The digital tip jar
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@taiwan_girl said in The digital tip jar:
@Aqua-Letifer said in The digital tip jar:
@taiwan_girl said in The digital tip jar:
I do not believe that tipping makes the service better.
Because you've never been a waitress in the U.S. So you don't know.
Say you are and you have 2 tables. Table A you've had before. They never tip well. Absolutely never. No matter what you do for them. Table B tips variably between good and excellently, depending on the service.
If you're in any way a decent waitress, what you're going to do is provide bare minimum coverage for Table A and put all your effort in Table B. Table A still gets their food, no one's getting scammed. But both parties get exactly what they pay for. And in the end, you make a shitload more money for an hour's worth if work. You win, Table B wins, and Table A doesn't have to pay extra for services it clearly doesn't value.
If you "just pay the poor servers the same decent wage" then everybody gets the same mediocre service. You don't go above and beyond for great customers, you have to put up with assholes, and there's no incentive to go the extra mile with anyone.
I guess we will agree to disagree.
I take my car or bike to the shop to be fixed? Should I tip the guy?
That's not the same service.
I go to the dentist and he does a good job cleaning my teeth? Should I tip him?
That's not the same service.
I am standing in long line at the grocery store with only a few items. A worker motions me to come over to a empty cash machine and opens it up so I can check out faster. Should I tip her?
That's not the same service.
I take some reports down to the mail room to get copies made and put into a nice binder for distribution. They are super busy, but when I ask them to rush this one through, they do. Should I tip them?
Can you really not tell the difference between a restaurant experience and a grocery store experience?
I believe most people tip pretty much the same, regardless of service.
That's the best proof provided yet that you're talking about things you don't understand. You couldn't possibly be more wrong about that.
How many tips have you ever received that you're basing this on? I've received about 10k.
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And that's just one weekend...
Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
I'm with @taiwan_girl mostly on this. Tips are asked for at more places than before (e.g., coffee shop) whereas short term transactions are found in many places where the quality of service varies, the product often doesn't, but tips are or aren't requested.
Anyway, for me it's almost come down to an "appreciation that you're even doing the job" mentality given the worker shortage we saw and felt in 2020. For example, the pizza delivery guy, the coffee shop worker, the sandwich shop worker... if they ask for a tip, I'll usually quickly select the 10 or 15 percent option. An extra buck here and there isn't much but I know it adds up on their end.
Now...should a coffee shop worker be tipped, but not the McDonald's drive-thru worker? Doesn't make sense, but whatever.
That being said, there are cases, such as a ballpark concessions stand where the transaction is so ridiculously quick and careless that I'll often select "No" on the tip screen. Thanks for the pretzel.
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@Jolly said in The digital tip jar:
And that's just one weekend...
Yeah no that's not $10k, that's 10k number of tips.
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@89th said in The digital tip jar:
I'm with @taiwan_girl mostly on this. Tips are asked for at more places than before (e.g., coffee shop) whereas short term transactions are found in many places where the quality of service varies, the product often doesn't, but tips are or aren't requested.
Anyway, for me it's almost come down to an "appreciation that you're even doing the job" mentality given the worker shortage we saw and felt in 2020. For example, the pizza delivery guy, the coffee shop worker, the sandwich shop worker... if they ask for a tip, I'll usually quickly select the 10 or 15 percent option. An extra buck here and there isn't much but I know it adds up on their end.
Now...should a coffee shop worker be tipped, but not the McDonald's drive-thru worker? Doesn't make sense, but whatever.
That being said, there are cases, such as a ballpark concessions stand where the transaction is so ridiculously quick and careless that I'll often select "No" on the tip screen. Thanks for the pretzel.
You also used to snap your fingers at waiters until it was pointed out to you that isn't okay.
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Aqua, you're basically saying anybody who doesn't agree with you doesn't understand how awesome tipping is. Sure, they've lived in countries without the system and it apparently works fine, but it can't possibly be as amazing as here, right?
Maybe you're so ingrained in it that you don't understand how bizarre the rules are?
Meanwhile, restaurants apparently continue to struggle to find people willing to work....
Proud supporter of Plan 2525. Everything you think, do and say will be in the pill you took today.
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@Doctor-Phibes said in The digital tip jar:
Aqua, you're basically saying anybody who doesn't agree with you doesn't understand how awesome tipping is.
Tipping isn't "awesome," it's something we do here and it works in certain contexts. I already said that with your moving example, that's not really the best application. I don't think it works just anywhere.
(I still do it, though. Because I know it's not the fault of the guy driving the truck and don't take it out on him.)
Maybe you're so ingrained in it that you don't understand how bizarre the rules are?
I never said it wasn't weird. Really how I feel about it is that it is strange, but it also helps to balance out difficult jobs which could use some balancing out.
Inflation is up, and a recession is well in swing. While the rest of us are sitting on our ass, pontificating about how hard our life is to be asked by a tablet screen to give 2 extra fucking dollars for our seasonal latté, the motherfucker making that latté is going to put in 60 to 80 hours during the most stressful week out of the year. He's going to deal with Karen smearing shit on the bathroom walls because she didn't like the consistency of her topping. So yeah I pay the two fucking dollars.
