** used the word “screaming”? I do not believe those are her words at all. I believe you are inventing things in a desperate attempt to shore up your inexplicable and unsupportable position in this thread. > [@](#): > > Suffice it to say that **you** were wrong. You demonstrated belligerence, impatience, willingness to break the law, rudeness (albeit in response to rudeness), and you have insinuated that you’d rather have other posters defend you, than argue your own case. Hmm. Where you say “belligerance,” I’d say “conviction.” I’d also swap “initiative” for “impatience,” “forward” for “rude,” and “right” for “wrong.” And “disinterest in dealing with your bullshit” for “unwillingness to argue her own case.” We’ll get to “willingness to break the law” in a minute. But other than that, I agree with you completely. > [@](#): > > Can we agree on this? I feel that you are saying in effect “Waiting for 5 minutes at the counter of the Frisch’s, and being treated rudely, entitles me to threaten to leave without paying for the food I ate. I would follow through with that threat if my demand was not met.” I can’t speak for her, but that’s my take on it. Why is this unreasonable? If the restaurant doesn’t want to take her money, what is she supposed to do? Live out the rest of her life in the restaurant? > [@](#): > > Have you ever been to the ER? I have. I’ve been there with several friends as well as on my own. Often times the people in the ER are bleeding. _Bleeding_. Some had injuries that could have resulted in loss of limb if not death. Were people screaming after having waited for _five fucking minutes_? Only the families of those that had been shot were. The rest of us waited patiently, bleeding on the carpet. God forbid we should have to suffer waiting five minutes paying our tab at Frisch’s. Yes, and being in an emergency room is _exactly like eating at a restaurant!_ The similarities are so overwhelming! Why, just the other day, I was at a restaurant and the waitress came up and jabbed my dining companion with a needle. He was about to complain, but then I pointed out that this was exactly what one would expect a nurse to do if they were in an ER, and he had to concede that I was right. We finished our meal and left her a big tip. > [@](#): > > Funny how someone that has the balls to announce that they are willing to commit petty theft, hasn’t the balls to defend their decision to do so. This is, in a nutshell, why your post is stupid. If she announces her intentions in the first place, it’s not theft. If I walk into a store and ask the cashier, “Is it okay if I take this without paying,” and they say “Yes,” I haven’t stolen anything. It’s a gift freely given by the store. This is exactly what **PunditLisa** did: she asked if the restaurant intended to give her a meal for free, or if they wanted her to pay for it. Apparently, they decided they wanted the money. If, even after that, no one had taken her money, it would be a clear indication that no one wanted her money, that for some reason, the restaurant decided to give out free food that day. Your ridiculous attempts to spin this as some sort of immoral, immature, or irrational act on **PunditLisa** ’s behalf are entirely unconvincing. Apparently, you do not object to being treated like a doormat when you dine out. That’s fine for you, I suppose, but you should realize that most other people don’t really care for it, and are going to take steps to see that it doesn’t happen to them. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/67 "2006-07-17T18:02:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Five whole minutes then resorting to yelling and threats? Try- calling out “Hello, anyone here?” Then, if that fails- sticking nose in kitchen and saying “hello, I need help up at the register!”. Then, you can get rude. You seem to have missed this portion of the story: > [@PunditLisa](#): > > A person was standing behind the counter, not three feet away from me, and he looked up at me. Then he turned away. I cleared my throat. Nothing. I said, “Excuse me, I’d like to pay for my bill.” > > He shrugged. “It ain’t my job.” ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/68 "2006-07-17T18:41:26Z")
**dnooman** and, to a lesser extent, **DrDeth** : Time is relative. Sometimes 5 minutes is a long time. Sometimes it is not. Five minutes in the waiting room is a short period of time _because, for good reason, it usually takes longer than that_. Here’s a brief list to illustrate my point: five minute trip to work - short period of time five minute orgasm - long period of time five minute wait at the DMV - short period of time five minute search for a lost child - long period of time five minutes between scores in a football game - short period of time five minutes between scores in a basketball game - long period of time five minute argument with your wife - short period of time five minute argument with your cab driver - long period of time five minutes waiting for customer service on the telephone with your ISP - short period of time five minutes of waiting for customer service at the cash register of a restaurant - long period of time ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/69 "2006-07-17T22:14:05Z")
dnooman, I really wasn’t looking for your endorsement here. But the fact that you disagree with how I behaved has been duly noted. