Originally Posted By dshyates Nice! <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/02/24/banker-1-percent-tip-receipt_n_1299280.html" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...280.html</a>
Originally Posted By u k fan I'd never heard of the 99% thing. My only concern with this story is that the photo of the receipt looks too good to have been snapped on the hoof so it makes me wonder if it's genuine!!!
Originally Posted By dshyates 20% is standard for good service in the U.S. A lot of folks over at the Drudge Report are claiming it is faked by an OWS Protestor. But a news station local to the restaurant have confirmed that while the company has no statement, they are investigating the situation and they do have a staff member named Brianna.
Originally Posted By ecdc Unless service is poor, I tip 20%, largely because most states (including Utah--shock!) have laws that pay servers well below minimum wage under the assumption tips will make up for it. I've never had a job in the food service industry, but waiting tables looks like a demanding job for not a lot of money, unless you're at a pretty high-end restaurant. While I think most customers are fine, I am amazed at times at how some people treat servers. About 10-15% of the population seems to think customer service workers are the lowest caste in America and deserve to be treated as such. (I don't know if that awesome conversation in Reservoir Dogs is accurate, that servers are taxed at 15% for tips, whether they get them or not.)
Originally Posted By wahooskipper I don't have any trouble believing the tip was only 1%. I find the "Get a Real Job" note to be a little far fetched. That requires an awful lot of cruelty. Frankly, there are a lot of peole that don't have any idea regarding tipping. That said, in my former life in the hotel business I think I can fairly say that the middleclass tended to tip better than the upperclass.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder Oh, things like "get a real job" are written on receipts much more frequently than you realize. It's sad. That's actually fairly tame compared to some things.
Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS 15-20% is usually average for me. However, I did once just leave a dime. The waitress was rude and paid no attention to our table, and even got one of our orders wrong and didn't correct it. The manager was nowhere to be found, and we thought that if we didn't leave any tip she would have thought we just forgot.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>Oh, things like "get a real job" are written on receipts much more frequently than you realize. It's sad. That's actually fairly tame compared to some things.<< Yup. It's a numbers issue. Even if just 10% of customers are like this, when you deal with hundreds of people in a week, you're guaranteed some really nasty people on a fairly regular basis.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer Writing "get a real job" is a pretty good way of making sure that you get real bodily fluids on your next meal.
Originally Posted By Longhorn12 I don't think the "get a real job" is that far fetched. I work at a mom and pop restaurant in the summers, and we had a (rather wealthy) regular who thought that even having to sign the credit card receipt was fascism. Thankfully they payed us minimum wage because for a full day we usually barely reached $20 in tips (that would be split between 6 people)
Originally Posted By mele Waiting tables can be way more of a "real job" than most desk jobs, imo. It can be both physically and mentally exhausting. I did it when I was young but there's no way I could do it well now. I usually give 20% or more. I tend to round up just because I'm lazy and I tend to give more if my tab is small and 20% tip looks silly. I'm not really "good" with money but I figure an extra dollar or two doesn't mean as much to me as some kid waiting tables.
Originally Posted By mele Haha, Tom, no kidding! I do tend to tip more at the places we go to frequently and try to tip a little more in December. If we can't afford to tip fairly then we just don't go.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Well, if what you all say is true then that is remarkably sad. I once left a 50% tip on a rather large bill after I witnessed a waitress getting abused by a large table. They were relentless and I knew she was going to get stiffed by them. So, I left the large tip with a note that she could pass on to her boss in case she was questioned about the amount. Tough job, for sure.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney >>>I tend to round up just because I'm lazy and I tend to give more if my tab is small and 20% tip looks silly. I'm not really "good" with money but I figure an extra dollar or two doesn't mean as much to me as some kid waiting tables. <<< mele, you sound like my husband. I can't tell you how many times we've left a restaurant and I say to him, "Do you realize you left a 30% tip???!!" He never pays attention, just puts an amount that seems reasonable to him.
Originally Posted By oc_dean >>How much do you usually tip in the US? << 15% on average 20% in the more expensive restaurants, large parties, and if service was really great. What's a pity is how the U.S. is set up ... where it's an established practice - Restaurants pay their employees crap, and have to rely on tips. Really bad! Having lived in Australia close to 3 years now ..... I've learned what the restaurants pay their staff .. and subsequently ... Expected Tips ... non existent! <- An American living in Australia ... I got a perspective now. One that really casts my own country in a true sh*t hole. With restaurants that will keep their employees from making a wage good enough to frikin live on! A country with "Expected" tipping .. bad, bad, bad !!
Originally Posted By mele DyG, yeah, I tend to pick the easiest route most of the time. But, I just quit working with one of my main clients so I probably will think about it a little bit more...at least until I add a new client (which I really don't want to do for awhile. Client #1 was brutal. I need rehab.) ;-)
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost I think it depends on the restaurant. If it is a high end one, the tips add up to a pretty significant amount, even if you factor in the cheap SOB's that don't leave enough or any. Now a Denny's or something along that line...it is a hard way to make a living, I'm sure.
Originally Posted By Tikiduck I hate the whole tipping ritual. Of course, not wanting to be seen as a jerk, I tip just like everyone else, but it does bug me. I would love if it were truly a gesture of appreciation of good service, rather than simply expected at all times. It really is a sad statement on the food and beverage industry. Regarding the rich jerk, he probably has always had money. Seems to me, people who have risen through the monetary ranks tend to be more sympathetic to those who are not as well off.
