Pizza guy in America, here. I can't comment on tipping in other countries except to say: if the wages are good enough that tips aren't a vital part of the employee's take-home pay, then fine. As that isn't the case here in the states, I will say that not tipping for poor service is completely understandable. If my customer was told 30 minutes for delivery and it doesn't get there for over an hour, or if I'm rude to them at the door (not a thing I do), I'm not surprised if they stiff me.
Having said that, in this country, poor service is *the only* acceptable excuse for not tipping. In the event of good service, you should tip. The other excuses I've heard:
(1) "I can't afford to tip." Bull. It costs way more to eat out or get delivery than it does to buy groceries; if you're that poor you shouldn't be buying restaurant food.
(2) "They get the delivery charge." In most cases, no, we don't. And even if we did, you really think that $2 makes up for the fact that our wages are cut to below minimum AND we had to use our gas to deliver to you?
(3) "They agree to work for those wages, it's not my responsibility to pay their salary." We agree to work for those wages BECAUSE TIPS ARE EXPECTED. Businesses are only allowed to pay that low BECAUSE TIPS ARE EXPECTED.
(4) "I don't tip/don't believe in it." Congratulations, you're a jerk. Don't ever order from my restaurant. Or anyone else's. And don't pass your idiotic idea on to others, either.
When you don't tip somebody who depends on it (due to the aforementioned lowered wages), you're actively hurting that person. They could have been serving a customer who *would* tip, but their time was wasted on you. If you keep not tipping, your service person hates you and will do anything they can to give you the worst service they can get away with without getting fired. I've delivered shaken-up sodas, crushed chips, pizzas overrun with waaaaay too much hot sauce/garlic, and messy, splattered, falling-apart sandwiches to people who I knew weren't going to tip. I have made sure to take the longest time possible on deliveries, ensuring that confirmed cheapskates would get room-temperature food. (Don't say something about self-fulfilling prophecy either- I only did this to people who stiffed multiple times before this treatment even started.)
And as far as having to share tips with others: I can sort of understand a waiter having to share with a busboy or something, but otherwise, screw that. Thank God we don't have to do that at my work. My manager didn't earn any of my tips. Another driver who gave crappy service isn't entitled to a share of my money. If I tip my waiter for good service he shouldn't have to give part of that to another waiter who slacked off all night and did nothing for me.
SayHelloToMrBullet said:
If you have to rely on tips in order to get by in life, then you need to do what everyone else does when they're not making enough money.
Get another job.
And yeah I understand that sometimes that's not always possible - that depending on your country there may be literally no jobs available at all in your area, and so you'd rather earn some money than no money. But you know what? That's life. Tips are not a charity service. Anyone who asks for a tip deserves the middle finger pointed in their direction.
Is that harsh? Yes I admit it is. You know what else is harsh? That people have to rely on tips to survive in the first place. That shit needs to change.
EDIT: Really? Freaking really? Yeah, sure, I'll just go to Job-Mart and grab a second job, no problem. 35+ hours a week at my current job isn't enough, and I don't need any time for family or anything. I deserve a big fat middle finger for expecting a tip. This might be the worst attitude I've ever heard in relation to tipping. Who are you, Mr. Pink?