― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 17:49 (seventeen years ago) link
My sis is a waitron so I tip between 20 and 25 per cent, at least in Minneapolis (our pho places are table-served and Mexican order-at-counter/pick-up/eat on-site rate $2 for each 10 spent). If you do 15 per cent on the nail that's a bit of a passive chuckyufarley. On Monday our bartender made Chris K's drink with the wrong vodka and then when she was a ways into it, hadn't noticed, he came back with the korrekt drink and said 'see if you like this one better' and was sorta willing us to hang onto both although CK and I misread those signals. He was tipped HANDSOMELY eg. full food rate. I'm sure we will get the red carpet if we go back.
When a barista is involved my tip is anything between 50ยข and $1 - unless I order a sandwich and there is table service.
This may have to do with me feeling like the dollar is Monopoly money right now, though, as pounds are hella advantageous in current exchange rates.
― suzy artskooldisko (suzy artskooldisko), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 18:31 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Tiki Theater Xymposium), Thursday, 21 December 2006 00:45 (seventeen years ago) link
My g/f was a waitress over the summer and she said it generally held true for her. (Lesbians didn't tip well either.)
― step hen faps (Curt1s Stephens), Thursday, 21 December 2006 00:47 (seventeen years ago) link
― aimurchie (aimurchie), Thursday, 21 December 2006 01:19 (seventeen years ago) link
To clarify, I meant EVERYONE was a shitty tipper (regardless of skin color), not EVERY ONE was a shitty tipper (meaning all black people). The place I worked was one of the "meals for less than $10" places discussed above!
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Tiki Theater Xymposium), Thursday, 21 December 2006 01:33 (seventeen years ago) link
The most awkward race-related moment in my career happened at the aforementioned southern redneck bar and grille when I brought out sandwiches to a big table of lunchers and one woman's plate was lacking a pickle. She asked why she (the only black woman) was the only one at this table without a pickle on her plate? I was mortified for two reasons: 1) The kitchen staff puts pickles on the plate so I had nothing to do with it but even if I had, I in no way wanted her to think that I was making some shitty little passive aggressive racist gesture; and 2) the owners and most of the staff at this place WERE huge racists (the owner once explained to me that most boxers were black because black people were better able to take blows to the head and when I challenged his source for that idiotic idea he shouted, "Doctors! You're not some civil rights activist, are you?" He also called the Filipino cook "Hop Sing." Horrible. Also one other (white) waitress generally dated black men and was thus regularly called "n*gger lover" I could go on and on but I quit) and for all I knew, the cook DID leave the pickle off her plate in some shitty little passive aggressive racist gesture.
Anyway, I brought her about ten pickle spears and apologized my head off and I just hope that it didn't ruin her day, because shit like that really can. My tip was shit but that's because they were all rednecks and they used a fucking coupon and the concept of calculating the tip before the discount was like fucking alien to everybody who ate there.
― Handgun O. Mendocino (pullapartgirl), Thursday, 21 December 2006 02:19 (seventeen years ago) link
this is obviously not always the case, as aimchurchie says. at least once a week i'll be surprised by a large tip from black people.
i believe black people are bad tippers because (at least in this area) they are disproportionally poorer than the white minority. statistically, the average black table i serve is more likely to make $8.00 an hr than the average white table. if a black table isn't lower class, they are just as unpredictable as a white table and all the other regular modifiers apply. button up shirt and tie "business man" who is black = good. i-just-got-out-of-my-baptist-church middle class black man = bad. etc. lower class white people are just as likely to be piss poor tippers as lower class blacks people. i am just as unhappy to have a table of white rednecks with dirt under their fingers as i am to serve some black people still wearing their food lion uniforms. there's no difference.
i guess that pretty much sums up my theory on it. in summary, black people deserve their reputation for being poor tippers, but there's a reason for it and anybody who thinks it's directly related to their race is an idiot.
― hm (modestmickey), Thursday, 21 December 2006 04:17 (seventeen years ago) link
And then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The worst for me were drunk yuppie-rednecks (nee Republicans) on the lake - fifteen-plus on the patio, separate checks, ordering drinks for each other, moving around, management wouldn't let me make them pay by the drink.
― milo (milo), Thursday, 21 December 2006 04:25 (seventeen years ago) link
snapping your fingers to get my attention = i am not a dog. no tip."reminding" me to refill your drink when it is still 3/4s full = thank you for making it clear you consider me an absolute idiot. no tip.answering "how are you doing?" with "i want a jack and coke" = is that how you speak to your mother too? no tip.refusing to stop talking and give me a moment to speak when i approach you = if you don't even recognize my existence, your wallet won't either.etc, etc.
but to balance all this negativity out... yesterday i served 3 very elderly people. the man seemed somewhat rude, although the 2 women were very sweet. they were very needy. being very needy is almost always a sign of a poor tipper. they actually tipped me very well. after they left, a server told me about what they did for amanda, a girl who worked in our restaurant a year ago before i started. amanda told the 3 people (who are obviously regulars) that she is trying to go back to college. they tipped her $1,000. sometimes the world is a beautiful place.
