So in the current economic woes we're experiencing, people are finding new ways to tip less but still feel good about themselves.
A couple of examples, shall we?
--Profuse "thank you"s and "you were so great"s. I mean, sure it makes me feel good inside, but 20% (instead of...11%) makes me feel extra good, and will ensure than when/if I serve you again, I'll make some extra effort. Boasting about how great I am to my manager? Nice, but again, not a tip.
--A napkin with "Jesus Loves You!" and various bible snippets written on it. Again, I can tell that you care (about me?), but only leaving 12% on the check when you've had great service can't be something God smiles upon favorably. (This is actually the first time I've had a Jesus napkin left for me. I have had pre-printed Jesus-y cards left for me...in lieu of a tip. Extra frustrating.)
So if you're inclined to leave a "tip", think of this--if your server takes that "tip" to his/her landlord, will it pay the rent? Can s/he buy a bunch of bananas with a "thank you so much for everything!!" If the answer is "no", don't be a sourpuss, leave a real tip! (I'm sure my readers aren't this type of tipper, so no offense guys!)
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4 comments:
I'm not a rich man, but I still feel guilty if I have an okay server and leave anywhere less than 17% or so. And that's putting it mildly - I generally aim for 18% or higher if the server is just fine, 20% or higher if they're really good.
One of the very few areas where I have great pride for my father is in tipping - every time I happen to glance at the bill when we're out for a moderately nice dinner, I see that he's left over 20%, and generally around 25%. Maybe he's just making up for his parents (who tip abysmally - I don't want to talk about it), but regardless, good for him.
I feel about the same--I know that when I pick up a check off the table, I'm hoping for 20% at best. So when I go out, I try to leave that (or make my boyfriend leave that).
Good for your dad! You can take it from me that he's putting a smile on someone's face when he does that :-)
Sigh. Welcome to my world, philosophically. As a teacher, we hear "you should be in your profession to help kids, not for the money" every time we are negotiating a new contract that includes a raise. Well, as you alluded to, do teachers pay less for a gallon of gas? Do we get to show our certificate at the grocery store for a discount? If I had even a nickel for every person who "admiringly" said to me "I could never do what you do", I wouldn't need that raise.
Funny how that admiration doesn't turn into respect when it comes to my paycheck.
We over at the Dept. are excellent tippers, especially if we know the servers are students. We know the stupid rationale behind low wages for waitstaff. AND I COULD NEVER DO YOUR JOB (even though Momming is pretty similar in some cases, but hell, no one pays me for that! LOL)
Sorry for blogging in your comments. Hee hee.
I feel the same way about teachers, you DO need to be paid more! What's the rationale for teachers NOT being paid more (aside from the "do it for the kids" mentality)? Are teachers in other countries as grossly underpaid?
I'm sure most of my bad tippers couldn't do my job either--they clearly have unrealistic expectations when it comes to the level of service they expect!
I'm glad to hear that the Dept. believes in tipping well :-)
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