Which by paying a good tip you are paying for anyway.
When in the USA I tip the minimum in sit-in restaurants and grit my teeth while doing so. It seems like the only way to avoid a scene.
And that’s it. I don’t tip for anything else that I can recall. Some point of sale terminals offer the option to tip and I simply decline.
My understanding–which could be wrong–is that people ask for cash tips so they don’t have to pay taxes. Since taxes fund a lot of things I think are important–including my salary–I’m not interested in helping out with that scam. I tip them because I know they need their livelihood; I tip on credit card because I need mine.
And yes, don’t be a cheapskate tipper. It’s an inefficient way to pay folks, but it is how we do things here in the United States. When in Rome etc.
It’s an inequitable system because some of us, who tip well, are carrying the weight for those who do not and, more importantly, we are carrying the weight for their employers who do not want to pay them a fair wage. Also, the percentage of the total bill that is considered a proper tip has been climbing steadily. At one time it was ten percent, then twelve, then 15, and now about 18 percent. Some places look down their noses at you if you tip below 20 percent. I live in Chicagoland, however, and the cost of living here is very high. So, if you spend a $100 for a dinner for two, you are spending $120 after tip. That’s pretty steep.
I assume my server is honest and law abiding.
Wink, nudge, guffaw … 
I’ve been conditioned to a pretty simple view that I think is reasonable: you tip for personal service, otherwise you don’t. As mentioned, there’s a growing trend to try to characterize almost anything as tip-worthy, but to me it’s fairly obvious what “personal service” means: waitstaff at a sit-down restaurant, hair stylist, housecleaner, cabbie, food delivery, etc. Definitely not takeout, or some other purchase for which tipping has suddenly and inexplicably become an option.
There’s a great Chinese takeout nearby that pisses me off by occasionally and unpredictably showing a payment screen with a tip option. Whether it appears or not seems to depend on who keys in the bill. They make good food but I don’t tip them any more than I would tip a burger-flipper at McD’s. Their ability to present a screen with a tip option doesn’t change their service model. If I wanted to tip I’d order delivery or go to a sit-down place.
Another good example of tipping for personal service is one that doesn’t come up often but for me it’s a biggie: movers. When a bunch of guys are busting their butts for you literally for an entire day doing pretty much the most labour-intensive work imaginable, I feel obliged to tip generously. No matter what they’re being paid, it isn’t enough.
My favourite tip story is when a number of us were visiting NYC and stopped in at some random little restaurant for lunch. We were “served” by a large middle-aged guy who was the most obnoxious waiter I have ever encountered. When the bill arrived we decided to leave no tip. I put a bunch of loose change on the table in the process of counting out the exact amount, and accidentally left a penny on the table. It wasn’t intentional, but it was perfect! The already-obnoxious waiter discovered the symbolic penny just as we were leaving, and was so furious that he threw it at us, this depriving himself of his tip, such as it was. I believe there may also have been an exchange of views regarding our welcome to return, and our interest in doing so. 
I think it’s a fair assumption that anyone who asks for cash, whether as a tip or as full payment for a service, is not going to be paying tax on it.
Well, I’ve known servers who got to keep cash tips, but credit card tips were divided equally among all the servers (for reasons I suppose).
I’ve never been asked to tip cash, I just do. Innocent until proven otherwise.
Here’s what I’d say:
Generally the prevailing concept behind it is that if something extra is being done, then that is something that should be tipped. Just doing the agreed upon service isn’t something that automatically warrants a tip.
Restaurants: Really only sit-down type restaurants with a wait staff warrant tipping. Counter service and fast casual type places may often have a tip jar, but don’t feel obligated to tip. They’re just essentially scrounging for extra money IMO. The “extra” here is the being waited on in the dining room- the preparation of food is the part you’re ostensibly paying for. 20% is the general rule these days.
Bars: Not sure what the extra here is, but it’s always a good idea to tip your bartender. 15-20% is usual.
The thing with restaurant and bar tips is that as shady as it sounds, the minimum hourly wage for waitstaff and bartenders is lower than the usual minimum wage. They’re expected to make up the difference via tips. Of course in practice, it only takes one good tip per hour to make that up, and most wait staff make FAR more in tips than in wages. So in some sense, they’re being paid directly through tips.
Take out: Tips are only obligatory if you have it delivered. Same thing applies as counter-service places. Many take-out places will have a tip jar, but you’re not obligated to tip them. The “extra” here would be the delivery. I usually tip 10-15% for delivery.
Services: Generally it’s only the personal services like haircuts or maybe pedicures where tipping is obligatory. Getting your car’s oil changed doesn’t require a tip, nor does having the A/C tech out to work on your heater or air conditioning, or an appliance repairman out to fix your refrigerator. I’m not sure why haircuts do have tips, and say… getting your toilet snaked doesn’t in this situation. I’m not sure what the usual amount is- I tip my hair guy about 20%, but I don’t know if that’s normal or not.
