re: Is tipping primarily a learned behavior?

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you drive burning your gas

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This shouldnt even be brought up in the conversation.

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Message Posted by Hulkklogan I generally don't tip takeout. The hostess that gets your takeout is getting paid normal hourly wages.

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No she's not.

I tip takeout. Just a couple bucks but I still tip. What's $1-$2 out of my pocket if it adds up and helps the girl out?

Well at my old job, a specific person was assigned the to-go orders instead of waiting tables. We each took a turn doing it per week and its a pay cut compared to what you'd make waiting tables.
At most places I get orders from, the bartender helps me. In fact, the only place I can think where it's purely the hostess is Sammy's.
Regardless, $1-$2 doesn't hurt me and I know it greatly helps them :)

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If one of my tables order was screwed up, I would grab my manager and have him talk to the table. Most of the time, I would still be tipped well.

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This times infinity. I learned this lesson really quick when I was a server.

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If they don't like relying on tips I suggest they either 1) become really good at their job, or 2) choose a different career path. This isn't indentured servitude, after all.

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IMO, a tip (regardless of the job) is something "extra" from the customer to the worker. I do not like the fact that America is one of the few countries that allows a business to vastly underpay their staff because of this.

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i would have rather received nothing. 50 cents is more of an insult imo

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As a former server, I agree with you.

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The one thing that I don't like is automatic gratuity for larger parties. I understand the demand that it puts on the server(s). But in some cases they charge a 20% gratuity because it is a larger party. I never have a problem with leaving a generous tip. I have a problem with the ones recieving the tip setting the tip for me.

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At the restaurant one of the big reasons for doing this is because focusing on a party requires more of your time (and they tend to have longer check times), which reduced the server's earnings compared to a server that was allowed to turn over more tables quickly because they did not have a party. Our managers would remove the tip if the party requested, no questions asked.


And yes, we did remember who tips well and who does not, and we made sure the other servers knew if they had a good or a bad table.

tl:dr, I know.

The obvious solution is to do away with the different minimum wage and make tipping extra not expected. I tip well but it aggravates me that im a cheap arse if i go below a certain percentage no matter the service i got.

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But if servers made a standard wage, where would the incentive go to provide great service? If they KNEW that they would get 15 dollars an hour, it would be that much easier to say, "they can wait for that refill for just a minute, i need to take a break", because it would not impact their wallet. This is a service based industry and quality of service will always be driven by expected return.

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Every other business seems to do OK with this model. I don't make tips - but I work hard b/c I'm paid well and I like working where I work.

Are you saying waiters are such shitty people that they can't do a normal job - they have to be paid for each and every menial task they perform or they won't do it?

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Every other business seems to do OK with this model. I don't make tips - but I work hard b/c I'm paid well and I like working where I work. Are you saying waiters are such shitty people that they can't do a normal job - they have to be paid for each and every menial task they perform or they won't do it?

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That is not at all what I am saying. But to answer your point, what if other business models could be impacted by tips. Do you think the stocker at walmart would work faster if he knew he would make more money? Would cashiers check people out faster if the were paid in tips from the shoppers? I know they would not stand around talking to each other about where they got their nails did if they knew that the shopper wasnt satisfied and would not tip them.

I do feel as though that is unrealistic to try and change the way retail works but I feel as though that example does show my point.

I don't necessarily agree that tips will improve performance as opposed to higher pay. As I said, most every other industry does fine without this. I understand that wait staff at high end restaurants are competitive positions - Most sane people who are paid well will work hard b/c they want to keep their job. It's pretty short-sighted to treat different tables differently solely based on your tip at that particular table.

The biggest issue I have with this is that waiters seem to have union worker mentalities - that the purpose for a restaurant to exist is to provide jobs for waiters (as opposed to serving customers with drink and food). And then waiters get upset with the customers who are expected to play along with unwritten rules, instead of the management that is only paying pennies per hour or themselves, who agreed to work for only pennies per hour.

It's the same backwards entitlement mentality that union workers have - forget manufacturing profits/losses - manufacturing jobs must exist so that people will have a place to work.

Yes it's a learned behavior. Like most things, people don't think it's wrong if they were brought up not knowing better.

I'm embarassed when someone I'm with doesn't tip and will usually throw down an extra 3-4 bucks to accomidate a little.

i pictures your avy reading your post



i do agree though. especially with the last part. cant be fun eating stuff off the floor or wherever else the people decide to get some stuff to taint your food with