Tipping thread (who do you tip/don't tip)

[CrazyCracka420]

In the USA it's standard practice to tip your waiter/waitresses 15-25% of the total bill.  The reason for this is a lot of them are paid less than the federal minimum wage, and the government charges then taxes on 15% of each bill they serve (something like that).  So it's basically "mandatory" to tip a restaurant waiter/waitress.  It's also pretty standard for people to tip a taxi cab driver, or a barber/hairstylist. 

But it has me wondering, why don't we tip ALL service industry workers?  Some people tip the maids after they stay at a hotel.  But I personally don't.  Recently got into a debate with family/friends about this and a lot of them believe firmly in tipping the maids.  I asked them why they feel they should tip the maids for just doing their jobs, and the only real reasoning I could gather, was because "it's a shitty job" (cleaning toilets, cleaning up people's messes/bodily fluids, etc). 

I gave them my analogy for tipping maids is like Mr. Pink's reasoning for not automatically tipping waitresses at a restaurant, and apparently that makes me an insensitive jerk.  But then I brought up the fact that there's a lot of service jobs out there, and most of them we don't tip.  We typically don't tip doctors, dentists, trash collectors, janitors, school teachers, counselors/psychologists, fast food workers, car mechanics (can't think of more now, but I know there's a ton out there).  I'm an IT guy who provides services for external customers (fixing problems they create typically) and I never get tipped. 

I understand the automatic tipping of waiters/waitresses here, but do you believe that there are other people that "automatically" deserve a tip?  How do you justify tipping them, and not all services people do for you?

[Turboflex]

As you mentioned, the business model for certain jobs incorporates tipping into the pay model. When someone is hired, the expectation is there will be tipping, thus they are paid less. In a normal competitive market (and most industries that have tipping are very competitive retail service sectors) these labour savings are just passed onto consumers anyway through competition. It's just a shell game with the money and a peculiarity that it is how these industries evolved.

As for maids, the entire hotel industry seems to have evolved in a tip driven manner. You tip the bellhop and concierge too for personal service. There's an expectation of a tip built into their pay model, which means they get paid less salary, and this savings in a competitive area means the hotelier can bring down your room price a bit to become more attractive compared to competing hotels, so in theory you get that savings anyway. That's how the pricing works, so if you withhold the tip they are not getting paid. So your call, but yes you are a bad person if you do this. I wouldn't tell anyone about it if I were you because people will judge you poorly, especially anyone who has ever worked such a job where the compensation model was tip driven. So you can save a few bucks but you are essentially ripping off the workers and you will look very bad from it which can hurt your professional and personal relationships due to people considering you some sort of miserly weirdo/loser.

[no_rules_just_play]

EU: just include the tip in the price

why you have to try to be so complicated, america?

[Wiltzu]

It's true. At least in Finland the tip is included into the price.

[CrazyCracka420]

EU: just include the tip in the price

why you have to try to be so complicated, america?

Hey, I wish we didn't have to make things so complicated...my perfect model:

Pay your employees a fair living wage, competitive with other, similar jobs.  Charge customers what you want to charge to cover the cost of employees wages, the product, other costs, and enough to make whatever profit you're shooting for.  If people choose to reward you for your service, they can tip on top of it. 

But I don't think the "tip" should be included in the price of the bill...pay your employees a fair wage, charge the customers what you're actually trying to recoup from the food/service/product, if the people want to go above and beyond and tip you, then that's a tip.  When it's required, it's not a tip.

[Rumblood]

It is 8% Cracka.

Since the government charges them tax on 8% of the total of the bill, I make sure to tip at least that. On bills under about $10, I tip at least $2 though. Up to $100 for my family of 5, it is usually $10-$15, over $100 about $15-$20.

But other situations it depends upon whether they add a value to the service above and beyond the minimum. For example, a friend of mine tips at self-service cafeteria type places while I don't. You get your own food going down a line. You get your own silverware, drinks and refills. The only thing that someone does is come to the table and remove the plates and wipe the table. They are not waiters and don't pay taxes on the bill. They don't add any value to the service and so no tip is left. At a buffet where a watiress comes and refills your tea, takes plates away while you are eating, gets extra bread, etc, yes I leave a tip for her. Extra value was added.

Taxis, if it was a good ride, he took the best route without running up the meter, then probably I'll tip. If it is a regular cabby for me, I'll tip. But if the guy takes a longer route to run up the tab and has a shitty smelly cab, well he already got his tip.

I don't tip maids in the hotels. I don't interact with them, they get paid what they get paid and they don't get charged taxes for the cost of the stay. If perhaps they went out of their way to do something extra that they didn't need to do? Like room service? I do then. But I've stayed in places all over the states and and that has been a very rare occasion, so otherwise, no.

[Torost]

Tipping in Scandinavian culture is very limited.
We tip waiters,barkeeps and taxidrivers mostly.

I think it comes from the hazzle of settling in cash.
The VISAterminals comes with a tipfeature aswell for those services.

And in some degree imported from travels abroad were it is more common.
I personally feel it is more expected today than 20 years ago.

I wish that the price was the price, and the owner shared some of the revenue with their employees instead.
Good service == more products sold, repeat customers and so on.

Mismatch of expectations when the bill is due can put a taint on the experience that serves no good to anyone.
The waiter showing disgust for a low tip or the tipper paying more in tip than he really wants to just to avoid the akward situation.

