• Why tipping is a scam - Grade A Under A
    393 replies, posted
It sure is a backwards system but its gonna take a long while before anything actually changes to it. When i was in the US it was really strange, we actually had no clue what to tip. But yeah, tips here exists out of people who can't be assed to wait for their money back or those who are a good mood.
[QUOTE=darth-veger;50072061]It sure is a backwards system but its gonna take a long while before anything actually changes to it. When i was in the US it was really strange, we actually had no clue what to tip. But yeah, tips here exists out of people who can't be assed to wait for their money back or those who are a good mood.[/QUOTE] rule of thumb is double the tax. some states that doesn't work in, and if I'm eating alone I'll usually do a tip 50% or up to $5
For a forum that talks about how the minimum wage in the US is too low this thread sure is full of people fine with waiters and waitresses making just that. If you work at a decent restaurant tips push you above minimum wage.
[QUOTE=plunger435;50072074]For a forum that talks about how the minimum wage in the US is too low this thread sure is full of people fine with waiters and waitresses making just that. If you work at a decent restaurant tips push you above minimum wage.[/QUOTE] if you're the best at what you do the weird old lady who comes in on thursdays and always leaves a $100 tip will probably start asking for you.
Percentage tips do not always make sense. I see no point in tipping my waiter a minimum of $60-70 because I ordered a $200 wine. What? Dose it require more work to carry that $200 single wine bottle to me? As opposed to a $20 full course meal that is heavier, and harder to lug around than that one special bottle?
[QUOTE=Kommodore;50070527]on behalf of all waiters, cooks, bartenders, baristas and so on who heretofore have been using your tips to improve their lives and who hereafter many of you will no longer be tipping because you watched a funny video on youtube i'd like to thank you for taking a moral stand. the world is sure to heed your selfless call to action.[/QUOTE] Don't worry, many of us have never tipped before and don't plan to start.
[QUOTE=Starpluck;50072082]I don't get why you have to tip after taxes. Further, percentage tips do not always make sense. I see no point in tipping my waiter a minimum of $60-70 because I ordered a $200 wine. What? Dose it require more work to carry that $200 wine bottle to me? As opposed to a $20 full course meal that is heavier, and harder to lug around than that one special bottle?[/QUOTE] Typically you don't tip on alcohol unless you just like giving money away.
[QUOTE=Senscith;50072087]Typically you don't tip on alcohol unless you just like giving money away.[/QUOTE] There are steaks or other small specialty meals that range from $100-200. Again not more than a single plate.
[QUOTE=Starpluck;50072082]I don't get why you have to tip after taxes. Further, percentage tips do not always make sense. I see no point in tipping my waiter a minimum of $60-70 because I ordered a $200 wine. What? Dose it require more work to carry that $200 wine bottle to me? As opposed to a $20 full course meal that is heavier, and harder to lug around than that one special bottle?[/QUOTE] tipping on alcohol is different. I do 25% up to $4 per beer or 35% up to $6 for a cocktail or if I'm at a casino getting free drinks I'll do $3 a beer and stay away from the cheap crap liquor they put in the free drinks
[QUOTE=paul simon;50072085]Don't worry, many of us have never tipped before and don't plan to start.[/QUOTE] You're in Europe so it doesn't really matter anyways. Wage laws are different in the US. [editline]5th April 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Starpluck;50072089]There are steaks or other small specialty meals that range from $100-200. Again not more than a single plate.[/QUOTE] Where are you eating regularly that serves steaks for $200.
[QUOTE=Starpluck;50072089]There are steaks or other small specialty meals that range from $100-200. Again not more than a single plate.[/QUOTE] Yes and your not going to find them at say a Steak 'n Shake or a Bar where the wait staff make less than $3/hr
[QUOTE=plunger435;50072091]Where are you eating regularly that serves steaks for $200.[/QUOTE] It is an example. There are is an indescribable amount of highly-priced food that are less work to bring to your table, usually can be done with one hand vs. lowly-priced food that requires an entire table carrying everything and more work for the waiter.
