I don't understand tipping culture...

Bruce

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Tanis said:
It's pretty obvious a LOT of posters in this thread have never held down a job, or at least not one within the 'service' industry.
Yep. Particularly the ones who think the harder job is in the kitchen.
 

Mersadeon

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Well, I too live in a country where tipping is only there for really good service. There are exceptions, of course (Pizza delivery for example often really do need a tip to make the job worth it), but since waiters normally can live without tips, they are ok with not getting one. Obviously, once you reach a certain bill, you will almost always tip at least a bit - once you have 43,78? worth of cocktails you won't pay exactly that amount.

So, how exactly does it work in the US? I hear a lot of differing accounts - most people seem to see 10% of the bill as being an appropriate tip.
 

Doom-Slayer

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Glongpre said:
No you are right, I think people feel guilty if they don't, it has been ingrained as what you just do. I only tip if the person does a good job or whatever, but I don't eat out often either. So I could be way off.
Its amusing because we dont tip here in NZ. Since minimum wage is enforced everywhere and is actually pretty high. If you get tipped here you must of done REALLY good. Like my dad has tipped in a fancy restaurant of around 50 dollars(because thew waiter was awesome) and tipping like that is unheard of.

I find the whole culture kind of weird, but then again I dont like in the US where its a thing.
 

shootthebandit

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A BigCup of Tea said:
shootthebandit said:
I live in the UK were tipping is more of a courtesy. People in the service industry get at least legal minimum wage same as a lot of shop assistants who dont get tips

I will tip if the service is good or if I've got a lot of smash in my wallet i want to get rid of
apart from frankie and bennys where you have no choice but to tip which i think is out of order, what if you get really shitty service!?
Seriously? How can they force you? I go there all the time and quite often i dont tip
 

Easton Dark

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Mersadeon said:
So, how exactly does it work in the US? I hear a lot of differing accounts - most people seem to see 10% of the bill as being an appropriate tip.
Well it's different among people, because some are nicer and some have more money. I've heard %15 from my dad, but I don't think I'll be the kind of guy who tips. I don't eat out much to start because it's so much more expensive than just making food for myself, and I would be in no mood to pay more.
 

shootthebandit

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Tanis said:
Waiters, legally, can be paid WELL below minimum wage.

As a result in order for them to make minimum wage they NEED tips.
I fully understand this and this is why i would tip a lot if i went to america

But i said this last time the thread popped up. I have very little sympathy for people in the service industry in america. Sure its a very demanding role i certainly wouldnt be cut out for it but its their own fault they dont get paid well (not that they dont deserve to be paid well) because they are not doing anything to help themselves. Do you not have trade unions in america? Mass strikes need to be organised in the service industry even if only 50% went on strike it would have a huge impact. Wheres the groups lobbying to the goverment why arent people going to their MP (member of parliment) which i think you guys call a "senator" or "governor" or starting e-petitions. If its a large chain restraunt why arent people voicing thier opinion to the CEO or for smaller restraunts going to the manager. This is a very powerful group of people who could get a fair wage for themselves if only they done something about it
 

kuolonen

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Lot of stuff here makes me wonder why anyone would ever go to an american restaurant.

Seriously, below minimum wage salaries, and to top it off, the manager naps a cut from the tips? That is bloody modern day slavery and anyone participating in it is no less guilty than the people who bought all american cotton circa 18th century.
 

A BigCup of Tea

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shootthebandit said:
A BigCup of Tea said:
shootthebandit said:
I live in the UK were tipping is more of a courtesy. People in the service industry get at least legal minimum wage same as a lot of shop assistants who dont get tips

I will tip if the service is good or if I've got a lot of smash in my wallet i want to get rid of
apart from frankie and bennys where you have no choice but to tip which i think is out of order, what if you get really shitty service!?
Seriously? How can they force you? I go there all the time and quite often i don't tip
it may be for large groups only then..everytime I've gone it's been with 8 or so people and when we get the receipt it has our bill and then at the bottom it says included tip!
 

Meatspinner

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After reading all 5 pages of this thread I have decided to never go to an american restaurant. Don't feel like supporting those kind of business practices. Especially if the blame is shifted on the customer.

 

Private Custard

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DVS BSTrD said:
Binnsyboy said:
Wickatricka said:
Waiters pretty much live off those tips so think of it as helping out another human being in rough times. Anyone who has been a waiter will know that it is very helpful to tip good.
Which makes it quite disgusting when you find the manager of a place pocketing a large percentage of tips taken in before dividing among the staff. :I
Dividing tips among the staff always seemed like bullshit to me: I tipped THIS guy because he did a job, the rest of them didn't earn it.
Do you tip the kitchen crew?

