forecheck

I always tip people. Using between 15 and 20 percent. Sometimes more and sometimes less. For the delivery person I will give 4 bucks.

What I hate is the expectation from a server that I have to give them a tip. They earn their tip by performing a service. If it is not performed properly then they don't get a tip.

I have on occasion not given a tip.

I also understand that some things are out of the control of the server. Like if the food takes a long time. It usually isn't the server's fault. If they come and explain to me the situation and take care of my needs then in that situation they will probably earn a bigger tip.

Chemical

At one resturant I went to, after you got the bill, you were supposed to go to the cashier to pay. Paying with CC, it got swiped through the machine and I was supposed to punch in the amount that I wanted to leave as a tip. I don't know what I was on, but the tip that I left came out to 70 cents! I guess the keypad wasn't responsive enough, anyway I felt so bad that I went back to the table and left a $10 instead of the $7 I was going to give.

I too will tip according to the service at a resturant. I don't tend to tip more than the 15% at buffets unless of course the person that's taking the dirty dishes away is polite and nice.
A few weeks ago, I went to chinese food buffet, the service wasn't anything special. My friend insisted on paying for my meal (who am I to agrue!) and the waiter kept hovering behind her trying to look at what the tip was going to be. After a few dirty looks he ended up finding some tables to clear. When he came back and took the CC slip, he noticed the tip and started giving us dirty looks. It took all the constraint in me not to kick that fucker's ass.

__________________
Future Ruler of the Galaxy (2014)

i_t_man

One thing to factor in here. Tipping is very "American" for the most part. In a large percentage of the world, tipping is an outright insult. It's like telling your server "you can't support your family, here, let me help you".

So if you're ever stiffed by someone foreign, especially someone from the East, don't think they're just being rude.

Prince

I have never tipped in my entire life. Not once. I moved to the States from Europe last year, and where I am from we don't tip. Try to tip a cab driver back home and he'll ask you if you're trying to get him fired. Not only do we not tip, they're not allowed to take it anyway.

I've hated the idea of tipping ever since I first heard of it. Mostly I just hate the fact that it is something that is supposed to be voluntary, but at the same time it is expected of you. There are a few places in this town where you can get quality service, and I wouldn't mind tipping. But for the most part, the people working these shitty jobs really aren't trained for customer service at all. I don't know if you even need customer service training when you take a delivery job or not, but from the looks of it I'd say no. None of them have learned to smile, they mumble when they speak and swallow half of their sentences. And that's what I am supposed to pay extra for? I don't think so.

And quite frankly, if you get stiffed on a tip and you spit a loogie in the customer's next order or something, then you obviously did not deserve the tip to begin with.

Based on this thread it would seem that a lot of people working in delivery jobs are, quite frankly, selfish bastards. Just because you do not get tipped doesn't mean it is somehow malevolent. We had a man and his daughter living upstairs, and they were definitely poor. He worked when he could and they had almost no furniture; the daughter didn't even have a bed, just a mattress on the floor. Once or twice they ordered a pizza, because they did not have a car so they could drive to the closest pizza place to pick one up. I know this because the daughter asked to use our phone to place the order, since they could not afford a phone.

I don't criticize as to whether they should have used that money for other than pizza. For a family like that a pizza once every few months can be a treat that means more to them than it would to you or me. I don't know if they tipped or not, but I certainly would not expect them to.

