Tipping - who, how much, and why?

[yummybrownfox]

Our local waitstaff doesn't deserve it anyway, they so blunt and rude and not professional.

Yeah, I can't see myself tipping a person who has been rude and nasty to me. I understand about the whole "But they make less than minimum wage, and are depending on those tips!" thing. However, it costs nothing to be friendly. If you treat me like I'm something beneath your shoe, do not count on getting any tip from me. I don't think I can remember ever having a rude waiter/waitress, though, so KUDOS to those men and women on a job well done (I tip at least 20%). I do, however, remember one time that I had a very rude cab driver with a horrible attitude, and I had my son in the cab with me. I'm pretty sure that jerk didn't get a tip from me. If he hadn't been an asshole, he would've gotten a 20% tip, for sure. The next time I got a driver from that cab company, I told the guy about my experience with the previous driver, and he knew right away who I was talking about because other passengers had complained about him too.

 

[Johndoe91]

Now I feel like a dick,I've never tipped for a haircut in my life. If it changes anything I always go to a big chain place and my haircuts never take more than 10 minutes...

 

[Moonsunit]

I copied this list and modded it to how I tip.

RESTAURANTS/BARS
Waiter/waitress: If the bill is $10 or less I tip $10. Bills over $10 I tip at least 20% I have been known to leave 100%+ if I had great service. If I get shit service I still tip 20% but will never be served by that server again.
Bartender: If I am paying with cash or card: $1-$2 per drink. At my local spot I run a tab and tip at the end of the night...same rate applies.
Coatroom attendant: Never dealt with one
Parking valet or garage attendant: $2-$5
Washroom attendant: $1-$2

DAILY LIFE
Taxi driver: I have never taken a taxi
Food delivery person: *Only ever had pizza delivered* up to a $25 bill I tip $5 $25 and higher I tip 20%
Grocery loader: Never dealt with one but I used to be one when I was 17 and tips ranged from $1-$20
Barber: My cut costs $15 and I tip $5
Hairdresser: Never dealt with
Shampoo person: Never dealt with one
Manicurist: Never dealt with one
Spa service (e.g., massage): Only massage i've ever had was one was paid for with tip by one of my exgirlfriends.
Staff at coffee/food retailers with tip jars: $0-?? Depends on the situation
Handyman: Never dealt with one
Gas attendant: Never dealt with one
Tattoo Artist/Piercer: Depends on the work being done
Strippers: ..oddly that also depends on the work being done

Skycap at airport: Never dealt with one
Hotel doorman: Never dealt with one
Hotel bellhop: Never dealt with one
Hotel housekeeper: $5-?? depends on if I use the service or not. Normally I put the do not disturb thing up when I check in and never use housekeeping. I hate the idea of people in my living area.
Hotel concierge: Never dealt with one
Cruise: Never been on a cruise

 

[AutumnDayKink]

It's probably because I waited tables on and off for years in college/after, but I see 20% tipping of bartenders and waiters as MINIMUM unless things have gone so so so wretchedly. Like, my server would have to directly insult me and spit in my food in front of me before I'd drop below 15% on the bill (of course, I'd ALSO want to see a manager, BUT...). I tip 15% even if my service is relatively dissatisfactory - and I can usually tell what is the kitchen's fault vs what is the floor/server's fault. I won't punish a bartender/server for kitchen speed or fuckery.

I get my nails done (a complex, 2-hour process with acrylics and gel polish) about once a month and a pedicure every 2-3 months. I almost always go to the same place and see one of the same three women. I think they all like me/fight over me BECAUSE I tip heinously well. I tend to do 20-30% for their services, because it's quite detail-oriented, time-consuming, and something I just can't do for myself! I also think they probably don't get paid too well.

I always tip delivery drivers. Even just 10% if it's all I have. But that's money that they get to pocket and I think they deserve, especially in rotten weather! In bad weather/for big orders/late nights/dodgy neighborhoods, I usually tip drivers more.