― hm (modestmickey), Thursday, 21 December 2006 04:25 (seventeen years ago) link
I did have an experience with cross dressers that threw me for a loop. The ladies came in, en masse, from a meeting for men who are choosing to dress as women - big, burly, married cross dressers.I was polite and acceptant of their choice. To be dressed as women and their desire to be seen as women. I was running the place, and i let them use the women's room, the only caveat being if someone complained.HOWEVER - after three weeks of accomodating them and being nice, i sat down at the table with them and said: "You can carry a purse, and wear make up and wear a dress. And i respect that. but what part of cross dressing makes you think that separate checks and a 10% tip is gender specific? I'm tacking a gratuity on if you don't step up to the plate. Also, no more separate checks. Look to the person next to you - you will now be sharing a check. ok, ladies?"Cross dresser dominatrix!They loved it! But, y'know, I defended their right ( or, rather, the right they don't have), to use the ladies room - and, believe me, I had to stand up to some very angry men about it."Get those freaks outta here!"My reply? "You're the freak who's leaving if you keep up with that talk. Look, I have your beer in my hand! Want it back? Behave."I made lots of money from both sides of the gender debate.
― aimurchie (aimurchie), Thursday, 21 December 2006 04:27 (seventeen years ago) link
lesbians are the best! i love them! no (well, rarely) any kids to spend their money on. they spend their money on recreation. i love lesbians.
― hm (modestmickey), Thursday, 21 December 2006 04:33 (seventeen years ago) link
― hm (modestmickey), Thursday, 21 December 2006 04:45 (seventeen years ago) link
― remy bean (bean), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:09 (seventeen years ago) link
No one has yet presented their anecdote as a truism.
― milo (milo), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:29 (seventeen years ago) link
― forksclovetofu (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:32 (seventeen years ago) link
― hm (modestmickey), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:38 (seventeen years ago) link
Umm, judging by the rest of your post, we should be abandoning the "black people are poor tippers" notion in favor of "poor people are poor tippers" (with a related "black people are more likely to be poor").
This thread makes me wonder if servers are more likely to give the full recommended donation at museums and such.
― the pony-poop paradox (the pony-poop paradox), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:43 (seventeen years ago) link
That said, I still hate tipping for an order from any place that already charges a $5 delivery fee.
― the pony-poop paradox (the pony-poop paradox), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:53 (seventeen years ago) link
― reading murder books, tryin' to stay hip (get bent), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:58 (seventeen years ago) link
― max (maxreax), Thursday, 21 December 2006 08:10 (seventeen years ago) link
― step hen faps (Curt1s Stephens), Thursday, 21 December 2006 08:42 (seventeen years ago) link
I think it's desperately unfair that people are expected to tip because the employer won't pay a proper wage but not half as unfair as making workers reliant on the goodwill of others (who don't know them or have any context to understand where they're coming from mood-wise that day) above the cost of the product (or service). As a European, tipping is definitely seen as rewarding the individual on top of their basic salary, my understanding above is that in the US and Canada people are tipped because they are not paid properly. This is awful and open to all manner of abuse as has been shown in this thread and others.
So what do I tip? Restaurants at the very minimum 10%, even if service awful, going up to (or beyond) 20% should there be a bunch of us or if the service was fun/pleasant/just as needed. At bars, I'll tip if on holiday and I know that's what's done. I don't think I've tipped all that much in bars here, it's just not the done thing but people who bring me drinks or food at my table I tip well out of guilt at my own laziness for not going to the bar! For deliveries I round up to the nearest 5 at the bare minimum and like jbr I take into account how far they have had to travel. Plumbers or electricians I don't tip, there is no need. If the job is done well though and the disruption is minor then I'll throw in extra. Taxis I tip but have recently stopped giving as much, I don't feel that most of the time anything extra is deserved with the high cost of waving one down, the rudeness that I seem to get 7/10 and the really high rates.
I'm a great believer in money over gifts. We saw it where I worked over the past while: what use is a gift voucher for lots of dosh when I've got xmas/credit card/mortgage/etc to pay off? We are ungrateful brutes for sure but to have it for something more practical would be nice!
I come off as awfully cheap I'm sure and apologise for long post. Reading through the thread I was thinking that I was lucky to work in bars in Europe, the tips weren't great but at least I had enough to live on!
