Tipping people who make more money than you.

[krazykidd]

Firstly i'm not talking about waitresses because as far as i know they make less than minimum wadge. I'm talking more like bus drivers , tourist guides , hotel attendants and people like that. People who make a decent salary before tips , more than some .

I'll give you an example. I work a dead end job making minimum wadge, about 10,40$ an hour. Not bad compared to some places. Now i went on an organised trip to new york for three last year . On the last day , the tourist guide left an enveloppe on the seats if anyone wanted to leave a tip. She went on to say how in her line of work there isn't very much room for advancement and their salary hasn'r changed in years. Fair enough. So i left her a 20 $ tip as i got of the bus. However when i think about it, she's probably paid (according to people i talk to ) around the 15$/hour mark , as well as her travel expenses ( food, water, hotel). So she's not too bad off compared to most. And it made me think, should people tip those who make more money than them?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I think above all it's about rewarding the personal input rather than compensating for their crap salaries.

 

[tippy2k2]

EDIT: Friv explained it below so you can ignore this question now

Holy balls man, why are you giving such a gigantic tip?

Unless I'm mistaken (and have left a wave of pissed off people behind me), you generally tip those kind of positions (like bell boys, shuttle drivers, barmen, etc.) a buck or two; not twenty freaking dollars.

As to the question at hand, I'm not sure how to answer that. I'm never sure what you're supposed to tip and why you're supposed to tip and all that fun stuff outside of the food industry for I've never really used services like that. On one hand, if you can't afford to tip, you shouldn't be going out. On the other hand, should those kind of places expect tips?

To put the bitter truth in, I think that tipping itself is a fine thing to do but outside of the "I make $4.25 an hour" group, you shouldn't expect that you'll be tipped. It is a nice gesture and I'm sure they appreciate it but outside of the minimum-wage-jobs, a tip should not be required (though again, I do encourage it cause it's a nice thing to do).

All I know is that I'm taking bets for the flames to pile nice and high. I'm making the over/under 1.5 pages before people start tearing into each other over tipping culture. Takin all bets!

 

[shootthebandit]

I dont get this obsession with tipping in America. In the UK we dont really bother with it.

I think in the situation with your tourist guide I would be less inclined to give them anything. Passing round an envelope and giving everyone a sob story is a bit rude if you ask me. These bars that you see with tip jars will also make me less inclined to tip. Its just downright rude to ask for it

I cant even remember the last time I gave a tip because most of the time its unnecessary. I pay for the goods/services and the employer uses that money to pay their employees. Its not down to me to pay their employees for them

Im not saying that im cheap or anything, I just think tipping is nonsensical practice in the UK especially when like you said you may earn the same as (or less than) a person who gets tips

 

[Zhukov]

Man, tipping culture is weird.

We don't have it in my part of the world. So if I ever go to the States I am going to be totally lost. I'll end up either haemorrhaging money or leaving a trail of irate waitresses and bus drivers in my wake.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

she's probably paid (according to people i talk to ) around the 15$/hour mark , as well as her travel expenses ( food, water, hotel)

But how many hours is she able to work? Tours can only run at specific times. Hotel expenses lead me to believe she travels for days at a time with a group so she might just get paid a weekly salary which might not be that much. And while food and a hotel is a nice perk, it won't exactly pay rent. Especially in a place like New York

I dont get this obsession with tipping in America

I don't get why people outside America are so annoyed about it. Give a waiter or waitress $2 or $3 on a $20 meal isn't that much

 

[Flutterguy]

People who deliver things for me or serve me without pissing me off I'll give a couple dollars. I'm slightly better off then the OP for pay.

Never heard of tipping drivers, maybe a taxi driver I enjoy talking with, but that's an entertainment expense.

 

[JoJo]

I tipped when I was travelling around the U.S., even though I was relatively low on money due to being a student at the time, just felt right to fit in with the culture and I could afford a few dollars here and there, I don't know what people earn for the most part anyway.

That said, I'm not a fan of tipping, outside of small customary ones left in restaurants as is common in the UK. I mean, it's essentially getting your customers to also pay part of your employee's wages through donations, that's a fat cat business owner's wet dream right there and I'm surprised people in the States or elsewhere stand for it. Get some decent minimum wage laws through, then you can save your tips for the employees who really put in the extra mile.

 

[shootthebandit]

All I know is that I'm taking bets for the flames to pile nice and high. I'm making the over/under 1.5 pages before people start tearing into each other over tipping culture. Takin all bets!

