Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 16 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 10 months ago by
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- Who, what, when, where, why and how was tipping invented? Why do any of us tolerate it instead of revolting against it? It is clearly for the employers' benefit, not the employees'. I would be thrilled (and have) given something extra to someone whi went out of his or her way for me, particularly in this day and age. I despise that I am expected to subsidize someone's wage because 'that is what you are expected to do.' I would rather have the menu prices go up. This is nothing against the hard-working labor force that relies on tips.
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Name : trish, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : medical diagnostics, Education level : Technical School,I tip because I and most others I know have been in that same situtation, where you rely on the tips as much or more than wages. Just about all my sisters and female friends have been stuck doing waitressing. I and all my male friends have worked delivery, bussing tables, or bartending. So we know all too well how hard the work is and we are glad to give our money directly to the worker instead of having the boss or company take their oversized share of it first. Plus the worker decides how much to report to the government, so their own taxes are lowered. Frankly I'm also glad to be able to use the tip as an incentive for workers to do better jobs. How many times have you been to a fast food place where no one bothers to tip and had lousy service and food?User Detail :
Name : ACC, Gender : M, City : W lafayette, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : Grad student, ex blue collar, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,I'm not sure exactly when the concept of tipping started. Some believe the word TIP ment at one time To Insure Prompness. But to address the main part of your comment: I agree that waiters/waitresses should be paid more, but where do you think the money is going to come from to pay the staff? It's going to come from you, through higher prices. You say that you would not mind paying for higher food prices, but how high would you go for that meal? Are you willing to pay $4 or even $5 more for that $3 meal? I don't think so. If you don't like the service you were given, complain to the manager and don't take your business there. I had many times when the service was downright terrible, and I told the manager that I would never recommend that place, ever. I would say that if you feel offended to 'subsidize someone's wage' as you put it, there are restaurants you can go to where you don't have to tip. They are called fast-food and buffet restraurants.By the way, as you can guess, I used to work in restraurants. But not as a server; as a (non-tipped) baker.
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Name : Mike, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 34, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Staff Assistant, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,Employers who have tipped employees are not required to pay them nearly as much as non-tipped employees. We essentially allow employers to short-change their waiters, bartenders, etc. However, the answer to this would first be to require employers to pay their employees more, whether they are tipped or not, and make the tipped minimum wage equal to the non-tipped. Then, we might have an argument that we shouldn't tip. Until then, it seems only fair to recompense a worker as much as he or she is worth, which is quite a lot, as waiters generally work very hard.User Detail :
Name : Ariann23775, Gender : F, City : Cleveland, State : OH Country : United States,There were many years I had to work in the service industry, from busing tables to waiting tables to bartending. Tipping is a way of saying 'thank you' for the service. It is very hard to find a server worthy of a good tip, and if I do not like the service, I do not tip. But I try to look at it like this: I am going to a restaurant because I do not want to cook, clean or even serve the meal myself. I need a break. The person who is my server is not paid the same minimum wage as a regular employee, and they are also, in some places, expected to give a percentage of their tips to employees who do make the regular minimum wage - and sometimes even split it with the other waitresses or bartenders. If I go to a gas station and like the service, I show it with a tip. If I go to a grocery store and like the help to my car, I try to tip. It is just a way of saying that I appreciate what they do.User Detail :
Name : Cheryl, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 34, City : Porterville, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : client program coordinator, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,Tipping a waiter or someone who serves a meal or drink is one thing - the food or drink is the purchase, the service is 'extra'. But how about when the service is what you're buying? ie. hairdresser, dog groomer, etc. Why pay for the service, and then pay AGAIN for the service?User Detail :
Name : jimf30526, City : Menasha, State : WI Country : United States,I worked in the service industry for years as a waitress and I was only paid $2.13 an hour by my employers. In many ways I do believe that tipping should be eliminated (because I never liked cleaning up after someone's kids for the five percent tip I was often left with), but I don't think many Americans would like the consequences. If you ever travel to Europe where tipping is unheard of, don't expect to order, eat and leave if you have less then an hour and a half for lunch, or two or more hours for dinner. The only real way to eliminate tipping is to write your elected officials and ask them to propose legislation against the practice of tipping.User Detail :
Name : medea, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 28, City : kansas city, State : KS Country : United States, Occupation : student, Social class : Lower middle class,I agree that tipping is a way to say 'thank you' for a good service. I always try to leave a nice tip for good service. Though, I sometimes worry that if I dont give a tip. The next time I am in the establishment. They will be touching my food in inapproriate ways. This sounds horrible but it does happen.User Detail :
