Tipping

I hate when you go somewhere and they have a tip line but you have no idea whether they are working for a decent hourly wage or you are supposed to tip. Like i went to Mr. Gattis the other night with my son and they have a tip line on the receipt when you pay at the entrance. I don't even know who is getting that tip! The bussers?? The girl taking my card??

Also listen to the Freakonomics podcast on tipping, its pretty good.

http://freakonomics.com/2014/08/07/shou ... broadcast/

[Robin Garr]

America leads the world in number of tipped occupations. There are zero in Iceland.

Zero in Iceland, maybe, but I don't think that's the only place. In my experience, tipping is not only invisible but culturally frowned upon in Japan. And it's very low level throughout most of Europe. In my experience, people leave the coins, as a gesture, but rarely bills, in France and Italy, because they know the server is being paid a living wage in the regular order of things.

This approach isn't really that complicated, but we can't make it happen here by deciding not to tip people who are intentionally underpaid because we expect them to put their hand out.

I'm not sure on France or Italy but I wouldn't say servers get a living wage in general in Europe. Not by a long shot. Germany has no minimum wage and I know a guy in my town getting away with paying his people less than €5 an hour. My stepdaughter in the Netherlands recently had a server job making €3.50 an hour since the Dutch have an age-based sliding scale minimum wage. Teenagers there are expected to work for that money as a character building experience. Also, the Dutch basically don't tip at all.

Just for fun I just googled some ads for waitresses in a "cheap" country like Greece (Note: most offer a small room).

http://work-travel-greece.globalchoices.co.uk/

Here in (rich) Hessen the monthly average for a server is €1426 x 1.32USD = $1882monthly x 12 = $22,588 annually x 1.08 (value of health insurance) = $24,395. For a 40 hour work week one could question whether that's living wage. Gas is $9 a gallon, sales tax is 19% although "basic" foodstuffs from the grocery is only 7%. Sales tax in restaurants is 19%, etc, etc.

America leads the world in number of tipped occupations. There are zero in Iceland.

Zero in Iceland, maybe, but I don't think that's the only place. In my experience, tipping is not only invisible but culturally frowned upon in Japan.

0 in Iceland, 4 in Japan, 31 in America.

15 in the Netherlands, between 5-10 in Scandinavian countries.

Source: That freakonomics link above.

Steve,

Here are my own personal standards. What you or others do my vary.

1. Waitstaff: base is 20% and can go upwards depending on quality of service. If the waitstaff is the source of a problem I will deduct but dont think I have ever personally gone under 10% even for abysmal service.

2. Valet: $5

3. Bellhop, Bags Porter: $5

4. Maid: I didnt actually realize tipping maids was a thing until this thread. I dont think I will be participating in that one.

Here's another one.
Do you tip in those lower-mid priced hotels that offer a "free" breakfast? I always leave a couple of bucks on the table, but have noticed that I am in the distinct minority on this.

I do as well, Bill. Someone is cooking and cleaning up whether it is "free" or not.

In my experience, tipping is not only invisible but culturally frowned upon in Japan. And it's very low level throughout most of Europe. In my experience, people leave the coins, as a gesture, but rarely bills, in France and Italy, because they know the server is being paid a living wage in the regular order of things

Depends on your definition of living wage, but culturally speaking, agree completely about the practice.

The Basics: http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/tipping/

[Robin Garr]

The Basics: http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/tipping/

Carolyn, thanks for the link! In general, that looks like a good list in a handy form to print out and carry around.

I'm not fully in agreement with their restaurant line, though:

Waiter/waitress: 15% of bill (excl. tax) for adequate service; 20% for very good service; no less than 10% for poor service

I think this is either a little obsolete or a bit conservative. From the standpoint of a community like HotBytes, at least, where we care about dining out from diners to high-end gastronomic temples, I think 20 percent is recognized as the floor nowadays. A lot of us grew up with the 15 percent rule, but honestly, after a major recession followed by a flat economy, and with "tipping out" taken into consideration, 15 percent just isn't fair. In my opinion, anyway.

As long as there is a jar, I feel the pressure, which I don't like. i.e. I only get black coffee at our local shops, so no "skill" is required to make our drink, but the tip jar is right there where I get my change. I'd prefer that the prices be raised, if needed, and do away with the jar at such places.

Saw one today to prompt me to stir the hornets' nest again.
Picked up some beer at a liquor store. There was a tip jar for the person who does nothing but take my money, just like at the self-serve frozen yogurt stores and the coffee shops where I get a plain coffee out of a pot or dispenser. Are liquor store staff paid below the 'normal' minimum wage or is this just more of the creep of tipping into everything? Any reason we shouldn't tip the cop who gives us a speeding / parking ticket?
I'll definitely vote for raising the minimum wage to a continuously CPI adjusted level to ensure no one is paid less than required for basic living conditions in perpetuity, even if that will result in some people not getting a job. But if this "tip creep" keeps up I'll have to consider making all purchases from Amazon to be delivered by drones since there's no unjustifiable tipping. Fortunately this may soon be a real possibility. If you don't come and wait on us while we're sitting at a table or bring a pizza to the house in your car then you don't get a tip from me. Maybe for a coffee drink that requires more effort than running a dispenser if I ever should someday order one, but that's the line. Period.
Discuss among yourselves.

[Robin Garr]

Discuss among yourselves.

Me! Me! I'll start! This is nuts.

I'm a huge advocate of tipping well ... in a restaurant setting, where we've inherited a bad system that's resistant to change, and where it's unfair to penalize the working stiffs for a system that's not of their making.

But to start such a system in a retail setting where workers - albeit likely underpaid - are at least governed by minimum wage? No. That's taking it where it doesn't need to go.

Lonnie, I really feel it would be appropriate to name and shame. I'd like to interview the owner and write a story.

I'm not a fan of tip jars in retail settings, but it really doesn't bother me much. Obviously I'm not obliged to use it, but if I receive good service, or even friendly service, I might throw a buck or two in the jar.

I also don't necessarily agree that tipping should be the exclusive domain of those working for less than the minimum wage. I tip lots of people who make wages at, or above minimum...my barber, contractor helpers who go above and beyond, the grocery kid who helps me out with my bags. And, back when I drank, yes, I tipped the folks at the wine/liquor store. You'd be surprised how often they'd give me first dibs on a special, hard to find, bottle of wine/beer/scotch they thought I might like. I throw my trash guy a few bucks from time to time and miraculously my cans don't wind up in the street like my neighbors and he takes some stuff that he probably shouldn't. I always give my "handyman" a few $$ more than he wants for a job and not surprisingly I don't have to wait very long to get to the top of his list.

But, all this overlooks the main reason I tip aside from restaurants. It makes me feel better about myself and the fact I just might have brightened someone's day and/or made their life a tiny bit easier without really affecting my lifestyle one bit. A bargain IMO.

[Robin Garr]

But, all this overlooks the main reason I tip aside from restaurants. It makes me feel better about myself and the fact I just might have brightened someone's day and/or made their life a tiny bit easier without really affecting my lifestyle one bit. A bargain IMO.

That is an awesome post, Bill. Thanks for recalibrating my Mean Meter back toward generosity this morning.

This is just me and it may be out of guilt for all the times I under tipped in my bad days but we have a tendency to eat low cost. I mean at the less expensive places, for example we ate lunch at El Tarasco came to 20 bucks but my minimum tip is 5 bucks. Always 20 percent or 5 bucks never less.