Weve had a load of these threads before. Put me down for the end of page 2. Page 2.5 before the lock

Seriously though the problem with these threads is just ignorance. Here in the UK tipping is not even a thing. In america tipping is actually a big deal and we dont get it. It doesnt compute in our tiny communist brains, likewise americans cant understand why we dont tip and they think we are rude

this is important please read

In the UK our employment law is very strict. Minimum wage means minimum wage, you cannot legal earn less than minimum wage. So someone earning minimum wage in a restraunt earns the same as a warehouse picker on minimum wage (ages 16-18 have a lower minimum wage though). The person in they warehouse wont get tips but the person in the restraunt might

In the US people who earn tip based jobs are kind of exempt from minimum wage because its deemed that their tips are sufficient to make up their salary (I may be wrong but im basing my facts on things ive heard from you guys on previous threads like this). In some cases these people do not receive a wage and all their salary is expected to come from tips. Now that guy in warehouse doesnt seem so hard done by. At least he's got a steady income with a consistent pay check.

Before either side of the atlantic decide to start world war 3 remember that these are 2 very different cultures

 

[shootthebandit]

I dont get this obsession with tipping in America

I don't get why people outside America are so annoyed about it. Give a waiter or waitress $2 or $3 on a $20 meal isn't that much

I get why it happens. I even made a comment explaining why the cultures have different views. perhaps I shouldve worded it better and said I dont understand why this culture is accepted in america.

Im not criticising the employees or the customers. Its the business owners who promote this culture and the customers and staff are the ones who bear the burdon. Yes it may only be $2 or $3 dollars but I dont understand why its almost to the point of being mandatory and people accept it.

 

[Lovecrafts Sunny Day]

I tipped when I was travelling around the U.S., even though I was relatively low on money due to being a student at the time, just felt right to fit in with the culture and I could afford a few dollars here and there, I don't know what people earn for the most part anyway.

That said, I'm not a fan of tipping, outside of small customary ones left in restaurants as is common in the UK. I mean, it's essentially getting your customers to also pay part of your employee's wages through donations, that's a fat cat business owner's wet dream right there and I'm surprised people in the States or elsewhere stand for it. Get some decent minimum wage laws through, then you can save your tips for the employees who really put in the extra mile.

Agreed.

Employees should not have to rely on tips to make minimum wage, and in no way should employers expect tips to contribute to that wage. I believe a UK legislation loophole was closed not too long ago to ensure restaurant owners couldn't get away with this practice.

It is usual in the UK to leave a 10% tip after a meal in a restaurant or pub, if you were happy with the service.
But it should reflect the quality of service, and not be an unwritten demand....

 

[Jacco]

I tipped when I was travelling around the U.S., even though I was relatively low on money due to being a student at the time, just felt right to fit in with the culture and I could afford a few dollars here and there, I don't know what people earn for the most part anyway.

That said, I'm not a fan of tipping, outside of small customary ones left in restaurants as is common in the UK. I mean, it's essentially getting your customers to also pay part of your employee's wages through donations, that's a fat cat business owner's wet dream right there and I'm surprised people in the States or elsewhere stand for it. Get some decent minimum wage laws through, then you can save your tips for the employees who really put in the extra mile.

Agreed.

Employees should not have to rely on tips to make minimum wage, and in no way should employers expect tips to contribute to that wage. I believe a UK legislation loophole was closed not too long ago to ensure restaurant owners couldn't get away with this practice.

It is usual in the UK to leave a 10% tip after a meal in a restaurant or pub, if you were happy with the service.
But it should reflect the quality of service, and not be an unwritten demand....

Technically, here in the States, waiters (we call them servers) always make minimum wage. If their tips don't equate to the amount they would make if they were simply given minimum wage, then the employer has to make up the difference. More often than not, however, servers end up making far more than minimum wage, especially in higher end restaurants. So really, they get the better end of the deal. Even on a "bad" night they still make about twice as much as I do at my job (and I am .50 over the minimum) for the same amount of hours.
I have a friend who works at an Outback Steakhouse (Idk if you have them in the UK/Europe, but it is basically a ~$15-25 a plate restaurant, so middle- to upper-middle class) and she only works about 2 or 3 days a week and can cover her rent, utilities, and entertainment. I work 30+ and can barely pay my bills each month.

So it's really not as bad a deal as it sounds.

 

[Little Woodsman]

Well, I'm just going to throw out my personal experience for what it's worth.

When I was working as a massage therapist, I charged $25 for a one hour session, $35 for a 90 minute session. Some people tipped, some didn't. On average I got tipped about $10 for a session. But here's the thing.. I paid all my own expenses. Rent on the office, lotion, laundering the sheets, licensing fees, business cards, bottled water for the clients, etc, etc. All that added up to about $400 a month. In addition to that, an hour session actually represented about 90 minutes of my time, a 90 minute session about two hours of my time. So I had to do on average twelve sessions (representing about 18 hours of my time) to break even. On the very best month I ever had I did 20 sessions, representing about 30 hours of time, netting me about $320 dollars, or just over $10 an hour. On my very *best* month. Most months I lost money even with tips.

So I think a lot depends on the individual situation.

