[in a state]

the waiters,the hairdressers,the taxi drivers,the bartenders...
it almost feels like an obligation,but not the kind of thing you do because you REALLY do feel like,full heartedly.
who came up with the idea of tipping?WHY is it a proper thing to do?
it's their job!they are hired to please the paying customer,so that he will come back again!
I pay for the services,it seems normal that they should fulfil them decently... it's not like they're supposed to lick my shoe,just do the job they were hired for,and get a salary for
and the rules... give x% tip of the price you already paid for...
I'm not cheap,I just don't get it:)
can anyone enlighten me?

[Fr_Chuck]

I pay for service, if I get bad service I never tip, in fact I will call the manager over and compain, I was at a restaurant last week, service was so bad, I called the manager over and demanded a new waitress or I would just walk out then,

So I use a plus or minus system all during my time there

[jillianleab]

Well here's a link to the history of tipping: The History of Tipping - From Sixteenth-Century England to United States in the 1910s. I didn't get a chance to read it (it's long), so if it's total nonsense, sorry!

Tipping is a funny thing; there are people who expect tips, people who want tips and don't get them, and people who never expect a tip for their service. Interestingly, one of the places I vacation, tipping is rare, but most of the servers expect one if you are an American!

I tip for good service, and I don't tip for bad service. Rarely am I in a position where tipping is manditory, but if, in that instance, I received bad service, I'll contest the tip.

[ISneezeFunny]

Once, I was at a Chili's... and the service wasn't terrible, but it wasn't anything great either. Food got to us on a relatively slow side... and my water was refilled only once... so in the end, I left about $4 tip on a $35 meal. It's about 10%... and I figured, service wasn't too great... and it's at a Chili's... so who gives a flip?

... the server followed me to the parking lot, and said, "Sir, that was a $35 ticket..."

... in my disbelief... I just gave her $3 just to shut her up.

[Becca1025]

I will not tip if the service is bad. There have been plenty of times when I have not tipped. I HATE it when they automatically add the tip on the check if you have a party of 5 or more. What if the person didn't deserve the tip? ALthough now I do feel a little obligated to tip because I know how restaurants only pay minimum wage or less and the workers rely on tips. I understand what you mean how we already pay them by paying the actual check, but what if we were the ones who normally get tipped like they do? Would we want to work those jobs for $6.00 an hour and no tips for feeding people and cleaning up their mess?

[in a state]

thanks, jillianleab
I agree with you guys,I don't tip either when the service is bad
and no,I wouldn't want a job that pays 6$ an hour,because,thank God,I have the opportunity to a higher education=a better paying job.told you,it's not about the money I leave as a tip,I was just wondering why is it a social norm.thanks for your imput

[startover22]

I agree bad service = no tip.
Good service = tip.
I work for a good wage, but I also receive tips, I am never expecting one, but do so get excited when someone leaves one. I would be upset if someone thought I gave them bad service and still left a tip!

[Emland]

To Insure Prompt Service is the reason tips started. I really hate seeing Tip cups at 7-11 and the dry cleaners - what are they doing to earn it? Wait staff can make a great difference in your dining experience and minimum wage for them is $3.70. My husband always keeps our waiter hopping and we tip well usually 25%, but if the service is crap, we tip accordingly.

[J_9]

Let us not forget that the "bad" service we get, i.e. food coming slow, may not be the fault of the server, but the fault of the kitchen. And we are taking it out on the server when he/she cannot help it.

[startover22]

Oh goodness yes, it may not be their fault.
Emland, kind of like the automatic change in the cup for a cup of coffee? I know.
A tip is to be earned, yes, but there are some instances that a man/woman may have just had a really bad day (like their kid got suspended) (or their dog just died) there are so many circumstances we can come up with, but in the end it is still about service for sure!

All I know is that if I were serving you, you would be happy, and I am hoping to teach the "younger people" at my work how it all pays off in the end. Service with a smile!:)

[dontknownuthin]

People who hire service employees want the payment for those employees to correspond with how busy they are, and therefore, how profitable. It's like a weird form of commission... no customers, no tips. The restaurant caps their responsibility at minimum wage, which is lower for service employees. That way, if they have a crappy day, they aren't out so much money but have the service there just in case.

I think it's a terrible system but it's hard to get away from it because the only way establishments can eliminate tips at this point is to raise their prices so they can pay a living wage. Hard to compete if you're the first to do that.

So what to do? Tip based on the service but don't take everything out on that service professional if they do not have control over the situation. If your food is bad, send it back - that's the chef's problem. If you were promised a table and waited far longer than you were told, don't tip the matr'd or complain to the owner. If you waited a half hour after our coffee was poured for the cream? Well, that's the waiters fault.

Speak up so they can fix what you don't like, and give them a chance. No tip means that they were so bad that they owed you the favor of waiting on you on their own time, because without tips, they make nothing. Their entire paycheck generally goes into taxes.

