cbm32
Contributor
ev780 makes a good point.
For the record, I am a situational tipper. I have been known to tip all the way from extremely well to not at all, as is my right. Tips are, by definition, NOT required (except in restaurants that clearly establish that parties over a certain size incur a mandatory tip of a certain percentage, and at that point I think a good argument could be made that it is no longer really a tip at all but a surcharge levied by the establishment).
As ev780 said, tipping started out as a show of gratitude for really good or exceptional service. Now, you are expected to tip for average and even poor service because "they depend on those tips to support themselves". Well its not my fault they depend on something that they shouldnt. I believe that NO ONE, not the employee, employer, customer, or anyone else should look at tips as being part of a person's wage. I have worked jobs in which I got tips and I mostly earned very good tips. But I never once took a job counting on tips to pay my rent or buy food or anything else. Tips were a bonus and nice surprise but I didnt get pissy if I didnt get one and it didnt change the way I did my job if tips were light. To me this is just like people I knew that worked in factories where there was a lot of overtime available. It wasn't long before they were spending based on that OT always being there. When things slowed down and the OT was gone they were in deep financial doo doo and it was no ones fault but their own.
I even have to fight my wife on this one. We can get absolutely terrible service and she still wants to leave a tip.
I know I sound like Scrooge to most of you but when poor or mediocre work is rewarded with a tip it just perpetuates the giving or poor or mediocre service. If only exceptional service earned a tip, you just might find yourself getting better service. Let employees and employers figure tips in as part of the wage and you give those employers license to pay like crap and justify it by saying that "tips are part of your wage". Such bullcrap should not be tolerated. At least in my opinion.
Now, could someone help me down off this soap box??
For the record, I am a situational tipper. I have been known to tip all the way from extremely well to not at all, as is my right. Tips are, by definition, NOT required (except in restaurants that clearly establish that parties over a certain size incur a mandatory tip of a certain percentage, and at that point I think a good argument could be made that it is no longer really a tip at all but a surcharge levied by the establishment).
As ev780 said, tipping started out as a show of gratitude for really good or exceptional service. Now, you are expected to tip for average and even poor service because "they depend on those tips to support themselves". Well its not my fault they depend on something that they shouldnt. I believe that NO ONE, not the employee, employer, customer, or anyone else should look at tips as being part of a person's wage. I have worked jobs in which I got tips and I mostly earned very good tips. But I never once took a job counting on tips to pay my rent or buy food or anything else. Tips were a bonus and nice surprise but I didnt get pissy if I didnt get one and it didnt change the way I did my job if tips were light. To me this is just like people I knew that worked in factories where there was a lot of overtime available. It wasn't long before they were spending based on that OT always being there. When things slowed down and the OT was gone they were in deep financial doo doo and it was no ones fault but their own.
I even have to fight my wife on this one. We can get absolutely terrible service and she still wants to leave a tip.
I know I sound like Scrooge to most of you but when poor or mediocre work is rewarded with a tip it just perpetuates the giving or poor or mediocre service. If only exceptional service earned a tip, you just might find yourself getting better service. Let employees and employers figure tips in as part of the wage and you give those employers license to pay like crap and justify it by saying that "tips are part of your wage". Such bullcrap should not be tolerated. At least in my opinion.
Now, could someone help me down off this soap box??
