I agree, the system is very confusing. That’s why I give everyone 20%. Now, my shampoo girl is also my colorist and cutter (and owns the shop). If I were going to frequent a salon that had more than one person working on me, I don’t think I would have done that correctly. I’d figure the stylist would share her tips with the shampoo girl. Lesson learned!
Would be nice, but that would take a societal change that would be a long time coming, if ever. Given the American influence on the rest of the world I’m more inclined to believe that it will go in the opposite direction and the countries where tipping is not currently the norm will slowly change to where tipping becomes the norm. No single restaurant (or other business where tipping is customary) can hope to buck that trend and stay in business. Just because you would understand and patronize that business doesn’t mean the average Joe Blow would.
They believe your hourly wage is paying for the service you’re providing. I was a bartender for 8 years so I sympathise…that’s just how THEY feel…and if they come back it will show in their next experience.
There is something about tipping that makes servers work harder and in return patrons get better service. If you want cheap beer go to the super market, you’re in a bar for the experience…and you should be, and are, expected to pay for it.
If you don’t earn a really nice tip from me, then it’s your own fault.
I tip delivery guys a minimum of $5. If the guy is in his 40s or 50s, I’ll tip him $10 because I assume (perhaps stupidly) that he lost his job and is trying to make ends meet in the meantime. I tipped the carpet installers $20 because they spent 4 hours making mincemeat of their knees. Last night I tipped the stadium guy who schlepped around a heavy bin of iced beer $2 on a $6.50 beer. I tip my hairdresser $20 because she spends an hour on my hair. If my girlfriends and I go out and sit for hours yakking in a busy restaurant, the waiter will get an extra $10 or $15 on top of a 20% tip in order to make up for lost revenue. I tip hotel maids $5/day and I pay every day (as opposed to the last day) because I don’t want the last maid to pocket what may or may not be hers.
There have been a few times when I’ve left a lousy tip because the waiter/waitress was surly or incompetent. My girlfriends and I went to a very nice restaurant a few months ago and the waitress practically ignored us. It was a Tuesday night and the restaurant was not busy at all. She copped an attitude the minute she realized we were non-drinkers. We had to actually get out of our seats twice to hunt her down – once to get refills on our waters and another time to give us our checks. So not cool. She got $2 from me, which was 10% of the bill. Her loss.
IMO, if you’re doing well financially, you have no excuse for not tipping well. Whatsoever you do to the least of your brothers kind of thing.
I hear this a lot, and i remain to be convinced.
I’ve worked as a waiter and a bartender in countries that tip (Canada) and countries that don’t (Australia and the UK). I’ve been a customer in all of those countries, as well as a few others, and have lived in the United States for over six years.
I certainly don’t recall working any harder in my tipped jobs than in my non-tipped jobs. If people needed serving, and it was busy, then we went as quickly and efficiently as we could, whether there was a tip on the line or not. I did my best to give good service in all the jobs i had, and i also had occasional under-par days (where i wasn’t quite up to standard) in all of my jobs. Some days, for whatever reason, you just have a bad day and don’t work as efficiently or as professionally as you would like, but this happened in tipped and non-tipped jobs.
From the customer’s side, i really can’t say i’ve noticed any marked difference either. I’ve had great service in Australia and the UK and Canada and the US, and i’ve had crappy service in all of those countries too. I got really shitty service at a well-known bar here in Baltimore just last week.
I know it might seem like common sense to say that tipped staff will work harder and provide better service than non-tipped staff, but i’d like to see more than just assertions from people defending tipping. I’m sure some economist or business academic has done studies on tipping and service that might shed light on the issue. In my own experience, however, the difference just in service levels just isn’t that noticeable. I’m not saying that my experience is universal or that it should dictate other people’s beliefs, but until someone provides me with more statistically reliable evidence, it’s all i’ve got.
Also, anecdotally, in my experience the main difference between servers in tipped and non-tipped countries is not the service itself, it’s the appearance of service. Servers in tipped countries tend to be more ebullient and talkative and faux perky. Some people might like this, and consider it to be a sign of better service, but i don’t need my ass kissed at a restaurant, especially by someone who is so obviously putting on an act. Just be polite, take the order, and get it to me in a decent time period.
