Tipping

[skipro33]

It's a cultural thing in NZ, I don't see how complaining is going to do anything but give you a puzzled look. They see nothing odd about it. Happened at any fast food to steakhouse. Food isn't cheap over there because of no tipping either. A fast food burger joint is going to run about $20US per person. Ketchup for your fries is extra. Any condiment is an extra charge. Oh, and ketchup isn't ketchup like here in the USA.

As far as other businesses, they were great with service. No teens with their smart phones ignoring you, these were adults wearing suits and ties for men and dresses with nylons and heels for women. Even at a compounding shop (drug store, they actually do hand make their prescription drugs) where I was looking for some nasal spray, the clerk approached me and asked if she could help me with anything. Imagine going into a CVS or Walgreens and the Pharmacist came out to ask you if they could help you. Doesn't happen. Need help, you have to go look for them and they'll be behind their counter ignoring you as they fill other prescriptions.

So it is different, but I prefer to tip and keep my wait staff on their toes.

 

[tmm99]

Been to New Zealand where they don't tip. And it shows! Service stinks. If a meal or dish is brought out cold, for example, they don't care one way or another. Found a hair in your salad? Meh... Pick it out if it bothers you because they will, then bring you back the exact same salad. Like a refill on a beverage? Good luck with that.
No thank you, I'd rather have wait staff that is going to treat me as if I may be a big tipper.

Go to Japan. They don't tip there either, but their services are fine. This must be a cultural thing though. I went to a 7-Eleven in Tokyo last March and asked for a direction to the nearest grocery store. The clerk didn't know, and he asked me to wait. He went to talk to his manager, came back, and he went outside with me and showed me exactly how to get to it. Some kind of miracle in my book.

 

[Corporateburnout]

We usually tip 20% to 30% of the total bill depending on the service. In the places we frequent 30% is the norm and higher around the Holidays. We usually get excellent service all of the time.

It makes us feel good to see the smiles on the waiting staff faces. And since we can afford it why not.

This thread reminded me of a former boss who also believed that waiting staff doesn't deserve a 20% tip if the bill is large. On business trips he would leave a $50 tip on a $500 bill. Even though our company's tip allowance was 18% . Talk about cheap.......

 

[Music Lover]

This thread reminded me of a former boss who also believed that waiting staff doesn't deserve a 20% if the bill is large. On some business trips he would leave a $50 tip on a $500 bill. Even though the company's tip allowance was 18% . Talk about cheap.......

I agree with your boss...tipping 18% or 20% on large bills is ridiculous. The server carries drinks and food to your table. It's an entry level job that high school students can do with one day of training.

All that server needs is 5 tables in the entire night with a bill that large and no other tables at all to earn $500. Over 200 nights that's $100,000. They're servers...they're not brain surgeons.

 

[Corporateburnout]

I agree with your boss...tipping 18% or 20% on large bills is ridiculous. The server carries drinks and food to your table. It's an entry level job that high school students can do with one day of training.

All that server needs is 5 tables in the entire night with a bill that large and no other tables at all to earn $500. Over 200 nights that's $100,000. They're servers...they're not brain surgeons.

It may be ridiculous to you but most servers in high end restaurants don't have 5 tables a night to serve. 5 large tables are impossible to serve when you have pre dinner cocktails, wine, appetizers, entrees and desert for a three hour dinner.

 

[Corporateburnout]

I agree with your boss...tipping 18% or 20% on large bills is ridiculous. The server carries drinks and food to your table. It's an entry level job that high school students can do with one day of training.

All that server needs is 5 tables in the entire night with a bill that large and no other tables at all to earn $500. Over 200 nights that's $100,000. They're servers...they're not brain surgeons.

Also that's exactly the reason why most high end restaurants add a 18% gratuity to the bill of a large group to prevent cheap people from tipping less.

 

[MichaelB]

BLS 2016 data for waiters and waitresses show a median wage of $9.61 per hour / $18360 annual, and the 90% percentile is $18.49 per hour and $38460 annual. This is pretty far below the median US income.

 

[travelover]

BLS 2016 data for waiters and waitresses show a median wage of $9.61 per hour / $18360 annual, and the 90% percentile is $18.49 per hour and $38460 annual. This is pretty far below the median US income.

Are these reported incomes or actual incomes?

 

[sengsational]

I'm going to ask each server for their previous year 1040 before I leave a tip

 

[W2R]

I'm going to ask each server for their previous year 1040 before I leave a tip

Yes, I don't tip depending on their income either. Being a waiter or waitress is hard, exhausting work, and involves dealing with customers who may or may not be just plain mean to the wait staff. Regardless of income, I always assume that the waiter or waitress genuinely needs the money or he/she would not be there.

In my opinion, any waiter or waitress who does a mediocre to great job deserves a decent tip regardless of income. Who knows, those at high end restaurants who might earn more, also might have a dozen kids depending on that income. We never "stiff" the wait staff, no matter how awful the service is, although once, maybe twice, we reduced the tip by a dollar but those were extreme cases.

 

[Milton]

We dine out a place that asks that the tips be left in cash when the bill is put on a CC. We never do it. If they have a problem, it is not with us.

Agreed. Mentioning how they want to be tipped is just tacky.

In the places we frequent 30% is the norm and higher around the Holidays.

Is that just a guess, or do you really know what percentage other customers at those places are tipping? If so, how?

This thread reminded me of a former boss who also believed that waiting staff doesn't deserve a 20% tip if the bill is large. On business trips he would leave a $50 tip on a $500 bill. Even though our company's tip allowance was 18%. Talk about cheap.......

That's certainly one perspective. Another would be that your boss didn't believe in living large on the company dime. Talk about looking out for shareholders' interests.

