Do you agree with them?

Should businesses be allowed to include them automatically on your bill?

In some instances yes, say for a party larger than 10 all on one ticket. Otherwise, no, I don't think they should be included.

Did you know you're supposed to tip your newspaper carrier????? I didn't know this until I subscribed the other day. I called my mom and she laughed :lol She'd never heard of it either.

Slightly off topic, but not really. :)

To answer your question I am for gratuity being on your bill for large parties. I've been a waitress and there is nothing worse than getting stiffed after working your ass off just because people or cheap, or the COOK screwed something up. :rolleyes

I think it depends. Sometimes no because if the server knows there is a built in gratuity they sometimes treat your table like crap because they will be tipped regardless. I wish they wouldn't make it more then the average of 15% sometimes the gratuities are up to 20% which i think is a bit too much.

Did you know you're supposed to tip your newspaper carrier????? I didn't know this until I subscribed the other day. I called my mom and she laughed :lol She'd never heard of it either.

Slightly off topic, but not really. :)

:puzz are you serious? I always saw it in movies, tipping the paper BOY not adult that rides in their car smoking a million smokes a minute. But I never took it seriously

I think if it is a big party and on one ticket, yes but otherwise, I believe it depends on service.
I will NOT tip a crappy waitress/waiter. I don't care on if you should or shouldn't. If I get crappy service...you don't get it!

No. I do not think they should be automatically added to the bill.

We went to Longhorn for Matt's birthday dinner in May. There were 9 of us. We had WONDERFUL Service. When we went to pay the bill, they had added the gratuity on to our bill. Their loss - because we were prepared to give the girl much more. My husband refused to give more than they had posted to our bill - out of principle.

Gratuity should be based on the service given.

yes if it is parties or 10 or more. i have noticed that some fast food resturants are charging a "dine in" tax if you choose to eat there rather than to go. I think that BS all the way as well.

:puzz are you serious? I always saw it in movies, tipping the paper BOY not adult that rides in their car smoking a million smokes a minute. But I never took it seriously

I'm dead serious. I signed up online and there was a space above the total where you could include a monthly tip for the carrier. I googled gratuity for a newspaper carrier, and found that anywhere from $5-$20 is good depending on how often you get the paper. :dunno

what i don't like is how some restaurants are categorizing large parties. I have seen them charge gratuity for 6 or more. I mean dang we are already a family of 5 if we have one of the kids friends with us then we have to pay the gratuity. kinda not cool.

yes if it is parties or 10 or more. i have noticed that some fast food resturants are charging a "dine in" tax if you choose to eat there rather than to go. I think that BS all the way as well.

WHAT!?! That's nuts!

Gratuity should be based on the service given.

:agree:yes

Well here's another question then... what percentage do you tip or do you tip based on service and say to hell with percentage???

I always tip between 15 and 20 %.

As far as the "automatic gratuity", I do not agree sometimes. Especially when the person is a terrible waiter/waitress, they are automatically getting the 18% or whatever it is. That's just NOT right at all!!!!!

They should have to earn it, not just expect it!

Around 15%. More if the service was really good, less if they sucked. We have both waited tables, so we are generous if they deserve it!

I'm dead serious. I signed up online and there was a space above the total where you could include a monthly tip for the carrier. I googled gratuity for a newspaper carrier, and found that anywhere from $5-$20 is good depending on how often you get the paper. :dunno

That is sooo crazy. So do you have a paperBOY or adult? :giggle


what i don't like is how some restaurants are categorizing large parties. I have seen them charge gratuity for 6 or more. I mean dang we are already a family of 5 if we have one of the kids friends with us then we have to pay the gratuity. kinda not cool.

:yes I agree. It stinks when we go out to eat with just my mom. That puts at 6 and then we get hit with gratuity :banghead so we have gotten into the habit of spliting our bills making the "parties" smaller.

WHAT!?! That's nuts!

yes i was outraged when i saw it in Birmingham at McD's. I asked about it and they said it is to cover the expense to clean up your area. um, WHAT???!!! It is freaking SOAP AND WATER!!!!! I thought it was regular tax at first but no....an extra $.89 to eat there. So now I always ask if it is an unfamiliar area. It might not be that much but that crap adds up.

Well here's another question then... what percentage do you tip or do you tip based on service and say to hell with percentage???
it all depends on service. If you are average you get 12-15% better you get more. worse you get squat. I don't expect miracles or overly attentive staff. But if my glass is empty and you walk by 3 times and don't stop by the table or are chit chatting with friends or other workers well then i guess your tip will be pretty crappy. when we go out we usually spend 50-60 bucks because of our family size, which equates to a good tip if they do good.