__________________
Who is John Galt?

monkeysugar

I reward good service with good tips. I reward shitty service with shitty tips. It's all about the attitude of the server. I cooked in a restaraunt for two years in high school, actually making less than the servers. The servers would average about $75 apiece in tips on a good night, which was about about half of what I would make in a week on an hourly wage of $5.15. If I was lucky, I would get a dollar "tip" from a server at the end of the night. Becasue of this, I would much rather give my tip to the cook than the server.
*RANT*
The attitude that tips are REQUIRED fucking pisses me off. It's called a gratuity for a reason. If you really want a thankless job, try being a cook. Try dealing with cramped, hot working conditions, grease burns, and dealing with servers who don't understand that it takes longer than three minutes to grill a steak. Try putting out dishes that you are proud of, that are meant to be savored and enjoyed out as fast as possible, only to have the server leave them under a heat lamp for 15-20 minutes. Try all of that and more, and to not recieve tips, nor expect them, and then listen to someone who is pissed off because they only made $40 in tips for the night. *End of rant*

All that being said, I think that everyone should have the experience of working in the food service industry. It definitely gives you a different perspective on things and a lof of respect/understanding for those in the industry.

If your server or bartender is having a rough night, being nice to them can pay off extremely well. I once had a bartender charge me $3 for what should have been about a $20 tab because I was courteous, patient, and understanding when she forgot to place my order to the kitchen. So I left her a $10 tip. Now every time I go there, she takes good care of me, as do the other bartenders.

__________________
I've got the love of my life and a job that I enjoy most of the time. Life is good.

wrongfullyaccuzd

I have a couple friends who are waiters...or servers....whatever...it helps us understand. Anyway when friends and I go out we always try to avoid making a big mess and if we do we leave a bigger tip. We're actually usually pretty good tippers regardless, unless the service is especially bad.
I know this detracts from the original post about tipping pizza delivery guys. I try to tip those guys well, if for no other reason than I know I would get pissed if I was delivering and got stiffed.

kulrblind

I'd like to see a study comparing average wages/salaries for servers, say in restaurants, around the globe, and comparing it to the cost of living in those countries/cities/regions. Granted, it would take a boatload of research to do the study, but if it's been done before, I'd like to see it.

If anyone's interested in some US data:
http://www.payscale.com/salary-surve...11557/fid-6886
This shows various breakdowns of wages in cities and states around the US.
Only things missing is the comparison to cost of living.

Shauk

figured id bump this since i just saw a thread asking what the deal with tips was.


Update, I still work delivering pizza.

Basically, yes, its supposedly voluntary to tip, but at the same time, expected.

The reason being, turnover rate would be astronomical if no one ever tipped.

I've put over 20k miles on my car since that last post. My car is starting to act up, yet again.

Would you do that to your car for 5.15? I dont think you would. Its expected because if you dont tip, you will cause the company you are purchasing the delivery service from, to have to find people who will work for crap.

Thus you get a bunch of new drivers who dont know the difference between cedar ct and cedar st. Dont know the difference between west 3rd and east 3rd. Who forget your drinks because they dont know how to read to order tags, who take over an hour finding your place because they dont know where your street is because you live in that new development that isnt on the city map just yet.


These situations occur frequently.

Basically, Tipping is your way of saying "hey, I dont think you make enough money, here have a little bit of mine, since im the one directly responsible for you having to come out to my house"

Seriously, if I make 2$ a delievery, Im sitting good at what equates to be about 10$ an hour doing delivery work. I only work for maybe 4 hours a day, And its just enough to get by, and not enough to fix my car if something goes wrong, but thats what loans are for i guess.

Journeyman

Maybe I can relate to you an experience I had that might help you out a little bit.

I once complained to my dad (in the course of attempting to get the keys to *his* car) that driving the truck to the gym (15ish mile drive, nasty gas guzzler, 2.50 a gallon...) and back is, as best as I can work out, a $5 trip. He says to me, "Listen here Ben Stein, go put ten bucks in so you can make two trips."

Hope that helped.

Derwood

And the person with the gun to your head forcing you to deliver pizzas is......

__________________
"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

ultra_agent9

Funny how the customer has become the asshole for not tipping and the employer sneaks out of the picture chuckling, being able to get away with slave wages and making the customer deal with what obviously is his responsibility.

In the States this is a custom, not law, am I right?

I feel that if you're not happy with what you're making, wage or tips, get another job! Pizza delivery? Everyone orders pizza, the rich and poor alike, so you're gonna get stiffed more often than not.