 

[marko]

Another would be that your boss didn't believe in living large on the company dime. Talk about looking out for shareholders' interests.

Off thread, but: We had a guy like that. This is when it's bad to do good. He'd stay at Motel 6 while the rest of us were at the Four Seasons.

He eventually was taken aside and told that it was an "image" thing and it looked bad for the company to stay in cheap hotels.

 

[Corporateburnout]

Is that just a guess, or do you really know what percentage other customers at those places are tipping? If so, how?

That's certainly one perspective. Another would be that your boss didn't believe in living large on the company dime. Talk about looking out for shareholders' interests.

I don't know what others tip and I don't care but I was talking about us.

As for him caring about the company dime, he usually ordered the most expensive item on the menu and had the most drinks, then stiffed the wait staff.....

 

[MichaelB]

Are these reported incomes or actual incomes?

Most of the restaurants are chains, and they track and account for all the money carefully. The BLS data on income includes gratuities.

 

[BeachOrCity]

With the holidays approaching I can’t wait for the imformative news segment telling me all the people I need to tip and how much. Their subject matter experts are the people in the industries receiving the tips! Talk about a racket!

While tipping everywhere is out of control for servilce workers making tipping wage I do believe the 20 percent for good service is the standard and should be folllowed unless an adjustment is in order. If you plan to tip less than 15 percent because of poor service you should have complained at the restaurant and given then a chance to correct.

The only people I know who tip 30 percent are regulars who are playing a “comp” game with the bartenders and wait staff in the exchange for freebies etc.

 

[Sunset]

I have to wonder if tipping encourages the staff to bend/break the rules of the business. like giving freebies (food/drink) to customers at the expense of the restaurant.

After all the customers are paying the majority of the waiter's salary, probably 80% or more, so in effect they are working for us, the customer, and not the employer.

Occasionally we have gotten extra generous things, like a full size meal , when I ordered a lunch size. And I heard a waitress behind us, tell a couple their coupon for $5 off was fake, but she would take it anyway.

 

[Music Lover]

I have to wonder if tipping encourages the staff to bend/break the rules of the business. like giving freebies (food/drink) to customers at the expense of the restaurant.

Give a generous tip to a bartender and the chances are good that you will be rewarded with stiff drinks and the occasional freebie.

 

[Montecfo]

No, and that's a strawman argument. The wage laws are different for servers (I don't know about salon staff), and tips are intended to make up the relatively huge difference between what they are paid and the minimum (at least) wage that the rest of the employees you listed receive. I don't agree with it, and would like to see it changed, but that's the way it is now. That's why no one expects to have to tip the other employees. That's not saying you can't, or even that I haven't for service over and above. But stick to apples and apples.

Tipping dates back to the 17th century. It is not based on wages. It is based on tradition and personal service.

 

[CaptTom]

With the holidays approaching I can’t wait for the imformative news segment telling me all the people I need to tip and how much. Their subject matter experts are the people in the industries receiving the tips! Talk about a racket!.

+1!!

That said, now that I'm retired, I've learned the sound of the mail truck, and sometimes meet the carrier out by the mailbox. They also deliver on Sundays now, and frankly I've probably been over-using my Amazon Prime with 5% off deal.

I'm thinking the carrier definitely earned a tip, or call it a Christmas present, this year.

But what should I give? Or how much?

I do know you have to be careful as to which day to leave the gift/tip. Your regular carrier might not be there every day, and it can get nasty back at the Post Office if a substitute takes a bunch of the regular's tips.

I have to wonder if tipping encourages the staff to bend/break the rules of the business. like giving freebies (food/drink) to customers at the expense of the restaurant.

After all the customers are paying the majority of the waiter's salary, probably 80% or more, so in effect they are working for us, the customer, and not the employer.

For sure. The wait staff is almost always on your side, to the extent they can get away with it.

 

[haha]

Been to New Zealand where they don't tip. And it shows! Service stinks. If a meal or dish is brought out cold, for example, they don't care one way or another. Found a hair in your salad? Meh... Pick it out if it bothers you because they will, then bring you back the exact same salad. Like a refill on a beverage? Good luck with that.
No thank you, I'd rather have wait staff that is going to treat me as if I may be a big tipper.

100% correct. In an increasingly unresponsive world, why give up any influence over your experience?

Some local restaurants have gone to a 20% surcharge-but the check also lists "additional tip"!

Ha

 

[cathy63]

+1!!

That said, now that I'm retired, I've learned the sound of the mail truck, and sometimes meet the carrier out by the mailbox. They also deliver on Sundays now, and frankly I've probably been over-using my Amazon Prime with 5% off deal.

I'm thinking the carrier definitely earned a tip, or call it a Christmas present, this year.

But what should I give? Or how much?

I do know you have to be careful as to which day to leave the gift/tip. Your regular carrier might not be there every day, and it can get nasty back at the Post Office if a substitute takes a bunch of the regular's tips.

This one's easy. https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2012/pb22349/html/cover_025.htm

Employee Tipping and Gift-Receiving Policy

All postal employees, including carriers, must comply with the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Exec*utive Branch. Under these federal regulations, carriers are permitted to accept a gift worth $20 or less from a customer per occasion, such as Christmas. However, cash and cash equivalents, such as checks or gift cards that can be exchanged for cash, must never be accepted in any amount. Furthermore, no employee may accept more than $50 worth of gifts from any one customer in any one calendar year period.

 

[Music Lover]

Tipping dates back to the 17th century. It is not based on wages. It is based on tradition and personal service.

Wage polices were adjusted to [-]take advantage of[/-] reflect the tradition.