I’ve told this recently in another thread I think, but once I walked into a White Hen (convenience store), took two 2-liter bottles of soda out of the cooler, walked out, got in my car and started to pull away. Then I couldn’t figure out why the cashier started chasing me across the parking lot until I stopped and he asked me if I was going to pay for those. :smack:
That sucks! I’ve never forgotten to tip, at least not that I remember 
A good rule of thumb for travelers to the US is to tip 15% for barely-adequate service, 20% for good service, and 25%+ for exceptional service. A minimum tip is $2 regardless of the price of your meal. And never tip less than 10% unless your waiter/waitress tried to physically assault you. Also, don’t deduct kitchen issues from the tip. If your pork chop was undercooked, that’s not the waiter’s fault! You should have sent it back and/or complained to the manager.
If you don’t like America’s tipping rules, then you should not be eating at sit-down restaurants. Get takeout or fast food instead.
Anaamika, I did exactly that a couple of weeks ago. I was catching up with a high school buddy while I paid and just pocketed the change and left. I called to apologize and left a double tip for lunch the following Monday.
The worst part is that I didn’t realize my error on my own, I hope to hell I haven’t unwittingly done it before.
I hear ya brother. I’ve “accidentally” done that myself a few times.
I realize that tipping is a contentious issue but I want to see what people think.
You go a place like a coffee shop, a pizzeria, a sub shop, an ice cream stand. You go up to the counter to order and your order is given to you at the counter and you take it to the table.
There is a tip jar at the counter. Does the presence of a tip jar indicate that tipping is expected or is it more wishful thinking?
I rarely carry cash, so I base it on the credit card receipt. If it includes a tip line, a tip is expected. If there is no tip line, it’s wishful thinking.
That said, some places I do avoid unless I have a dollar or two on me for their tip jar. The Mongolian BBQ place I like has a tip jar for the cooks, and they definitely earn it.
I stiffed the waitress by accident this past Super Bowl Sunday. I went in the next week and gave her a big tip.
I’m a fan of tipping.
I don’t think I ever said anything about not liking them. I merely asked the question, “what’s expected?”. Seems a pretty reasonable question to me :rolleyes:
I’m a regular at a local coffee shop nearby, because it’s close to my youngest kid’s preschool, so instead of wasting the time and gas to drive home every morning after dropping him off, I go to the coffee shop and work for a few hours on my laptop instead.
Anyway, they have a tip jar. I pay by debit card and therefore never have any change and therefore never tip. All of the baristas there know me and know my regular order and greet me in a friendly fashion and treat me very nicely even though I never, ever tip. So I’d say that in this case at least, it’s wishful thinking.
A tip jar is completely voluntary. I might drop my change in it but that’s it.
The first time we allowed our daughters to order pizza when we were out, we neglected to let them know about tipping. I was mortified to see the change on the counter. The next day I drove to the pizza place and left the driver an envelope with five bucks in it and a note of apology.
This may or may not work. If I’m picking up food to go, that tip line is still there, but I leave it crossed out. I know there have been other instances where a tip line has appeared on a receipt, completely out of the blue, but I can’t think of an example right now. As a former coffeeshop employee (oh, 15 years ago) who kept a tip jar on the counter, all I could say is that the tip was appreciated, but not at all expected.
Sorry, I should have been more specific that I was using the “general” you in that case, not you specifically (well, specifically, all the cheap-ass Americans who are likely to charge into this thread and disagree with me–lol).
I know you said you’ve never been here so you aren’t expected to know the culture. No worries!
Tip jars are wishful thinking. I don’t put money in those, because the employees are making at least minimum wage without tip jars. But I do sometimes tip for take-out orders, at smaller places where I want them to remember and like me.
Also, technically, the tip is also supposed to be calculated pre-tax (if you want to think about those things.) This shouldn’t make too much a difference. Also, sometimes larger parties (usually 6 or more) will have a gratuity already factored in. Check your receipt if you are dining with a big group. Around here, that gratuity level is 18%. I generally do not tip above a fixed gratuity, or if I do, it’s only to round up a couple bucks.
I think it’s probably wishful thinking.
I’m a good tipper, but I don’t do tip jars. For example, there was a tip jar tonight at the Chinese restaurant where I got some takeout from the buffet. I walked in, got my own food and went to the cash register and paid. Why the hell should I tip the cashier when all she did was swipe my debit card?
We didn’t completely forget to tip our waiter, but we did manage to totally shaft one once. I think the tip we left on the credit card was less than 10%. Once we realized what had happened, we went to an ATM (our bank was nearby) and got cash and went back and made up for it.
I don’t tip at all if the service is “truly atrocious,” and if the atrociousness is due to the server. And if the experience is bad even before I start to eat, I just leave. Fortunately this rarely happens.
A couple weeks ago I went to pay my hairdresser and accidentally messed up my check. Turns out that was the last check I had. I didn’t have any cash, but they took credit cards–but only for the amount of the cut and tax. No line or provision for tips. I profusely apologized and ran to the ATM to get cash to tip her and the shampoo lady.
I’m not sure why I was so embarrassed since it didn’t take long to bring back the cash, but boy my face was burning in shame. Maybe it’s because she’s the only hairdresser who can do anything with my thin, flat, pathetic hair. I do not want to piss her off!
A tip jar is optional. In general, you don’t tip someone who stays behind a counter to hand you your order and ring you up.* You always tip when the server has to come out to your table. 15% is normal, though you can tip more if there was exceptional service, or if it was a particularly complicated meal. 10% is for bad service – assuming it’s the server’s fault (it may be a problem with the kitchen, but a good server will apologize for problems like that). You don’t leave a tip if the service is horrible.
*Except at lunch counters where they are serving a meal.
Depends where the fault lies. Most problems I’ve encountered in restaurants have nothing to do with the waitstaff.
So tip, and if there was a problem, talk to the manager.
Tip jar is definitely optional. I may throw in the coins from my change, I may not.
OTOH, a friend and I have coffee in the same Starbucks every Sunday morning. We pay with a Starbucks card, but one or the other of us usually throws a dollar in the tip jar as well – the staff knows us, remembers our orders, comments on a new haircut, etc.