Comments on: Tipping – Getting out of hand?

By: The Unofficial Christmas Tip List - Studenomics

The Unofficial Christmas Tip List - Studenomics — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:11:53 +0000

[...] The Unofficial Christmas Tip List Dec.05, 2008 in Debt The reason this is the unofficial Christmas tip list is because I am 100% sure that I am going to miss a few people. Why? Because tipping these days is at the point where there is no limits in regards to who you must tip. The reason I have been thinking about all this tipping going on these days is because of an article at Gather Little by Little entitled Tipping- Getting out of hand? [...]

By: Roger Hamilton

Roger Hamilton — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:57:04 +0000

Tip only what you want. Don’t ever be forced to tip.

By: Erin

Erin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:13:12 +0000

I feel the same way about tipping — it has become ubiquitous in our society, in areas where it is surely not necessary. Other than actual restaurant servers and pizza delivery folk, I tip very rarely. I’ve worked in burger shops and other places where you might see a tip jar. I definitely got paid enough. No, these people don’t make a LOT of money, but it is an EASY JOB!! I did it for years, and it’s easy! If it were incredibly taxing and difficult, the pay would be better. So no, they don’t need tips. That’s just greed. Save your tip for the person who goes waaay out of their way to help you, who gives extraordinary service. People who are just doing their job get paid for just that. They don’t need tips.
(I know I sound like a crotchety old git here — I’m just 27.)

By: Deane

Deane — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:55:35 +0000

You know, the more I think about how much money I am giving away every month tipping, the more I am rethinking th eway I tip.

1st let me say, we eat out regularly, and I don’t always tip the same. If I receive excellent service I will leave an excellent tip, if my glass never gets filled and my food is cool when it gets to the table, well after I talk to the manager I leave my 15% tip.

But that is not the only place that we tip. My husband and 2 sons get their hair cut every other weekend. My husbands hair cut is $18, my sons are $12 each so $42 bucks right? No, my husbands leave an additional $5 for each hair dresser. So that $42 not cost me $57 for 3 minute hair cuts…..
This alone cost me an additional $30 a month, for someone to do their job.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:02:59 +0000

An interesting discussion. I always tip wait staff well if they do good service. For them, I have a standard that if they are good, they get it, if they are poor, it will be less but not terribly small, and if they are exceptional, I tip more. Having known people in that industry I’m aware of their wage issues, the requirement to share the tip with other staff, and the assumption the IRS makes about the amount of tips they should earn. I also tip pizza delivery and taxi service.

Actually I hate tipping as a standard. It was meant to be something extra for good service, but the greedy restaurant owners forced us into tipping. Now, of course, even restaurant owners who would prefer to pay real wages can’t because of competition. It is a very vicious circle and as you point out we are being solicted left and right.

By: Bobbie

Bobbie — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:01:24 +0000

OOOh Bonnie, that would be annoying! Of course then, I don’t like to be manipulated.
I do tip, but I would like to see the attitudes of the servers changed so that again, it is for excellent service rendered and not something they will entitled to.

By: It’s Never Too Late « Two Working Parents

It’s Never Too Late « Two Working Parents — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:56:13 +0000

[...] Little By Little talks about tipping getting out of hand and about his expensive new family [...]

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:49:06 +0000

I live in Australia and don’t tip unless I get great service. Why should I have to pay extra for someone to just do their job properly? Here I guess wait staff/other service staff get an award wage so we are never pressured into tipping. Whenever I tip I will round it up to the nearest 5$ for a cafe and up to nearest 10$ for a restaurant.

I have noticed a recent trend though which annoys the hell out of me and that is say, if your meal costs 9$ and you pay for it with a $20 note, the waitress will bring back 11$ in coins instead of a $10 note and a $1 coin, obviously hoping you will tip more instead of bothering to scoop all the coins up. I usually leave no tip then ;(

By: MITBeta @ Don't Feed The Alligators

MITBeta @ Don't Feed The Alligators — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:04:41 +0000

What bugs me is when take-out only places, like sandwich shops, have the line on the credit slip — just like in a restaurant — that says: TIP:_______

I’ve never been expected to tip the counter person at a take out place before, but now there it is on the credit slip. So to be sure that nobody fills that line in after the fact, I line out the space for the tip and write the total below. The problem is that now it looks and feels like I’m going out of my way to not tip. It’s one thing to not throw change in a jar, but to actively line out the tip line feels like I’m going above and beyond avoidance, especially when the counter person is standing there watching me fill out the slip.

Anita brings up a question with which I always struggle: what to tip at a buffet? It seems like the waitperson has less work to do, but is that true? Then again, in many restaurants today the waitperson doesn’t even bring the food — kitchen staff do. I guess that’s why the tip gets shared all around?

By: university_student_21

university_student_21 — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 06:07:23 +0000

I am a student who has worked in the service industry for 3 years (in my summers.) I find the tipping arguement really interesting and i think opinions really change once a person has worked for that industry.
I do not tip at fast-food, and rarely at coffee shops unless its small change.

I do tip at restaurants, hair cuts, and taxi services. I ONLY TIP at a restaurant when I feel that i have properly been served. As a waitress myself I know when I am recieving great service.

ON AN IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: AS A WAITRESS, IF I SERVE YOU… REGARDLESS OF WHAT TIP YOU LEAVE, I MUST PAYOUT A CERTAIN % OF WHAT I SOLD TO THE KITCHEN, WAITSTAFF AND BARTENDER. THIS MEANS ITS UNFAIR TO NOT TIP A WELL-DESERVING WAITRESS OTHERWISE THEY LOSE MONEY ON THE MEAL.