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/70 "2006-07-18T01:22:35Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] You seem to have missed this portion of the story:A person was standing behind the counter, not three feet away from me, and he looked up at me. Then he turned away. I cleared my throat. Nothing. I said, “Excuse me, I’d like to pay for my bill.” He shrugged. “It ain’t my job.” [/QUOTE] I didn’t miss it. But she didn’t specify who or what that person was. Waitstaff? Management? Busboy? Cook? Perhaps a janitor who wasn’t a actual employee? Another type of non-employee, perhaps a friend or visitor? 😕 But this just called for- in **dnooman** s post “Please note that I have not, nor will I, endorse the guy at the counter’s behavior. He was rude, plain and simple. Should he be fired, IMO probably. Still, cash control procedures at many restaurants prohibit unauthorized employees from accessing the till.” Oh, wait,\* someone\* said that \*\*dnooman \*\*would accept this “without complaint”. Yep, having someone fired for their behavior is not a “complaint” I guess. \*In Bizarro World. - :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/71 "2006-07-18T01:47:51Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] I didn’t miss it. But she didn’t specify who or what that person was. Waitstaff? Management? Busboy? Cook? Perhaps a janitor who wasn’t a actual employee? Another type of non-employee, perhaps a friend or visitor? 😕 [/QUOTE] Doesn’t matter. When you ask your customers to pay at the cashier stand, you man the cashier stand…with a person who is trained to run the cash register. I thought the second part was pretty obvious, but apparently not. BTW, at the risk of making your head explode by my lack of ethics, if I pulled up to a “Change provided” toll booth with nothing more than a $20 bill, and there was no one manning the booth, I’d pull right on through and not feel even the _slightest_ twinge of guilt. Now you and dnooman would undoubtedly be stuck there for hours, delayed only by your code of honor that is in the league of shogun, but IMO you’d be nothing but a schmuck. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/72 "2006-07-18T02:28:14Z")
[QUOTE=PunditLisa] Doesn’t matter. When you ask your customers to pay at the cashier stand, you man the cashier stand…with a person who is trained to run the cash register. I thought the second part was pretty obvious, but apparently not. BTW, at the risk of making your head explode by my lack of ethics, if I pulled up to a “Change provided” toll booth with nothing more than a $20 bill, and there was no one manning the booth, I’d pull right on through and not feel even the _slightest_ twinge of guilt. Now you and dnooman would undoubtedly be stuck there for hours, delayed only by your code of honor that is in the league of shogun, but IMO you’d be nothing but a schmuck. [/QUOTE] Sure it matters- it matters as his response was clearly important to you. If it had been a contracted Janitor, then “it’s no my job” was the correct thing to say, and not ruse. Yes, the cashiers stand should be manned. But as I said- _Try- calling out “Hello, anyone here?” Then, if that fails- sticking nose in kitchen and saying “hello, I need help up at the register!”. Then, you can get rude._ Neither dnooman nor myself suggested waiting forever. Just for a bit. Tell, me- was the restaurant named “Godot” “The Robert E Lee” or "“Till the sun shines, Nellie”? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/73 "2006-07-18T02:35:06Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] Sure it matters- it matters as his response was clearly important to you. If it had been a contracted Janitor, then “it’s no my job” was the correct thing to say, and not ruse. [/QUOTE] Actually, the correct thing to say is “I’m sorry, I don’t work here.” “It’s not my job” carries the implication that the person works at the establishment in another capacity, and is irritating even without the connotation. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/74 "2006-07-18T03:49:50Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] Sure it matters- it matters as his response was clearly important to you. If it had been a contracted Janitor, then “it’s no my job” was the correct thing to say, and not ruse. Yes, the cashiers stand should be manned. But as I said- _Try- calling out “Hello, anyone here?” Then, if that fails- sticking nose in kitchen and saying “hello, I need help up at the register!”. Then, you can get rude._ Neither dnooman nor myself suggested waiting forever. Just for a bit. Tell, me- was the restaurant named “Godot” “The Robert E Lee” or "“Till the sun shines, Nellie”? 😛 [/QUOTE] No, the correct thing to say would be, “Oh, sorry, I can’t do that. Let me go find someone who can.” I’ve worked service jobs. If I’d told someone “it’s not my job” my ass would have been out on the street. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/75 "2006-07-18T03:54:00Z")