 

[MysticSlayer]

In the US people who earn tip based jobs are kind of exempt from minimum wage because its deemed that their tips are sufficient to make up their salary (I may be wrong but im basing my facts on things ive heard from you guys on previous threads like this). In some cases these people do not receive a wage and all their salary is expected to come from tips. Now that guy in warehouse doesnt seem so hard done by. At least he's got a steady income with a consistent pay check.

To some extent, that is right. However, there are tip-based jobs that do earn minimum wage, but most of that minimum wage goes into supporting the job itself. For instance, a pizza delivery guy probably earns minimum wage, but that just manages to cover gas and maybe a few wear-and-tear costs on his car. Tips are basically his wage for doing anything outside of just trying to keep a job.

Overall, though, I don't think people actually tip to help cover living expenses. I'd imagine only a small percentage of Americans are actually aware of that. For starters, some view it as a way to get better service if they are a common customer already, as workers tend to give better service to those who tip them better. Others just view it as the best way to show appreciation for a service. I think it is just something ingrained into the mindset of Americans, and most of them probably don't fully understand it themselves.

Now what I find really weird is when people are offended when their tips are rejected. I once worked a job where I would get in trouble if a manager discovered that I had taken a tip, and any time I rejected a tip, I would either have to argue about why I couldn't accept it or get a look of offense. Either way, the customer was angry. At that point, I think tips just become an ego boost.

 

[Crazy Zaul]

Tipping in general is just a stupid concept that shouldn't exist. Maybe when it was first started and was just for waiters it was a reasonable idea but now its got corrupted so we have all this bullshit where some restaurants automatically increase the bill by a tip. Then American's started tipping the pizza guy and all sorts of stupid things like that, who haven't done a single thing to deserve a tip.
(Tipping the pizza guy came up on Bombcast a while ago and is basically a protection racket where you're paying him not to be an asshole)

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I tip relative to the level of service, general attitude and the cleanliness of the restaurant. I've worked a lot of serving jobs in the past and I've no respect for folks who just go through the motions and expect a %15 tip. If you can't be arsed to do the bare freakin' minimum for your job (like some) then you deserve the below-minimum-wage you're being paid. Yeah, everyone has bad days, big whoopidy do! You can still leave your damn baggage behind closed doors and fake it for the whole 10 minutes you might interact with a customer who could be paying your rent, gas or whatever.
But beyond service and hospitality (bellhop, room service, etc) I usually won't tip outside restaurants and hotel work. I also feel that blatantly asking for a tip or "hinting" at it is insulting to the customer. Having a small jar or envelope left out without prompting is fine, but drawing attention to it isn't. Thats my viewpoint.

 

[SKBPinkie]

Fucking tipping culture is absolute garbage, if you ask me.

There's no reason for it to exist. "But what about the waiters who only earn through tips?" That's the establishment's problem, not mine. They're corrupt enough to do that fuckery; it makes no sense that I'd have to pay for it.

Tipping should only be done if the service deserves it. Otherwise, it might as be part of the meal's cost.

 

[Raziel]

I dont get this obsession with tipping in America

I don't get why people outside America are so annoyed about it. Give a waiter or waitress $2 or $3 on a $20 meal isn't that much

People keep telling me the standard for tipping in US restaurants now is 20%, not 10%-15%. I get that waitresses are not paid min wage in the expectation of being tipped. So I always tip in a restaurant. but I totally understand why it annoys people. When I go to a restaurant with 4-5 other people you are talking like $60 even a cheap place. Now you are paying a waitress like $12 for the 10 minutes or so they actually spend helping you specifically. Thats almost 2 hours wages for me. Seems a lot of money for the time worked regardless of how nice the person is.

I certainly don't like tipping elsewhere. cabs, hotels, coffee shops where you are picking up your own order, these people are paid full wages right? Considering I only make min wage I never feel that there work deserves a tip. I mean doing your job correctly is what you are paid for to begin with.

 

[NiPah]

Not tipping is fine, just let the person who is serving you that you don't plan to tip.
If there is a situation where you're not normally expected to tip (not sure about tour guides, never taken one), then it's pretty much up to you. Sometimes you don't have much money, some times it was crap service, sometimes they make more money then you apparently, what ever your reason as long as you didn't go into the situation knowing you were expected to tip then you're set.

Oh and all those who live outside of America and aren't used to tipping just Google tipping etiquette, it's not an unsolvable enigma, it's just a few weird cultural quarks that work for us.

Now if you're visiting and suddenly found yourself becoming a social justice warrior and want to fight against the blight that is tipping then grow a par of balls and let your waitress or bellhop know you don't plan to tip them before they provide the service, then you don't come off as an cheap ass and you get to save your dollar or what ever you planned to tip them.

Sure you'll get shitty service, but you've taken one for the team in the on-going battle against tipping.

Edit: Holy shit, do you guys really not understand whats expected with tipping? It took me less then a minute to find the answer on Google. Your grandparents broke Hitler's encription device and you can't even figure out that you're expected to tip 15% after a good meal? For fucks sake.