It's not just about the tips is it? It's also about the wear and tear on your car, constantly being on a clock, dealing with asshole customers etc. Time to find a new job friend.

__________________
Champaigne for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends.

shakran

ok first off, if they were paying you only $5.15 an hour to drive your own car and there was NO tipping, and you knew that when you applied for the job, you'd be a moron and there'd be no hope for you. The reason you applied for the job is because you knew that you'd be making a good chunk'a change off the tips. Your employer, on the other hand, knows that you know you'll make a good chunk'a change off the tips and therefore won't require as high an actual salary. So your employer pays you less, charges me less for the pizza, making it possible for me to get it more times, which gets you more runs and more tips.

Do some houses stiff you on the tip? Yeah. But when you complain about that, be sure to mention that other houses give you more than the average tip.

Let's look at another area of the service industry that expects tips. Bellboys.

They carry your heavy bags up to your hotel room. Sure, they get a few bucks for that, no problem.

But THEN they start wandering around your room, showing you the window (um, yeah, I can see there's a window there, thanks dude), the thermostat (I'm smart enough to get a job that pays me well enough that I can afford this room and you think I don't know how a hot-cold dial works?), the fact that the drapes do, in fact, open and close, and the fact that there is, astonishingly enough, a bed on which there are pillows. He then expects another $5 for this guided tour of the room. Sorry Jack, no dice.

See where I get annoyed is not that tips are expected as a reward for good service. I get annoyed that tips are expected no matter what the service was like. I've actually been told "for bad service, tip 15%. For good service, tip more." Bull SHIT! Crappy service? Crappy tip. Consider yourself lucky. If you perform like a moron on your job, you lose 2-3 bucks. If I perform like a moron on my job, I'm out looking for a new job.

kutulu

When I used to deliver pizzas it seemed like the poor people living in trailer parks usually tipped better than the assholes living in half million dollar houses. I never understood why.

ultra_agent9

Maybe because the poor person understands the plight of a pizza delivery person (worked shitty jobs themselves) more than a rich asshole who inherited daddy's estate and has never done a hard days work in his life.

Who knows?

__________________
Champaigne for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends.

Jackebear

I used to be a pizza delivery guy too when I couldn't find anything else and what some guys said is true...the rich are usually cheap and the average joe's are great.

I also got tipped 5 cents once and I used a line I heard in a comedy show one time. I said to the idiot (really happy like) "Wow, thank you so much...now I can take that round the world cruise I've always wanted to take."

It felt so good to say that and guess what...they guy called the pizza shop and when I got back my manager gave me shit...in front of my co-workers and customers (which you should never do if you are in management). Suffice it to say, I found a new job a week later and quit. What a relief.

__________________
Life's jounney is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn-out shouting, "Holy sh*t! What a ride!" - unknown

wakelagger

MY family was in Florida one year, and we went out to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. The bill came out to about $100 US between five people, but hey we're on vacation...may as well spend a little.
Anyways, when my dad got the bill at the end of the meal, there was the $100 food price, and the 15% tip added right onto the bill bringing the expected price out of my dads pocket to $115. He was not amused.
We always tip, but a tip is something you earn, not something you expect. Basically, the restaurant could count on us paying their employees rather than leaving it to chance as to whether or not we'd leave a tip. Its a decision made by the customer, not by the company.
If the service was piss poor, would you feel that a 15% tip required by the bill is justified?
Still irks my dad today.

Have any of you seen the "Curb your Enthusiasm" episode about tipping?

Derwood

Because god knows that no one who is rich actually every worked for it or earned it.

__________________
"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

canuckguy

i like to tip the pizza dude or dudette pretty good as i know that they aren't making much (most times) and its a job thats got to be done. although i know that i am paying the salary of someone that the owner of the pizza joint should be, but why take it out on the employee. its not there fault. just like people who call into call centers and yell at the first person you talk to, ask for a supervisor, they make more and thats there job not the poor person low on the pole.


formed after a uni job doing tech support.....

