Tipping in the US, specifically CTTE

[cramx3]

Damn, thanks for sharing.  That sucks.  When I was in Miami a couple months ago, I had two separate 15+ minute uber trips that totalled $2 each (granted they were shared rides).  I think Miami has too many drivers or something.  It was so cheap, I thought, how is anyone making money here?

[pogoowner]

Damn, thanks for sharing.  That sucks.  When I was in Miami a couple months ago, I had two separate 15+ minute uber trips that totalled $2 each (granted they were shared rides).  I think Miami has too many drivers or something.  It was so cheap, I thought, how is anyone making money here?

If all you want is a way to make a couple hundred bucks of supplemental income on the weekend, it's a decent enough gig. But if you want to do it full-time, it becomes wildly inefficient.

[bosk1]

Same applies to taxi cabs. That's that person's job. They work for a company under an agreement to ferry people around at a certain rate. It's what they're tasked with on a day-to-day basis. I wouldn't tip a bank teller or a cashier even though they're providing a service, why is driving someone around in a car different?

Well, as has been said other ways, it just comes down to this:  For certain types of services, it is customary.  It is understood within those industries that, in addition to the price you see marked, there is an expectation of tipping as well, and that is built into the wage those workers receive.  I couldn't tell you, service-by-service or industry-by-industry exactly how or why that custom developed.  And, really, that isn't important.  And some of it varies by region as well.  For instance, the example above about tipping the mail man is one that is definitely different depending on where you are.  It wouldn't even occur to me to do that here in California.  But in NY, it is more common (as is, apparently, the custom of holding a grudge against an entire restaurant chain because of bad service by one employee.   But I digress...).  Bottom line is, if it is custom in your area in a certain industry, and you are doing business with someone who provides that service, it is discourteous to deny that person a tip, whether you happen to agree with the practice of tipping or not.

[cramx3]

My sister has a condo in the upper east side of Manhatten.  They tip the door men a few hundred bucks each year.  That always boggled my mind, not that they don't deserve the money or they don't do things to help you (they do), but that such a high cost isn't just included in the fees (association fees for a condo).  I guess it's similar to tipping a dollar a day to them for holding the doors and helping you with mail and bags and letting your visitors in... but that's definitely a cost I wouldn't of considered when looking to move (if I were to move to NYC, which I have no desire to).

[Chino]

I wouldn't say I "tip" my mailman, but we give him a Christmas card every year, usually with a Starbucks or D&D gift card. We shoot the shit with the guy all the time, and I run into him every afternoon after work when taking my dog out. We talk to him more than any of our other neighbors, some of whom we also send cards and gifts to. It's more of a neighborly love thing than a tip.

[jonnybaxy]

I don't tip anyone in general other than restaurants, and then that's only because it's socially accepted that you pretty much habe have to leave something.

My main grievance is that it's mandatory and secondly I'd already paid for the service provided, especially in the drinks section where the $8 drink coupon got you a drink up to $6.95 (about 10 of my 48 were cans of coke too so essentially I was paying $8 for a can of coke, the other were bottles of Budweiser which I really hope they don't charge more than $5 for

[King Postwhore]

I think tipping occurred in the old days because the jobs were paid less like waitresses where they make the real money on tips like commission.  These jobs are now paid much more yet tipping is still customary.

[TioJorge]

I think tipping occurred in the old days because the jobs were paid less like waitresses where they make the real money on tips like commission.  These jobs are now paid much more yet tipping is still customary.

That was worded a bit odd so I'm not sure if you're specifically referring to waiting tables or not but if you are, that's horrifically incorrect.

Barring a very small niche, the vast, heaping majority of waiters/servers make a couple bucks an hour. Perhaps a couple/few more depending on if you're bartending as well as the occasional difference in company but very, very few make minimum wage because at their core they are specifically designed in the expectation that (again, unless you flat out suck at your job) people will tip. It's inherently in their design and business structure.

[KevShmev]

As someone who tended bar for years, I agree that the tipping culture is out of control, especially since a lot of people in the industry think they are entitled to big tips rather than working for them.  Granted, a lot of that comes from being jaded from running your ass off for customers who jack you on the tip. 

I still never tip less than 20% unless the service is absolutely awful (it is dumb to hold bad food against the server since they aren't the ones cooking your food), and on small bills, I will always tip more. I never tip less than 5 bucks if I sit down somewhere and get food, so if I go somewhere quick for lunch and my bill is 12 bucks, I am still giving 5 bucks.

All of that aside, if a tip like on the cruise is automatic, it definitely should be told to you ahead of time, not snuck in after the fact.

