I Mean, When I Order Coffee I Want It Filled Six Times

I am 110% that I am going to be called categorically wrong here, but for that very reason, I tip the valets only when I check into the hotel and when I check out, but not anytime in between. The reality is that, unlike when I go to a bar, I may or may not be prepared with loose cash when going to and from a hotel (since there is no real "transaction" taking place). I usually give $10-$20 when I check in and $10-$20 when I check out, sometimes more, depending on how many times they had to get my car. The other issue I have is that depending on the hotel, you might have A) the guy who calls your car down, B) the guy who actually goes and gets the car, C) the guy who opens the door for your sig other, etc. I think you're supposed to tip all those guys every time. It's not so much that I'm cheap...it's just inconvenient.

 

The only fast food place that I tip at is Subway and usually a dollar plus any change I have. I am usually only spending five bucks so this is like 20-25%. They actually have to do something and when you are a regular and you tip they will usually load up the sandwich and not charge for the extras (Like extra cheese).

 

I used to do the tax (15%) rounded up to the nearest dollar. Now I tend to go between 18-20%, whatever works as the easiest total.



I never got why people making $11/h at Starbucks feel entitled to a tip.

 

With valets at hotels I'm actually pretty demanding at some of the better hotels. I'm terrible about getting out of my hotel room in the AM and therefore usually don't have time to wait while one of the valets runs across the street to the complex they're parking at or whatever in downtown (insert major city here).

What I do is talk to the bell captain or head valet guy or whatever the fuck they're called when I get to the hotel. I explain my situation and that I'll need my car every morning at 8 sharp every morning and ask if they could grab a bottled water and fresh fruit from the breakfast bar and put it in the car. Then I give the man in charge $20-40 to see that its done depending on how long I'm staying there.

They've never fucked up and my car is always parked warming up right outside the lobby. I tip the guy at the valet desk $5 for making it happen and then drop another $20 when I check out.

But Fawkes you just dropped around $100 tipping for parking? Next time you're shivering your balls off and checking your watch because you're going to be late for a meeting I bet you'll think the $10 average it costs would be well worth it.

 

I think you're missing the point (or maybe I am...I'm not sure why you're belaboring this idea). It's socially optimal because if I feel like it, I don't have to tip jack shit. If the costs were all included and tipping is gone, I have to pay that "extra" 20% every single time I eat, good service or bad, whether I feel like it or not. Fuck that; I like having the ability to passive-aggressively punish my server if they were a cock, and reward them if they were awesome.

And just to clarify since I'm emphasizing that I can not tip: I am one of those "always 20%" type people, unless service was absolutely abysmal. Also, as someone mentioned earlier, if it's a place like Waffle House or something where my bill is only $5-6, I'm probably gonna lay down $2-3 because I think counting change for someone working such a shitty job is pretty bad form.

 

I have always noticed that solitary diners usually tip at least 50% of their bill, they're my favorites.

 

Here in Australia our service staff are paid a decent hourly wage, therefore tipping is uncommon but not unheard of. A friend of mine works in a posh restaurant and every so often she gets a good tip from a table of tipsy wealthy people.

I'm planning to visit the US in the not too distant future, and I'll have to learn my shit with this alien concept of tipping. There seems to be an awful lot of unwritten rules of who to tip and how much. I'm anticipating some bartender to piss in my drink when I forget to give them their 15%.

 

I know some people do not agree with me on tipping, but I eat out for almost every lunch and dinner. It’s almost impossible to get me to tip less than 20 percent. If the food is good, I tend to come back often. I like the fact that after a few times going there; I rarely have to wait for a table.

I try to be friendly with the waiter/waitress. Most people are very cool to you if you treat them with respect. And, if you’re asking for their section, it tends to make them want to make your dinning more pleasurable. I am picky and exact with what I order and I consider this a fair trade-off. Even cities that I do not travel to that often, I try to find a good four or five places and come back to them often. The difference between a 20% tip for fair/okay service up to 40% or 50% for rock star service isn’t going to kill me and it might just make that server’s night.

Also, I second what Guy Fawkes says about valets…ask their name, tell them yours, and your car will be there waiting up front. Especially if it is yours and not a rental, this is car-care 101 to me, and worth the $5, $10, or $20 I give them.

 

"If you ain't got the bankroll, stay outta Buckhead and get back to Bankhead (or Decatur)."

I go by this policy, if I'm not sure how much to tip, I should be somewhere else. If someone's parking your car, if there's a bathroom attendant, if there's a daily 'flown-in fresh' menu or if I'm even having to explain these indicators to you, don't bother counting the singles out. If you're gonna live that kinda life, or pretend to for a night, you're gonna pay for it. There's a Chilis right around the corner if 20% is all the extra cash you wanna drop on your night.

 

That's because they are lonely and I'm sure your "charm", and cleavage, makes them feel all warm inside.

 

Do you any of you tip after lap dances? I think that's completely fucking ridiculous and would never. But apparently it's customary?