[Banok]

that scene was the only part of reservoir dogs I liked. cause I never tip. fuck that. waiters deserve charity? if i'm going to give money to charity I can think on a million better causes.

n yeah I love most tarantino but that film was really really really bland imo.

[Turboflex]

Yeah a lot of people like tipping. I do. It feels good to do it at the end of a nice meal, or when some guy just hauled your luggage around, makes me feel like a big man.

I didn't like it at all in Europe where it's included. BTW service in Europe is terrible, COINCIDENCE RIGHT?

[zagibu]

EU: just include the tip in the price

why you have to try to be so complicated, america?

A lot of people still additionally tip the waiters, because it's a way of showing off that you have money to waste.

Yeah a lot of people like tipping. I do. It feels good to do it at the end of a nice meal, or when some guy just hauled your luggage around, makes me feel like a big man.

I didn't like it at all in Europe where it's included. BTW service in Europe is terrible, COINCIDENCE RIGHT?

Yeah, Europe sucks a lot, and I can't understand their European, it's a very barbaric language.

[Mala]

It's true. At least in Finland the tip is included into the price.

In germanyland it is not.

Usually i pay my hairdresser a bit extra, her wage is not the best.
Waiter/waitress, well in the past i have not given tips, but because of my current work  i have to deal with gastronomy business and i have some waitresses in my circle of acquaintances, too.
Now they get some extra payment from me as well, because they are underpayed (even the ones in a classy restaurant) and have lousy working hours.

Ohh, and my regular döner/kebab shop gets some euros extra, on the other hand  i get a lot of free stuff from them as well.

Even i get some tips sometimes. But not that often and your customers don´t have to do this, because that i help them is part of my job and i get paid for it.

[EponiCo]

I generally tip waiters including food delivery (I mean that's just a waiter with a car right?) and hairdressers.
I find it really weird, though. I've always considered it originated from not wanting to go through exchanging small coins. Which to be fair can be a real pain also especially when you have to serve 10 customers a minute.
It is fine to round up to 15 when you pay 13,49, but when the price is 10,99 you can either go to 11 (and they probably hate you even if they often don't get tips) or 15 which is rather excessive.

That doctors, car mechanics, teachers, etc. don't get tips is quite explainable because they are all paid with transactions. Though in the place where I grew up some private people would give their regular service workers small gifts on christmas. That includes f.e. garbage disposal who are paid by the state here.

[B3RS3RK]

I oftenly tip cab drivers and waiters(If I have the money, but as a poor student when I go eat, its mostly very tightly calculated so there is not much room for tips).

Overall, my opinion on tips: It should be something given for extraordinary service, if you are in the right mood and if you have so much money you dont even care.

I´d much rather have a bit higher prices and the waiters a bit higher wages than having to tip all the time, it´s really exhausting.

What really blow´s my mind is when service people EXPECT tips like it´s mandatory; What kind of sense does a tip make if I HAVE to give the extra money?Might aswell make everything more expensive, then(As I mentioned).

If someone doesnt serve me well, he won´t get any tips, that´s it.Especially in the US there seems to be this state of mind among waiters that all people who dont tip or even tip too few(Really?You are not only expecting a tip, you are getting angry if the amount tipped is too low?Well, fuck you then)are absolute assholes and need to be spit in their food or worse.

This is a topic I could be going on about for hours; It is just my opinion that you get fucking paid for your work already, I dont HAVE to give you more money for something you already get money for(Because that´s fucking bullshit-logic).I like to tip if I can, but it makes me furious when people just take it for granted.

Just because you are getting a low wage doesnt mean I have to treat you seperately - as somebody mentioned already, we don´t even tip doctors who save our lives(Mainly because they earn enough), why am I required to tip you?

TL;DR: Giving a tip should be a CHOICE with no negative or positive consequences whatsoever.

[Turboflex]

This is a topic I could be going on about for hours; It is just my opinion that you get fucking paid for your work already, I dont HAVE to give you more money for something you already get money for(Because that´s fucking bullshit-logic).I like to tip if I can, but it makes me furious when people just take it for granted.

Just because you are getting a low wage doesnt mean I have to treat you seperately - as somebody mentioned already, we don´t even tip doctors who save our lives(Mainly because they earn enough), why am I required to tip you?

TL;DR: Giving a tip should be a CHOICE with no negative or positive consequences whatsoever.

No it's not a choice, consistent tipping for certain professions is a fundamental part of their modern compensation.

It's taken for granted when they are hired, that regular tips from customers are part of their compensation, which is why they get a lower base salary. It's taken for granted by broader society that they then get tips for doing their job, yes it's a quirk that logically is somewhat out of step with normal compensation practices.

Is it a coincidence that your little rebellion against tipping also saves you money? Try it if you want, but my advice is you keep it to yourself as a little secret because society at large understands the tipping-compensation relationship even if you are too dense to, and you will be judged harshly as a cheap loser if it is known you don't tip.

[Kafein]

Where I've been in the EU people usually don't tip. Which means that when you do it's meaningful, you thank the person for good service.

About the pay model, businesses that deliberately pay their employees less to have lower nominal prices and then expect you to pay more as a mandatory tip, can go fuck themselves. That's a schoolbook example of bait & switch.