Meanwhile, restaurants apparently continue to struggle to find people willing to work....
It's because they keep hiring stupid people who deserve to be stiffed on Christmas because they didn't get an MBA.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in The digital tip jar:
You also used to snap your fingers at waiters until it was pointed out to you that isn't okay.
Did I? I do remember one time in IHOP like 20 years ago I did that as the waiter was walking by and we were trying to grab his attention after finishing a delicious rooty tooty fresh 'n fruity. Literally the only time I can recall, unless my old man brain is forgetting other stories?
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Went out tonight and ate something I don't eat too much of anymore...Fried oysters and catfish. Food was decent and the waitress was ok. I realize a fish shack ain't haute cuisine, but it ain't a truckstop, either. I got honeyed and papa-ed every time she came by.
I tipped her 16%.
Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
If waitresses were paid by salary (that was equal to what they made if they were getting tips), do you think that the average quality of service in restaurants would decrease?
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@taiwan_girl said in The digital tip jar:
If waitresses were paid by salary (that was equal to what they made if they were getting tips), do you think that the average quality of service in restaurants would decrease?
I've been to plenty of restaurants that follow that model. I know that's what happens.
I'm not even saying "service" is even a thing everyone should value. When I get my shitty coffee at Panera, I don't expect an experience. But "service" is a thing, and under the right circumstances, "service" and tipping do work well together.
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@Jolly said in The digital tip jar:
Went out tonight and ate something I don't eat too much of anymore...Fried oysters and catfish. Food was decent and the waitress was ok. I realize a fish shack ain't haute cuisine, but it ain't a truckstop, either. I got honeyed and papa-ed every time she came by.
I tipped her 16%.
My baseline's 20, but that's just me and that's assuming I even chose to go somewhere to get waited on. I've done some ridiculous shit like 500% before but those were fairly unique circumstances.
I've also stiffed waiters before, but also under unique circumstances.
Speaking of Panera, I almost never tip using those stupid tablet systems. Except around the holidays.
My local coffee shop, though, also has a tablet payment system. I always leave a tip at that one, even if I'm just buying a bottle of water. Because they were hit hard with building issues in the summer, their foot traffic went way down and hasn't picked back up to the level it used to be.
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Wait, Are We Really Supposed to Tip 25% Everywhere Now?
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@George-K said in The digital tip jar:
Wait, Are We Really Supposed to Tip 25% Everywhere Now?
I do 20-25 most places. Or nothing, depending on the nature of the service.
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20% has been my default for decades.
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I tip well - and make sure I tip for takeout - as it takes as much time to prepare the takeout as to put a plate on the table. There's a little middle eastern restaurant near my house - and when the takeout meals were only $10, I still tipped $3. The folks at the restaurant always take exceptionally good care of me.
In my job, I went to some very fine restaurants and spent thousands of dollars. At times, it seemed a little weird to pay hundreds of dollars in tips, but we did. Of course, now there's typically an 18-20% assured "service fee" for huge expenses - and then there's an option to go higher - which seems crazy. If a particular server seemed exceptionally helpful, I'd typically give cash to separate him/her from the herd.
I did that once a wedding - at a time in my life when money was especially dear (around 1977). There was a long table with distant family members on one half and friends on the couple on the other half. The food was brought to the family side - and they shared all the food amongst themselves and gave the empty plates/bowls to the friend group. This went on for quite a while. Finally, their plates were overflowing, and they weren't able to stuff anymore food onto them. Just as they were going to hand the half full bowl to one of our group, it was dropped on the floor. I thought a fight might break out. I got up, walked in back where the servers were, handed the head server a $50 and said -"make sure our side gets some food." All of sudden, food appeared by multiple servers to our side of the table.
One thing I think is good to do - I bring donuts to the local post office during the holidays. It feels good to let them know they're appreciated. I regret I didn't do something similar for the local police department after the BLM protest in our town.
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My one weird tipping situation is when I go back to my old neighborhood. It’s almost majority Indian. Indians, on average, tip poorly. I tip well - especially considering my old hood is in Canada and I tip by higher American standards.
Now - wait staff in Canada often give me bare minimum service. Rational thing to do, odds are they’re right.
Puts me in a weird spot. Do I tip to prove them wrong, or validate their stereotype by tipping poorly…
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@Copper said in The digital tip jar:
If you need the money raise your prices.
If you are depending on the kindness of strangers, you might be disappointed.
I never was when I worked for tips. Although sure, maybe that wouldn't be the case with you.
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@xenon said in The digital tip jar:
My one weird tipping situation is when I go back to my old neighborhood. It’s almost majority Indian. Indians, on average, tip poorly. I tip well - especially considering my old hood is in Canada and I tip by higher American standards.
Now - wait staff in Canada often give me bare minimum service. Rational thing to do, odds are they’re right.
Puts me in a weird spot. Do I tip to prove them wrong, or validate their stereotype by tipping poorly…
There's a vibe put out that even half-decent wait staff can easily pick up on. If they see you appreciating what they're trying to do and you make that obvious, see if they don't respond to it. I bet some will.
If they don't, hey, fuck 'em.