Well here's another question then... what percentage do you tip or do you tip based on service and say to hell with percentage???

I generally tip according to service.. I've been known to leave $5 or more on a $15 ticket if the waitress deserved it.

Around 15%. More if the service was really good, less if they sucked. We have both waited tables, so we are generous if they deserve it!

same here....i always take out my phone and calculate it. My mom thinks it is being crazy....but she is so stingy. she only leaves a dollar no matter what.

I agree with it for larger parties but that's just because in alot of cases, people won't do 8 or 10 percent and it stiffs the server who just busted ass for 20 people. I don't think they should be automatic for just regular service though, tips are a part of a server's pay and is based on performance which I think is legitimate.

That is sooo crazy. So do you have a paperBOY or adult? :giggle


Good question :lol He/she comes so early I wouldn't know unless they took a picture and taped it to my door.

But unless he/she wants to start cutting out my coupons I don't know about the tip....:giggle

No. I do not think they should be automatically added to the bill.

We went to Longhorn for Matt's birthday dinner in May. There were 9 of us. We had WONDERFUL Service. When we went to pay the bill, they had added the gratuity on to our bill. Their loss - because we were prepared to give the girl much more. My husband refused to give more than they had posted to our bill - out of principle.

Gratuity should be based on the service given.

yes if it is parties or 10 or more. i have noticed that some fast food resturants are charging a "dine in" tax if you choose to eat there rather than to go. I think that BS all the way as well.

Yes and yes.

Good question :lol He/she comes so early I wouldn't know unless they took a picture and taped it to my door.

But unless he/she wants to start cutting out my coupons I don't know about the tip....:giggle

:lmao I've never seen a paperboy. They are always adults. Takes the fun out of it I guess.

:lmao I've never seen a paperboy. They are always adults. Takes the fun out of it I guess.

That's because no teenager in his right mind is going to get up and go to work at the ass-crack of dawn. :yawn :lol

I do feel kinda bad for mine though...I live in an apartment, so they have to get out of their car and walk it to my door rather than just stick their arm out the window and throw it. BUT, the people across the hall from me get the paper too, so really they should feel bad because they started it. :giggle

Ok, I'm done thread jacking now! :lol

I used to waitress and my resturant didn't add anything to any size party's bill. It was good and bad.

Our resturant offered a wing special on tuesdays and young high school kids would come in in parties of over 10, make a huge mess, and leave no tip or very very small tip, they take up 2-3 hours of your time and 2-3 of your tables and you get nothing for your hard work.

On the other hand i've had parties who have tipped well over 25% because of my service, which i would have never gotten if our resturant added the 15% to the bill.

So its something that can be viewed from both sides, good and bad.
Personal oppinion, i don't think tip should be added to any bill.

I have no problem with added gratuities and why wouldn't you tip your paper boy they are providing a service right?

No. I do not think they should be automatically added to the bill.

We went to Longhorn for Matt's birthday dinner in May. There were 9 of us. We had WONDERFUL Service. When we went to pay the bill, they had added the gratuity on to our bill. Their loss - because we were prepared to give the girl much more. My husband refused to give more than they had posted to our bill - out of principle.

Gratuity should be based on the service given.

So he punished the server whom he felt provided wonderful service because of the managements policy? She is only the server its not up to her what they add on the bill.

Side note i've never tipped my paper boy/person. :dunno
all my paper people have sucked :giggle

I have no problem with added gratuities and why wouldn't you tip your paper boy they are providing a service right?

Would you tip the people at walmart for bagging your things? Or how bout the people at the fast food restaurant who hands you your order? Those are services too right? So do you tip them as well?

I have never tipped my paperboy.

I have no problem with added gratuities and why wouldn't you tip your paper boy they are providing a service right?

Yeah but wherever I've lived there's no way to tip the dude in a truck slinging papers out the window... Where do you leave the tip? :puzz No way in hell I would be getting up at 3am or 4am and waiting on him. :shrug

I'm a bad tipper. I figure about $2 for average service because most of our meals are under $20. It is low but, I'm not made of money either. I tip what I can. Like at the commy with the baggers...I tip them about the same.

If the service was AWESOMe, I've tipped up to $5.

Would you tip the people at walmart for bagging your things? Or how bout the people at the fast food restaurant who hands you your order? Those are services too right? So do you tip them as well?

I have never tipped my paperboy.