My problem is that I don't usually carry cash. It's just not something that I do. So if I encountered a situation at, say, a hotel, I don't generally have cash on hand for the bellhop and I feel like a jerkbutt!

 

[AerieLovee]

Restaurants always get a minimum of $5, depending on their service I'll tip higher than that.
Baristas I try to leave at least a dollar for if I have it, because I used to be one and to all the people saying "at least they make minimum wage" that still SUCKS. Lots of them can't get the hours that they need to support themselves, don't look down on them based on any of that. I mean if they're an asshole, then don't tip, but I was cheery and pleasant 90% of the time and worked almost 40 hours a week and made $3 in tips a night. It sucked.
The two times I've gotten tattoos, I tipped my artist 35% or more.
Nails, I tip 10% usually.
I don't go to bars and I'm not old enough to drink, so nothing on that front.
I try to tip as much as I can if I have it, good karma.

 

[Crumb]

my tipping is fairly consistent and not percentage based.
being in Canada, everyone is making at least minimum wage, so i don't feel obligated to tip so they can earn a living. I don't respond well to the sob story's that their employer's aren't paying enough, so I have to compensate (that's not a gratuity) for them. if you don't like the hourly wage you're getting, go find a different one.

that said... if my service in restaurants is good, $5... if she's cute, maybe a couple bucks more i tip on mfc so yeah, this shouldn't be a surprise
taxi's - usually round up to the nearest 5. being a part time cabbie myself, 2-3 dollars per trip would be awesome.
gas attendant's - if they check my oil and wash my windshield... no tip if they just pump the gas.
counter service- gets my coin (again, in Canada, as we have loonies and twoonies, they don't get those, just the silver)
my barber will usually get a 5, 10 if i'm getting a hot towel straight razor shave

and it should also be said, if service is shit... no tip, none.. not even if she's cute.

 

[AutumnDayKink]

my tipping is fairly consistent and not percentage based.
being in Canada, everyone is making at least minimum wage...

I didn't know this about Canada, and it's nice to learn! I wish the US would up its Minimum Wage a little and raise the tip-based salaries of service people.

 

[LuxVendetta]

I tip anywhere from 30-50% simply because I've worked in the service industry before. It's my way of saying I feel your pain. I know sometimes just one decent tip can be the difference between a good day or a bad one.

I always give delivery drivers 50%. Drivers are paid less than minimum wage and don't get a single cent of that delivery fee, which a lot of people don't realize. Gas/car maintenance is expensive when you're pushing your car to the limit daily for up to 12 hours at a time. Not to mention, they're risking their lives getting you that pizza. I went through 4 different cars over the course of 5 years while delivering pizza. I was also in 4 different car accidents (none were my fault). 1 resulted in my car being totaled by a driver with no insurance. And don't get me started on delivering in bad weather. Fun stuff. Tip your drivers well! *end rant*

 

[UncleThursday]

Waitstaff: Normally 20% or more, if the service is good.

Tattoos: generally $100 tip per session (ends up being 30% for most sessions).

Coffee shops: Don't go to them.

Bars: $1 per beer, so that can be anywhere from 30%+ depending on specials.

Delivery: I don't have things delivered, I go pick them up.

 

[shylittlebrat]

So I couldn't really say how much I usually tip for various places. I think it's probably 20-30% with restaurants and hair dressers, but I don't have much experience with needing to tip anywhere else.

I do, however, want to very tearfully thank everyone in this thread who said that they tip waiters and waitresses well. I worked as a waitress at a small bar and grill for a while, making a whopping $2.50 an hour, and because I was the newest waitress, I got the worst shifts. So there would be days I'd work a whole 5 hour shift and get zero tables. So thank you, so much, to you awesome tippers.

 

[LittleLei]

A decade ago when I had my first job and paying for things on my own, I was taught 15% was the number for all tipping services. Now that I'm in my mid twenties I now tip 20%+

I hardly ever have my hair serviced and the previous sessions were from friends who gave me a discount. I sort of just winged it more than 20%, but this weekend I have an appointment with a new gal who is my friend's stylist and I have no clue what the average tip percentage is for a one hr haircut. Halp? What is an appropriate amount to tip?