[King Postwhore]

I'm saying that tips were made for jobs that the pay scale is low, some of the jobs today like a doorman and boat waiter staff are paid very well but other jobs like restaurant waiters still make low pay.

[KevShmev]

Yep.  People who take the "well, the restaurant should pay them more" attitude should consider a) they legally cannot, and b) if they could, they would jack prices up on the food and drinks to make up for having to pay their employees more.  But some will find any flimsy reason to be a cheap skate.

[TioJorge]

I'm saying that tips were made for jobs that the pay scale is low, some of the jobs today like a doorman and boat waiter staff are paid very well but other jobs like restaurant waiters still make low pay.

Ah, gotcha.

[orcus116]

So who has that friend that takes out their phone to calculate the tip to the cent?

Also one bullshit thing I've been seeing more often is when you get a check and the tip is included but they still show what, especially when maybe you've had a few, still looks like a tip line because it's just an "additional gratuity". I mean the check does clearly state that a tip has been included but it's purposely hidden between total and subtotal and they have that other line in there. It just seems like a dirty way to make more money when someone is just looking to get the f out of somewhere once they get the check.

[pogoowner]

So who has that friend that takes out their phone to calculate the tip to the cent?

I'm not like that at all. I usually calculate 20% in my head and then round to the next highest dollar if I'm at a restaurant. If it's just drinks I try to make sure they get at least a dollar a drink.

[Cool Chris]

I worked at a cruise line, and their tip/service charge was always posted upfront. And at the end of the cruise you could ask that it be withheld if you thought the service didn't warrant it. Figured they assumed most guests would forget all about it by the end of the trip.

[cramx3]

So who has that friend that takes out their phone to calculate the tip to the cent?

I'm not like that at all. I usually calculate 20% in my head and then round to the next highest dollar if I'm at a restaurant. If it's just drinks I try to make sure they get at least a dollar a drink.

The math is really easy for tipping at 20%.  1 dollar tip for every 5 spent.  And yea, I'm typically a buck per drink tipper not tipping based off the high cost of your vodka that will be the same work for you if its the cheaper kind. 

[Chino]

So who has that friend that takes out their phone to calculate the tip to the cent?

I'm not like that at all. I usually calculate 20% in my head and then round to the next highest dollar if I'm at a restaurant. If it's just drinks I try to make sure they get at least a dollar a drink.

The math is really easy for tipping at 20%.  1 dollar tip for every 5 spent.  And yea, I'm typically a buck per drink tipper not tipping based off the high cost of your vodka that will be the same work for you if its the cheaper kind.

Ditto. I can get a Coors Light on tap for like $3.50 and Victoria will get a $10.50 micro brew. Am I supposed to tip 3 times more for hers?

[Stadler]

My sister has a condo in the upper east side of Manhatten.  They tip the door men a few hundred bucks each year.  That always boggled my mind, not that they don't deserve the money or they don't do things to help you (they do), but that such a high cost isn't just included in the fees (association fees for a condo).  I guess it's similar to tipping a dollar a day to them for holding the doors and helping you with mail and bags and letting your visitors in... but that's definitely a cost I wouldn't of considered when looking to move (if I were to move to NYC, which I have no desire to).

I lived in a building with doorpersons in Philly, and I tipped too, but it wasn't anything about "their wages" or "service" per se.   Those people can be your best friend, or your worst nightmare.   It helped that my ex-wife was cute, I'm sure, but the door people loved us.  I could keep shit in the basement - strictly prohibited generally - and if a package or something came, I could always get it (ordinarily it was between 8 and 4 I think; it might have been 9 to 6, I don't know).  I could park in front of the building and they'd never bust my balls (and if you've ever watched "Parking Wars" on TV, you'll know that parking illegally is BIG BUSINESS in Philly).   That was money well spent.   I even was able to leave a big piece of furniture (an IKEA shelf unit) that I couldn't get out the door, and it was "taken care of" for me (I have no doubt it's in someone's living room now, but I didn't care).   Every New Year's the Mummers parade would cross right in front of my building, and while it was usually verboten for the parade goers to come into the building during the parade, I am a Mum, so they cut me and my band some slack. 

Some of the other tenants - mostly older - were downright rude to most of them.   I don't know if it was race or something else (the door staff was with one exception, entirely black, and the building tenants were predominantly Jewish) but it actually made me sad, and a little angry.    The tip for me was about showing them that I thought they were real people and worthy of some respect.  Good example of respect given, respect earned. 

[hefdaddy42]

At restaurants, my baseline tip is 15%.  If you really suck, I will knock it down from there.  But I absolutely have no problem going up to 20% or higher for excellent service.

