Do you believe in tipping?

[TehBorken]

  Queer Eye wrote:
It appears that we'll have to agree to disagree on this subject.  Here's a penny for your thoughts (keep the change). [img style="font-style: italic;" src="vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Teasing/5.gif[/img]

If that's in Canadian money, I doubt there'll be any change.

 
 
 

[Trollio]

 I [span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"]detest[/span] tipping.

But I always do it in restaurants and usually 18-20%. It definitely improves the whole experience, because as wait staff remember the stiffers, they also remember the good tippers.

But tipping is extortion, plain and simple, and the economic arguments about the prices being raised are really disingenuous. Things cost what they cost, and businesses will do what they need to do in order to keep up with the pace of the market. Case in point: a few years ago, no one ever got free refills of soft drinks anywhere. Now most places offer that, because if they don't people will just go somewhere that does give them that feature. Restaurants are always raising their prices to meet inflation anyway. I'd rather pay more for the meal upfront than play some third world haggling game over an extra few dollars.

Most of the industrialized world does not practise tipping. Europeans, however, have learned that Americans do this, so they expect it from North Americans. I never tip in Europe, but I'm European so they also don't expect it from me.

I sure as hell do not tip anyone at buffets (I could care less if they remember me -- they do nothing for me, and they're going to have to clean that table no matter what I do), and I do not extend my tipping to every bloody thing the way businesses are trying to do in the States for every damned thing. (NO you are NOT a bloody "barista"; you pour coffee. Get over yourself.)

Things should cost what they cost, those costs should be clearly understood at the start and remain that way at the end. Aside from restaurants, I find nothing "pleasant" in someone trying to f*ck me out of more money with a smile on their face, and I will actually go out of my way to not give such people any business ever again.

And Lise, on cruise ships I actually prefer the explicit gratuity; it dispenses with the whole false politeness in exchange for money/service, and makes it very clear that the steward is there to do what I ask when I ask within reason, and not out of the kindness of their hearts.
 

[P.C.]

To me, a dictated tip is even worse.  I should be the only one to decide if and how much I will tip.  It's nobody elses call.  It isn't a tip or gratuity if it's mandatory.  And they can call it what they want, it's a demand to participate in paying their wages.  

  *So that's $10 dollars a day X how many people on a cruise ship?

[TehBorken]

 P.C. wrote:
To me, a [strong style="font-style: italic;"]dictated[/b] tip is even worse.

Yup. That's not a tip, that's a surcharge or a fee. To call it a dictated fee a "tip" is ridiculous at best.

[Lise]

Exactly. I don't mind tipping on a cruise ship but I hate the 'mandatory' part. It's the whole principle thing. Let me, the customer, decide if I should tip you and how much, not the other way around.

[Lil Me]

I'm not very good at tipping the chambermaid in hotels.  Honestly, I usually forget.  

[ripper]

I tend to allows tip the chambermaids.I love going to Vegas. Yeah baby.  I always put a $100. bill in the envelope as soon as i enter my room. That way even if i go broke, i don't feel bad about stiffing someone.  

[purelife]

ripper wrote:
I tend to allows tip the chambermaids.I love going to Vegas. Yeah baby.  I[FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff40"] always put a $100. [/FONT]bill in the envelope as soon as i enter my room. That way even if i go broke, i don't feel bad about stiffing someone.

 
  Wow, I'm in the wrong profession!

[ripper]

Purelife,anybody who has to pick up after slob like me deserves a good tip

[Lil Me]

Can you imagine the things you need to clean up in a hotel room?  Yuck.  Spilled food, drinks and ashtrays are the least of your concerns!
 

[Russ]

I hate and dont go to places that demand a tip in the bill. Its basically negating the whole idea of the 'tip' idea. If a server does really good, minimum 15%. if a server does normal, minimum 10%.

If the server does shitty, I look to see why.. and Ill tip from 0-5%.

  The crappiest service I ever had and the arogance of her was astounding at this one restaurant. So I paid the bill, made a show of waiting for the change she obviously didnt think I should get back, 'are you seriously waiting for the change???' Which didnt make me any happier.. I was actually going to leave 10% because the place was busy, after that comment.. uh no. So I left a whopping tip of a penny, and made a point of giving it to her in front of the other servers by the till. She made a shrill comment saying how I was a cheapskate that shouldnt be going out for dinner if I couldnt afford to leave her a tip. With people having turned about at that point and watching/ listening, I mentioned that a tip is for a good job, basically doing her job. Me having to ask wheres my drink halfways through the meal, and ask for cutlery, napkins etc. On top of you 'forgetting' to put in my order, doesnt help things, especially when after seeing everyone around me with their meals and me asking getting told, so what. I then mentioned if she felt she deserved a tip all the time.. she should be in a different line of work.    

[Lil Me]

I'm ok with a "Service Charge" on the bill for parties of 10 or more.  It's probably better for the customers, too.  I've been to group dinners where people "forget" to leave a tip and leave, and the last ones sitting there end up forking out $$ to cover the rest.
 

[P.C.]

I think that I don't care where they hide the fees, gratutities, service charges, extra this, extra that.....whatever they want to call it....(under the guise of paying their employees because they don't want to)......but when I go to a restaurant, the expectation is that I'm going to be served.  That's the concept behind dining out.  If an employer can't afford to staff his establishment with people who are going to deliver appropriate service without my help, then why is he, or should he be, in business.

  Somebody needs to do the numbers before they decide if they can afford to run a business, and if there isn't enough profit to pay your employers what they're worth, then you need to rework the numbers.

  If an establishment wants to offer the service of catering to large groups, they should recognize the extra work involved for their employees, and pay them for it.

  When you apply the same principle of 'tipping' to your own job, you'll see how odd the concept is.

  Bottom line, as long as it is the custom to do so, I guess that's what we will continue to do.      

[ripper]

Why would anyone want to pay the wait staff "what their worth." That is the common complaint here about tipping. By paying them say $20 an hour flat fee with no tip, what motivation is there for them. It's bad for the restaurant and bad for the customer. It's bad for the customer because there's no more motivation for them to go out of their way for you. They've basically become government employees. Lazy with surly attitudes. It's bad for the restaurant because the service is so shitty you vow to never go back.

[P.C.]

 Why would anyone want to pay the wait staff "what their worth." That is the common complaint here about tipping. By paying them say $20 an hour flat fee with no tip, what motivation is there for them. It's bad for the restaurant and bad for the customer. It's bad for the customer because there's no more motivation for them to go out of their way for you. They've basically become government employees. Lazy with surly attitudes. It's bad for the restaurant because the service is so shitty you vow to never go back.

  By paying them $20 dollars an hour flat fee with no tip.....what motivation is there for them?  Are you serious???  I'd have to say the motivation would be getting $20 an hour for a  job that required $0 special training?  The motivation is having a job....or being unemployed.  I'm sorry.....I know it's not an easy job but......jeez....it's not rocket science.  A vet goes to school for 8 years to start out at a wage that's far less than THAT.  Professions that require years of training and tens of thousands of dollars in schooling make far less than that.  We need some perspective.[/DIV]