Does 20% sound reasonable?

 

[Sophia Rose]

I would only tip if I was provided good service, for example at a restaurant, if the food is good and the waiter/waitress has been nice and asked if we'd like anything else etc, then yeah, I'd normally leave a £10 tip. Also, I'd tip the chef in person as sometimes the waiters/waitresses keep the tips for themselves, so always make sure back of house gets them tips too! (my partner works as a chef and this happens quite often where tips are not shared)

 

[Gen]

A decade ago when I had my first job and paying for things on my own, I was taught 15% was the number for all tipping services. Now that I'm in my mid twenties I now tip 20%+

I hardly ever have my hair serviced and the previous sessions were from friends who gave me a discount. I sort of just winged it more than 20%, but this weekend I have an appointment with a new gal who is my friend's stylist and I have no clue what the average tip percentage is for a one hr haircut. Halp? What is an appropriate amount to tip?

Does 20% sound reasonable?

I think so!! That's around what I usually tip!

 

[Osmia]

This is such a can of worms. Anytime a discussion like this happens on the Internet, there are people who dislike various aspects of tipping, and there are others who make their livings from tips. Those opposing perspectives often lead to "spirited" discussions.

As someone who lives in the USA, where tipping is especially prevalent, I can say that I tip the customary amounts in situations where it's customary to tip.

What I don't like is the seemingly never-ending expansion of the number and variety of people, businesses and services who want to be tipped. This is soooo aggravating because I don't want to have to think about whether and how much to tip every time I buy something.

What I want is to be able to buy stuff where all of the costs are reflected in the sale price. I pay that--no thinking needed--and leave. Of course, the prices would often be higher to reflect the fact that the restaurant server (for example) is now being compensated adequately. That's fine. If this no-tip brave new world comes about, there would be some servers who are especially good at their jobs who would have made more money under the old system (tip based). I don't know how this would be addressed, and tbh, I don't care, because the free market and/or the government will work it out.

When I was in junior or high school, I worked a couple of summers bagging groceries and carrying them out. We were tipped. Nowadays, at the grocery stores I go to, there is no tipping, and that's the way it should be for that type of work.

 

[yummybrownfox]

What I don't like is the seemingly never-ending expansion of the number and variety of people, businesses and services who want to be tipped. This is soooo aggravating because I don't want to have to think about whether and how much to tip every time I buy something.

What I want is to be able to buy stuff where all of the costs are reflected in the sale price. I pay that--no thinking needed--and leave. Of course, the prices would often be higher to reflect the fact that the restaurant server (for example) is now being compensated adequately. That's fine. If this no-tip brave new world comes about, there would be some servers who are especially good at their jobs who would have made more money under the old system (tip based). I don't know how this would be addressed, and tbh, I don't care, because the free market and/or the government will work it out.

When I was in junior or high school, I worked a couple of summers bagging groceries and carrying them out. We were tipped. Nowadays, at the grocery stores I go to, there is no tipping, and that's the way it should be for that type of work.

I agree with you. And a tip jar at Dunkin Donuts too? Come on now. Aren't we getting a wee bit carried away here? I will definitely always tip servers and food delivery people though...no doubt about that.

I paid $300 to have a caricature artist at my son's party (in addition to the rate I paid for the party itself), and as the party was ending I realized that I had no idea if you're supposed to tip him. Since I wasn't sure, I gave him a tip. From the stunned look on his face and his "Thank you so much! I appreciate this!", maybe it wasn't the norm for him to get tips? I don't know.

 

[Mila_]

Are we seriously supposed to tip the barista? now I feel like a jerk

My tipping habit depends on 3 factors: where in the world is Carmen Sandiego, how happy I left, what kind of service it was.