Once upon a time people tipped their baggers, they tipped their mailman too. When I have a paper delivered yes I tip them. I don't tip my mailman because i have about three of them and it would not be fair if one got something and the others did not. I tip my hair dresser, my eyebrow waxer, the people at starbucks, my servers etc. Somethings you tip for others you do not.

Some tipping guidelines
http://www.tipping.org/tips/us.html

You tip your paper boy/girl/man/woman because they do not get paid min wage and they are out in all kinds of weather at very early hours delivering the paper.

So he punished the server whom he felt provided wonderful service because of the managements policy? She is only the server its not up to her what they add on the bill.

The management policy was that she deserved 15%. So, basically, management is saying that it doesn't matter the level of service - she would get 15%. What if she had been a 5% level of service??? We'd be expected to pay her 15%.

How do you get management policy to change??

I believe that gratuities should be included on a bill if it is a party of 8-10 or more. I waited tables and would lose my mind I would spend two hours running after a party to only get a $10 tip. When if I had had multiple smaller table I would've made more. It is a safety net for the server.

And also because my husband and I both waited tables we normally tip 20%. Also, if our meals get messed up and our server is on top of getting them fixed or taken off the bill by the manager we always give that money to the server as well.

Tips should be earned, not expected.

The management policy was that she deserved 15%. So, basically, management is saying that it doesn't matter the level of service - she would get 15%. What if she had been a 5% level of service??? We'd be expected to pay her 15%.

How do you get management policy to change??

Well not giving her extra if you felt she deserved extra would not change managements position. I would suggest writing them and letting them know. I would use your example and state how good the service was and say that customers should be able to tip according to the service they received. I would imagine though that policy is there to keep servers from being given the shaft when it comes to larger parties. (which are generally a lot more work and harder to keep up with)

If i felt she was worth 25% I would have given her 25% regardless of what the ticket said I had to give.

Well not giving her extra if you felt she deserved extra would not change managements position. I would suggest writing them and letting them know. I would use your example and state how good the service was and say that customers should be able to tip according to the service they received. I would imagine though that policy is there to keep servers from being given the shaft when it comes to larger parties. (which are generally a lot more work and harder to keep up with)

If i felt she was worth 25% I would have given her 25% regardless of what the ticket said I had to give.

Oh, trust me, management was made aware of their bad policy. That policy can be a shaft to the customer as well.

Oh, trust me, management was made aware of their bad policy. That policy can be a shaft to the customer as well.

yes I understand that, I just always leave a decent tip I have never had service SO bad that it made me want to leave a penny KWIM?

Once upon a time people tipped their baggers, they tipped their mailman too. When I have a paper delivered yes I tip them. I don't tip my mailman because i have about three of them and it would not be fair if one got something and the others did not. I tip my hair dresser, my eyebrow waxer, the people at starbucks, my servers etc. Somethings you tip for others you do not.
before baggers didn't earn a whole wage so tips were expected.
As for starbucks people/coffee makers meh they earn a full wage so I don't see a need to tip them, if they earned like wait staff then yes. But to me just because you happen to be in the service industry doesn't mean you automatically get a tip.

before baggers didn't earn a whole wage so tips were expected.
As for starbucks people/coffee makers meh they earn a full wage so I don't see a need to tip them, if they earned like wait staff then yes. But to me just because you happen to be in the service industry doesn't mean you automatically get a tip.

BOLD- and that is why paper b/g/m/w get a tip. :)

I was just saying places I tip I don't care if other people do not tip at starbucks. (or what ever coffee shop)

yes I understand that, I just always leave a decent tip I have never had service SO bad that it made me want to leave a penny KWIM?
She got a descent tip. She got 15%.

She got a descent tip. She got 15%.

I never said she didn't. I was saying I have never received really crappy service I had moved on.

BOLD- and that is why paper b/g/m/w get a tip. :)

I was just saying places I tip I don't care if other people do not tip at starbucks. (or what ever coffee shop)
paper people make a decent wage for their work.
I looked into when I was trying to find a job that i could do without daycare costs. I just think just because your job is considered ' a service' type job doesn't mean you automatically get a tip.

On large parties, sure BUT if the service is crappy, I don't care how large the party is.

I am a huge tipper, so is DF. We've been known to pay equal the amount of the meal in tip for outstanding service.

We've also been known to ask a manager to remove the gratuity that was added on the bill completely for shitty service.

Tips should be earned, not expected.