What about at a barber shop? That's the one place that I feel the percentage rule is good and always tip. The price of the haircut is directly proportional to the amount of work the barber did. For instance, on a 12 dollar haircut I usually give the guy an even 15. That's a 25% tip. But almost all the time I see guys not tipping the barber anything and just paying for the direct cost of the haircut.

Thoughts?

 

I don't tip after lap dances usually, as the males around generally take care of that.

When I get a cut and colour, usually around $140, I tip my girl $30. But that is because she fucking rocks and I love her and no one else is permitted to touch my mane with the intent to alter it. It is appropriate to tip "salon services" 20%.

 

Yeah, back when I got haircuts I'd usually tip about three or so. That sounds appropriate. I haven't gotten a haircut in nigh 4 years now though, so maybe I'm out of the loop.

As for lap dances? Fuck that man. I'm paying you anywhere between 30 - 60 bucks to rub your body against me for roughly 5 minutes, you aren't getting an extra dime. Now sometimes you may get treated to "extra" services, should you tip then? Here's an example:

I was getting a dance here at an Oahu club once, and the girl pulled out my junk and gave me an impromptu half-beej. I say half-beej because it lasted for about two minutes. Then she looked at me like she wanted more money.

I stared back at her and said, "That's it, huh?"
She responded, "If you give me 100 more you can do whatever you want."
Yeah, "Thanks for the fucking blue balls whore."

Of course, blue balls are common currency in strip clubs, so whatever.

 

I disagree with this on two levels-

1- 20% an adequate standard tip, whether the diner is at Chilis or in a fine dining restaurant. 25% is a good tip if the server was attentive and on their game in either place. That being said, I expect the server in a $200/plate establishment to be of a higher caliber than someone slinging awesome blossoms and margaritas.

2- The guy who overtips everyone for everything is either a guido and doesn't know any better, new money, or a douchebag.

Personally, I'm more likely to overtip a diner waitress than anyone else. Generally, they're running their asses off for less than $10/plate.

 

I worked in the restaurant business all through high school, college, and a little beyond. It is damn hard work and sucks to have your salary be at the whimsy of the people who sit in your section. So obviously, I tip well. I like to go to nice places to eat, so I factor the cost of a nice tip into the cost of a nice night out. It is funny, I am generally really low maintenance and pretty independent, but if you fold my napkin when I am in the restroom, scrape the breadcrumbs off my table, or slip me an extra steak bone because you know that I have 2 dogs and only one at my table ordered a t-bone then you have my loyal business forever. I will tip if the service is slow, if the server is a wee bit inept (hell, we all have to learn sometime and maybe this is part of the learning process), but if the server is actually rude, your tip gets bumped down (I usually don't go below 10% regardless).

As far as other tipping, my stylist gets 25%, I love her. She has been to a half dozen salons and I have followed her. In return, she treats me welll. She moved out of town for a year or so and came back every 6 weeks for her favorite clients while she was trying to build up a new clientele in her new location. Guess who was one of her favorite clients and didn't have to go through the trauma of trying to find a new stylist. She has since moved back (thank god) and continues to fit me in when I need her.

As far as other tips, rarely order delivery, but that would be about 15%. Valet gets minimum of $5. Bellhops at hotels get about $5. Housecleaner gets periodic tips on top of a pretty generous rate and a good christmas bonus. I rarely tip housekeepers at hotels because I never think of it. Somebody make a good case why I should and I probably will (I actually have no idea what their salary is and if they expect it to be supplemented by tips)

 

Rarely am I shithoused at a fancy restaurant. At Denny's? What other justification is there for going to Denny's?

 

I rewrote that a couple times trying to not sound like a douche, and initially started with 'maybe it's the guido in me.' I'm absolutely with you on Flo at the Waffle House seeing more than 20% for a $10 ticket.

 

Ay, this is an important point. People hate tipping because they don't know what to tip. Fact of the matter is by leaving the waiter's wage in the customers hands we eliminate the middle man that dilutes responsibility. It's like if we got to directly pay programmers, designers, and manufacturers for ipods. You better believe they'd do a much better job on the product if they knew that if they didn't, their wages would immediately decline. This means a waiter is more likely to actually be paid what they are worth. There is a piece of general knowledge that says service is pretty shitty in most places other than America. The tip system is the reason. It is really quite incredible. One of the drawbacks of the system is that people can free-ride, meaning they can leave nothing for good service. Luckily this is not common because most people tend to be decent.

It is a situation of multiple equilibria. That is why we find restaurants everywhere. We can reach an equilibrium where no one tips, waiters are paid more, and meals cost more money. This system leaves no reward for good service so service quality will decrease. Or we can have our system where service is rewarded. I'd rather have ours. The default was likely the system in other places. It would be fun to see a history of the evolution of tipping. I imagine it started with the default with some people occasionally tipping for exceptional service. I bet there was a status element in that only rich high class people would tip in the beginning, and then more people started tipping to appear high status. I bet the status factor is the dominant one driving up tips. Then we stop where peoples desire to appear high status begins to run into their unwillingness to pay any more. Of course the converse of this is the decrease in the wage rate for waiters. If waiters start to make money through tips then it only makes sense for the restaurant to decrease their wage. This is kind of fun. Has anyone written a book about this?