# Seinfelt Question: What Was The "Tip Calculator"Device? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400 "2014-01-09T22:58:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/1 "2014-01-09T22:58:21Z")
The episode where Jerry buys a PDA like device for his Dad (and the only thing it is used for is calculating tips)-what was it? As I recall, he actually got an inferior copy of the real device. What was the gizmo called? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/2 "2014-01-09T22:59:55Z")
The Wizard ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/3 "2014-01-10T03:20:49Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The Wizard Sharp Wizard? > **[Sharp Wizard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Wizard)** > > Sharp Wizard is a series of electronic organizers released by Sharp Corporation. The first model was the OZ-7000 released in 1989, making it one of the first electronic organizers to be sold. The name OZ-7000 was used for the USA market, while in Europe the device was known as the IQ-7000. > The OZ-7000 was about 6.3 inches (163 mm) tall, 3.7 inches (94 mm) wide closed, 7.25 inches (184 mm) open, and 0.85 inches (21.5 mm) thick closed, making it much larger than later PDAs. It featured a serial po... ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/4 "2014-01-10T03:34:43Z")
Wasn’t it called a “ **Willard** ”? Cheap knockoff of the Wizard. I think Willard sounds right, but I’m going off of my memory. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/5 "2014-01-10T04:28:57Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Wasn’t it called a “ **Willard** ”? > > Cheap knockoff of the Wizard. > > I think Willard sounds right, but I’m going off of my memory. Yep. > **[The Wizard (Seinfeld)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wizard_%28Seinfeld%29)** > > "The Wizard" is the 171st episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 15th episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on February 26, 1998. In this episode, Kramer retires and moves into the same condo as Morty and Helen Seinfeld, Elaine tries to find out if her pale-skinned boyfriend is actually black, and George gets upset that the Rosses will not call him a liar after they catch him lying about buying a house in the Hamptons. > Jerry goes to Del Boca Vista and gives his dad Morty ... _Kramer suggests buying each member of the board one of those Wizard “tip calculators”. Jerry knows he can’t get the deal he told his father he’d received, but Kramer says not to worry, [URL=“[List of Seinfeld characters - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Sacamano)”]Bob Sacamano’s father lives down there and can help them out. Sacamano’s father comes through with knock-off “tip calculators” called “the Willard”, which can’t calculate tips properly and in some cases lack a full complement of numerals, costing Morty and Kramer the election._ ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/6 "2014-01-10T13:01:09Z")
It does other things!!! ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/7 "2014-01-10T14:18:45Z")
Sein_ **feld** _. Seinfeld. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/8 "2014-01-10T15:29:35Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > It does other things!!! “The service was slow. And God forbid they should refill the water. How does 12.4% sound?” “Well, your tip is four dollars and thirty-six point six six six six cents.” “We’ll round down.” ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/9 "2014-01-10T15:41:58Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Wasn’t it called a “ **Willard** ”? > > Cheap knockoff of the Wizard. > > I think Willard sounds right, but I’m going off of my memory. Jerry’s dad had an actual Wizard. Jerry bought it from the store, but told his dad he got it from a street vendor for cheap. Both because he knew his dad wouldn’t approve of Jerry spending so much on a gift, and because he likes the idea of owning something “hot,” as he put it. Later, they want to buy everyone on the condo association a Wizard to gain favor for Kramer’s bid at association president, but since Jerry doesn’t want to disclose how much he actually spent, they have to settle for knock-offs called Willards. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/10 "2014-01-10T16:40:24Z")
I thought the **OP** was referring to the episode where Kramer gives Elaine an electronic organizer that the paranoid Russian author winds up throwing out the window. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/11 "2014-01-10T16:57:26Z")
Seriously, how hard is it to calculate a tip? Knock of a decimal and you’ve got 10%. Double that and you’ve got 20%. Round up or round down as you like. I’ve never understood why this is so hard for people, it’s not like you have to do long division in your head. ---
**Author:** ![bryanmaguire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bryanmaguire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmaguire)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/12 "2014-01-10T20:17:42Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I thought the **OP** was referring to the episode where Kramer gives Elaine an electronic organizer that the paranoid Russian author winds up throwing out the window. The sea was angry that day my friends… like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli! ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/13 "2014-01-10T20:42:45Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Seriously, how hard is it to calculate a tip? > > Knock of a decimal and you’ve got 10%. Double that and you’ve got 20%. Round up or round down as you like. I’ve never understood why this is so hard for people, it’s not like you have to do long division in your head. Yeah, but can you figure out 12.4% in your head? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/14 "2014-01-10T21:21:50Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Yeah, but can you figure out 12.4% in your head? I realize this is not completely serious, but even this is pretty easy to get in the ballpark. Take 10% and add half of half of that to it, and you get 12.5%. Feel free to round numbers to make it easier to do in your head. $23.87 = $2.38 (round to $2.40 for ease of calculation) and add ($2.40/2=$1.20/6=$0.60), so you got $3. The correct answer for 12.4%? $2.96. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/15 "2014-01-10T21:42:08Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > Sein_ **feld** _. > > Seinfeld. The OP is referring to the short-lived children’s storytime-based sitcom _Seinfelt_, a cheap knock-off of _Seinfeld_. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/16 "2014-01-10T21:44:36Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Seriously, how hard is it to calculate a tip? That’s what made it funny. Morty was given a $200 PDA and he only saw it as a tip calculator. Because he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/17 "2014-01-10T21:49:58Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Seriously, how hard is it to calculate a tip? > > Knock of a decimal and you’ve got 10%. Double that and you’ve got 20%. Round up or round down as you like. I’ve never understood why this is so hard for people, it’s not like you have to do long division in your head. It is really shocking to see how many seemingly educated people pull out a mobile phone at a restaurant to calculate a tip. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/18 "2014-01-10T21:50:08Z")
Why would anyone try to calculate 12.4% in their head? Who calibrates their tipping that finely, and for what purpose? If you want to tip a bit more than 10%, but not as much as 15%, calculate 10% (which is, you know, easy), and add a few bucks. There are really only a couple of meaningful milestones in tips. No tip. You stiff the server completely, either because you’re a jerk or you forgot or the service was completely unacceptable. A pittance. Same as above, only the pittance lets the server know you didn’t just forget. A real asshole move. If the service wasn’t worth complaining to the management about, you should leave a 10% tip even if the service was horrible. 10%. Easy to calculate. You’re cheap, or the service was bare-bones. 15%. Take 10%, halve it, and add that to the 10%. Decent tip. 20%. Double 10%. Really good tip. The service was really good, or you’re having a good day, or a good life. More than 20%. This is for when you want to feel like a big shot. For this you just tip however much you like, handing out Jacksons like it ain’t no thang. Any other level of tip can be interpolated from the above. But in none of these cases do you need a tip calculator to figure the exact amount down to the penny. Your server doesn’t add up your bill and divide by the tip to figure out the exact percentage tip they got, they just think: stiffed, cheap tip, decent tip, great tip, or thank you Mr. Sinatra! ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/19 "2014-01-10T22:15:53Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Seriously, how hard is it to calculate a tip? > > Knock of a decimal and you’ve got 10%. Double that and you’ve got 20%. Round up or round down as you like. I’ve never understood why this is so hard for people, it’s not like you have to do long division in your head. I think this is a task like walking in a straight line and touching your nose. Remarkably easy when sober… but not so much after a few drinks. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400/20 "2014-01-10T22:17:11Z")
A Seinfeld topic hijacked to a topic about tipping in only 18 posts. It’s a new record folks! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seinfelt-question-what-was-the-tip-calculator-device/678400.md?page=2)