I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it to the board or not, but my current proffession is one of bartender. that’s right, I serve drinks in a club. It’s really a nice break from the IT world, and the pay is quite a bit better. No benefits, but you don’t get that in contract work either. Everyone is friendly and nice, there’s only one problem. Some people, misguided satanic yuppie anti-patriotic commie atheists that they are, believe they can get away without tipping me. Ahem…
I do not get a wage. The only money I make is through tips. If you do not tip me, I am performing work for you, for free. I would not come into your fucking and house and service your dog for free, and I have no desire to get you a fucking drink if you are not going to pay me. I am not here out of the kindness of my heart, I am here because I get paid for it. Do you think that I really care that “THIS PLACE FUCKING ROCKS” or “YOU"RE AWESOME MAN” no. I do not. I care that you give me a FUCKING dollar. I don’t care if you are only getting a miller lite. That is no excuse. Just because your tastebuds were burned off by your Grandfathers syphlitic semen, and you wouldn’t no a good beer if it came up behind yhou and asked you to grab your ankles, is no reason not to tip me. Let me repeat, the only money I make is the money you give me. Why am I so nice? Why am I recommending Tanqueray Ten? Is it because I like you as a person? Is it because I think you are a trully nice, attractive person? No. It’s because I want you to respect the high level of service I’m giving you and to leave me a tip.
And secondly, I can understand why someone ho lost that last braincell at a Beer Bash in '98 and is reduced to ordering nothing but Long Island Ice Teas and Blowjobs might not tip. Hell, they can’t even remeber how much the drink is each time they order. But, if you are going to ask me to recomend a drink, or ask my advice on why you should drink Stella Artois over Sierra Nevada, you better fucking tip me.
When you’re playing craps, how about a freaking bet for the dealers once in a while (I would estimate that fewer than ten percent of dice players toke the dealers). Or, better yet, a hand in.
We had to go to school to learn this game, it’s a rough job that requires a lot of skill, the ability to do complex math under the pressure of sometimes as many as sixteen people all throwing money and yelling, and we bust our sweet bippies giving you the best service we can, making sure you have proper bets, telling you what odds will give you the highest payoffs, and I’ve seen people walk away from the table after winning several thousands of dollars without so much as handing in a dollar for the dealers.
Ya know what the casino pays us? Freaking minimum wage in Vegas, less in Mississippi.
Oldscratch, pull me a Guiness, here’s a five, keep the change.
Hey agisofia. Thanks. I can honestly say I’ve never gambled in a casino before, and I never knew that was protocol. If I ever do, I’ll make sure to tip them well.
Also, the worst for not tipping, (no offense) are the Irish. I’m thinking it’s because tipping isn’t standard where they come from, but da,n, those fuckers drink and never even think of tipping a dime.
But the one’s that really piss me off. Mr Bigoleredneck with trashyuglyfiance. They come in and order two drinks. No tip. Then they come back and order two more. No tip. Then they come back and order two more, at this point he makes a big deal of leaving me a dollar, and making sure that I see him leaving it. Yeah, thanks fucker. That dikkar will really come in handy. I just made you 6 fucking drinks. A dollar? How about you take it and shove it up your ass. Or how about you put it in a real special fund. You can save that dollar, and every night when you come in, you can tak another dollar and put it in that special fund. And after 6 or 7 nights you can go and buy some FUCKING DEODERANT AND MOUTHWASH!!!.
If the only money you make is what tips you get, then rather than complain here (where the offenders are unlikely to see it) you should be filing a complaint with the Department of Labor. Even if you clear 6 figures in tips, your employer still has to pay you at least $2.13/hour. On the other hand, if you really do make more than you did in IT, and it’s under the table (which seems likely if you’re not getting a wage), then maybe you shouldn’t call too much attention to yourself.
Service!!! Service!!! Some service you lazy genX slacker pissants. Service!!!
Now, I know that OldS gives good service, but a loy of his brethren don’t. Now, I don’t drink much, but when I order a Diet cola, with both a lime twist & a lemon peel, I expect at least one of them, and I expect it not to be lukewarm, stale, flat, or be charged 3.50 for an 6oz glass. If I get it as I ordered, and the price is ok (a smart “barista” will comp it), then I tip, The smart barista gets 2. If the price is high, but all else is Ok, they then get the change. However if free refills are dispensed, a will be on their way.
Agi, if it makes you feel any better, craps is my game. And I do tip. I am a 'wrong way" bettor, tho, so my practice is when there is a load of bucks riding, and I am a bit ahead, I bet a $5 chip (I am a 5 bettor, to start), on the "7", for each worker, but not usually the pit boss. The payoff, if they win, is nice for them, and I usually get them "on my side'. However, for this, I do expect some help on the odds for the "don't come" line. Sounds fair to you? When I am ahead, I will also sometimes put a for each with my pass/don’t pass bet, also, mostly to get rid of my change.
