Tipping

[Karma]

Whether its a server @ a restaurant, a stylist @ the salon, or movers...tipping is considered good etiquette when receiving a service.

but there are people who really dont feel like they should tip or claim they cant afford to tip.

What is your thought on this?

Personally I have had the embarrasing experience of dining w/ ppl who let it be known @ the end of the meal when it was time to pay (& we were splitting) that they wouldnt tip. This caused arguments. It wasnt a question of bad service or anything like that, they were just being cheap.

These are ppl i will not dine out with again.

To me that is bad etiquette.

 

[Clara Oswald]

Here's what I would say to people who say they can't afford it: if you can't afford to tip something you shouldn't be eating/drinking out.

 

[Black King]

I imagine it turns into something like the opening to Reservoir Dogs

"What do ya mean you don't tip"

and yes it is seriously bad manners

 

[Persephone]

Don't even get me STARTED on tipping.

Before I was a server I would always tip 20% unless the person serving me was a complete and utter bitch. Now as a server I always tip over 20% [same rules apply lol] because I know what it feels like to open up that check presenter hoping to see a 20% tip and only seeing 10%.

I can tell you some shitty ass stories. I've had a 150 check where I got 5 bucks. I've had people stiff me on 70 and 80 plus checks. I've had people leave me legit coins as tips. It's so frustrating because I only make 4.65 an hour and work 5-6 hours a shift. So my tips are my livelihood.

And I am the least racist person in the world, but in my area, black people do not tip. Period. I would say 75% of my really bad bad tips [like the 5 on a 150] were from black people. I just don't understand it. And foreign people too. I'm not sure if they just don't understand the concept of how to tip in America, but the majority of them tip crappy too. Again, i'm not racist...but when it happens every single time I serve certain people...it's kinda hard NOT to start judging, you know?

 

[Karma]

Are you a server now, Sam? damn...I have close friends that are servers (or have been) & ive cringed @ the stories they've told me. I can't believe how ppl treat servers! I'm NOT one of those ppl. I know that they're job is hard, the pay is wack & they get shit from nasty, rude ppl all the time.

As to your last statement. I know you're not racist.

Check THIS out: Restaurant racism revealed- 40% of waiters admit discrimination against black customers because they don't tip well


speaking on this particular part of the topic I've had friends of mine who were black & were servers @ one point in their working lives tell me stories about how they were most often stiffed by black customers. one of the ppl that i now refuse to dine with happens to be black & when she pulled that shit w/ me & we actually argued about it @ the table...I was through. Not only did i get pulled into a tacky situation b/c of her foolishness but she truly could not understand why she was wrong. Our server was fast, friendly & there was NO issue to be had w/ either of our orders. I ended up covering her tip as well as mine & to this day if I'm in town & she wants to get together, i decline.

I think the article i posted above couldve been better written. There are bad tippers across the board. I've seen arrogant ass white men (white collar workers) who obviously made good $$ & flat out refused to tip or tipped an insulting amount & i overheard one say "im not tipping someone for doing their job" & it really struck me how cold & cruel he sounded. to be fair & honest....indians, jews & arabs all have reputations (stereotypical as they may be) for being cheap & tightwands when it comes to tipping as well. a bad tipper is a bad tipper.

its just unfortunate that the server is the one who suffers from their lack of etiquette & empathy.

 

[Richard Martin]

I ALWAYS tip 15% at least, unless the service is bad enough to complain to management. 15% is my minimum. I usually do 20%+. I have done 100% before.

And while I cannot say it is an excuse TODAY, a lot of older Black people do not tip because either 1) they were service people before and no one tipped them or 2) they remember when they couldn't even EAT in a restaurant at all and there is residual attitude there. For too many younger Black people the habit is passed down. In my family that is not the case, my parents tip OK and me and my wife tip pretty well usually.

 

[s_k]

Here, in Sweden, we don't have any tradition of tipping.
No one expect you to, not in an ordinary restaurant anyway. Not 100% sure how it works in the really fancy once, never visit those. lol

Personally I'm glad we don't have that tradition.
If you want 20% more then why not just add it to the bill and everyone knows what they are supposed to pay? Seems so much easier to me.

But, of course, if the tradition is to add some tip. Then you should do it. Seems extremely cheap otherwise. Especially since it hardly comes as a surprise for most.

It can create some problem for us foreigner though. I wouldn't know when and how much you should tip myself. Is it even okay to ask? or will you offend someone when asking on the wrong place?

/SK

 

[Clara Oswald]

On what Sam said about foreigners - I know living in New York with friends who were servers/bar owners who actually themselves had grown up outside the US - it's common knowledge to people coming here they can get away with not tipping because they're foreign and can play dumb. So often - not saying all but I've talked to enough people visiting to know it's not just a few - they KNOW they should be tipping but don't because they can get away with it.

s k I think it would be totally fine to ask BUT you might get someone who is unscrupulous answering. I'd ask another customer if you can.

Generally the standard is 15%. 10 if the service is bad, 20 if it's good, and if it's really great you can always tip more but personally I think 20 is what you would do if the person gave you very good service. Nowadays I often tip 15 just because I do have limited income, but when I can I do 20. Someone would have to be VERY bad for me to give them under 15.

 

[SiD]

As a chef and with experience as a server i always try to tip the standard and then more depending on service.

Here in norway the standard is 10% and more depending on how the service was.
Also if the service is really bad then it is seen as ok to give no tip, (i think you make around 20$ an hour as starting pay here, not really sure now)
With all the stories and things i have seen and experienced for myself, i think that most waiters are grossly underpaid (which is sad)

As for tipping stylists, movers etc: is not something most people do here as far i know.

 

[Persephone]

s k, where I work, if you have a table over over 8 people 18% is automatically put on as gratuity. The customer can tip more if they like, but i've had cases where they've bitched that there is an automatic 18% on there and I had to have my manager take it off. Then they end up leaving me less than 10% despite good service.

And yeah Farrah, I serve now. Not the ideal job, but it was the only job that would work around my school schedule back when I was in school.

But honestly, there are a lot of great tippers out there. People who KNOW what it's like to be in the industry. But you always remember the shitty tippers LOL. I think that every shitty tipper out there should work as a server for a couple weeks and see what it feels like to bust your ass [with a big polite smile on your face] only to get nothing in the end.