That's kind of harsh, so I would only stiff someone if they were terrible and rude to boot. Just terrible at their job? 10%. Mediocre? 15%. Good or better - 20%. Really went out of the way? I'd throw in 25% and a compliment about them to their boss.

[boredINmind]

I work at a restaurant (have you noticed?) and I'm a manager that has to watch my best employees get "stiffed" table after table! Even though a dollar is not much, we have decided that regardless a dollar per person should be left, just for the sheer fact that they did wait on you and will be cleaning up after you leave. If the bill is big, say 40$ for 2 people, then you should leave at least 2 or 3 per person.

And as for the tip being added in with the bill for larger parties, more people more mess to clean up! And that tip just ensures that they won't being cleaning all night for absolutely nothing, and I have seen this happen too many times!

No one wants to work as a server, its not an easy job by far, don't believe me then try doing it for a few years. So there must be a reason they would do it, like school for example. They are doing a job, most people hate their jobs, so do you really expect them to be all chirpy all the time!

If you have a complaint, complain to the manager (ME), they will talk to the server, but unless they are just not coming to your table at all, don't STIFF them.

And you don't pay for service when you go to a restaurant, you pay for the ridiculously high priced food, and the employees never see a bit of that money. Its enough to make anyone bitter about their jobs.

[startover22]

Hey Bored, I also work as a manager, and I LOVE MY JOB!
Even when I have a bad day, I give people a smile, it makes them happy, and it makes me feel better! It is what you make it, I say!
I agree though, it isn't fun getting stiffed!:)

[shellyjo68]

I have been a bartender, waitress and tavern owner. Yes, tips are figured into your wages but like all wages you need to EARN them. If you are a sucky waitress you get a sucky tip if you are a good waitress you get a good tip. If you ask me for a tip you get NO tip and if you tip yourself out of my money you get complained about.

[Just5ofus]

I am a tipped employee and have been doing so for many years. I really enjoy meeting new people and I REALLY appreciate your tip in compensating my minimum wage. Yes, the restaurant industry should take care of our wages by paying more than minimum, but then they would have to raise their prices. ALSO, please remember that what you tip DOES NOT go only to us. We have to tip the host, the food runners and the bartenders (yes - even if you just drink water) and then we are taxed on it as well. Server's paychecks are never above a hundred dollars per check. As a server, it allowed me to be at home in the mornings to see my kids off to school and be home close to the time they got home.
This is the career I choose and I don't regret one minute of it.

[spinphoto]

thank God,i have the opportunity to a higher education=a better paying job.

Ouch. Most of the girl at my restaurant, (including me) have degrees, just some of us felt we should follow our hearts and be educated on something we are passionate about, not what makes us millions.. so haha, essentially, we're all qualified for something where there is no demand. Although most of us freelance our talents... The beauty about being a waitress is, we're not tied down by salary and we can do whatever we want when we want. I save throughout the year and travel for most of the summer while a % of my pay check goes in to rrsps. I only make $9/h but the way I see it, if I make $12/h in tips, that puts me up to $21/h, which isn't so bad.

People who don't tip are just plain ignorant, (which I don't blame them because how would they know) the problem is, some provinces (I live in canada) have a 'waitressing wage'.. minimum wage in Ont. Is 8/h and for a waitress, $6.85, not much. Waitress are expected to tip the kitchen and bartender (and sometimes, doormen) a certain % of their sales, not tips! So if you came to my restaurant and didn't leave me any love, damn right I'd be pissed because now, money it coming out of my pockets! And you can bet I will ask if there was anything wrong with your service I should know about...

[shellyjo68]

I'd be pissed because now, money it coming out of my pockets! and you can bet I will ask if there was anything wrong with your service I should know about...

Don't get pissed; do a better job. My daughter walks out with an average of $132 in tips every night--AVERAGE. She works her butt off. Yesterday we were at breakfast, our waitress forgot my mom's coffee three times--finally my husband took the cup up to the counter, she forgot to put in half of our orders, never brought the bill until we tracked her down, walked away while we were at the counter paying and left my CC slip with the full number on the counter for all to see--I reached around and put it behind the cash register. Does she deserve a full tip?

[startover22]

Don't get pissed; do a better job. My daughter walks out with an average of $132 in tips every night--AVERAGE. She works her butt off. Yesterday we were at breakfast, our waitress forgot my mom's coffee three times--finally my husband took the cup upto the counter, she forgot to put in half of our orders, never brought the bill until we tracked her down, walked away while we were at the counter paying and left my CC slip with the full number on the counter for all to see--I reached around and put it behind the cash register. Does she deserve a full tip?

Absolutely not! ;) AND to top it off I may have wanted to speak to a manager as well!

[spinphoto]

I was addressing those who do not tips out of ethics whether the service is good.. obviously incompetent service doesn't deserve diddly squat.

[Sonador101]

Well most of these jobs pay minnimun wage, and among being polite they need the money.