In Spain and most of Europe: Tipping in Europe is completely optional and tends to be in the coin format. Nobody expects you to tip, they don't act thankful if you do either, so it is pointless. At restaurants I pay my bill and leave any small coins I don't want to take with me. You don't tip taxis in Europe and I will tip €5 to hotel staff when they bring up my bags (not room service though). You also tip hairdressers between 2 to 5 euros for a haircut.

In South America: In most countries a tip of 10% at restaurants is expected. Sometimes they include service in the bill. You do not tip taxi drivers but you do tip hairdressers about a buck or two. Delivery guys you tip coins to.

In the US: In restaurants I ballpark about 20% but I round down. So if my bill is $36 I go "3x2=6" and that is what I tip. If the service is exceptional or I am a regular at the place I will round up. I tip my hairdressers according to how happy I feel with the haircut. Last time I paid $70 and gave the guy the $30 left on the $100 bill. He wasn't very nice but gave me a really great haircut. With taxi drivers I give them whatever change is left providing it is reasonable and I didn't pay with a hundred dollar bill. I tip a universal fiver to all delivery people.

In Canada: I lived in Vancouver for a year but I actually missed the introductory lesson so I mostly tipped like I tip in the US. Have no clue if I overtipped everyone around me for a year or not?

In Japan: you don't tip anyone in Japan, they will feel extremely insulted, apologize profusely and give you the bill back. They consider the way they perform their jobs a point of honor and tipping makes them feel like you think they didn't do good or that they need to get paid more.

 

[Osmia]

Are we seriously supposed to tip the barista? now I feel like a jerk

My tipping habit depends on 3 factors: where in the world is Carmen Sandiego, how happy I left, what kind of service it was.

In Spain and most of Europe: Tipping in Europe is completely optional and tends to be in the coin format. Nobody expects you to tip, they don't act thankful if you do either, so it is pointless. At restaurants I pay my bill and leave any small coins I don't want to take with me. You don't tip taxis in Europe and I will tip €5 to hotel staff when they bring up my bags (not room service though). You also tip hairdressers between 2 to 5 euros for a haircut.

In South America: In most countries a tip of 10% at restaurants is expected. Sometimes they include service in the bill. You do not tip taxi drivers but you do tip hairdressers about a buck or two. Delivery guys you tip coins to.

In the US: In restaurants I ballpark about 20% but I round down. So if my bill is $36 I go "3x2=6" and that is what I tip. If the service is exceptional or I am a regular at the place I will round up. I tip my hairdressers according to how happy I feel with the haircut. Last time I paid $70 and gave the guy the $30 left on the $100 bill. He wasn't very nice but gave me a really great haircut. With taxi drivers I give them whatever change is left providing it is reasonable and I didn't pay with a hundred dollar bill. I tip a universal fiver to all delivery people.

In Canada: I lived in Vancouver for a year but I actually missed the introductory lesson so I mostly tipped like I tip in the US. Have no clue if I overtipped everyone around me for a year or not?

In Japan: you don't tip anyone in Japan, they will feel extremely insulted, apologize profusely and give you the bill back. They consider the way they perform their jobs a point of honor and tipping makes them feel like you think they didn't do good or that they need to get paid more.

If I get in the mood, I think I'll do some reading on the history, economics and social psychology of tipping. It's an interesting topic, especially given the wide variations in tipping behavior across cultures.

Someone upthread posted a long list of goods and services and the amounts he tips them. The list might be a good resource to carry around, but I just can't wrap my head around the sheer number of tipping situations, with their variations in amounts, and the unwritten rules for each (tip the pizza guy X percent, but if it's raining or he's driving a POS, double it, or whatever), and how subjective and driven by individual attitudes the rules are. When you step back and look at the forest and not the trees, it seems ridiculous to the point of absurdity.

For me, the issue with tips is that they are assumed to be, in effect, mandatory in those situations where tipping is customary. I would much rather just pay a little more to the business when I make a purchase (enough extra to make up for the absence of the customary tip), and pay it in one transaction. We are always free to voluntarily reward a job well done with an added bonus.