PS. My nightmare involving tipping is maths. Multiples of 10% only I'm afraid, everything else is too complicated!
― kv_nol (kv_nol), Thursday, 21 December 2006 11:55 (seventeen years ago) link
― lexpretend (lexpretend), Thursday, 21 December 2006 12:06 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ed (dali), Thursday, 21 December 2006 12:09 (seventeen years ago) link
― Venom 18, the autistic spy (flezaffe), Thursday, 21 December 2006 13:44 (seventeen years ago) link
― Handgun O. Mendocino (pullapartgirl), Thursday, 21 December 2006 13:57 (seventeen years ago) link
-- the pony-poop paradox (n!t$u...), December 21st, 2006.
i don't go to museums. i almost always give money to homeless people though. does that count?
― hm (modestmickey), Thursday, 21 December 2006 14:07 (seventeen years ago) link
-- lexpretend (lexusjee...), December 21st, 2006.
thanks. i needed one more reason to consider you an idiot.
here's a hint. first calculate 10% of the bill. you can round doing this. consider $32.57 to just be $30. 10% would be $3. then, take half of that, which in this case would be $1.50. add that to the original 10% = $4.50.
― hm (modestmickey), Thursday, 21 December 2006 14:17 (seventeen years ago) link
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. If you guys say I'm crazy, I'll stop.
― Adam Moultin (Crummy Chair), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:07 (seventeen years ago) link
My roommate just asked me to call her a cab, I asked where she was going, etc. She said that she expected the cab to cost $14, I told her I'd drive her for $8.
Do I get tipped?
― Adam Moultin (Crummy Chair), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:15 (seventeen years ago) link
Last night ate out and the bill was 30 and change. . I tipped 6.50 and then felt bad b/c that seemed kind of chintzy right here at the holidays. I should've just gave her ten. :(
― Ms Misery (MsMisery), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:44 (seventeen years ago) link
― haitch (not haitch) (haitch), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:49 (seventeen years ago) link
― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:52 (seventeen years ago) link
...on the other hand i'm not on probation
― lexpretend (lexpretend), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:58 (seventeen years ago) link
― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 21 December 2006 18:07 (seventeen years ago) link
Shit, is there a tip db
― jw (ex machina), Thursday, 21 December 2006 19:21 (seventeen years ago) link
― milo (milo), Thursday, 21 December 2006 19:25 (seventeen years ago) link
― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, 21 December 2006 20:19 (seventeen years ago) link
― milo (milo), Thursday, 21 December 2006 20:24 (seventeen years ago) link
unfortunately, then finals hit and we all moved out and completely forgot about the paper tip! aaah! we will have to do it when we get back in january. what's appropriate?
― Maria e (Maria), Friday, 22 December 2006 03:35 (seventeen years ago) link
― Joe Isuzu's Petals (Rock Hardy), Friday, 22 December 2006 03:47 (seventeen years ago) link
i get frustrated by a lot of waitstaff tho b/c i feel like i'm low-key and so they're not super attentive or whatever -- like just notice when i've got my arm sort of gently waving and take my order, and then notice it again when i want my check and otherwise whatever dude. even tho i always tip well, i feel like lots of places don't have this very basic concept down and so you get waitstaff totally preoccupied with this or that more demanding table or issue instead of first just trying to keep orders and bills straight.
― sterl clover (s_clover), Friday, 22 December 2006 03:51 (seventeen years ago) link
valet parking came with my hotel room package (in chicago)...how much do i tip the dude that brings me my car tomorrow morning? and do i give it to him or the front desk (logic is that someone else parked it and they should share, or something?
― colette (colette), Friday, 22 December 2006 04:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― PPlains (PPlains), Friday, 22 December 2006 04:10 (seventeen years ago) link
If it was me, I would. I always tip more when I expect to use a service again, and would like people to think kindly of me. I realise this is a capitalist crime: using my money to get superior service, but I don't care. I tip my hairdresser well because she cuts only my hair when she is dealing with me, she doesn't flit off to talk to other clients, she doesn't stand around chatting to other hairdressers, and she gets a great cut done quickly. That earns you a big tip in my book.
One of the nice things about working in a charity shop was that people kind of gave you tips, by putting money in the collection tin on the counter. So even though the charity got the money, we all got to feel like it was our good service that was getting that little bit extra for them.
― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Friday, 22 December 2006 08:18 (seventeen years ago) link
― suzy artskooldisko (suzy artskooldisko), Friday, 22 December 2006 13:37 (seventeen years ago) link
― obi strip (sanskrit), Friday, 22 December 2006 15:31 (seventeen years ago) link
― Joe Isuzu's Petals (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 28 December 2006 22:00 (seventeen years ago) link