Tipping

Thanks MSW...huuummm...lot of good ideas here. I am definitely going to keep " I even tip substandard (under 10%) for substandard serv****s.  It sends a message and they know I did not just forget."
 
This is a good one for sure.

I also agree that we need to give credit when credit is due. I will make more of an effort to call the manager and praise when the situation warrants it.  

1.) First off... do you feel there is ever a time when you should NOT tip? Give an example. If not,
      do you tell the person why or complain? 

If service is crappy I feel like I shouldn't but I still leave 10% which is better than nothing.

2.) Do you ever tip over the 18-20% ever? If you do...do you tell the person why?   

Yes if the service is above and beyond I do. Sometimes I do tell them what a great job they did.

3.) Do you tip for take out? You know they actually expecting it now. (I don't cuz I still don't get why
      the hell I should...all u did was put my shioot in a bag...hand me the bag...I'll do it my dayum
      self)

If it is one of those curbside takeaways and they bring my stuff to the car I always do. If not it really just depends on what they have to do. The other day I had to go in and get my stuff, but since they messed up my order and the girl had to go and get things right I left a tip for her.

4.) I know many of us don't do Buffets...but when you did...did you tip?  

Yes If I go in and sit down and eat I leave a tip.

Hi Monique,

Yes...I was speaking of the take out where you go in and basically pick up your bag of food. I will definitely give something if they bring it out to me. Even if a few bucks. In this case they usually act shocked so I guess I am doing something that the average person is not doing. Only Fast Food place I will tip at is Sonics...cuz they have to rollerskate and stuff. LOL! I reward extra effort.      


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1. yes there are some ocassion where the tips get cut because of poor service or bad food or for messing up my order and not making it right......and no I dont tell unless the manger happens to ask if everything was ok.

2.  If the service was exceptional yes I do tip above and beyound....and yes I do let them know I appreciate their effort in making my dinning out pleasant.

3. Heck no man

4.havnt done the buffet thing in years...however is it a large party of people in your group then yes its warrented.

One thing that most people dont know is waiters/waitress dont even make minmum wage because their tips are figured in as part of their income....so on average they will make $4.15 an hour ( one reason why these kind of jobs have a high turn over rate).......on that same note though if you are a waiter/waitress with excellent people skills and are on your game to the point where people request you regularly ,you can make some good money $$$$

@

One thing that most people dont know is waiters/waitress dont even make minmum wage because their tips are figured in as part of their income....so on average they will make $4.15 an hour ( one reason why these kind of jobs have a high turn over rate).......on that same note though if you are a waiter/waitress with excellent people skills and are on your game to the point where people request you regularly ,you can make some good money $$$$


Thanks Diva....for adding in a good explanation here. Its definitely important that we be mindful of these facts....so I repeated them.  Shoot....waiters and waitresses got to live too. 

Peace   

1.) First off... do you feel there is ever a time when you should NOT tip? Give an example. If not,
      do you tell the person why or complain? 
No; but I will chat with the manager if things are that bad. They need to know & customer notification is often the only way they discover it. (only resorted to this 3 times that I remember).

2.) Do you ever tip over the 18-20% ever? If you do...do you tell the person why?  I'm a standard 20% tipper, even more for exceptional service.  I also compliment the server to the manager in that case.

3.) Do you tip for take out? You know they actually expecting it now. (I don't cuz I still don't get why
      the hell I should...all u did was put my shioot in a bag...hand me the bag...I'll do it my dayum
      self) Not on a regular basis; I find it irritating that there is a tip jar at places where you serve yourself and all they do is ring the register (BBQ joint, for example).  I've made exceptions in the few cases where more was done for me (Chipotle cashier requested a fresh batch of guacamole just prior to filling my order, etc.).

4.) I know many of us don't do Buffets...but when you did...did you tip?  I pass on buffets.

Feel free to add questions or share your tipping nightmares or good experiences!

I also tip the hotel maid and other appropriate hotel workers like room service (too expensive, I agree!), and bellman (customary for road-warrior business travel).  20% for the dog groomer, hair stylist, & nail tech.  $5 for food delivery driver (more at the office due to large orders & multiple bags carried).

I often feel like an ATM machine, handing out cash like that; seems like everyone is seeking a tip!  I visit the bank for a stack of singles just for tipping as a standard part of trip prep.

My mom gives a small gift to her mail carrier; it's the same person consistently.   I do not as the carriers here revolve frequently, so no telling who I'd be giving it to.  If I need the grocery bagger's help to the car, I offer a tip then as well (rare).

To me, tipping the valet parking attendants can get a bit fuzzy in 2 areas: 1) on vacation, using a rental car, we stay at hotels with valet service (often it's the only way to park there). We are in and out of the hotel several times daily & usually it's not the same attendant parking & retrieving the car.  Hubby goes with $2 per hand off (at drop off and at pick up).  Talk about adding up!  2) While in our own car: at an event/club/restaurant where they park the high-end cars on display, we will tip more (figuring the cars are better watched, usually right near the valet stand, closest to the door).  Our friends say we shouldnt tip more then since they would park it there anyway, and they go almost nowhere to do it, but I/Hubby think we should.