Finally, I'm not sure if this has been brought up, but to me, MFC "tips" most of the time aren't really tips like the ones this thread is discussing. Maybe they should be renamed. They are a form of payment for services rendered/requested (the only form of official payment). MFC tokens can be used in a true tip-like manner (e.g., the "just because" tip).

 

[Mila_]

If I get in the mood, I think I'll do some reading on the history, economics and social psychology of tipping. It's an interesting topic, especially given the wide variations in tipping behavior across cultures.

Someone upthread posted a long list of goods and services and the amounts he tips them. The list might be a good resource to carry around, but I just can't wrap my head around the sheer number of tipping situations, with their variations in amounts, and the unwritten rules for each (tip the pizza guy X percent, but if it's raining or he's driving a POS, double it, or whatever), and how subjective and driven by individual attitudes the rules are. When you step back and look at the forest and not the trees, it seems ridiculous to the point of absurdity.

For me, the issue with tips is that they are assumed to be, in effect, mandatory in those situations where tipping is customary. I would much rather just pay a little more to the business when I make a purchase (enough extra to make up for the absence of the customary tip), and pay it in one transaction. We are always free to voluntarily reward a job well done with an added bonus.

Finally, I'm not sure if this has been brought up, but to me, MFC "tips" most of the time aren't really tips like the ones this thread is discussing. Maybe they should be renamed. They are a form of payment for services rendered/requested (the only form of official payment). MFC tokens can be used in a true tip-like manner (e.g., the "just because" tip).

The reason I love the concept of tipping is because it gives an incentive for waitstaff to please you. In countries where tips are not expected like in Europe you tend to get shittier service, the waiters know they will get their salary regardless of how they treat you. This could be fixed if the owners would be free to fire and hire as they see fit, it would be a matter of finding the right staff, but in Europe laws are so draconian that there are heavy penalties for laying off an employee that could make a business go bankrupt. So they are stuck with the person they first hired.

The exception is Japan. The difference is that the incentive to do your job well in Japan is cultural. There is a very thick social expectation to perform to the best of your capacities in Japan and if you are seen as someone who slacks off you get shamed and shunned. So in this scenario you replace the positive monetary incentive by a negative social punishment. In both cases you are rewarding and punishing behaviors. Perhaps the only difference is with tips you get to set the standard individually while with Japan it is set collectively and quite hard to change.

Naturally tips only work as a positive reinforcement when people don't assume they are actually mandatory. Which is my main problem with some people who think you should tip 20% even if you get treated like dirt, you simply "never again go to that establishment". But that defeats the whole purpose of tipping, if you assume that you need to tip everyone a standard 20%. When I get treated really poorly I tip nothing. If I get mediocre service I tip 10%. I only tip 20% when I am really satisfied, and if the waitstaff went above and beyond, only then, do I tip more than 20%.

 

[Ms_Diane]

I try to tip generously when I can afford it, a habit that definitely comes from having worked in the service industry a lot. In my experience people usually tip 15-20% in the restaurants and .025-$2 in the cafes I've worked at. Having said that, if someone got shitty service, from me or the kitchen, like if I made a mistake with their order or something, i try to make up for it by comping drinks or something and won't be surprised to get a smaller tip. Same with the tips I give out. It sucks though when you get a demanding customer who tips poorly.

So obviously I am a firm believer in tipping baristas. I have been one and could not have lived off of min wage and barista sized tips. I always had a second job. Also we were always losing good workers to bars cause of the money. Honestly, I don't get why people are cool with throwing down a buck for every beer they buy but won't tip .25 for a coffee, especially when people buy one coffee and park themselves in the café for 3 hours. And there you have the common gripe of the barista.

Something I find frustrating is that you never know how tips are divided up. Sometimes the kitchen gets zero, or a percentage or half of all tips. I wish this was a bit more standardized. All the kitchens I've worked in get tipped out something and it sucks when people think they are only tipping for service, or maybe this is changing? But I get that a lot of people feel they are only tipping for table service and not the rest of the staff. Or maybe people think the wages in the kitchen are better? Well, they aren't!