Absolutely. I do hair and I apparently am one of the few that doesn't expect to get a tip everytime. If I earned it, great. I have refused to accept tips from people that I can tell arent thrilled (rarely, happened once) or if I know they really can't afford to tip, but try to anyway. DH is a class a cheapskate, so I do make up for it in a restaurant. If I get crappy service I don't tip. My mom is a generous tipper. If she is taken care of (nothing out of the ordinary) she has been known to tip 50%. We were in Golden Corral last week and our drinks were not filled and we had to ask a woman from another section for more plates. I tipped the other lady and made sure to tell her why. The restaurant was not busy at all, no excuse especially when others around our section were taken care of.

I'm so used to the coperto over here that it took me a minute to figure out what you were tlaking about.


As for paperboys, it depends on the area. I was paid .13 a paper M-F, .20 Saturday, .25 sunday and holiday. The tips I got made my day because the paper route barely covered my gas money in the winter months.

I'm a big tipper, for good service.....and pretty much no matter what, I make sure the waiter/ress have earned at least minimum wage while I was there. So if my bill is only $10, but we were there for an hour, I'll tip $7-$8....if the service was horrible, that doesn't happen. But it takes a lot for me to decide the service was that bad.
For large parties, I don't agree with management adding the tip to the bill. If they do it, I very rarely add anything to the tip that they force on me, unless the service is spectacular.

Well not giving her extra if you felt she deserved extra would not change managements position. I would suggest writing them and letting them know. I would use your example and state how good the service was and say that customers should be able to tip according to the service they received. I would imagine though that policy is there to keep servers from being given the shaft when it comes to larger parties. (which are generally a lot more work and harder to keep up with)

If i felt she was worth 25% I would have given her 25% regardless of what the ticket said I had to give.

Agreed. :tu

And yes, I agree with adding gratuity to parties of 8 or more. There's always the possibility that you'll dine with that cheap asshole who orders up multiple alcoholic drinks, appetizers, etc., and then will try to ditch paying tips and taxes or whatever. :rolleyes

I refuse to eat out with people like that. You've got one time to prove yourself.

I tip at Starbucks when I'm not using my credit card, I tip the pizza delivery person, I tip at local coffee houses and bakeries, and when I lived in Maryland, I tipped at our full service gas station. A couple of bucks can really make a difference in a person's salary, and I understand it completely. Especially in this shitty economy we're living in.

Oh, I forgot, I also tip when I get my nails done, pedis, and my hair done.

Tipping my braider is an issue to me though. I still do it but ...

I generally as a rule tip 20% on a tip if the person is good. I usually tip on alcohol and everything bc I am too lazy to figure it out. I loved when MD had 5% tax bc I just multiplied the tax by 4. Now it is 6 and I don't want to just do it by 3 and only give them 18 so they get tipped on the tax now. Gosh, I am lazy.

But back to the point, I think that leaving a tip for waiter/ress is really important if you get good service. I hate when people tip poorly bc the kitchen messed up.

Long Example :lol
The other day I was at Chili's and my food came out room temp, so I told the waitress I was like "hey, just so you know, my food came out several minutes after my sister's and it was cold. I know it is the runner's fault, but I just thought you'd want to let her know" and she was like "omg, let me reheat it" and I said "i'll just get a box to take it home, we are in hurry anyway" and then she had half comped. and I felt so freaking badly bc well, I just told her so she could tell the runner. So I just left her 20 bucks on the table for what ended as a 12 dollar bill (originally 16). I just felt so guilty.

I guess what I am saying is, excellent service deserves a good tip.

I hate when people don't tip well because they don't want to spend/ don't have the money. When you make the decision to eat out, you have to figure that is all part of it.

No. I do not think they should be automatically added to the bill.

We went to Longhorn for Matt's birthday dinner in May. There were 9 of us. We had WONDERFUL Service. When we went to pay the bill, they had added the gratuity on to our bill. Their loss - because we were prepared to give the girl much more. My husband refused to give more than they had posted to our bill - out of principle.

Gratuity should be based on the service given.\

Agree with this, I hate when I am at a restaurant and tip is built in for say, splitting checks. I mean, wtf, I tip exteremely well, I rarely ever leave 15%, that is for like mediocre service. I'd like to determine my own tip rate.

what i don't like is how some restaurants are categorizing large parties. I have seen them charge gratuity for 6 or more. I mean dang we are already a family of 5 if we have one of the kids friends with us then we have to pay the gratuity. kinda not cool.

I know! I was at a Hard Rock in a casino at the beginning of the month and tehre were 6 of us and they added 18%. The guy sucked, but it was really his loss bc my aunt was just figuring 20% initially for easy math :lol

yes i was outraged when i saw it in Birmingham at McD's. I asked about it and they said it is to cover the expense to clean up your area. um, WHAT???!!! It is freaking SOAP AND WATER!!!!! I thought it was regular tax at first but no....an extra $.89 to eat there. So now I always ask if it is an unfamiliar area. It might not be that much but that crap adds up.