Well, I can certainly see where there’s a problem. I’d be upset, too …
Perhaps they simply don’t know if they’re supposed to tip or not? I’m a student in Ontario, and at most bars/clubs here I don’t think anyone tips… maybe we’re all wrong, or maybe tipping is non-standard. (I’m actually from Boston, so my ignorance is further complicated.) I was in a campus pub recently (I usually frequent off-campus ones), and I got the sense the bartender was expecting a tip … which seemed very strange, since usually they don’t.
OTOH, my standard for tipping waitstaff in restaurants (15-25%, preferably at least 20%) seems much higher than that of my friends. Possibly because we’re all students (read: poor), but I think because the minimum wage for employees receiving tips is (comparatively) higher.
The problem with tipping in bars is that the drinks are so cheap (well, compared to a meal at a restaurant). If you buy a $2 drink and leave a 20% tip, you look like a cheap bastard who’s 40 cents poorer. If you tip $1, that’s fucking 50%!
That’s not to say I don’t tip. I give a dollar for every drink. But that doesn’t amount to much considering the fact that I haven’t been to a bar in over a year and have zero plans of going soon. They’re too damn noisy. I prefer nice, laid back, out-of-the-way New Orleans bars, but N.O. is two hours away and I don’t get out there often.
That’s the same dilemma I run into, neutron star. The bartender at my favorite club always does a hell of a job, and I want to give him a tip, but I’m a college kid, and having just a few drinks pretty much drains my budget. Leaving 20% makes me feel like a cheapskate, and I often can’t afford to leave a couple of bucks in the jar. Usually I just leave the change.
Is that a good way handle it, oldscratch, or should I just expand my drinking budget?
Minimum wage is $5.15/hr. If the employer claims that the employee is making tips which he wants to count toward his/her minimum wage obligation, then the employee still must be paid $2.13. If the tips don’t bring the employee up to minimum wage, the employer has to make up the difference. This is all, of course, the official procedures, and definitely not always followed.
I could get to like you, Dan. A nickel for each dealer is more than reasonable. Actually, it’s downright generous. 'Course, if you’re losing your ass, we really don’t expect much in the way of tokes, but if you’re ahead, we really really like it a lot if you’re betting for us.
BTW, it’s no good to bet for the pit boss, they’re not in on the tokes, boxman either, unless it’s a five man crew and the dealers rotate into the box.
BTW, for the uninitated, in case you’re either drunk or up way past your bedtime and didn’t catch it from Daniel’s post, “nickel” is slang for a $5 chip.
andy: If it is, you’re lucky. Each state has the option of setting their own minimum wage over the national average (which I believe is still $5.15). I’m pretty sure that CA and HI both have it a little higher. Where are you at, and are there any vacancies?
I could be wrong, but I thought the IRS had a practice of taxing servers based on a percentage of their sales. This allowed the Feds to get a cut of tips that they claimed the servers did not report as income. Is this (or was this) ever the situation?
Pit boss I have only tipped once, in Vegas, at Ceasars, as he was real nice to me & my date, and even called her plush bear “Mr. Lucky”. He told some asshole who was complaining that “wrong way bettors screw the luck up” that he could shut up or take his business elsewhere. If I am down, I am afraid no tokes, unless I toss my last few dollars as I go. You know, I was only some $400 ahead, no big money, but nice, but when you put a “nickle’ down for each on the “7”, and it rolls “7”, you are 'da man”. Of course, I cleared some $100 on that roll alone. By all means, folks, if you are winning, tip, and don’t be cheap. Smart casino workers start treating you like you’re a “wise guy”, and you feel great. There is an entire WORLD of difference in how they say “sir”. Drink girls are 'fingersnapped" over to you. Those “free” drinks? Tip a buck, unless she is extra freindly, or you’re way ahead. Don’t be cheap. You’re not there to be cheap.
If they audit a server, I think they assume that they are getting 8% of their total sales amount in tips. I have known servers to get audited by the IRS…we were always told to make sure and declare at least that much on our daily/weekly tip declaration form.
Servers are usually also required to tip out the bartender, busboys, and other assorted personnel (varies by restuarant). This can be based on the server’s nightly sales or the amount of customers served. Sometimes they let you just tip out the bartender based on the amount of bar sales. Either way, when customers don’t tip, the server is actually losing money because they still have to pay taxes based on the sales (although to be fair, most servers only declare the bare minimum, so that’s not too big an issue), and tip out the bartender and busboy. I believe that most bartenders also have to tip out their barbacks, but I’m not sure if that is based on sales or their own judgement.
Oldscratch, is a dollar a drink not considered a good tip where you live? I would have been thrilled to get that when I was working as a cocktail waitress, although that was in Memphis, TN over 6 years ago, so times might have changed.
I was in Delaware, and I’m basing the minimum wage thing on the fact that quietgirl told me that there was a minimum wage hike recently, so she got a raise. I’ll double check.
At my last job I made 6.50/hr, and that was considered base wage.