Redgirl

I'm one of those people who never had to work as a waitress or anything, but I still tip A LOT. I just feel bad for how shitty people treat waiters/waitresses. So I always tip the pizza guy, the carhops and the waitstaff way more than necessary.

I have seen some people completely chew out and go off on waiters for minor things and I don't know how they stand there and take it without bitch slapping the customer! Guess that's why I've never worked in that industry.

I don't usually let my husband do the tipping because he has certain rules (like his glass can never be empty) that decreases the tip by a percentage each time. It's like a little formula he uses. He tipped a guy a penny once (and the service WAS horrible) instead of not tipping at all, just to insult the guy. We still go to that restaraunt all the time and we've never gotten that guy again. This happened like 2 years ago or something. If we get seated in his section, he gets another person to cover for him. I still feel bad about it though, but I'm more forgiving than my husband.

__________________
Thought for the day: Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes, and it's up to the women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.

Derwood

If you get really lousy service at a restaurant, there is a better alternative to not tipping. Talk to the manager. Usually you'll end up with a free meal or a gift certificate or something (plus the waiter/waitress will probably be reprimanded if not fired)

__________________
"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

Derwood

That said, one thing I really hate is when the wait staff is trying TOO hard to get tips. Sometimes they just hover and won't go away, or have a huge fake smile. Just do your job, be available when I need you, don't let my refillable drink get empty, and you'll get your 20%

__________________
"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

kutulu

If places have autograts for parties over a certain size, there will be a note on the menu. At some places, it's mandatory and the server has to add it in if eligible and at other's they get to decide if they want to autograt the party or roll the dice and try to get a better tip.

The thing is that when the check tops $100, the percentages given by the customer can start dropping. They might look at a $200 check and leave a $20. The server is still going to have to tip people out so they end up with a smaller share than they should have. Sometimes you're better safe than sorry.

Shauk

no, no one is forcing me to take this job, but thats because I like doing this job.

Mainly the fact that this is the call center capital of the freakin northwest, I've done call center cust service for companies who outsource for ATT Broadband/Comcast/Sears/Qwest/T-mobile and then of course verizon has thier own call center here too.
I've got 2 years of on the phone experience and I despise it. I'm tired of feeding the customer service sandwich to people who yell at me like im thier bastard child that they never loved.

Look. I quit that job, I landed in delivery, it doesnt pay as much per hour (8.25, which was doable vs 5.15 which i wouldnt sunbathe on the beach for.) Seriously I guess my complaint comes out of being a bit too dependant on tips.

I know a lot of you work full time jobs, 40 hours or more a week just to make your ends meet.

But delivery, while not exactly a socially esteemed job title, is fun. I get to listen to whatever music i want, get to take whatever route I feel like cruising, and I only work every other day for 4 hours a day, thats a whole 16 hours.

I have to admit, I love the freedom, and I love the nights where I pull as much money in 4 hours as most people would pull in 10 on thier hourly wage. The nights that bother me is when i go home after 4 hours with 5$

When the highs are high, the lows seem that much lower.

wouldnt you like to only have to work for 4 hours a day? I dont get any benefits, but theres a real sense of freedom when you know you are always off "tommorow"

So thats why I wont quit. I've been in the corporate polished shoes/slacks/dress shirt environment, I've had benifets, I've done hard labor in warehouses and stockrooms. I've done service industry jobs. I've done the 60-75 hour workweek (I eventually had a breakdown and cried right in the middle of my shift, I just couldn't take it anymore.) I feel like an american mule in the typical work environment.

I can honestly say, this is the job I like.
Not so much the job, but the feeling of true freedom, not being tethered to a 9-5 6-11 2 job treadmill.

I can't live like I used to on this money But you know what? With all the money I WAS making... I still couldnt enjoy it because I was miserable, and never had time to see my family or my friends.

