Everywhere I turn, there’s someone collecting tips. Snack bars, buffet bars, Chinese take-out (when I pick up - a line for tips on the receipt), etc.
a) What the heck is going on? Where do snack bars get off asking for a tip?
And, do these tips (or lack thereof) get hit by Uncle Sam? (see next question).
b) In general, I hear Uncle Sam’s crack-down on taxing tips includes stiffed tips! And, Uncle Sam assumes 15%, I believe, regardless! (Maybe the people can declare a loss for tips not received?)
We’ve all heard the addage: “I” before “E” except after “C”. Most forget the second half …and when like “aye” as in “neighbor”. But, I found an exception to the exception, and I wonder: (Esp seeking common nouns, please.)
The exception to the exceptions is the word “leisure”.
a) How many others can you think of?
b) Could “leisure” have once been pronounced as “laysure?”
We’ve all heard the addage: “I” before “E” except after “C”. Most forget the second half …and when like “aye” as in “neighbor”. But, I found an exception to the exception, and I wonder: (Esp seeking common nouns, please.)
The exception to the exceptions is the word “leisure”.
a) How many others can you think of?
b) Could “leisure” have once been pronounced as “laysure?”
I once asked this same question to a woman at a take-out restuarant. She said that some places are not actually asking for a tip. It’s automatic with their credit card machine, which she said (and I’m sure that there’s probably a better way of putting it) is set to “resturaunt” by the credit card machine company, resulting in that extra tip line, regardless of what type of resturant.
If you could put out a jar at work, and some random people would just put money in it, wouldn’t you put one out? Even if people just toss in their coin change, it’s free money! What other rationale do you need?
a) I haven’t noticed this practice… maybe it’s a local thing? Define “snack bars” and “buffet bars” more clearly. The Chinese take-out is probably due to the fact that the same register prints receipts for both eat-in and take-out.
b) I think it’s something like 10% assumed, not 15. From what I understand from my friends who work as waitstaff, they don’t have to declare this if they get stiffed, though I could be wrong on that.
Heck, the employee cafeteria at my work has a tip line on it’s CC receipts.
Needless to say, that tip line is invariably ingnored.
…
Jinx, I think you have to distinguish between cases of tip lines appearing on a CC receipt and cases of a tip jar being set out on a snack bar/coffee shop counter. There seem to be different things going on in each case.
I tip at our favorite Chinese places for carry-out, but that’s mainly to ensure that the staff are happy to see me when I come in for takeout. It does make a difference, IMHO.
Technically you are supposed to declare 100% of your tips. The IRS will get suspicious for those restaurants that report tips at less than 8% of sales, so most restaurants make the servers declare at least 8%. And yes, if you get stiffed, you are still taxed on it, if the restaurant requires that you declare at least 8% of sales.
The most outrageous example I’ve seen to date was in a concession shop at the Dulles Airport Hilton Hotel. A tip jar in a T-shirt shop? Are they kidding with this? And no, it was no mistake; the jar had a paper sign inked with “Tips”. I didn’t leave one there, and I don’t intend to tip the furniture salesman, either.
Having a tip jar at a non-full-service restaurant is just another way of employers getting away with providing minimal wages to their workers, or at least of justifying low wages to them. An employee of… a certain highly successful North American coffeehouse chain… once told me that “people don’t know they’re supposed to give tips”. She didn’t make a whole lot from tips, and wasn’t being paid much above minimum wage. (There were stock options, though, which I thought was almost as brilliant as discounts and free merchandise in lieu of wages.)
But I don’t think that I should have to give tips for coffee. I’d prefer to know that the employees were being paid adequately, even if it meant paying an extra ten or twenty cents. Also, the coffee-shop environment isn’t suited to tipping. Only a few words are exchanged; there’s no special requests, no checking on how things are going, as there is in a full-service restaurant.
In the morning, coffee places are usually crowded. I’m so concerned about getting out of the way for the next customer and being on time that I can’t really think about putting part of my change in the cup, or getting change out of my pocket because the change I have isn’t enough. All the tip cup really does is cause some guilt – I feel that I should be tipping, but I can’t. (I tend to pay with exact change, which complicates things.)
All that being said, it wouldn’t surprise me if tipping becomes expected in more and more retail outlets, as retail workers become even more expendable and exploitable. It also wouldn’t surprise me if some companies are discovered to pocket some or all of the tips left by customers ostensibly for the workers. (This has happened before, and it’s why you can’t give tips at another well-known establishment.)
Went out to dinner the other night and had the buffet in a small Indian restaurant. The restaurant lady brought us nan roti (bread) and water, but otherwise it was all self-serve. I had no idea how much I should tip her. I tipped 10%, but still wonder what it should have been. 10% seemed maybe too much, and zero would have felt like definitely too little. But 10% was easy to figure in my head as I was on the way out. Anybody know the answer to tipping in this situation?
Among the forms of tipping I dislike most, and never succumb to, are for the housekeeping staff of hotels (you’re supposed to leave a dollar for each day of your visit) and hotel doormen when they open the door of a cab that was already there. Sorry, I’m just not gonna do it.
This one time, in reality, my Mom bought me a Sonoma Express Card. And it had this restaurant that we always get take-out from. So I was so happy to get the card, but then the restaurant didn’t honor the card on take out, so I now only tip on sit down meals, not take out. Before the incident I always tipped on take out.
Sonoma Express Card: Advertising gimmick where you pay $25-50US to get a card and a catalog of local restuarants and businesses that offer a one time, two-for-one deal on an entree, or $5.00 off an oil change, or a free shirt dry cleaned, etc. My Mom loves the “idea” of getting something free, but really it’s not that great a deal cause you only get the entree off the bill, and still end up paying for drinks, desert, coffee, etc. And the book makes a point of saying you should tip on the non-discounted total, i.e. tip on the $42.00 imaginary total instead of the $32.00 actual total.
Actually it turns out there are lots of ‘hidden’ rules, like you can only get the $5.00 off the oil change on weekdays, not during the weekend, when you’re most likely to go get your oil changed. And of course you’re already THERE at the oil change shop and you don’t want to leave and have to come back later.
That’s funny, this post started off as a “don’t tip for takeout.” but turned into an “I hate the sonoma express card” post.
Sorry about that, but the good news is that I do feel better.
It does make a difference, IMHO.