Do you tip $$ people these days?

[Iain]

Oscar Wilde upon receiving poor sercvice at a restaurant, left sixpence on the plate with a note 'In case you thought I forgot to tip you this is to let you know I didn't'.
(or words to that effect

[Bleedin Thumb]

I like the one when a cheapskate gives you coinage you go back to them and say " excuse me you probably need this more than I do" and hand back the coins.

[Bob38S]

You wanna tip

Horse 3 in race 4.

Always wear clean undies when going out.


Seriously, it should be my choice whether to tip or not - not an expectation or obligation because some employer pays poverty wages.

[Sturdee]

I used to work in the hospitality industry in the 70's and the pay was so low that you needed the tips to survive.

So did I, but in the 80's as paymaster, amongst other things, for the Swagman Restaurant employing over 100 employees per week.

We paid everyone award wages, except chefs who got more, and the hourly rate was more than for office staff. And they got the tips, and weekend penalty rates, as well as broken shift allowances, after 11pm allowances as well as paid meal breaks and meals.

In fact good waitresses earned more working the full weekend shifts than their hubbies did working all week.

I learned from that and since that time I have never given out any tips and never will in the future.

Peter.

[rrich]

I tip depending upon the quality of the service rendered.

Once I was chased by a coctail waitress asking me if I had forgot something. (Her service for our party of 15 was horrid.) I shouted back, "Oh, your tip! Get out of the business."

In a public room (food service?), usually I'll start with the number 15. Every time the server does something to please me it goes up a little. Every time the server does something to annoy me it goes down. When it is time to settle up, the number is added as a percent.

In Las Vegas, parking is usually handled by a valet at most hotels. It's a dollar to drop off the car, it's a dollar to get the car back. The valets really do depend upon the tips to surrive.

If the pizza delivery guy gets here in 35-40 minutes it's a couple of dollars plus rounding it up. (Two pizzas would be three dollars.) My kid used pizza delivery to put himself through college, so I have a soft spot.

Over a 8 or 10 year period I was getting outstanding service at my Ford dealer when my truck was in for service. The next day I would stop back with a couple of bottles of red or two six packs of beer. One was for the service advisor (The bloke who writes up your service order.) and one for the technician who actually serviced the truck. (The dealership changed owners and the service is not that outstanding any more.)

Before we got these stupid automated rubbish bin trucks, the driver would actually pick up any rubbish that fell out of the rubbish bin when he emptied the bin. Other times we had an extraordinary amount green waste from removing over grown shrubbery set out for the rubbish man. I would try to get out there and slip the rubbish man a fiver. The first time that I ever did that, there were over 40 bags of green waste. When I gave the rubbish man the fiver it brought tears to his eyes.

Even though we're not supposed to (Goverment regulations) we'll slip the postman a ten at Christmas.

Only rarely have I seen the server expecting a tip. Then usually they got exactly what their service was worth from me.

The only place that I would say that tips being expected was at a very upscale hotel chain. (Name began with a "W") I would only stay at these hotels because they were my customer. Their name should have been changed to "Palms". (As in palms up, always)

Personally, I don't mind tipping when the service rendered warrants a tip. If they're expecting a tip, they usually do not get what they're expecting.

[Bleedin Thumb]

That just reminded me that when I was a kid every Christmas my parents would leave a six pack out for the Garbo's.

Imagine doing that now.. there would be traffic jams of low-lifes driving around picking up free beer.

[rgum]

It's an instutionalised culture in America. Also their wages are structured differently than ours. In hospitality I mean.
USA staff rely on tips as a means of making up a good weeks wage. See it as performance based pay if you like. An incentive for them to " Smile" and be attentive. Not overly though. Their pay rayes are crap too.
You gotta pick your mark with your diners. How far can you go I mean

Staff there ( USA ) get about 4.25 hrly rate. Last I heard.

I used to get 22 per hr. Lincolnshire Arms hotel. Geez I had some bums to look after and also,...many, many funny delightful , fun people to be cheeky to. They came back often cause of what we did for them.

I was a Matre D ....Head waiter....supervisor, what ever you wanna call it. 14 yrs. Now i'm back into trades work getting harassed ha he. No more of that please.