They had that at a McD's i worked at like 7 years ago. Just say "to go" and then sit down and eat it :giggle


Tips should be earned, not expected.

Bingo.

yes I understand that, I just always leave a decent tip I have never had service SO bad that it made me want to leave a penny KWIM?

yeah, well some people have. I had service once where they billed me for an adult drink for my sister who got it in a kid's cup and then for each refill even though their thing clearly said "free refills" and when I asked to speak to the manager did not get them. You better believe I left the money for the bill BEFORE her little additions that I am sure she was going to remove and take the tip money and NO tip. I just called the manager when I left to explain the situation.

before baggers didn't earn a whole wage so tips were expected.
As for starbucks people/coffee makers meh they earn a full wage so I don't see a need to tip them, if they earned like wait staff then yes. But to me just because you happen to be in the service industry doesn't mean you automatically get a tip.

I don't always tip my barista, sometimes I throw a bit of change in the cup, but not always.

But i really disagree with the "full wage" argument. I was a sporting clay trapper a while back and while i earned a whopping 6 bucks an hour I made my money in tips really. I mean, I was spending between 1-4 hours with a group depending on size and # of clays, and it SUCKED if you got stiffed because you could have been out there with a different group.

I'm so used to the coperto over here that it took me a minute to figure out what you were tlaking about.


As for paperboys, it depends on the area. I was paid .13 a paper M-F, .20 Saturday, .25 sunday and holiday. The tips I got made my day because the paper route barely covered my gas money in the winter months.

Yep completely depends on where you live :)

I usually tip 25-30% if the service was good.... and 15% if it was okay.

I had a haircut yesterday.... that was $40.... and I left her a $10 tip. (I would've left more, but it only took her like 20 minutes)

Paper "boys" don't make great wages. They do when you look at just the numbers (Ryan got 1200 a month when he did it), but that included tips. Then, they subtract the cost for the bags, possibly insurance, and you have to pay for the gas to drive around everyday, wear and tear on your car, oil changes, rubber bands, etc. It is NOT great wages at all. When you end up paying taxes, it comes out to next to nothing. The only thing that made it worthwhile was the $1500 he got as a Christmas bonus from all the generous subscribers in our neighborhood. He always complied with their requests (paper on the front door, baby sleeping so paper in the mailbox, etc). It was hard work and he busted his ass! It's not just some kid on a bike listening to his headphones throwing a paper every once in a while. But for the record, I had also never heard of tipping the paper carrier until he held that job either, probably because we had never ordered the paper before.

I am a great tipper because I have always held customer service jobs in the past... bartending, server, barista, cocktail waitress. I think a tip should be earned, and good service gets 20-25%, and poor service gets 10%. I NEVER just don't leave a tip though...

As a former waitress I 150% agree with built in graduity for parties of 6 or more (not including children). If you get awful service you can complain to management and they will take the tip off. You can always give more than the 18% if you think the server deserves it. Also you really souldn't take it out on the server for the tip audomaticly being added in. Its company policy and most of the time they don't have a way to not add it in. They could loss their job if they didn't add the 18%!

It was an option for the large party added in gratuity at one restaurant I worked at. I sometimes didn't put it in and got good tips. You can usually tell who will tip well and who won't. I do know that by putting in the auto gratuity, you are discouraging extra tipping for most people. I'm generally 20% or so tipper, unless the service is bad. I've had 2 occasions where I left no tip and that was extreme, like the waitress literally disappeared, never saw her again type of deal or we didn't end up eating after 2 hours because they screwed up the order (the waitstaff, not the kitchen).

I tip my paper folks at Christmas time, sent in a Christmas card. Usually $20 for WSJ (daily) and $10 for weekend papers. You cannot really tip the USPS folks because it's illegal to give them money (federal employees). I think you can give them $5 max or something. You can give them non-monetary gifts or something.

I tip my hairdresser, anyone helping me with baggage at the airport, van service or hotel.

I don't like being told or hinted at what I should do with my money.

Call me crazy, but I think ALL gratuities should be added to the bill, and servers/hairstylists/paperboys (LMAO)/all tipped workers should be fired if they don't work hard enough to deserve that gratuity. Then EVERYone could get the same good service, and nobody would have to be that table at the end of the day that the server is "too tired and pissed" to give his/her full attention to.

In a perfect world.

