Do you tip?

loopy said:

I was a 2.15 an hour server in college. I lived for tips! I tip 15 for standard service, 18 if they are friendly or helpful and 20 for great service. But here is my problem... Counter Service. There is often a line for tips on the bill or a tip jar. I walk up, order, get a number, get a cup, get my drink, fork, and napkins. I sit and they bring food to me and I never see them again. They may or may not remove dishes. Why does this get a tip?

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In Las Vegas, where everybody seems to live off tips, you'll see tip jars everywhere. At Starbucks, the baristas make minimum wage ($7.25 in Nevada) plus tips. Most places with a tip jar, the employees are making minimum or barely more than minimum wage. There's no way anyone can pay his bills on just minimum wage. Starbucks baristas & others don't count on tips for most of their salary, unlike $2.13/hr servers, but they still depend on the little bit extra. Could you make ends meet on $7.25 an hour?

DelRetiro said:

In Las Vegas, where everybody seems to live off tips, you'll see tip jars everywhere. At Starbucks, the baristas make minimum wage ($7.25 in Nevada) plus tips. Most places with a tip jar, the employees are making minimum or barely more than minimum wage. There's no way anyone can pay his bills on just minimum wage. Starbucks baristas & others don't count on tips for most of their salary, unlike $2.13/hr servers, but they still depend on the little bit extra. Could you make ends meet on $7.25 an hour?

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I survived on 2.25 plus tips, and yes, I survived on $7 with no tips or insurance (similar in cost of living to Vegas). My issue is really with the business model and I tend to avoid counter serve. I can find a place with sit down service for the same prices as most counter serve and the tip is earned. It's like the restaurants where you order siting down on an ipad. If the food doesn't come hot, if no one stops to fill water and no one asks how things are, and the argument is because they don't make enough, then do you tip at McDonald's? The cashier at Walmart?

loopy said:

I survived on 2.25 plus tips, and yes, I survived on $7 with no tips or insurance (similar in cost of living to Vegas). My issue is really with the business model and I tend to avoid counter serve. I can find a place with sit down service for the same prices as most counter serve and the tip is earned. It's like the restaurants where you order siting down on an ipad. If the food doesn't come hot, if no one stops to fill water and no one asks how things are, and the argument is because they don't make enough, then do you tip at McDonald's? The cashier at Walmart?

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I don't like the business model either, but someone looking for work may not have the luxury of choosing between employment at Starbucks or a sit down restaurant.

By the way, in Chicago right now, minimum wage for a non tipped employee is $8.25 per hour, which works out to about $17,160 annually, before taxes. After taxes, you are looking at about $1250 monthly to cover food, rent, health insurance, transportation, clothes, medical bills, etc. - very, very difficult in Chicago unless you're sharing an apartment with several people, don't own a car, and eat very very cheaply. For tipped employees minimum wage is now up to $4.95 - but you have to declare your tips as income and pay taxes on the full amount.

karne said:

No. Only for exceptional service in a restaurant or cafe.

The reason? We actually pay a living wage.

I haven't been paid $15 an hour...ever. When I started working at 17 I was already at $16 an hour, and by the time I left for proper work at 24 I was being paid $23 an hour. On weekends and public holidays, we got paid more - sometimes time and a half, sometimes double time.

Maybe it's because we think everyone deserves to be able to live, not just those who are fortunate enough to have a "good" job?

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I'm in the same boat as you there, our minimum wage is actually quite high on a world scale and I lived on it for approx a year once and it's livable if you're frugal and don't live beyond your means. One thing that bugs me tho, fortnightly and monthly pay for casuals when their hours vary every week.

I will only tip if the service is fantastic, 2 friends and I went out for dinner and drinks one night and we had the most lovely waitress that was treating us like kings and noticed she was doing the same for others, our bill ended up being $120 approx and told her to keep the change as she deserved it. I have noticed events where you have a bad server and they live vague hints on leaving tips and I'm like nope!

Australia has a decent minimum wage, not the best but enough to cover the basics depending on where one lives. Also a very tough job market atm.

A recent article on tipping in America. Uber is now allowing tips.
http://www.standard.net/Business/2017/06/23/A-tipping-point-for-Uber-1

In the Washington Post, this article has the title The World of Tipping Has never been Stranger