[QUOTE=Starpluck;50072113]It is an example. There are is an indescribable amount of highly-priced food that are less work to bring to your table, usually can be done with one hand vs. lowly-priced food that requires an entire table carrying everything and more work for the waiter.[/QUOTE] Service isn't about carrying a heavy plate. I've almost universally gotten better service at an expensive steak house then a Chili's
[QUOTE=sgman91;50071979]How about this: nobody gets hurt! The employees get to make more than they would otherwise and the customers end up paying about what they would have paid anyway.[/QUOTE] The customer gets hurt. They are somehow made responsible where it shouldn't be the case. It's especially bad for tourists visiting the US.
[QUOTE=plunger435;50072134]Service isn't about carrying a heavy plate.[/QUOTE] Great to hear. That's why I said tipping in percentiles do not always make sense. You are going to get the same service whether you order a $200 wine or a $40 large full-course meal. So you're now in agreement that tipping should only be based on service, uniform and irrespective to the total value at the end of your receipt. That was my point. I tip for service, not because this particular tax season was abnormally high or because the restaurant decided to artificially inflate some of their prices.
Some distant family I had in NYC took me to a place on Time Square that included the 25% tip on the bill, even though the service and food were mediocre as hell. It wasn't optional afaik, and there's no way to guarantee that any of it went to the waiter. If that ever, EVER becomes standard, I'm fucking done with this country. The food was already expensive as fuck, we damn near couldn't afford to pay the bill after the tip was added. I get that tips really help out, and that otherwise they'll be making minimum wage or so, but don't force it. The whole point of a tip is to show appreciation for good service, not an extra "tax" placed on your bill to milk you out of money. Last I heard about that place, it shut down several years ago. Serves that shithole right.
[QUOTE=Starpluck;50072145]Great to hear. That's why I said tipping in percentiles do not always make sense. You are going to get the same service whether you order a $200 wine or a $40 large full-course meal. So you're now in agreement that tipping should only be based on service, uniform and irrespective to the total value at the end of your receipt. That was my point. I tip for service, not because this particular tax season was abnormally high or because the restaurant decided to artificially inflate some of their prices.[/QUOTE] The percentage is just to make it easier for people to come up with the price since people are indecisive otherwise.
[QUOTE=plunger435;50072134]Service isn't about carrying a heavy plate. I've almost universally gotten better service at an expensive steak house then a Chili's[/QUOTE] I don't see how your anecdote is relevant, the waiters/waitresses probably get paid more at the expensive place you went to.
[QUOTE=RichyZ;50072148]You pay an extra 15% on top of what was listed, food in America is cheap as fuck (compared to most other western countries) and it doesnt need complex math to figure out [editline]5th April 2016[/editline] Restaurant tipping discussions are often more aimed at low-end to chain quality, where the percentages are totally fine[/QUOTE] When I was in America some years ago, the biggest problem wasn't how much to tip, but who to tip, and when. Because it's so arbitrary I was never sure if I was doing it right or not.
[QUOTE=Dysentery;50069223]in practice, yes. but because of how taxes on tips and reporting tips and hours etc works, you will RARELY ever see that money. my weekly "paychecks", which is where i'm supposed to be reimbursed for the difference, are consistently below $3. if you think that makes up for anything, you're very wrong[/QUOTE] you might want to bring that up with your employer than that's kind of his fault maybe you shouldn't blame people who don't tip for your employer literally scamming you
[QUOTE=RichyZ;50072238]Yeah im sure you wont be fired or have work conditions and responsibilities suspiciously get worse The only way to fight tipping fairly is via legislation, and it needs to be comprehensive af because otherwise no one wants to be a waiter at minimum wage[/QUOTE] I know, but the only way there's going to be legislation is if waiters stop accepting tipping culture.
[QUOTE=RichyZ;50072238]Yeah im sure you wont be fired or have work conditions and responsibilities suspiciously get worse [B] The only way to fight tipping fairly is via legislation[/B], and it needs to be comprehensive af because otherwise no one wants to be a waiter at minimum wage[/QUOTE] That is your job as the waiter. If you want to be compensated fairly, don't expect your customers to tip you and simultaneously fight for your rights at Congress. If you are not going to push for tipping reform— don't delegate the responsibility to the consumer.
[QUOTE=RichyZ;50072249]Why would they? They get paid a shitload more with tips than otherwise, I haven't known a single waiter who thought they should make just min or slightly above minimum wage[/QUOTE] And that's exactly the point. As a waiter, you [i]want[/i] tipping culture, because you don't want minimum wage, and you don't want to have to fight to increase your salary beyond minimum wage. But in that case you really have no right to complain if someone doesn't tip. If your salary isn't stable, the fault lies pretty much entirely on you (and other waiters) for not even trying to get rid of tipping.