Its true that in Canada servers make minimum wage unless the place is licensed to serve alcohol, then it is lower but even minimum wage isn't enough to live on so I think tips are still really needed by people in those jobs.

The history of tips would be interesting to know more about. Also how we value different kinds of work is probably directly related to its value historically. I wonder if tipping habits will change as more places start having a "living wage".

 

[Osmia]

The reason I love the concept of tipping is because it gives an incentive for waitstaff to please you. In countries where tips are not expected like in Europe you tend to get shittier service, the waiters know they will get their salary regardless of how they treat you. This could be fixed if the owners would be free to fire and hire as they see fit, it would be a matter of finding the right staff, but in Europe laws are so draconian that there are heavy penalties for laying off an employee that could make a business go bankrupt. So they are stuck with the person they first hired.....

You're right about the incentivizing role of tips, and that could be a problem in places like restaurants where a large percentage of the "user experience" derives from the service, or lack thereof.

However, it should still be possible, under the higher-wage, no-tipping regime I suggested, to voluntarily reward a particularly good waitress (for example). The key is that it would be voluntary, and therefore it would actually mean something. I just object to the way tipping has become a de facto requirement (and how complicated and socially fraught it is). Another word for a tip is "gratuity," which I'm guessing is related to "gratuitous," meaning unnecessary.

 

[Mila_]

So obviously I am a firm believer in tipping baristas. I have been one and could not have lived off of min wage and barista sized tips. I always had a second job. Also we were always losing good workers to bars cause of the money. Honestly, I don't get why people are cool with throwing down a buck for every beer they buy but won't tip .25 for a coffee, especially when people buy one coffee and park themselves in the café for 3 hours. And there you have the common gripe of the barista.

Okay I am definitely missing something here. What do you guys mean by the term "barista"? Is it the person handling the coffee machine and making your drink (i.e the guy who calls your name at Starbucks?) or are we talking about sitting down cafés with waitresses that bring you coffee to your table and this is the person you call "barista"? Do any of you tip the drink makers at Starbucks? I never ever had. However I tip 20% at "sitting down" cafés since I consider them "waitresses". I am so confused.

 

[Osmia]

Something I find frustrating is that you never know how tips are divided up. Sometimes the kitchen gets zero, or a percentage or half of all tips. I wish this was a bit more standardized. All the kitchens I've worked in get tipped out something and it sucks when people think they are only tipping for service, or maybe this is changing? But I get that a lot of people feel they are only tipping for table service and not the rest of the staff. Or maybe people think the wages in the kitchen are better? Well, they aren't!

This is exactly what I'm talking about. I go into a restaurant to pick up an order I had called in, and the hostess or whoever handles it, retrieves my meal from the kitchen and I pay her. In the particular restaurant I'm thinking of, there's a tip jar, and a line for tips on the credit card slip. Until a few years ago, I never tipped in these situations because I thought "they weren't really doing anything," just ringing up the order and taking payment. Then I read some discussion forums on the topic and realized this person may be reliant on tips also (due to below minimum wage), and that there may be other restaurant staff who typically fall between the cracks who may be sharing in that tip. So, I started tipping 10 - 15 percent in those situations.

But the point is, why should I have to understand all these intricacies of the restaurant business, or worry about whether the tip I give is being equitably distributed? There's just so much unnecessary complication. All I want to do is pay for my food.

Here's an analogy: at the grocery store, I buy organic, free-range chicken, mainly because it makes me feel better about myself, and about the chickens, lol.. It's more expensive, but it's worth it to me. In the same way, I would be glad to pay higher prices at the restaurant if I knew the staff (all of them) were being compensated adequately and fairly.

 

[Gen]

Okay I am definitely missing something here. What do you guys mean by the term "barista"? Is it the person handling the coffee machine and making your drink (i.e the guy who calls your name at Starbucks?) or are we talking about sitting down cafés with waitresses that bring you coffee to your table and this is the person you call "barista"? Do any of you tip the drink makers at Starbucks? I never ever had. However I tip 20% at "sitting down" cafés since I consider them "waitresses". I am so confused.