Oh, and since my "perfect world" will never come to pass, I usually tip around 20%. Higher if the server was excellent, and ZERO if they suck.

Generally, yes.

I've seen some places that state on their menu parties of 6 or more get it tacked on. I think that is a bit much. I mean we have 3 kids. If we had 1 more then they would automatically tack it on. If they are going to add on an automatic gratuity then it should be for parties larger than that.

Also, if they are going to do this then it needs to be clear. My family (my family and the extended family) all went out years back. We all chipped in to pay and tip (mind you this was a buffet place). We were sitting there when my uncle saw on the check that they had added in a 15 or 18% gratuity. My uncle then went and got the tip we gave him back. Had we let him keep it he would have gotten $100 from the tip we gave him and the one that was tacked on. Thankfully, I've seen it since then but that one time put a bad taste in my mouth.

Service can really suck at times and at those times they shouldn't be getting what is automatically tacked on. Unfortunately, I see this as a few bad apples ruined it for the rest of the bunch type thing. If service sucks I want the option to not give them what the business says. Plus, I'm a good tipper. I know not everyone is but I am so I kinda take it as an insult.

I also tip the baggers at the commi (I tip them well, too, imo. 4-7 depending on how much we got and how far away from the door I parked, especially in the winter and on case lot sale days), hair stylists (just went today and I tipped $10 on a $34 bill), when I got my nails done I'd tip them, too. I have never gotten the paper so I have never tipped them. My brother was a paperboy when he was younger. He didn't make amazing money from it but he made enough to buy his first truck right when he turned 16. I'm not sure if he got tipped or not. I don't remember him saying.

I don't think it should be automatically added but it would really sucks to work your behind off and give a wonderful service to get nothing in return.
When I was a bartender and waitress we had to add the gratuity to 8+ parties, most of the time they would tip more than what was stated.

having been the person who worked on a valentine's day and did an EXCELLENT job the whole night and left with 67 dollars after having many many tables and one table left a big fat zero, and another left me 5 dollars on a 75 dollar bill because he thought i was overcharging him on his drink (the bartender even told him that the price for 2 double crown and cokes was 28 dollars as it is 7 for crown) i will say i loved the gratuity. after i worked for macaroni grill where they had no gratuity and people would frequently leave piles of pasta everywhere and like 5 bucks on a 200+ dollar check, i was so relieved to work at a fine dining restaurant that had an 18% grat. no one complained there ever. mother's day i walked out with 175 bucks in my pocket after working for 6 hours. it was a pretty good day. the red hat society would try to leave us quarters instead of actual tips so i was glad that we added a grat to them too. fine dining servers are fired if they mess up badly. i had many customers who loved sitting in my section. gratuity is there to prevent cheapskates from not tipping their server who makes about $2.13 an hour. a lot of times i did a great job and got shafted. it sucks.

i agree with ellen. i have never NOT tipped, or even really undertipped for shitty service. we usually tip around 25-30% (usually because we're too lazy to wait for change lol). if the service sucked, they still get 15-20%. i can understand why places do it so their servers don't get stiffed, but i don't agree with it/like it from a customer point of view.

i tipped our paper person when i had a subscription. it wasn't a whole hell of a lot, but it was something and i gave him (her? i never saw them lol) more around the holidays.

No, I don't think they should be automatically added. If I get good service, I tip well. If I don't, not so much. I think it should be up to the customer based on the service they recieved.

I hate tipping. I think businesses should pay their employees better, NOT ME. I'm already paying to eat there, why should I tip on top of that?

BTW, I tip and I tip really well. Dh always says I tip too much :lol That's not to say I don't hate tipping.

Having been a waitress off and on many times, I agree with it for large parties. :yes


On the newspaper thing-I know some older guys back home who deliver, and the cost of gas is eating through their salaries, bad. Especially local papers where people use their own vehicles. Yes, the gas is tax deductible...but they won't see that money until next year and prices are going up now, kwim? I tip anyone who has to drive to bring me anything. It's the price I pay for convenience and it puts food on their table, too.

Did you know you're supposed to tip your newspaper carrier????? I didn't know this until I subscribed the other day. I called my mom and she laughed :lol She'd never heard of it either.

Slightly off topic, but not really. :)

I tipped my newspaper carrier when it was a 12-year-old kid waking up at 5:00 int he morning, rolling papers, rubber-banding them, and loading them up on his bike so he could get them all delivered on people's doorsteps before school. When my newspaper carrier was a middle-aged woman tossing papers out of a Sportage into the puddle at the end of my driveway, no way.

