Poll: How much do you tip ?

Ull_the_shaggy_one

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Apr 2, 2009
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I generally tip pretty high because I know people who work in restaurants, and I know what they have had to put up with every day.
 

randommaster

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Sep 10, 2008
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Fraser.J.A said:
randommaster said:
Tips are how many managers justify a 2.50 hourly wage for employees, which is something like below half minimum wage here in the US.
I sympathise, but in the wide view, that attitude exacerbates the problem. As long as people are obliged to tip, employers can keep paying a pittance (although how they can pay below minimum wage I don't understand), which means employees keep having this horrible uncertainty about their income. It's a vicious cycle.

That's easy for me to say, living where the phenomenon doesn't exist, and if I lived in the US I wouldn't be under the illusion that me not tipping was going to make anything better. But it's not a good system.

HuddledMass said:
for you in countries that tipping is not the norm... that's why there's the "don't want to" and "don't believe in it" option... because any country you CAN tip...
I would tip if I lived somewhere where it was an obligation, so me saying "Don't believe in it" is not the same as a North American saying "Don't believe in it". So I won't vote.

The following isn't quite my own view, but since we're discussing tipping I'll take the excuse to post a clip from Reservoir Dogs - it starts with Mr Pink (Steve Buscemi) justifying why he doesn't tip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nLIbkjGzdA
Link does not work.

Anyways, the money people make from tipping has to be included in taxes here in the US, so an employer can say that the people are, on the whole, making more than a min. wage salary every year. It won't change (easily, anyways) because a capitalist economy means that you need to meet a certain amount of growth to retain investors, which is harder to do when you pay employees more. The system is not perfect, but it works, more or less.

Also, a lot of people from outside the US comment on the fact that service in the US tends to be better overall than in other places. While I haven't done any research on this, I would say that a dependency on tips requires people to do a better job so they can make money.
 

z0nbie

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Jan 20, 2009
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Yeah you'd be surprised how many times you'll get a bigger tip just because another patron sees/hears how rude their "neighbor" is acting ... that's how you take the good with the bad.
 

kawligia

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Feb 24, 2009
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10% at most for any place I don't go to regularly.

I will give more if I am a regular.

Pizza man gets 1 buck MAX.
 

searanox

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Sep 22, 2008
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I don't tip, but then that's because I never eat anywhere where tipping is expected or even possible. Save for fast food stuff when I'm downtown or whatever, I eat everything at home.
 

Gitsnik

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May 13, 2008
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Fraser.J.A said:
The following isn't quite my own view, but since we're discussing tipping I'll take the excuse to post a clip from Reservoir Dogs - it starts with Mr Pink (Steve Buscemi) justifying why he doesn't tip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nLIbkjGzdA
Which was exactly *my* view earlier. Someone mentioned the manager justifies paying a lower wage because of tips - so basically, you're taking a job, to earn money, you accept the wages you're offered for the job, then expect people to haul you through as you go along. Sorry, but I work hard for my money and even if I feel that I deserve more, I get paid the amount I agreed to when I started my job (pay raise not withstanding).

I've been known to tip, I'm not entirely like Mr Pink, but I do it at a store I go to regularly, which consistently provides damned fine service, attractive people (you can have ugly men in a shop - even if you're not "gay" you can see a big biker behind a food stand and not want to eat there) and remember my orders.

Oh yeah, and learn to type sounds like a damned fine start. At least where I'm from (back in NSW.au) we have kids (<18) working the food stands and fast joints, everyone else gets an admin job or becomes a receptionist if they can't do better. Me, I did a years more of school (tech college actually, or TAFE as we call it) and got into a decent job.

Edit: wow, that sounds more angry than it was intended to. Intense yes, vehement yes, angry no. I feel strongly about this point (and the Dole, but that's another story) and that comes across.
 

Varchld

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Nov 8, 2008
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Tipping isn't very common/customary in Australia.
Generally from my experience waiters and the like don't live off tips or anything, I know when I was working in hospitality tips weren't worth mentioning (I wasn't that bad a barman and waiter...maybe).

Aside from that, I don't go to enough restaurants to have a regular tipping amount. At the coffee shop I visit pretty often I usually just throw whatever change I get into the tip glass since I go there pretty often.
 

Taerdin

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Nov 7, 2006
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I've always been taught 15% is what you tip someone for a passable job, and thats how I do it.

But I'm dissatisfied with service a lot, so I'll often tip 1-10% depending on how experience ruining the poor service was.

And this is coming from someone who's worked in a restaurant for quite some time...

In fact I'll probably be working at one this summer again :p
 

teisjm

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Mar 3, 2009
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Dunno if my vote is relevant, but in Denmark where i live tipping is a bonus, cause it's more or less already included in the bill already (food is very expensive in DK compared to the US), so you're considered generous if you tip at all.
Unless i'm semi-broke i tip about 10% at restaurants though.
I don't tip at bars, Hardly anyone does that in Denmark unless they try to flirt with the bartender or show off
 

fletch_talon

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Nov 6, 2008
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Tipping is a ridiculous concept. I live in Australia and have never tipped anyone. Why? Because any employee is payed a minimum wage by their employer. The tipping system seems to rely on customers' sense of generosity and common decency... therein lies the problem.
 

Zildjin81

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Feb 7, 2009
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"I don't believe in tipping" Woot go MR.Pink. A cookie to who gets the reference.

More seriously though 15%-20%.
 

kilarabbbit

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Mar 27, 2009
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i dont like to tip by percentage i will give the server between 1-3 dollars and if i really liked them 5 dollars. im usually with my family so 1-3 dollars is less than 10%