Thanks PomMomTx,

The tip about the valet is very helpful. I was tipping $5 per hand off...and I found myself feeling really ticked off about it. i knew it was too much but I just wanted to make sure that I did not get my car back with any dings on it. Again...the paranoia thing. Once I tipped a valet...like a couple of bucks...and when I got my car back...I realized after the fact that my rearview mirror adornment was missing! So I have been tipping like this ever since. Based on your info and what I just looked up $2 per retrieval is customary so I guess I will revert back. Perhaps the valet that day was just being simple. 

Have a good evening!    

I have found out that black & white can be bogus when it comes to tipping.   However, I see our  tipping philosophy is similar.   I will tip for buffet, because they refill the drinks & clear the plates.  Carryout & drive through will get tipped, if they've given me extra attention or I may feel led to be a blessing. 

I have had heated discussions with my white educated co-workers who stated that they don't tip ANYONE when they stay at a hotel & then gave measly tips when dining.  Got so bad that I printed them out a emily post's tipping etiquette sheet.   Then I found out that some of my friends & church family didn't tip during hotel stays either......well they used to not tip, they do now, at least when they're rolling with me.


I had never worked in the food industry until a couple of years ago, when I started waitressing on the weekend drunk shift for a friend at her family's restaurant.  This enforced my tipping philosophy even the more.  Waitressing is hard work & a good waitress is worth her weight in gold.  Concerning bad waitresses, my Philips still is the same, which is they don't get tipped.  Their tail know that tips make up the bulk of their pay & how their tipped is based on their level of service.     I live in a small predominately white town, so there aren't that many of us.  Well, I found out quickly, that I would pray for my folks to sit in someone else's section.   Cause they tend to want to run your tail ragged & then not want to tip.   However, black & white, as soon as I had your number (nontipper) I served them like they tipped.  I had one dude who started coming in and was also giving me lipservice about how great of a waitress I am, but he would never tip.  So, about the 3rd time, I called him on it, he stuttered & finally managed to pull a few dollars out of pocket and sat in someone elses station after that.  Had a couple who was just nasty the whole time, came in drunk & nothing was right for the wife, she asked for her steak well done & when she got it she threw a hissy fit  dry lied & said she had ordered med well.  However, the manager overheard her give her order & refused to allow her to send it back.  Her husband goes & pays for the meal, she leaves the table & in the meantime I go to clear the table.  Well I find that they left me a quarter.  So, as he's walking out the door, I stop him & tell him he left something on the table. He asks what and I hand him the quarter and he tells me to keep it that was my tip.  I then told him that was it was obvious that he needed it more than I did & walked away! . 

I would on occasion have people who never ever sat in my section tip me because they said I was so nice.   I had some customers that would tip me more than 25% because I was a good waitress & then I had some of my regulars who would go home if they saw that I wasn't working, because the other waitresses just didn't provide the service that I did.

One of my regulars, a young girl, who was also a waitress  always tipped well.  So, I ended up having her as a waitress where she worked.  My bill was like $15, but I tipped her $20.  That made her day. 
 

I also tip when I dine overseas, even though they include a small tip in the bill allready.  So, I may not tip as much, as I would here, but I still tip, unless the service was outstanding.

Here's a tip, if you stay at a nice hotel with upscale toiletries & you want some extra to take home, find a maid that's at her cart, ask for some & then tip after you get some.  Then ask if you can get another one or two more & watch them load you up.  

 @ when I started waitressing on the weekend drunk shift for a friend at her family's restaurant. 


LOL! Is that what they called it? I remember way back when I used to work a few of them shifts myself...only I was a participant. LMAO!

Thanks for the tip on the toiletries since I can use an many as I can get. One of my community service projects involves working with women in a homeless shelter.  We make goodie bags for them...so these xtra toiletries come in handy. 

Thanks for posting.

LOL, you wouldn't be one of those that would have to be regulated would you?  I was a waitress, a bouncer, a mediator & a psychiatrist.  We are both a college (2 private) and a factory town, so you can only imagine the clientele that came in.  It became very clear very quickly, that I wasn't one to mess with, the customers knew it, so if someone was acting a fool or it looked like something was about to jump off, they would holler for me.

The restaurant has been in existance for years & I along with another black woman who was very experienced in working in predominately white establisments were the first to ever be hired working the front.  Plenty of representation in the back, but when I asked my friend about that she said that her Mom who owned the restaurant was alwayys concerned about how the clients would take "us".  I was there 2 1/2 years & was only called a racial slur twice, which is outstanding for my area.

Boy, I've seen some stuff!  I had to kick a couple out on packed out st patricks day last year because the skank was giving him head with about 15 strangers surrounding them with tables only inches apart.   I actually really enjoyed it, drunk people can be really fun, but also it allowed me to minister as well.  But I was allready working a fulltime job, had my own business & was just exhausted so was just ready to go, but didn't want to put my friend in a bind, as she had really come to depend on me being there, as things ran smoothly when I was there.  I had never had any fear or been scared when confronting ANYONE, but one night we got robbed at knife point & I was front & center for it & decided that was confirmation that it was my time to go.


You're welcome.  I'm a freak that way, but I can never get enough free toiletries or pens, it's like a game to me, but it has to be the good stuff, no ivory or dial for me.  Give me Evelyn & Crabree, Molton Brown or something along those lines!!   I use mine for future trips, as souviners for friends & family , gifts (made up a travel kit as a last minute gift) & then on occassion to the school of the deaf that we have here.