Tipping Question (mrstjohnson)

mrstjohnson

Just a thought, maybe I should put one on my desk.  Whenever someone asks me to do them a favor, run some analysis etc., I should get 10%.  Considering most of my projects run between $50 - $100K, that's a pretty nice tip

You know, seriously, that IS part of how I operate at work.

No -- I don't 'tip' people I work with.  But last weekend I was at a little community 'festival' and they were selling little doily angels for $1 as Christmas ornaments.  So I got one for me, Mom, my best friend AND one for the girl I work with and her mom (who are both nice folks).  tip?  No -- just being nice and trying to be 'unexpected'.

some mornings when I financially can and it's not a hardship, I might stop for bagles and bring one to my boss and Lauren too.  On days when I know we're gonna be awesomely busy it helps everyone feel appreciated.  The boss definitely responds in kind and may send one of us out for lunch while we're on our way to the post office.

When I worked in a big firm I kept my boss's candy jar full periodically with chocolate or would drop something on someone else's desk. 

It's nearly a lost art in this day and age because people have gotten to be so 'bold' in asking for things, but just to hand someone a little surprise can go a long way to improving morale and generally making life easier for everyone. 

I'm completely convinced that random acts of kindness can help change the world a little bit.  That's a far cry from a tip jar and I didn't mean to de-rail this, but it's indicative of the attitude I was talking about.

I'm someone who has worked at local coffee shops, ice cream places, and a bakery, and I have to tell you every single penny was appreciated. I don't think people realize how much work these places are! I used my tips for gas money and parking money when I was in college!

For example, I had to be at the local coffee shop at 4:00am to put all the chairs down off the tables (which means I used to get up at 3:00am), get all the different coffees made, put out the baked good from out back, check/balance the registers, open at 5:00am, wait on people (many who were very rude and thought they could talk down to me because I was "serving" them), clean, clean the back ovens, the 15 or so coffee pots, sweep, mop, take the trash out multiple times a day, clean up after people who made a mess at the tables and left their trash there or on the floor, etc, etc, etc. BTW, I was only making minimum wage and working part time because I was in college. And if I did get a tip I always said "thank you very much" with a big smile.

Now, I don't think you're being cheap when you don't tip someone just for ringing you up. But, if they're providing a service, I think you should always tip (unless service was horrible, then talk to the manager).

Like Cita I'm not guilted by the tip jars.  I am actually not allowed to accept tips and gifts on the job, with the exception of someone having a pizza delivered to us (we weren't going to turn the pizza guy away!).  When DH and I are going out to eat, cost IS a factor so if tipping upwards of 20% or more becomes the norm we'll just eat at Panera or Subway from now on, makes no difference to me.  I have no problems with places charging gratuity for large parties, in fact, I'd almost prefer that.  Why not just make a wage a wage?  I think a "tip" should be something you give when someone has done an exceptional job, not an obligation or something you have to feel guilty about if you're not doing it the same way someone else is.  If people are being underpaid then rearrange the pay structure and/or charge more for the service.  JMHO

The one thing that mega burns me is to try to sit at a table following a "party" (sometimes with children, sometimes not) who simply had a food fight and called it a meal.  WHY do people feel like they can allow food and flatware to fall on the floor, either dropped by an adult or children, and then just walk away from it like it was going to clean itself up.  Would you do that at home? 

WHY do we call it "common" courtesy -- it's so uncommon. 

Just because you're in a coffee shop or some "little" place doesn't mean you don' t have to top. Those folks probably work HARDER than the server in the big place does -- if someone waits on you they should be compensated - their boss assumes they ARE.

calliecritturs

WHY do we call it "common" courtesy -- it's so uncommon. 

Callie, I feel the exact same way!

BTW, this topic reminds me of a show on Oprah last week on civility. Did anybody watch it? It was really good!

calliecritturs

The one thing that mega burns me is to try to sit at a table following a "party" (sometimes with children, sometimes not) who simply had a food fight and called it a meal. 

I am with you Callie - it drives me nuts.  We always do a floor check after we leave since Charlie isn't there to pick up after Riley . What amazes me is the number of people that don't do that and messes they leave - their homes must be horrific!!!

calliecritturs

   Just because you're in a coffee shop or some "little" place doesn't mean you don' t have to top. Those folks probably work HARDER than the server in the big place does -- if someone waits on you they should be compensated - their boss assumes they ARE. 

Honestly, I think I actually tip a higher percentage at these places.  It is much easier $$ wise to leave a $2.00 on a $8.00 bill (25% tip) vs. a $40 on a $200 bill (20%).  That's what usually keeps us from going out to nicer places.  It's one thing to spend $100 on a nice dinner but after you add the 20% tip ($20), plus drinks for two at the bar plus tip ($22), sitter $25, etc.  Yowza - we're talking serious cash - translated into mommy terms 10 boxes of diapers.

Liesje

Why not just make a wage a wage?  I think a "tip" should be something you give when someone has done an exceptional job, not an obligation or something you have to feel guilty about if you're not doing it the same way someone else is.  If people are being underpaid then rearrange the pay structure and/or charge more for the service. 

I kind of like the tipping system for waitstaff in restaurants the way it is right now. If the service is truly horrible, I will leave maybe 10% or $1-2 (I've only ever done this once). If the service is not good, I leave 15%. If the service is pretty good, I'll leave a little under 20%, and if it's really great, I'll leave 20%+, depending. I've noticed at many places where they "pool" the tips (as in, your tip doesn't go to your individual server, but is added with all the other tips from the evenings and redistributed evenly among all servers) the service is often sub-par - it just seems there's a lot less motivation to do a really great job.