We tip very well at restaurants when the service is good, primarily because I was a server long ago, two of my children are servers, and I understand how hard that work can be. I tip the person who cuts my hair because frankly, I don't they're making very much money at SuperCuts.

I have no problem with restaurants setting a reasonable number at which they're going to place a gratuity on the check. I'm fine with parties of 6 or more- really, "who's paying the tip" can get easily lost in those situations, and when servers have large parties, they generally aren't going to be assigned to other tables/customers. It's really, really easy for a server to get screwed on a large party, so yeah, put that gratuity on there. If the server does a good job, I'm likely to throw in a extra fiver anyhow.

Tips should be earned, not expected.

I don't disagree with that, but I would also say that servers should make minimum wage, not $2.15 an hour with the assumption that they'll make up the rest in tips.

as someone who works as a server, i think its totally up to the server.. i hardly ever add it on to my tables bill, if i feel like i worked my butt off and im gonna make more off the grat then i will but it totally depends on the table.

Tips should be earned, not expected.

Exactly! I really hate how now it's just expected for you to give a tip. :no I want to WANT to give a tip because I loved the service/person but I don't want to feel like I have to give it. :no As for it being added on for larger groups no I don't think they should do that.

I don't disagree with that, but I would also say that servers should make minimum wage, not $2.15 an hour with the assumption that they'll make up the rest in tips.

I agree with this too. I think it's stupid that they have to depend on tips. They should be getting minimum wage it's the minimum for a reason. :no

With me, if the gratuity is included, they just did themselves a disservice. I consider myself to be a pretty awesome tipper. I've done a lot of thankless jobs and I understand how hard dealing with the public can be, so I tip way above the suggested 15-20%. However, if they include gratuity, I won't add anything to it. I think it's rude. A tip is something that you earn. It's a reward for doing a good job.

I top based on service. Sometimes 5% sometimes 25% it all depends.
And yes I've had service so bad I tipped a penny

I hate tipping. I think businesses should pay their employees better, NOT ME. I'm already paying to eat there, why should I tip on top of that?

BTW, I tip and I tip really well. Dh always says I tip too much :lol That's not to say I don't hate tipping.

I agree with you they really should pay them more. The way it is now it's like the customers are paying them since they depend on us for their money. It's really sad and they should be paid a lot more than they are being paid now.

I top based on service. Sometimes 5% sometimes 25% it all depends.
And yes I've had service so bad I tipped a penny

You have paid a penny more than I have for bad service. I HATE bad service I won't give you anything if you don't do a good job. I hate feeling like I HAVE to tip so if i don't like the service you won't get crap from me.

yes i was outraged when i saw it in Birmingham at McD's. I asked about it and they said it is to cover the expense to clean up your area. um, WHAT???!!! It is freaking SOAP AND WATER!!!!! I thought it was regular tax at first but no....an extra $.89 to eat there. So now I always ask if it is an unfamiliar area. It might not be that much but that crap adds up.

Wait... they clean up after you? I always take my own trash to the bin... after sitting at a table that's sticky with soda and ketchup and covered in crumbs from the first 20 people to sit there. Good thing we rarely eat in at fast food places anymore.
And don't even get me started on the bathrooms!

Good question :lol He/she comes so early I wouldn't know unless they took a picture and taped it to my door.

But unless he/she wants to start cutting out my coupons I don't know about the tip....:giggle

I don't tip my carrier for a few reasons: 1) I specifically asked for my paper to be put at my door, instead he drives up the street and throws it at the end of my driveway... LAZY! 2) I used to deliver papers. Not only would people get their paper on their porch, but I would go door to door collecting money every month. It was a time consuming job! Now you can pay online. All he has to do is drive by my house and throw the paper in my driveway.



Oh, I forgot, I also tip when I get my nails done, pedis, and my hair done.

Tipping my braider is an issue to me though. I still do it but ...

I tip them too, more if they have to touch my feet or something lol. My old stylist was so awesome I would tip her almost 50% every time because she was just that good! I miss her. :tears

I agree with you they really should pay them more. The way it is now it's like the customers are paying them since they depend on us for their money. It's really sad and they should be paid a lot more than they are being paid now.

You have paid a penny more than I have for bad service. I HATE bad service I won't give you anything if you don't do a good job. I hate feeling like I HAVE to tip so if i don't like the service you won't get crap from me.

I agree. I hate feeling as if I have to tip. In some countries it's considered insulting to tip. A nice note is preferred.

I don't always tip my barista, sometimes I throw a bit of change in the cup, but not always.

