Comments:

lynne - 2004-07-25 10:57:41
I am with you on the 20% rule for most tipping situations. I'll tip 15% sometimes if the service isnt good and very rarely 10% if the server is bad *and* rude but honestly, I cant remember the last time that has happened to me. My father has a theory about tipping if you are a regular at a place. He generally tips 15% which is kind of on the low side witout being spit in your food low but once in a while, he'll give them some outrageous huge tip (like double the bill or something). He says they always remember that rather than the usual mediocre tip and he always gets good service. He says it works out to around the same 20% he would otherwise be paying. I sometimes throw some small amount into the tip jar at a coffee house usually before they make my drink. I think that I have gotten better service this way but of course, that is only because most people dont tip in those situations. Last May when I went to California, I tipped the curbside check-in person $5. When I arrived in San Francisco, my bag was the *first* bag off the plane and it was covered in stickers that said "priority bag" and "special handling". I thought that was nice although since I had to wait for a bus anyways, it didnt matter that my bag was first off the plane.
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Laura - 2004-07-25 14:45:12
I think your dad has a good system. I overstated the tip jar thing on second thought--I put change in there if I meet a nice server. Basically I think that anyone who has a job that involves tips, who waits on you, has already earned that 20%, and tips are probably a significant source of their overall income. At any rate.
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lynne - 2004-07-25 15:39:19
Yeah. I have some issues with tipping as a system of economic compensation though. For one thing it forces the tipped employee to assume some of the risks of the business...something usually only owners have to take on. My other issue is that the tipped employees end up totally being at the mercy of their customers for their income and there are a lot of cheap-o's in the world who stiff waitstaff, cab drivers, hair people, etc on a regular basis. But, as a person who once worked for tips, I totally agree that anyone who has a job that involves tips is getting a significant amount of their income from tips. They get paid a wage but it is so far below the minimum wage that it is laughable. Which means that until the system changes, it is pretty unfair not to tip at least 15% even if the service isnt all that good. But for adequate service, 20% is more the standard around here because the cost of living is so high.
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Alex - 2004-07-26 11:21:01
I definitely abide by the 20% rule. While I've only worked retail foodservice, most of my friends have spent considerable chunks of their lives waiting tables or bartending, so I got trained to good behaviors early. However, I think that the practice of tipping is kind of bogus. Why aren't the owners/managers of these establishments held responsible for paying their employees a living wage? I think it lets them off the hook, and makes wait-staff highly vulnerable to a transient clientele; a clientele that doesn't have staff interests at heart because chances are they'll never be back to that place anyway. And yes, since wait staff aren't paid a living wage it might be sort of unfair to not tip at least 15%, but then why does that wait-person have any incentive to do their job well if they know people will generally tip 15% no matter how well they're served. Seems to me people should get *paid* to do their jobs, and *tipped* for going above and beyond their primary responsibilities. But until then I'll keep laying down the 20%.
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Leighton - 2004-07-26 13:53:37
That Ann Arbor tipper story is insane. Since it's already published: Everyone avoid Paul Mobley. "Total bill / Tip amount / Percentage: $280.00 / $11.00 / 3%"
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Laura - 2004-07-26 13:56:08
It was insane...you have to wonder what's running through people's heads sometimes. The guy is chairman of a pizza company!
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Scott - 2004-07-27 08:01:19
There is also a certain Funeral home director that doesnt tip worth a didly either. Not saying his business is located on washington street, but its in Ypsi. S
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Scott - 2004-07-27 08:04:00
Oh, I almost forgot about the guy who owns Club Divine And Pub 13. This gentleman is a smooth on the outside and well, ............not so smooth on the inside. Nothing clever to say, but he is 15% the whole way. Unless of course he wants to sleep with you, then its no limit. Being a male, that eliminates me, I think!? S
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tom - 2004-07-27 09:23:32
NPR ran a story yesterday about how some restaurant chains deduct 2-3% from tips paid with credit cards to cover the processing charge. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against this practice.
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Laura - 2004-07-27 09:29:19
I heard that story yesterday--isn't that unbelievable? I thought that was sheer gall. Restaurants should charge the guy using the credit card, not the servers! Or just not take plastic (like Kerrytown Concert House).
Thanks for the link, Tom.
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tom - 2004-07-27 09:54:13
Credit card companies expressly forbid merchants who accept them from charging the processing fee to the customer. So merchants either have to eat the cost or raise prices to cover the fees. Charging the servers is a particularly obnoxious way of covering the fees.
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Laura - 2004-07-27 09:58:00
Well, I think the cc companies have quite a nerve to not only charge a "processing fee" (give me a break) but to actually have the gall to tell restauranteurs how they can and cannot recoup it. Greed, pure and simple.
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Eric - 2004-07-28 11:20:44
Credit card companies are in the business of loaning money. Are you saying they should do it for free?
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Laura - 2004-07-28 11:31:11
They don't do it for free. They charge interest to the user. Ripping off the restauranteur as well is double-dipping.
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Eric - 2004-07-28 12:17:20
The merchant receives the funds two days after the transaction occurs. As a user, I may not have to pay my bill for 28 days after my purchase. You are suggesting the credit card company should float money to a merchant for 26 days for free.
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