This may work for you, but the last time I checked, I earn my salary; not you or anyone else. I can do whatever I please with my money. If being a critical tipper is an approach I take when spending that money, then that is my option. Frankly, I am too fucking tired of everyone else having their hands out, wanting something extra for nothing.
A tip to me is a kind gesture in appreciation for the manner in which business is conducted. If you do your job adequately, then you get an adequate tip – which is up to me, the customer, no one else.
I actually had a Chinese restaurant here in Herndon dictate to me what their delivery tip would be (the driver) – not only did I give nothing, I called the restaurant and told them that they’d never get my business again.
If I order a pizza and I know the pizza place is less than 5 miles away from my house, and it still takes 45 minutes for the pizza to arrive, sorry driver, complain to your management that you’re overworked because they don’t have enough drivers and it’s taking you too long to make your deliveries; it’s hurting your tips. Don’t expect me, as a customer, to understand your plight. I don’t give a shit. BUT NO, you want to take it out on the customer and not your boss, because you know, deep down you have your own interests at heart and confronting your boss might cause you to lose your job. You’d rather bitch at the customers, hoping to coerce them into giving you extra tips.
Servers and delivery drivers who expect any tips at all are cunts. Plain and simple.
Is that the going rate these days? I’ve been leaving $3. I also pay every day for the same reason–how do I know who works what days, leaving it all for the last day might end up screwing somebody out of her tip.
PunditLisa, I also share your philosophy. Somebody busting his / her hump and you can help out the cause, you have to. Spread the wealth, help a brother or sister out and all that. You have to almost be trying to not get a tip from me for me not to leave a good tip. FWIW, the older I’ve gotten, the less critical I am of service.
The problem with this is that wages of waitstaff are highly influenced by what is considered customary and appropriate tipping.
I am all for a no-tipping restaurant; however, those waitstaff would be paid appropriately. Accordingly, meals would be more expensive. (There are food venues that do not have tipping, such as fast food restaurants and other places with limited service.) Waitstaff is taxed based on expectations of tips, and are hired and work at jobs based on expectations of tips.
What non-tippers in a tipping society are essentially saying is that they enjoy the benefits of lower prices for food but that you reserve the right to not tip appropriately, regardless of the level of service. This is along the same lines as attempting to haggle after a service has been performed. You have the right to be angry if your food order was wrong, but if you simply decide that entree was not “worth” what you paid, you are an ass for trying to get out of paying. The exact same thing is the case in tipping.
You have the option to reserve said tip if service does not meet appropriate standards. Nobody is saying you must tip the same if service is bad. That is the consumer advantage in a tipping system. However, restaurants can and do turn away people, or enforce a mandatory gratuity, on people who do not tip for no reason. Rightly so, as in order to keep quality staff, they generally will have to pay if waiters are stiffed repeatedly or by large parties of people.
I’m sure you would be understandably upset if your salary or wage was lowered without cause at your job when your paycheck showed up.
If you do not wish to follow cultural standards and tip appropriately, do not patronize establishments with a tipping system. You do not personally determine what is an “appropriate” tip. An appropriate tip is 15% - 20% for appropriate service for that establishment for waiters, and, generally $1 to $2 per entree / pizza for food delivery.
If you decide that 1% is an appropriate tip for adequate service, then you are a tightwad and a freeloader, and deserve to be mocked. Period.
I think the entire notion of “cultural standards” that involve someone separating me from my salary is a farce. I buy goods at the asking price. Period. When purchases are open for negotiation, I negotiate. What I don’t do is play the game of, “You bought these goods at the asking price, now I’m going to hang around and wait for something extra, because you know, that’s ‘how it works’.”
If the food servers are upset that their salary is reduced because of room left for gratuity (defined as “a gift of money, over and above payment due for service, as to a waiter or bellhop; tip” according to dictionary.com), then that is something they need to get resolved, without the customer being affected.
If I decide that 1% is an appropriate tip, it’s no one’s business but mine and the delivery person or waitstaff. Society doesn’t have a fucking thing to say about it.
I would guess your pizza delivery folks care very much for you.