But i really disagree with the "full wage" argument. I was a sporting clay trapper a while back and while i earned a whopping 6 bucks an hour I made my money in tips really. I mean, I was spending between 1-4 hours with a group depending on size and # of clays, and it SUCKED if you got stiffed because you could have been out there with a different group.
well if you are getting full wage IE minimum wage then you aren't working for tips. If you work at starbucks, subway or any other of those service type jobs they don't pay you half wages then get the other half in tips you get full minimum wage. That is my take on it. When I was in El Centro the people in subway on base got paid 7 something an hour, and they wanted tips. why? because they are doing their job? Same thing with the baggers at grocery stores they already make full minimum wage so it's already their job to bag and take your stuff to the car ( if you so choose i'm not talking about commy baggers btw but regular ole albertson's, safeway, HEB stores)
just because you happen to provide a service doesn't mean tip, You are already being compensated by the store for working.

:edit me and dh aren't cheapskates, but we expect a certain level of service. We have left a few times without tipping because of crappy service. And we also will tip well for good service.
I know not all former servers are generous a girl i used to work with wasn't not generous at all, her view was she did it all before and did it well, she had really high standards. :lol

well if you are getting full wage IE minimum wage then you aren't working for tips. If you work at starbucks, subway or any other of those service type jobs they don't pay you half wages then get the other half in tips you get full minimum wage. That is my take on it. When I was in El Centro the people in subway on base got paid 7 something an hour, and they wanted tips. why? because they are doing their job? Same thing with the baggers at grocery stores they already make full minimum wage so it's already their job to bag and take your stuff to the car ( if you so choose i'm not talking about commy baggers btw but regular ole albertson's, safeway, HEB stores)
just because you happen to provide a service doesn't mean tip, You are already being compensated by the store for working.

:edit me and dh aren't cheapskates, but we expect a certain level of service. We have left a few times without tipping because of crappy service. And we also will tip well for good service.
I know not all former servers are generous a girl i used to work with wasn't not generous at all, her view was she did it all before and did it well, she had really high standards. :lol

:yes

Paper "boys" don't make great wages. They do when you look at just the numbers (Ryan got 1200 a month when he did it), but that included tips. Then, they subtract the cost for the bags, possibly insurance, and you have to pay for the gas to drive around everyday, wear and tear on your car, oil changes, rubber bands, etc. It is NOT great wages at all. When you end up paying taxes, it comes out to next to nothing. The only thing that made it worthwhile was the $1500 he got as a Christmas bonus from all the generous subscribers in our neighborhood. He always complied with their requests (paper on the front door, baby sleeping so paper in the mailbox, etc). It was hard work and he busted his ass! It's not just some kid on a bike listening to his headphones throwing a paper every once in a while. But for the record, I had also never heard of tipping the paper carrier until he held that job either, probably because we had never ordered the paper before.


I forgot Ryan had that job for a while. So he made good tips? I just never knew it was an option. And how in the hek do they charge for the paper bags? Isn't the responsibility of the newspaper company?? Wow...I never knew all that. I also figured they covered your gas, kinda like pizza delivery people.

I tipped my newspaper carrier when it was a 12-year-old kid waking up at 5:00 int he morning, rolling papers, rubber-banding them, and loading them up on his bike so he could get them all delivered on people's doorsteps before school. When my newspaper carrier was a middle-aged woman tossing papers out of a Sportage into the puddle at the end of my driveway, no way.




:lol




I don't tip my carrier for a few reasons: 1) I specifically asked for my paper to be put at my door, instead he drives up the street and throws it at the end of my driveway... LAZY! 2) I used to deliver papers. Not only would people get their paper on their porch, but I would go door to door collecting money every month. It was a time consuming job! Now you can pay online. All he has to do is drive by my house and throw the paper in my driveway.



Well, now that I've heard of this I might consider tipping mine if he/she keeps lovingly delivering it to my door twice a week. :thinkin

For large parties it should be included. Also I think that once the bill gets over a certain amount it should be included. Although I suppose that would be harder to regulate.

I always tip well. If I can't afford to tip then I shouldn't be going out to eat.

I don't disagree with that, but I would also say that servers should make minimum wage, not $2.15 an hour with the assumption that they'll make up the rest in tips.

I agree with the min wage for servers. I have a friend who works for Master Cuts and I think it depends on the cost of living in a particular state, but in WI they start at 8.50/hour. Not including commission. I work for a chain in GA and I make well above min/wage, so that's why I don't feel I'm entitled to a tip, I feel much better that I have earned it. But that's just me:mrgreen