I tip delivery guys too.  Pizza delivery guys always seem happy that I throw them $5.00.

I don't take cabs, but I recently had cause to use Lyft, and I appreciated the tip feature in the app, and our driver was great and very outgoing, so I tipped him well.

[Stadler]

So who has that friend that takes out their phone to calculate the tip to the cent?

I'm not like that at all. I usually calculate 20% in my head and then round to the next highest dollar if I'm at a restaurant. If it's just drinks I try to make sure they get at least a dollar a drink.

The math is really easy for tipping at 20%.  1 dollar tip for every 5 spent.  And yea, I'm typically a buck per drink tipper not tipping based off the high cost of your vodka that will be the same work for you if its the cheaper kind.

Ditto. I can get a Coors Light on tap for like $3.50 and Victoria will get a $10.50 micro brew. Am I supposed to tip 3 times more for hers?

This depends for me; if I'm buying rounds, I tip a $1 or so per drink, no matter what the drink is (though if one is a beer and one is a Flaming Mojito, I might reward the bartender for putting up with the nonsense of constructing the latter).  If it's a total check (and especially with food) a drink is a drink. 

[TAC]

Figuring out the tip is pretty easy. In Massachusetts, the tax is 6.25%. Typically I just go 3 X the tax.

[TioJorge]

At restaurants, my baseline tip is 15%.  If you really suck, I will knock it down from there.  But I absolutely have no problem going up to 20% or higher for excellent service.

I tip delivery guys too.  Pizza delivery guys always seem happy that I throw them $5.00.

I don't take cabs, but I recently had cause to use Lyft, and I appreciated the tip feature in the app, and our driver was great and very outgoing, so I tipped him well.

This guy...

 

[Samsara]

My sister has a condo in the upper east side of Manhatten.  They tip the door men a few hundred bucks each year.  That always boggled my mind, not that they don't deserve the money or they don't do things to help you (they do), but that such a high cost isn't just included in the fees (association fees for a condo).  I guess it's similar to tipping a dollar a day to them for holding the doors and helping you with mail and bags and letting your visitors in... but that's definitely a cost I wouldn't of considered when looking to move (if I were to move to NYC, which I have no desire to).

I lived in a building with doorpersons in Philly, and I tipped too, but it wasn't anything about "their wages" or "service" per se.   Those people can be your best friend, or your worst nightmare.   It helped that my ex-wife was cute, I'm sure, but the door people loved us.  I could keep shit in the basement - strictly prohibited generally - and if a package or something came, I could always get it (ordinarily it was between 8 and 4 I think; it might have been 9 to 6, I don't know).  I could park in front of the building and they'd never bust my balls (and if you've ever watched "Parking Wars" on TV, you'll know that parking illegally is BIG BUSINESS in Philly).   That was money well spent.   I even was able to leave a big piece of furniture (an IKEA shelf unit) that I couldn't get out the door, and it was "taken care of" for me (I have no doubt it's in someone's living room now, but I didn't care).   Every New Year's the Mummers parade would cross right in front of my building, and while it was usually verboten for the parade goers to come into the building during the parade, I am a Mum, so they cut me and my band some slack. 

Some of the other tenants - mostly older - were downright rude to most of them.   I don't know if it was race or something else (the door staff was with one exception, entirely black, and the building tenants were predominantly Jewish) but it actually made me sad, and a little angry.    The tip for me was about showing them that I thought they were real people and worthy of some respect.  Good example of respect given, respect earned.

 

Good on you for doing that. I always tipped the doormen in the buildings I lived in that had them. As you said -- money well spent. Respect given, respect earned, as you said.

[pogoowner]

I tip delivery guys too.  Pizza delivery guys always seem happy that I throw them $5.00.

I try to always give $5 for delivery drivers too. That's a terrible, underappreciated job.

[cramx3]

I tip delivery guys too.  Pizza delivery guys always seem happy that I throw them $5.00.

I try to always give $5 for delivery drivers too. That's a terrible, underappreciated job.

I've been a delivery driver before so I understand the costs and I found most people only give a few bucks, not dependent on the food order.  I typically just stick to my 20% tip.  I'm not so sure the tip should be dependent on the food ordered, but 2 dollars is too little ( I always give at least 3) and 10 dollars is probably too much.  But then again, the quality of service comes to play too such as a ridiculously long delivery is tough to give a good tip on and I think I only gave a 2 dollar tip once on a dominos order that you can track and I knew this delivery driver was just terrible.