By barista I mean the person behind the Starbucks counter, yeah. I usually toss a quarter or a loonie in. If I pay debit and it prompts me, I'll often tip $1 (but I hate being debit prompted).

 

[Behemoth]

I never really factor in how much, but I tip generously, but would entirely be supportive of switching to a system where tipping is unnecessary. IE: I'd generally speaking rather a resturants and other businesses just pay more, and not tip, if only because it's easier all around, for the same reason I don't haggle at car dealerships. I don't want to. I could, I've done it before, I've seen it done even better than I can, but I've no interest in it.

Simplicity.

But, as we don't live in that world, I tip liberally, admittedly even more so if its a common place I go to or order from, because it's reciprocal. You get better continued service from folks, and the tipped folks are better off. Win/win.

 

[LuckySmiles]

I do 20% + at restaurants. Dollar a drink or 20%+ on bar tabs. And $5 minimum for food delivery. More if it's snowing or something.

But the tattoo/hair dresser one's always hard because those things can get expensive as hell. Another lifetime ago I got hair extensions. (2010 I grew it out since, it was super short then) And the cost was about $600 something and my friend said you're still supposed to tip 20% and it's like damn... the girl who did it, did them out of her home salon. The hair itself was like $300-ish for her to buy) But I think I gave her at least like $750 by the end of the day.
I know... I know...on hair. crazy times.

But hair I generally do a flat $20 and costs range me from $60-$120 these days. If there's a separate shampoo person they get $5 too. That's the best part!!

Furniture delivery people and stuff like that also usually get $20 or something. Quick Oil change palces I'll do $5 usually. And I go to cheapo drive thru car washes (like $4) So I always give a dollar to the pre-wash people Or the hand towel dry people depending what the place has. It's always younger teenage guys working these places that flirt and I feel like a huge cougar tipping them. heh heh

 

[Osmia]

....But, as we don't live in that world, I tip liberally, admittedly even more so if its a common place I go to or order from, because it's reciprocal. You get better continued service from folks, and the tipped folks are better off. Win/win.

I feel that my tips "count for more" when it's a frequently recurring purchase. They know me and my purchasing/tipping history, and as a result they will usually accommodate special requests, work me in to see them at the last minute, etc. In these situations, the tip is a genuine expression of appreciation, and it leads to an implied understanding between the two parties that I will get better, more attentive service than someone who walks in off the street, and that they will get my continued business.

OTOH, due to the lack of an ongoing relationship, a tip to an average server at a restaurant that I don't go to very often feels like I'm just helping pay his or her salary, which ideally I should be able to do just by paying the restaurant for the meal.

 

[Behemoth]

I mean, I tip folks anyway because I frankly feel like it. Being able to help a person, even in a small way, is nice. I give folks money on the street for the same reason. Folks may be cynical and talk about the person just wasting the money, which may be true, but that isn't on me then.

 

[SaffronBurke]

Lol. Silly credit card company, that's my normal tip size!

But really. The fuck. Why are you emailing me over how much I tipped. And the way the email is worded is just weird.

 

[Osmia]

Lol. Silly credit card company, that's my normal tip size!

But really. The fuck. Why are you emailing me over how much I tipped. And the way the email is worded is just weird.

View attachment 64864

That is weird. And the tip doesn't seem truly excessive. I mean, if your pizza was $13 and you tipped $100.... Maybe there's been a rash of tip fraud (whatever that means). Maybe restaurant staff are editing peoples' signed charge slips. Idk.

 

[LuckySmiles]

That is weird. And the tip doesn't seem truly excessive. I mean, if your pizza was $13 and you tipped $100.... Maybe there's been a rash of tip fraud (whatever that means). Maybe restaurant staff are editing peoples' signed charge slips. Idk.

as a former bar manager our computers used to require manager approval for entering tips over a certain percentage of the bill. That's not a huge tip but it's over 30% so that's prob the credit card company's default alert amount.