I work in the tourism industry where you're forced to spend hours at a time doing nothing but working with and interacting with people, even as many as 300+ AT ONCE. Everything I do is a service to the people, from answering questions, to escorting the disabled, to giving tours, to going out and asking people how they're feeling and if they have anything to ask. Not only is it not a custom to get tips, but accepting tips is [I]against work policy and is grounds for termination.[/I] The quality of work I give isn't measured in any way financially. If someone likes or dislikes my service, they can submit a compliment or complaint. The system works and no one complains about it. I see no way how this same service can be applied to the food industry. It's much more simple and there's no math, favoritism, low wages, or possibility of offending anyone. Not going to keep me from tipping, but if there was some magical way to raise all employee wages to normal levels and remove the tip line on my recipt it's be for the better.
[QUOTE=RichyZ;50072300]Unless you get a ton of traction in your boycott all youre gonna get is a handful of disgruntled underpaid wait staff Nothing to create a nationwide movement for change Its also a double edged sword, yeah it sucks when you get shit for tips after a day of work, but its also great when the house is packed all day and you make what seems like a small fortune in a day I know a lot of people who work in the business just for that feeling[/QUOTE] Again, exactly my point. Especially the second part. You get to reap the benefits of tipping, you really have no right to complain about the downside. You chose it yourself.
[QUOTE=plunger435;50072134]Service isn't about carrying a heavy plate. I've almost universally gotten better service at an expensive steak house then a Chili's[/QUOTE] I typically get the best service at diners and places like applebees or chilis. real high end places just don't have an inviting atmosphere. I can afford a $200 steak a couple times a month no problem but whenever I go into that kind of establishment I just don't feel like I belong there. it's not the kind of environment I grew up around.
[QUOTE=RichyZ;50072323] Youll be paying the same amt regardless of tipping, at least with optional tipping you can save money at the expense of looking bad[/QUOTE] That would be called paying for labor instead of expecting waiters to work for charity money With tipping being "morally" mandatory all you're doing is simply displaying the prices in the menu to be lower than they actually are, managers know most people are just going to put up with that
[QUOTE=Ryo Ohki;50072368]That would be called paying for labor instead of expecting waiters to work for charity money With tipping being "morally" mandatory all you're doing is simply displaying the prices in the menu to be lower than they actually are managers know most people are just going to put up with that[/QUOTE] it's not morally mandatory though
[QUOTE=RichyZ;50070291]If someone doesnt want to participate in the draconian evil scheme of tipping, they should learn how to cook and stay at home, or eat fastfood You abstaining from paying an extra 5 dollars on your 20 dollar meal isnt telling the employer shit and just makes you look like a greedy person I dont like that i have to pay sales tax for digital products but it doesnt give me the right to fuck with my taxes to make up the difference[/QUOTE] This is something I never understood about Americans. You bitch and moan about having to pay taxes (the thing required to keep the country running) and even take advantage of loopholes in the law to get around paying when you can. Then you go and act like not wanting to pay someone extra money because their boss is a cheap asshole who skirts or even breaks the law is some morally indefensible thing. Paying the thing required so your government has money to function is so terrible you'll do almost anything to get around it and then bitch about it all the time despite your sales tax being insanely low. Not paying a completely optional thing to someone for doing their job, which seems to be entirely arbitrary, is somehow stealing food out of their mouths and wishing they suffer. The only times I have ever tipped are 1)when I order a delivery during a storm/snow storm and I let the delivery guy keep the change so he doesn't have to stand in the shit weather, 2)when I go to one particular nice restaurant that a number of my old schoolmates worked at (and only to the people I knew), 3)when I went to America and we had no idea who to tip and who not to tip so we just tipped waiters.
[QUOTE=Janus Vesta;50072456]This is something I never understood about Americans. You bitch and moan about having to pay taxes (the thing required to keep the country running) and even take advantage of loopholes in the law to get around paying when you can. Then you go and act like not wanting to pay someone extra money because their boss is a cheap asshole who skirts or even breaks the law is some morally indefensible thing. [/QUOTE] This sort of thinking happens when you make blanket generalizations about everyone in a country of 300 million people
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