Name : Stryker, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 32, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, Occupation : Cable Guy, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I am a bartender and I am making much more money as I improve my people skills. People just don't come to my bar/restaurant to eat and leave...some people are looking for interaction. Maybe through my service and conversation with them; their day might be better. That makes me feel good. And hopefully they will become a regular customer...not because of the good tips but because it adds some worth to what I do. If you don't want to tip...go to McDonalds...where they don't even smile and usually you can't understand them anyway. When you tip a waiter/bartender that money is usually being invested in education and that will be a bigger return on your investment than being CHEAP ;)User Detail :
Name : Justin, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Buddhist, Age : 26, City : Indianapolis, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : Bartender, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,Your comment about places you don't have to tip is somewhat off. i work in a buffet-style restaurant and ALL the servers there make $2.13 an hour. All of us rely on our tips.Think about it...if the waitress/waiter brings your drinks,refills them a few times, takes away all your dishes, cleans up after you leave(sweeping up your mess,clearing everything,wiping off the table and chairs) and you leave nothing...you have just treated them as a slave...and believe me...$2.13 an hour is NOTHING when u take away taxes.So please, atleast leave a dollar.And that means a dollar per person, because if you were alone...you would leave atleast a dollar. So there is no difference when you are with a group of people.Also...if you bring in a child, and your child happens to make a huge mess, i.e. scribbles on the table,throws all the food on the floor, think again about who has to clean it up !!User Detail :
Name : Melissa, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : nazarene, Age : 20, City : Jacksonville, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : server, Education level : High School Diploma,Wouldn't you rather that more money went to someone who did a good job? I hear that restaurant service is usually not as good in countries where tipping is not traditional.User Detail :
Name : Brett19436, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 34, City : Wilmington, State : DE Country : United States, Occupation : IT Tech, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,In Europe, the *tip* is almost always included in the price of your meal. That means the server/bartendar is making a decent wage. In the USA, it is not included, which means the server/bartendar is making , at best, poverty level at $6.50/hour. If you want to stay home and make yourself dinner and a drink, have at it. If you want to dine out, which is actually a form of entertainment, then by god, tip the people who are making your night special! As a server, we smile at your non-smile, listen to your boring anecdotes, explain the menu, bring you the hot food, run back and forth to the kitchen with your special requests, stand on our feet all day to do so, and clean up after your mess! Again, by god, tip these people who are waiting on you hand and foot! And don't drop your napkin on the floor. Leave it on the table.User Detail :
Name : Jennifer, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 33, City : San Francisco, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Bartendar/Chef, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,Have you ever seen the movie 'A Christmas Story'? There's a scene where the family is having dinner, and every time Mom tries to take a bite, someone says, 'Please pass the . . .' or 'May I have some more . . .' and she jumps up and takes care of the request. The narrator of the story says: 'My mother hadn't had a hot meal in 15 years.' That's what you're paying for with your tips. Not only do you get to have a hot meal, but you don't have to worry about drink refills, cleaning up spills, bringing crayons to entertain your kids, to say nothing of cooking and doing the dishes. If servers (of which I was one for about five years) were paid minimum wage, the meal prices would go up every single time those servers were given an increase in pay. If you're not willing to give a decent tip for good service, then please don't go to a sit-down restaurant. The servers work hard to make your dining experience a pleasant one with minimal stress to you, and they should be compensated by you for that.User Detail :
Name : Melody, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 40, City : Kansas City, State : MO Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College,This is how I see tipping: waitstaff work for a restaurant, sure, but they do other things besides serve you, so management pays them for that. The price on the menu is how you compensate management for the food. However, TIPPING IS HOW YOU PAY WAITSTAFF FOR WORKING FOR YOU AS LONG AS YOU ARE IN THE RESTAURANT. You think they run all over sam hill getting you drinks, food, refills, and making sure you're happy just for kicks? Or for the wonderful compensation they get from management? When you are sitting at that table, that student, mother, grandfather, or struggling actor is YOUR EMPLOYEE, catering to your every need and being nice to you no matter how mean, stupid, cheap, or picky you are. PAY THEM WELL. Or you could just think of the fact that you shouldn't annoy someone who handles your food. Use your imagination. They might, too.User Detail :
Name : J-French21293, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 24, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : unemployed, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class,I would have to agree with one of the other people who posted. We should insist that employers pay waitresses, waiters, and delivery drivers more instead of no longer tipping. Why punish the people who rely on tips for a living? My husband works at the same pizza place that I do as a delivery driver. He makes 5.75 an hour, and a dollar per delivery (which is taxed), so our lives are pretty precarious. When we go out anywhere, if the service is at least decent, we tip AT LEAST $5...buffet, OR regular restaurant.... My friend, Sean, worked at Ryan's (Buffet place) and claims that it was quite a bit harder than working at a regular place because they have to bus their own tables. If nothing else, it's a good idea to tip simply because, especially if you're planning on being a repeat customer, you will receive better service. IT's common practice, where I work, for the drivers to take deliveries to known tippers first. Anyone who is rude, or is known to stiff is at the bottom of our list.User Detail :
Name : Sarah, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : na, Disability : na, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 21, City : Swannanoa, State : NC Country : United States, Occupation : Crew at a pizza place, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class,
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