Has "tipping" gone to far or am I just cheap?

[GogglesnTeeth 6]

Ok, so the S/O and I were in Orlando a week or so ago, and in the motel room, there was an envelope for the maids tip. I'm sorry, maybe I'm cheap, but if I want to tip the maid, I will, but don't leave an envelope and expect it. When did it get to the point that you have to tip people for simply doing their job?? I mean if they did an extra good job, or something cool, sure, but when it is expected.... then I believe it is too much.
Just my $.02.

Goggles and Teeth

"You fall like a greased safe!!!"

[thegreekone 0]

I agree only because they make a wage, unlike servers, who get a truncated piece due to receiving tips. That's not to say I don't tip, espcially when someone goes above and beyond the call. For instance, I usually tip when getting carry-out, and most people don't. (as long as it's NOT the owner or I can see it doesn't involve much work; but I drop coin if someone is good, thoughtful about stuff, and scrambles)

[kingbunky 3]

the missus and meself were on vacation a few years ago and the guy the drove the airport shuttle kinda pissed me off over a tip. he drove the van back to the hotel, got out and walked around back. we opened the door and got our own luggage out and he stood there with his hand out and said 'tip'. i just looked at him and walked away. if the bellboy at a hotel gets $1 a bag for carrying it up to your room, this guy got nothing because he didn't do anything for me, other than drive the van (and he was late getting to the airport), which i paid for in my room rate.

so, yes, it is gettiing out of hand.

"Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart."
MB4252 TDS699
killing threads since 2001

[pincheck 0]

I don't know much about this its not really something that happens to much in the UK but if i am abroad in europe i will tip waiters and the likes for services(only if the service is good )
I understand your point of view about the job thing. Its like this year our boss decided to give us all something as a thanks for our work and effort for a new line. Told him that i wasn't really comfortable with the idea and it was nothing personal as i just seen it as being my job(i already get paid a wage for) and next time to just give me a christmas card. Needless to say some of my fellow works thought i was ungrateful to which i said fuck you as it had nothing to do with them. They just saw it as something they were entitled to and i think that is shit

Billy-Sonic Haggis Flickr-Fun

[leapdog 0]

Another thing that is happening is a bill at a restuarant that the tip is automatically added in if the table size is more then "X" number of heads.


I tip but I also think that if extra is to be paid why not just say that up front, and get rid of tipping all together. as far as wait staff goes pay them and stop this below minimum wage crap.

Gunnery Sergeant of Marines
"I would like it if I were challenged mentally at my job and not feel like I'm mentally challenged." - Co-worker

[Bolas 5]

You gotta watch that built in tip for groups. My team went out for lunch 10-12 of us and got separate checks. She adding in the large group tip which was fine, but when the bill came she added the large group tip a second time.

I called her on it and she said to just put the right number in my total, but I think the other guys just paid.

Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting
If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

[GTAVercetti 0]

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Another thing that is happening is a bill at a restuarant that the tip is automatically added in if the table size is more then "X" number of heads.

I have been ROYALLY fucked when I decided to not put the auto tip for a party of 20. When you have a party that size, it ends up being your focus. So when you bust your ass for 2 hours and get a 8-10 dollar tip on a 200+ bill (and they were a happy group that seemed to like me as a server), it makes you think twice about not using the auto tip for large parties.

Another reason they started doing that because inevitably a large group spends more than they thought and then they are all scraping together to get enough money to pay the bill itself, let alone the tip.

Until they get rid of the low wage shit, I think the auto tip fpr large parties is usually the better bet.

Thank GOD I am not a server anymore though. What a shit job.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[Buried 0]

gotta watch out at some restraunts in certain places. Last yr i was in Miami and went out to dinner with a (1) friend. When i got the bill i added tip (on a 80$ bill) and totaled on the customer copy .upon closer look I noticed tip of 16% was added in already! wtf for two people? and made sure to write bill cost in for the total. sucks for them tho, I would have tipped more, but since nothing indicated off hand that it was added until the bill came, they lost a few $.

Where is my fizzy-lifting drink?

[NWFlyer 2]

I'm okay with the auto-tip for larger groups, especially if the restaurant is up front about it. It's when a service charge just gets snuck on there that I get pissed off. The restaurant at an expensive, downtown hotel that I stay at will slip on a 15% service charge for one person for breakfast (and only at breakfast). That annoys me.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[nanook 1]

My general rule of thumb is I only tip where payment happensafter the service or product has been used, i.e. cab rides, restraunts. I never preemptively tip: tip jars for Starbucks, pickup windows ect. ect. This is where i think tipping has gone out of hand.

_____________________________

"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

[ACMESkydiver 0]

The WORST place for having top tip RIDICULOUS amounts is on a cruise.

They leave you an envelope with 'typical' tip guide for:

The head waiter
The Maitre D'
Your individual table waiter
Your cabin boy
The head cabin boy
The bar tenders
And another one I don't recall...

And it came to BIG bucks...about a hundred dollars if I recall. <--Maybe I'm cheap too, but $100 in expected tips?!? On a three day cruise?! AND they still expect to see tips on the table when you get up and in their tip jar (for bartenders) and on sales slips!!! It REALLY had me fried!

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[GTAVercetti 0]

Do you know how much work those people do on cruises? I hung out with one of them (the dude was AMAZING at pingpong.
Basically, they are working non stop to make your stay as worry free and pleasant as possible. As has been the case on the 3 cruises I have been on, I think they should get every penny.