When I order a pizza from my favorite pizza joints, the usual delivery time is 1 hour or more(This place has fantastic pizza), so I order ahead. It has never arrived cold, but I have a thing called an oven so I can heat the damn thing up.
Anytime I have had cause to complain about a delivery of any sort, I have more balls than to yell at the first face I see, I call the store and voice my rational complaint to the manager. I normally get if not a free whatever next time, but dollars off.
You need lessons on how and to whom to complain to so you don’t look like a bullying asshole.
I order delivery because my lazy ass doesn’t feel like getting out of my yard work clothes, getting into my car, driving through whatever mess of traffic is out there, sitting around the pizza place waiting for my order, then driving back. They’re saving me gas and wear and tear on my car.
Nah, the pizza dudes are doing me a service and because they are working so that I don’t have to, they get bucks from me. 3$ at the least. Along with a great big heartfelt thank you.
T. Who really, really appreciates delivery people.
I remember a guy who used to come in when I was a waitress. He was nice enough but fairly demanding. He expected you to bring him a pitcher of iced tea automatically, for example, the first time you came to the table (if you had never waited on him before, he expected one of the other staff to fill you in.) He also notoriously only tipped the rounded up coin change no matter what. It was fairly slow one day and I was chatting with him a little. I happened to have my 2 week paycheck in my pocket and I don’t remember what I said but I found a way to fairly naturally bring it into the conversation. (Probably something along the lines of “whee, it’s payday. Not like the paycheck is actually enough to buy anything…”) and he asked what I meant. I showed him the check. It was something like $18 for two weeks.
He left me a real tip that day, and left real tips for everyone who waited on him thereafter. He just didn’t know.
I really don’t give a shit as to how much a “pizza delivery folk” cares about me. In fact, I order pizza so seldom that I don’t recall ever seeing the same person twice. If we really want good pizza, we go to the restaurant or we pick it up ourselves. That way, we don’t have to deal with lazy “pizza delivery folks” and/or cold pizza.
If you are OK with not getting what you’re paying for, then good on you. Re-heat your pizza with a fucking smile. But don’t come in here, on your perch, castigating those who choose aren’t satisfied with getting taken.
Balls? You’re a passive-aggressive self-important prick. If the pizza’s late, I confront the AGENT OF THE PIZZA PLACE, who in this case happens to be the delivery driver. If I get attitude from him or if I don’t feel the situation is resolved, I’ll then get manager involved. You’re exactly the type of customer the manager usually hates – you’re just too fucking important to voice your complaints to pee-ons, right? You need to talk to the manager.
Kiss my ass.
Well, aren’t you the fucking ambassador of good will and practicality. It’s a good thing that you’ll break off $3 for your lazy ass and peace of mind. Maybe with that, he’ll be able to put his kids through college. You’re really making a difference there.
Your last line should say, “T. Who really, really appreciates the little delivery people.”
Wow, somebody got hit with the grumpy stick.
I also won’t get on a driver’s case if there is something wrong. As a former driver I know there isn’t really anything they can do about it. They’re not authorized to give it for free or hand out discounts or anything. I’ll call the manager who will typically either send out a new pizza or put a credit in the computer for next time or something.
Yo, Dudley: When you call the pizza place, do you let them know that you expect the pie to be there in a half hour, or no tip? If not, you’re an asshole.
That implies that a tip is EXPECTED, and that is the problem here.
[QUOTE=DudleyGarrett]
Kiss my ass.QUOTE]
Mark the spot, darlin’…sounds like you’re all ass.
T. Who does appreciate the litte delivery people who bring her Girl Scout cookies she ordered, and who now is going out to do yard work. Pizza tonight! 
I’m not grumpy, I just resent the tone of “It’s not a problem for me, so it shouldn’t be a problem for you. If it is, you’re a ‘bullying asshole.’”
Don’t forget to tip those who brought the Girl Scout cookies you just ordered; you’ll feel like a humanitarian and they’ll be able to retire at 30. It’s a win-win.
Then why am I paying a delivery charge if it doesn’t go to the cost of delivering (driver, car, gas, etc.?) If I go and pick it up for take out, they’re still using the same packaging, so it can’t be that.
That said, I usually just avoid places with delivery charges.