Quote:
Originally posted by hannukah harry
actually, you are being cheap. you live in the US. a custom of the US is to tip service jobs (i agree it's gotten out of hand with barista's and such) like bartenders and waiters. you may not like it, but when you go to these places you are only charged the cost of the food/drink and it's preperation. rather than including a cost for the serving of the drink and other amenities, you tip. when you go out to eat, the waiter does not just come to the table for 30 seconds to get your order and drop off the food. unless you're at a denny's like establishment, that is. at a decent restaurant, the waiter is taking your order, putting in your order, getting you drinks, refilling your drinks, getting your food, getting anything else you need, and trying to make sure you have a pleasant experiance. sometimes that means a lot of work, some times it means little. we (americans) give a tip in accordance to the current custom (15%) modified by how we feel the service was. choosing not to go to places wehre service is not included in teh bill to avoid paying for it is being cheap.
when you go to service establishment, you should be going with the understanding that you're giving a tip. if the restaurant were to include the tip in the cost of your food, and $8 burger would skyrocket probalby to $12 or $14, when you really should be giving max $1.60 for a20% tip on that burger.
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Eh? How am I being cheap? Because I question the whole thing? Don't get me wrong, I never shaft anyone on a tip, and I know it's a custom here in the US. It certainly doesn't mean I'm cheap if I question it, because honestly, even after all these replies, I still see no point in tipping other than making the customer foot the bill because the restaurant wants to save a few $$.
A common reason for tipping I've seen so far is, "Tipping exists to show your appreciation for the person doing their job just for YOU. If waitresses make minimum wage, then what motivation would they get to do a good job?" Answer to that is simple: what reason or motivation does everyone else with a non-tipping job have for wanting to keep their job? Do a bad job, you get canned.
Another frequent response I've seen is, "If the waitress is getting you this, doing that, etc etc and making your visit enjoyable.." That's the thing... taking the order, bringing the food, giving a refill, and bringing the check doesn't exactly qualify (in my book) as tip-worthy service.
When I say "that's their job", I don't mean to sound arrogant about it, but really, let me fill my own drink. I'll do it. Because I'm cheap? Nah, because it's not that big of a deal.
My main beef is with waiters/waitresses. There are definitely other jobs where people get tips (like someone carrying your heavy ass bags up flights of stairs) where I can perfectly understand where a tip is reasonable... but not for taking my order, bringing the food, then 20 mins later bringing my check, and most certainly not for a bartender simply mixing an already overpriced drink. Charge me for the booze, set the bottles in front of me, and let ME mix them if it's that much trouble for 'em.
There was an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm that had me rollin.. where Larry David stayed in a hotel and EVERYONE stood around as if he was supposed to give them a tip. For example, his air conditioner in his room broke, so he had maintenance come up and fix it. The maintenance guy stood around after he fixed it as if a tip was to be given. Larry had the attitude of "...but that's your job." Same with the guy who just OPENED A DOOR for him. I mean.. c'mon.
I actually thought most of the tipping situations in that episode were exaggerated (especially maintenance fixing the A/C) until I made a comment to a friend of mine: "man, I'd be livid if they actually expected a tip for that.." to which they replied "believe it or not, they do!"