I've been on both sides of the wall, and seriously, front-of-house staff really don't appreciate just how easy they have it. Yet the people that actually cook the food, working in kitchens that can hit 100 degrees for hours and hours at a time, without breaks, end up earning less than the people that carry it to the table!
 

lordmardok

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What I thought when I saw 'tipping culture'.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Z-8RF8hoYU/Til82YtN9QI/AAAAAAAAATQ/pRPug8mU108/s1600/IMG_3182.JPG
 

Private Custard

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Bruce said:
Tanis said:
It's pretty obvious a LOT of posters in this thread have never held down a job, or at least not one within the 'service' industry.
Yep. Particularly the ones who think the harder job is in the kitchen.
Think?

I've seen both sides of the coin. I know!
 

Zeldias

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If you don't tip in America, you're a fucking scumbag. I can't speak for other countries, but the whole set-up for waitresses/waiters in America completely fucks them over. This isn't about something being a racket or whatever, it's just helping a person out. Likely, the person working that job needs it for sustenance, and not tipping is screwing them far worse than you get screwed by having slightly inattentive service. You didn't get that drink refill in a timely manner, so you're threatening someone's economic circumstances?

The only time I don't tip is if the service-person does/says some racist, shitty stuff. Otherwise, I always leave a tip, and when my service was better, I tip more. Folks working in service shouldn't require tips to make ends meet, and one can make the argument that we're only supporting a shitty system by tipping, but I'm not really willing to try to buck a system at the expense of the folks I'm supposed to be helping out.
 

Adeptus Aspartem

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Here in Switzerland we've unions that formed special contracts with their specific type of business.
So waiters earn from 3'400 to 4'800 depending on their eudcational level.

Working 42 hours a weak we end up with a 20.- Chf wage or 21.5 USD per hour.

So no tipping :)
 

immortalfrieza

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shootthebandit said:
But i said this last time the thread popped up. I have very little sympathy for people in the service industry in america. Sure its a very demanding role i certainly wouldnt be cut out for it but its their own fault they dont get paid well (not that they dont deserve to be paid well) because they are not doing anything to help themselves. Do you not have trade unions in america? Mass strikes need to be organised in the service industry even if only 50% went on strike it would have a huge impact. Wheres the groups lobbying to the goverment why arent people going to their MP (member of parliment) which i think you guys call a "senator" or "governor" or starting e-petitions. If its a large chain restraunt why arent people voicing thier opinion to the CEO or for smaller restraunts going to the manager. This is a very powerful group of people who could get a fair wage for themselves if only they done something about it
Exactly, and that's the reason I don't tip. I'm not going to be guilt tripped into contributing to something stupid and immoral just because "society says so."
 

Xanadu84

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The reality is that without tips, you are causing some serious problems for the server. They are paid significantly less than minimum wage, because tipping is customary. The reason for this is because that way, servers are in theory motivated to give you exceptional service, in the interest of getting a bigger tip. Price of your meal is MEANT to NOT include a large portion of the cost of the servers labor. As a result, you get better service when you pay 10 dollars for a meal and leave a 2 dollar tip then if you paid 12 dollars for a meal, and weren't obligated to give a tip.

Of course, tipping isn't exactly perfect. Theres a LOT of shortcomings in the system. But until there is some social change, not tipping someone is literally communicating that the effort they put into your serving your meal was worthless, and you may as well be taking change out of a sleeping homeless persons cup.


Toy Master Typhus said:
DVS BSTrD said:
Dividing tips among the staff always seemed like bullshit to me: I tipped THIS guy because he did a job, the rest of them didn't earn it.
But But...MUH SOCIALISM!

We should everybody should be paid far amounts on, they all put in time at the restaurant and should be paid accordingly not on how well a customer likes them.
Simple. Actual quality of service has very little to do with how much people tip. Things like outside temperature, the color of the room, race, or the persons day have a MUCH bigger influence on tip size then how good a job they did. Hell, if a server has big breasts, the quality of their service is statistically insignificant. Splitting tips makes it less of a craps shoot.

BTW, pretty much this entire thread has been done with scientific rigor by scholars whose job is to study tipping. For anyone interested, here is a overview.

http://www.freakonomics.com/2013/06/03/should-tipping-be-banned-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/
 

SonOfVoorhees

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All the tipping culture has done is enable companies to pay shit wages and make visitors feel guilty. I dont get tipped for my job, so why should anyone else? An if you think your job is low paid, go work somewhere else. Im not giving money to some one just for doing their job. Only tips i give are to those staff that are friendly and helpful. All a waiter does it get your order and bring your food. I can do that myself and tip and the chef who actually made it.
 

___________________

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I only do it if the person serving me/us was just amazing or if their boss was shit to them for no good reason. I tipped a waitress once because of her shitty boss and it was way more than 10%. She earned it. Poor woman, having to deal with that wanker all day.