[axeman90210]

I was actually about to come in here and ask about delivery tips. I'm in the same boat as cram, I always give at least three bucks, and once we get close to $20 or so for delivery I switch to 20% of the total (more if it's abysmal weather). I do wonder sometimes when we order indian food from the good but expensive place in town where just for two of us it can be $60 or more and tipping 20% on that for what still amounts to delivering two dinners seems like a bit much. Though, I suppose you could make the same argument or dine in tipping at nice bars/restaurants as well.

[Chino]

The kid who delivers our pizza gets a few bong rips on his way out 

[cramx3]

The kid who delivers our pizza gets a few bong rips on his way out 

  I tipped once this way before (on top of a few bucks).  My brother used to get that tip a lot when he delivered pizza.

[axeman90210]

For a while I had a regular pizza delivery while I was brewing on Saturday, always the same guy. Was tempted to offer him some a couple times, but given that he's driving all day figured it wasn't a good idea.

[TioJorge]

You guys are so fucking irresponsible it's insane.










He's stoned...WITH PEOPLE'S PIZZAS. Heathens. Fucking heathens. Those people will never get their pizza. 

[Implode]

I feel like tipping has become so far removed from reflecting service quality all the time as people like Chino have pointed out, that I just tip well automatically and don't really think about it. I'm not going to spend the time to calculate how much they deserve or make myself mad that tip is entirely based on how much I buy and not really how much they do.

I just consider it to be an additional charge and leave it at that.

[PetFish]

I hate tipping culture. 100% hate it.

When I sold skis and stuff I'd spend hours with people making sure they got the right stuff, using all of my knowledge and experience, to make sure they were safe and their thousand-dollar package was right for them.  I didn't get tips.  I'd get people asking for discounts cuz they're "spending so much".

Now, someone with (possibly) no skills in life brings me a drink and I have to pay 400% markup for it AND tip them?  It's a pathetic double-standard.

Now places are forcing gratuity by including it in the bill and that should definitely be made illegal.

[PetFish]

I'm saying that tips were made for jobs that the pay scale is low, some of the jobs today like a doorman and boat waiter staff are paid very well but other jobs like restaurant waiters still make low pay.

Then shouldn't EVERY job that the pay scale is low get tips?  Nobody at McDonald's gets tips.  Nobody at 7-11 gets tips. Shouldn't EVERY job that pays minimum wage also require tipping?  Why is it just the restaurant industry?  The doorman/valet gets a tip if you give it, it's not just added to your bill or club membership.

I don't mind tipping when there's "actual effort" involved, like the moving guys carrying my entire lifes' belongings around but being expected, and now forced, to tip for simply pouring my drink or bringing my food is ridiculous.

When I'd work my ass off using all my knowledge and skills while working for scraps in retail nobody would think twice about not tipping me so to see people getting an extra 20% in tips on top of their minimum wage when I don't is beyond insulting.  Thankfully I'm out of that industry now but I'll never get over this whole "tipping hypocrisy".

[bosk1]

That has all pretty much already been addressed.

[Stadler]

I'm saying that tips were made for jobs that the pay scale is low, some of the jobs today like a doorman and boat waiter staff are paid very well but other jobs like restaurant waiters still make low pay.

Then shouldn't EVERY job that the pay scale is low get tips?  Nobody at McDonald's gets tips.  Nobody at 7-11 gets tips. Shouldn't EVERY job that pays minimum wage also require tipping?  Why is it just the restaurant industry?  The doorman/valet gets a tip if you give it, it's not just added to your bill or club membership.

I don't mind tipping when there's "actual effort" involved, like the moving guys carrying my entire lifes' belongings around but being expected, and now forced, to tip for simply pouring my drink or bringing my food is ridiculous.

When I'd work my ass off using all my knowledge and skills while working for scraps in retail nobody would think twice about not tipping me so to see people getting an extra 20% in tips on top of their minimum wage when I don't is beyond insulting.  Thankfully I'm out of that industry now but I'll never get over this whole "tipping hypocrisy".

I think you're perhaps being a shade too literal.  The restaurant industry isn't exactly like other industries.  If the skies are bad, I take them back.  If you spit on them or put your fingers in the boot holes, no harm no foul.   The McDonald's comes in a box.   It's basically sanitary from the get go.     There's a level of trust with a seated food service that isn't present with others, and I think there's a level of expertise that is required that isn't present with the others.  I'll grant you, it's gotten excessive, but I wouldn't at all call it "hypocritical". 

If anyone has gone to a reasonably high end restaurant (I'm talking an Emeril's or something like that) you know what REALLY good service can be.   It's WAY more than just putting plates on a table.