[QUOTE=Excalibre] No, the correct thing to say would be, “Oh, sorry, I can’t do that. Let me go find someone who can.” I’ve worked service jobs. If I’d told someone “it’s not my job” my ass would have been out on the street. [/QUOTE] Missed the word “contracted”. Otto is of course right. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/76 "2006-07-18T05:07:37Z")
[QUOTE=Excalibre] I’ve worked service jobs. If I’d told someone “it’s not my job” my ass would have been out on the street. [/QUOTE] Which is what **dnooman** proposed, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/77 "2006-07-18T06:22:42Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] Aw c’mon, man, he wasn’t trying to be mean! [/QUOTE] > [@](#): > > I agree. Just seems like a harmless joke to me. I also wouldn’t call myself “disabled” if I only had a broken bone, but that’s just me. I can’t think of any right way of taking that. It’s a completely inappropriate comment to make, especially about a customer of yours. As far as I know, you do not make jokes at the expense of your customers’ medical conditions, permanent or temporary. I was being facetious by referring to myself as “disabled,” although to be quite honest, after a few weeks crutching through a Montreal winter, I felt pretty disabled; besides, he had no way of knowing whether the condition was temporary or permanent. To make jokes at the expense of someone’s limited mobility is just ill-bred. ---
**Author:** ![bloo-bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c77e96/32.png) [@bloo-bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bloo-bird)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/78 "2006-07-18T06:35:05Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] I have intentionally stiffed a taxi driver one time. It was shortly after I had broken my ankle, and I was walking on crutches. I was pretty _obviously_ on crutches, if you know what I mean. (Accordingly I was taking lots of taxicabs.) I got in one cab, and the driver said, “Oh, are you going out dancing?” That’s right, make fun of the disabled. Fortunately for my sense of vindictiveness, I happened to have exact change. [/QUOTE] Some are nasty. Some aren’t. Once coming home from leaving a relative in the hospital, the fare was $6.40 or close to it. All I had was a $20. He had no change. I gave him the twenty, and the next day, I come home and find an envelope on the doorstep with the exact change from the $20! ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/79 "2006-07-18T06:43:17Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] Which is what **dnooman** proposed, BTW. [/QUOTE] That was a part of **dnooman’s** proposal. The other part of the proposal (the part to which people are objecting) was that the customer just suck it up and wait for the restaurant staff finish whatever vitally important activity was keeping them from doing their jobs. At that point, the customer would be allowed the privelege of paying for her food. At no point, though, should she audibly express frustration at not having anybody to pay. That part of the proposal is utterly ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502/80 "2006-07-18T12:19:32Z")
[QUOTE=Enginerd] That was a part of **dnooman’s** proposal. The other part of the proposal (the part to which people are objecting) was that the customer just suck it up and wait for the restaurant staff finish whatever vitally important activity was keeping them from doing their jobs. At that point, the customer would be allowed the privelege of paying for her food. At no point, though, should she audibly express frustration at not having anybody to pay. That part of the proposal is utterly ridiculous. [/QUOTE] _He said nothing of the sort._ Gods, you’re like a Mallard Fillmore cartoon, putting words into the mouths of “liberals”. :rolleyes: He said (and I agree) that loudly shouting out a threat to steal after a mere five minutes- and being prepared to do so- is rude, _and_ stealing. We never said you shouldn’t complain- even to the point of a complaint serious enough to get someone fired, and that the behaviour of the person behind the counter was rude. I went on to say “\*Try- calling out “Hello, anyone here?” Then, if that fails- sticking nose in kitchen and saying “hello, I need help up at the register!”. Then, you can get rude. Neither dnooman nor myself suggested waiting forever. Just for a bit.” \* Where do the words “just suck it up” appear? Where do the words “don’t complain” appear? Nor has anyone suggested waiting forever. It’s just that a short wait and a bit of rudeness on the part of what could have been a janitor- \*does not give you the right to steal. \* [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-first-time-ever-i-didnt-leave-a-tip/364502.md?page=5)