Anyway. Tipping is not imbedded in Australian culture. But it's your choice.

If your waiter or driver or who ever is serving you simply walks in serves then walks out without hardly a word, DO NOT tip. A thankyou is all thats needed.

If they have a little attentative chat and smile with a bit of cheek ...then engage them. See what moments fun you may have. If you like their style, attention, cheek and so on, give'em a tip. Praise them.

Some diners don't want to be bothered. Again I used to pick my mark. Leave'em or please'em.

I used to literally eat a diners meal, sitting at their table with my assistant saying " Wow what a great steak, "...this is good with a mouthfull ha he. BUT!!!!! We had already organised a replacement steak to come very....very soon after. We got many laughing with us. We used to yell jokes to each other across the room. All diners would stop and go " Huh" wondering and then a huge laugh.
We'd bring out a bthday cake and sing happy bthday all the way from the kit to their table , yelling out to evereyone to sing....' C'mon...Sing ".

Again ...we picked out whether they ( the diners ) were the type to let us entertain them.

If you have a great service person give'em something. Your choice.
Not always I guess.

Cheers Tony.

[markharrison]

I've been a frequent traveller to the USA over the years (on business only unfortunately) so I am well acquainted with the culture of tipping. However, every now and then you get one little t_rd that has really figured out how to annoy you.

To wit: My wife and I were in a restaurant in downtown Seattle (she joined me on this occasion on this business trip) and we had tickets to a show (Ray Charles, what a great act he was). When I booked the restaurant I was quite specific about that I had to be gone by a certain time and they assured me that this would be fine. Having eaten at many fine restaurants in Seattle by then I took them on trust.

So we get there (a little early actually) and our table was waiting. Sat down and quickly ordered. We had allowed ourselves 90 minutes (plus or minus). We ordered two courses. I was getting a little concerned after thirty minutes and asked if everything was okay. Yep, everything was, I was assured. 45 minutes have gone and still nothing. Same assurances.

60 minutes and still nothing. 75 minutes... 80 minutes... Nada.

By now, I'm hopping mad. Called the head waiter over (actually I had to go over to him and talk REAL loud) and explained. Completely non-plussed, he was.

Anyway, I'd had more than enough and I'd been more than patient. I got up and walked out. Paid the drinks and then the waiter pops up looking for a hand out(uh, tip). The only thing I could think of was that funny line from a pizza ad that was on here. I said (and very loudly): Sure Mate, I've got a tip. Work hard and love your mother.

Turned on my heel to hear gales of laughter behind me.

[AlexS]

[NB: I do not drink coffee, so am no patron of Starbucks.]

I do drink coffee, so I am no patron of Starbucks.

In a restaurant I tip if the meal & service are good. In a taxi, if the ride's comfortable I'll round up or tip.

Back in the '60s, it was the done thing to tip the sleeping car attendant on NSW railways two shillings as you left the train. Mind you, he made a cup of tea for you. That was the only tipping I can remember in those days.

[Iain]

I remember in the 60's the doorman at the Southern Cross Hotel would address enlisted military personnel by a much higher rank (I was LAC at the time and was promoted to Sqd Ldr), he must have made a fortune, cunning bugger

[rrich]

I remember in the 60's the doorman at the Southern Cross Hotel would address enlisted military personnel by a much higher rank (I was LAC at the time and was promoted to Sqd Ldr), he must have made a fortune, cunning bugger

I never had the pleasure of serving in the military. I discovered that as a civi, if you addressed the blokes without stripes on their arms as "Sir", they would do anything for you.

I once had difficulty using a base phone due to security codes required for any off base access. All I wanted was to access the local network to make a credit card call. After failing with verbal instructions from "SIR" (A full Colonel), in frustration the Colonel actually dialed the phone, using his authorization code to my toll number.

[munruben]

I only tip in restaurants if I have receive good service. Went to one a few months ago where the food was shocking but the waitress (if we are allowed to call them that these days) was good at giving service to the table so although I complained to the manager regarding the food (cold and lumpy mashed potato) Didn't get much satisfaction from him, couldn't take it out on the waitress so still left her a tip. I usually leave $5 which I think is a reasonable tip for a couple of diners.