In Europe tipping is much less formalized - it's customary to leave a very small tip, but is typically not "required." 1 or 2 euros for a typical lunch for 2 people seems pretty standard. And, in general, I found the waitstaff to seem much less helpful and eager to serve than the waitstaff in a typical American restaurant. May or may not be related, but I would guess if they're not expecting you to leave much of a tip, if anything, then they're not going to make that extra effort to be super conciliatory.

Although not having to worry about how how much to tip *would* take a lot of the stress out of going out to eat...! I wouldn't be opposed, and it would help protect waitstaff from the jerks who like to leave little to no tip at all. (My mother worked as a waitress in Newport Beach, CA when she was younger, and said often rich old men would come in with pretty little young girlfriends, then men would leave a generous tip, and the girlfriends would secretly pocket it on the way out.)

Gosh, I'm yakking my head off today, sorry... this is what happens when I "work from home" 

Can I also bring up a semi-unrelated tipping question? Would/do you tip the staff of your apartment building over the holidays? Like security guards, concierges, people like that?

In Europe tipping is much less formalized - it's customary to leave a very small tip, but is typically not "required." 1 or 2 euros for a typical lunch for 2 people seems pretty standard. And, in general, I found the waitstaff to seem much less helpful and eager to serve than the waitstaff in a typical American restaurant. May or may not be related, but I would guess if they're not expecting you to leave much of a tip, if anything, then they're not going to make that extra effort to be super conciliatory.

i had exactly the opposite experience when we were in italy. most of the wait staff in the restaurants we went to were not high school or college students (which seems to be the norm where i live). they were adults in their 30's or older. all super friendly. we got great service at all the place we went to except one. 

If the waitstaff is rude and/or really slow not only will I not tip I'll just not go to that place anymore.  Recently we had a waitress that rolled her eyes when we asked a question about a dish we never had before and when we asked about a special she badmouthed the hostess in front of us b/c the hostess told us the wrong special for the day.  When she brought our drinks she was slamming them down on the table and complaining to another waiter at the same time. The thought of leaving even a 10% tip makes me snort.  OK, maybe she had a bad day or whatever but you don't get extra money for being sub-par.  When people give me attitude, I am done.  On the contrary, I don't care if people make mistakes if they are at least trying.  I went out with my friend's once and clearly it was our waiter's first day.  He kept forgetting drinks, never brought silverware and then forget when we asked (we ended up getting it from the hostess ourselves), but he was apologetic and pleasant.  I think we gave him a 30% tip, lol.

I work in a service industry myself, so I know there are ways of compensating and motivating people without using tips.

Liesje

I work in a service industry myself, so I know there are ways of compensating and motivating people without using tips.

Yah, but I bet you get paid a decent yearly salary. People who work in the food service industry depend on your tips for their salary, not to mention all the people they have to "tip out" (like the host, bartender, bus).

I honestly make a very good living from tips....I make waaaay more than minimum wage, basically around $20/hour, so I'm happy with the tip structure the way it is...I doubt my employer is going to pay us all that much, so a switch from the way it is now, to, say, $10/hour paid by my employer would have me looking for a new line of work. It's irritating to get the occasional very low tip because I feel I work very hard, but that's the way it goes sometimes....I didn't want to give the impression that I'm complaining about it, b/c I like what I do and have been with the same restaurant for 7 years.

Cita

Can I also bring up a semi-unrelated tipping question? Would/do you tip the staff of your apartment building over the holidays? Like security guards, concierges, people like that?

Depends. Do you use them, see them, need them often? You don't have to tip money either, homemade cookies in a nice tin is thoughtful.

BlackLabbie

calliecritturs

WHY do we call it "common" courtesy -- it's so uncommon. 

Callie, I feel the exact same way!

BTW, this topic reminds me of a show on Oprah last week on civility. Did anybody watch it? It was really good!

I watched it and honestly was able to answer "no" to every question except "have you ever gossiped?" I think just about everyone said "yes" to that except the woman in the back who said she'd hit "no" by accident

One thing that will throw me off is when my hairdresser has someone helping him out. Usually they'll just wash my hair out, but it's really to save him time. I always give him a larger tip and ask him to share it with her and thank her for me (she's usually in the back room when I'm done). Still, part of me feels like she's there to make his job easier/faster more than for my benefit.

cakana

BlackLabbie

calliecritturs

WHY do we call it "common" courtesy -- it's so uncommon. 

Callie, I feel the exact same way!

BTW, this topic reminds me of a show on Oprah last week on civility. Did anybody watch it? It was really good!

I watched it and honestly was able to answer "no" to every question except "have you ever gossiped?" I think just about everyone said "yes" to that except the woman in the back who said she'd hit "no" by accident

Me too!
I felt so bad for the women who worked at the convience store when she was talking about how people toss their money at her and leave a mess at the coffee station.

 I have a tip question. My hair stylist has her own salon, no employees. She is it. She sets her fees, charges whatever for products. She collects the money pays her bills etc. I do not tip her on a regular basis because she is getting all the money (so to speak) any way. Am I wrong???

She works out of her home, so she does not pay space rent, her home is paid for she and hubby bought an old firehouse for taxes due. Ridiculously cheap. What do you think should I tip her? I do give her something around the holiday's. Thoughts?