The other place you’ll commonly see tipping is valet parking. The “extra” here is that they’ll drive your car off, park it, and bring it back when you’re done, as opposed to you going and parking down the street. The catch here is that lots of places block off the nearby parking for valet parking, and force an annoying choice- valet park, or park a long way off and walk. I usually tip around $5 for valet parking, and a few bucks less if they’ve basically monopolized all the parking and are essentially forcing me to valet park or walk six blocks.
Depends on the place. Part of what’s so inequitable about the tipping system is that, for the most part, a server in an expensive restaurant is doing basically the same job as a server in a cheap restaurant, but since it’s the same percentage, they’re getting paid much more. At a cheap place, it’s not uncommon, on a bad night, for a server to not even hit what’s supposed to be minimum wage (I think that, theoretically, the employer is supposed to make up the difference when this happens, but you can guess how often they do that).
Or, occasionally, of course, you can just get a really generous customer. When my sister was a teen, she did a stint as a server, and once, due to circumstances in the kitchen completely beyond her control, a couple’s meal was very delayed. The manager came over to apologize, and said “You don’t have to tip the server”. The customer said “Oh, is that so? Well, here’s your no tip”, and handed my sister a twenty.
I almost never use valet parking. Other than in extremely bad weather I like to walk a few blocks before and after dinner.
Sure, but it’s more the practice of a restaurant having an adequate parking lot that’s open every day for lunch and on weeknights, but on Friday and Saturday, the valets literally block the parking lot off, and make you walk or pay them.
It’s the extortionate aspect of it that pisses me off, not the actual walk itself. The whole idea that I could have parked there two hours before for free, but now I have to pay some assholes for the privilege?
I’m frequently in hotels for just one night. I don’t know when that room was last used & if the housemaid today is the same one who readied it previously. Nor do I see why I should pay them to ready it for the next guest.
We were in a hotel two nights this weekend, as is becoming more common, they didn’t make up the room unless asked. If I left a tip it would be for them to clean the room for the next guest we didn’t leave it a mess - just used sheets & towels & left a little bit of trash in the can.
Was in a hotel in the fall for 5 nights, they didn’t once come in, again, only by request. When we called the front desk to ask for fresh towels they said, “sure, come to the front desk”
I don’t drink coffee but why are baristas any different than any other counter worker? Do you tip at Mickey D’s or BK?
I’d pay extra to not valet my car with both having to wait to get my car at the end of the meal/event & the number of times my seat/mirrors have been adjusted > 0. I understand that they may need to adjust the seat, especially if short, or the mirror to not damage my car but still…don’t F with my stuff.
All the questions about the logic of tipping are, in my opinion, missing the point: it’s a customary pay structure in the US. It’s like asking, “Why should I tell someone you’re welcome–am I suggesting that they have come well to my location?” Tipping is the financial equivalent of an idiom.
If there’s a worker who works based on their expectation of pay through tipping, there are two honest ways to handle it:
If you know the expectation, and you know they know you know the expectation, and you allow them to perform the service under that mutually understood expectation, and you defy the expectation, that’s pretty dishonest.
I don’t think it’s as common as tipping in a restaurant, but I try to tip the housekeeping staff. It’s a tough and low paying job. I’m happy to chip in $5. The only time I don’t is if I don’t have the cash on hand, but I do make some effort to bring cash for such situations.
I guess I’m paying the person who returns the room to the state it was in before I used it.
To the general topic, I might be an outlier here, but “getting better service” is never a factor when I make my tip decision. I just want to show appreciation and help a little financially. I assume the housekeepers would treat me just as well regardless of my tip. They do seem to appreciate the tips, though, I often get a little thank you note.
I always tip in cash when possible, especially in more downscale establishments. Not because I trust the staff to report it on their taxes, but because I don’t trust restaurant management to actually pass those credit card tips on to the staff.
Assuming you’re not just getting a cup of black drip coffee, you’re utilizing their skills and training, just like you’re utilizing a bartender’s skills and training. I don’t feel as obligated to tip the full 20%, because they’re not getting a low hourly wage like a bartender is.
I’m generally a good tipper because I can be. I’d rather be the highlight of someone’s shift than just another asshole they have to serve.
You’ll have to find a better argument against tipping maids, because this is a poor one. Since a lot of people only stay one night, it is only possible to tip maids when you leave. And in any case it surely makes logical sense to tip them restrospectively. The room must always be prepared to the same condition, and the amount of work to do so arising from your stay is obviously determined by the amount of mess you make.
If the room was not prepared adequately when you walk in, you should address that by calling the front desk and getting it fixed, not by stiffing the (possibly different) maid who will clean the room after you leave.
[ As an aside, is there a gender neutral word for a hotel maid? “Cleaner” seems too generic. ]
Housekeeper as the department is called Housekeeping
So do I - which means they won’t mind if I tip on my card rather than making a special stop to get cash for the tip