Now, if they are wanting a tip at the table too, well, that is not required. Most cruises tell you to tip at the end of your stay.

The tip guide is also usually listed on the brochure for the cruise. That you can look at, BEFORE you go.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[Orchid 0]

I think imposing %'age for tips is way out of hand!

Granted I do give out tips: restaurants, my nail girl, hair stylist, valet guy, etc....however, I tip according to the service(s) I get.....and how much I want to tip.......can't tell me if I should/shouldn't & how much to tip.

"Love is doing small things with great love."

Lacrosse: Legally beating men with sticks since 1492

[hexadecimal 0]

I tip very well when it's deserved... but if someone actually asks me for a tip, the only tip they'll see is that of my middle finger.

[Nightingale 0]

Just ask the restaurant not to use auto-tip. Most will honor the request.

[PrairieDoug 0]

I tip very well. Maybe that's why I tend to get excellent service when I'm a repeat customer.

Even when I'm not a repeat customer, it feels good to be generous to someone who has taken good care of me.

[PLFXpert 0]

I agree I don't like being "expected" to do anything.

But in regards to tipping, we (my hunny and I) are great tippers. We tip 20% minumum--so if we hate the service, it's an auto 20%.

Our regular places know us--they do us favors that make the whole experience more enjoyable. We're not demanding, nor difficult and don't "ignore" the waitstaff like I guess you're supposed to, but joke with them.

We tip well for a # of reasons--mostly b/c my hunny used to manage a couple different restaurants, worked as a head bartender and as a waiter at high-end establishments. I've heard horror stories from him. Me? I tried the restaurant thing for about 2 months in high school and that was all I could take b/f I said "Fuck this." So, I know if it's something I wouldn't want to do in a million years, but I'm asking other people to do it for me, I will make sure they're compensated well.

And that's just how I see it

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[Andy9o8 2]

I think there's often a direct relationship between whether you've ever worked as a server and how well you tip. My wife worked as a waitress in high school and college. She appreciates what a hard, shit job being a server can be; she makes that lesson vocally clear to everyone sitting at the table; and she tips well.

[GTAVercetti 0]

Since I was once a server, I tip well too. It takes ALOT for me to tip below 15%. One time though, I tipped zero. I actually wrote zero on it to makes sure he knew. He was inept and unapologetic and probably should have found another job. But that was a very extreme case.

In anycase, tipping well is a great idea. I always tip well at my neighborhood bar...and I am guaranteed to get my next beer almost immediately after I finish my current one. Even when it is crowded. Same goes for another bar we go to. Every hour or so, free shots magically appear. Why? Because we tip well.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[skycat 0]

Since so many people here have waited tables, how do you politely ask the server not to rush your food. I'm so tired of having my main course before I've taken 3 bites of my salad. I mean there are times fast is good, but as a general rule we like to enjoy our pre-dinner wine and salad.

I end up tipping the people who get our main course to the table soon after we are done with the salads better than those that rush it. (everyone still gets at least 20%)

Fly it like you stole it!

[RhondaLea 4]

Quote

I mean if they did an extra good job, or something cool, sure, but when it is expected.... then I believe it is too much.
Just my $.02.

It has always been customary to tip the maid--a dollar or two per night.

rl

If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

[PLFXpert 0]

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Every hour or so, free shots magically appear. Why? Because we tip well.

Exactly. I enjoy the "extra" service we get for being known as good tippers. I'm not "loose" with my $$$ by any means...if anything the more I make the more of a tightwad I become. I'm funny that way. But, I'm not cheap and I recognize quality & workmanship--whether it's shoes or service.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record---if I wouldn't do it in a million years, I'm going to greatly compensate those who do it for me.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[GTAVercetti 0]

Quote

Since so many people here have waited tables, how do you politely ask the server not to rush your food. I'm so tired of having my main course before I've taken 3 bites of my salad. I mean there are times fast is good, but as a general rule we like to enjoy our pre-dinner wine and salad.

More often than not, it is not their fault and you are punishing the wrong person. The server will put the order in and if the chef or cook makes it too fast, they really have to bring it out. Otherwise, it will sit there and not be as appealing.

If the salad is part of the main course (ie, not a separate order) the only thing they can do is check to see the progress of the main meal and then determine when to bring out the salad. The problem though is that if a server has 5 or 6 tables, it is near impossible to stand there in the kitchen and determine what is what in a busy restaurant.

The only thing really to do is to FORCEFULLY ask that they do hold back the main meal --with the knowledge that it may not be as fresh as it should be.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[RhondaLea 4]

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I tip very well when it's deserved... but if someone actually asks me for a tip, the only tip they'll see is that of my middle finger.

I totally agree with this...

...unfortunately, there are a lot of people who are real cheapskates, and regardless of how good the service, they don't tip at all.

I was a waitress for three months when I was 16. Never again.

I use Miss Manners' guidelines for all tipping, except for my hairstylist...I overtip her lavishly, but that's because she charges nearly nothing, and she does a great job on my hair.

rl

If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

[skycat 0]

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It has always been customary to tip the maid--a dollar or two per night.

I think this may be a reginal thing, growing up in the midwest I've never heard of tipping the maid, and most the time when you stay in a motel you have to stay more than 3 nights before they will step foot in your room during your stay unless you specifically request them to. This is still my experience from as recently as just last October.

Fly it like you stole it!