# Here, YOU figure it out... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 26, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843 "2013-11-26T17:27:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/1 "2013-11-26T17:27:59Z")
Customer leaves it to waiter to calculate bill tip in a humorous way. [Linky.](http://www.frequency.com/video/this-is-either-worlds-laziest-customer/125109188) ---
**Author:** ![Jesse\_Pinkman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@Jesse\_Pinkman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jesse_Pinkman)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/2 "2013-11-26T17:30:42Z")
If I was a server and got that receipt back, I would laugh. I disagree with this guy saying they probably would be mad. ---
**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:** [November 26, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/3 "2013-11-26T17:34:17Z")
Um, it’s not at all uncommon for people to simply write the total and let the server figure out what the tip must be. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/4 "2013-11-26T18:19:53Z")
Genius ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/5 "2013-11-26T18:23:33Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Um, it’s not at all uncommon for people to simply write the total and let the server figure out what the tip must be. Yeah but writing “math” gives it a funny twist. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/6 "2013-11-26T18:38:11Z")
Cute, especially since that’s quite a nice tip. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/7 "2013-11-27T07:23:11Z")
Genius: It avoids any hard feelings over whether a tip (or lack thereof) is commensurate with the server’s perceived lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/8 "2013-11-27T08:55:41Z")
Can’t watch video at work. Can someone explain? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/9 "2013-11-27T13:05:47Z")
^^On the cc slip under “tip” he wrote “math”, with the total written on the total line. Server would then subtract amount owed from total to determine tip. ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/10 "2013-11-27T13:13:30Z")
I often let the server do the math. I will write the total in and sign it. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/11 "2013-11-27T13:24:32Z")
Dumb question- how do you know what the total is if you haven’t already figured out (or estimated at least) the tip? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/12 "2013-11-27T13:27:03Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Yeah but writing “math” gives it a funny twist. I’ve seen variations of this (Math, magic, “you figure it out”) posted on the net several times over the past few years. It’s not like this guy was the first to ever use this. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/13 "2013-11-27T13:37:30Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Dumb question- how do you know what the total is if you haven’t already figured out (or estimated at least) the tip? The way I do it: check is for $19.47. I round up to 20, service was great so I write “25” as the total. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/14 "2013-11-27T13:53:35Z")
Same with kayaker, I round up the cost of the meal and tip a whole dollar amount based on that. So if dinner is $62.87 I can just write $80 on the total line and be done with it. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/15 "2013-11-27T14:21:17Z")
Ah, gotcha. That makes sense. Thanks! I always do the 10% math- based on total I take 10% and generally double it for a 20% tip (or add half if I want 15%). The “math” in my case is calculating the total then, because the tip is the easy part, for me. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-you-figure-it-out/674843/16 "2013-11-27T14:36:00Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Genius: It avoids any hard feelings over whether a tip (or lack thereof) is commensurate with the server’s perceived lifestyle. For the win!