Now. I do. Now, I'm content.
I eventually realize i will have to find a "real job" to plan for my future, but im still living my life for all its worth these days

kutulu

My problem with delivering was what it did to my cars. I went through 3 cars (had the tranny replaced on two of them).

idiono

Fo sho. I work as a pizza delivery driver myself. There's a guy I've delivered to who lives in a pretty rundown apartment complex who has on 3 occasions tipped me $6, something I didn't expect when I first drove up to the place. Same with the guy at the adult book store. You'd never guess it, but he consistently tips better than anyone I've delivered to in the whole city. At least a $5 tip on a $9 order, every time. Then there's the story about the guy who lives in what is definitely an upper class neighborhood, who had an order that came to $16.34. He hands me a $50 bill so I ask him how much change he'd like back, standard procedure. Whereas most people would just include a buck or two for me when they say how much change they want, this guy, in a mocking tone says to me "You can do the math." I gave him back his change to the nearest dollar, but I was so tempted to root through my bag for the exact change just so I could throw it in his face. If he'd given me a 20 I'd understand, but it's not like he didn't have the money to tip a single dollar out of the damn 50 he handed me.

Some people just have no idea what jobs in the food service industry can be like, and what has to happen for them to be satisfied with their order. I went through 2 cars and nearly $2,000 in repairs in the past year with my delivery job. Maybe it was just bad luck, but a lot of it can be contributed to the strain put on those vehicles due to trying to get pizzas to customers in a timely fashion just for a few extra bucks. Fortunately I'll be starting a different job next week that will require no wear and tear on my car, which will be a welcome change. But for those of you who don't think tipping a delivery guy is something that is necessary or legitimate, think about the traffic they drove through for you, the effort they put in to get it there for you quickly, and the stress that it put on them and their vehicle. Some places may advertise free delivery, but ask any driver- it's definitely not free.

__________________
werd.

idiono

I wanted to post again because I missed reading this kneeslapper the first time:

So to you I say: And the person with the gun to your head making you pick up the phone to order for delivery instead of getting your lazy ass out of your chair to go pick it up is... ?

__________________
werd.

gondath

You seem like you have your life figured out pretty well at the moment. Someone should start a separate thread about the merits of making a lot of money and working hard at something you hate versus making less and enjoying what you do.

SinisterMotives

When I worked at a pizza place in the wealthiest part of town, this lady who owned a business a couple of blocks away phoned in an order, and I walked it over there as soon as it came out of the oven because the drivers were very busy that night. She got her pizza about 15 to 20 minutes after she called and didn't tip me a red cent.

On a related note, I read somewhere that middle class people are usually better tippers than the rich. I guess some of them didn't forget where they came from, whereas a lot of rich people have never been there in the first place.

JohnnyRoyale

My principal of tipping goes based on distance covered. Basically, if you come to me, You get a good tip. You saved me time and money, and I should show appreciation. If I'm in a restaurant, and the staff is good, I tip there too. Maybe not as much as a delivery, but enough, since you had to go tot he bar/kitchen..

But, the one thing I'm really starting to get pissed off at are all these tip jars everywhere! I mean, I go to the pizza shop, I get the food at the counter...and they want a tip? And at the coffee shop? You poured a coffee, dammit, you walked all of 2 feet, got a cup and filled it, and gave it to me. What's next? Tip buckets at the toll booth? The doctor's office? Damn, I mean I'll give extra to someone who's been especially helpful, but don't push it.

__________________
I'm gonna be rich and famous, as soon I invent a device that lets you stab people in the face over the internet.

pinkie

Yep. I am not rich, but I always tip drivers a 5.

Quote:

I don't know why this is, or if anyone else has noticed this. Maybe the people who have lots of money have lots of money because they are stingy with it

Yep, greed.

Quote:

I usually try to not let it bother me when I don't get a tip. I figure if I have a bad attitude towards them, then I have just lowered myself to their level!

Years ago, I had three jobs, two of them were catering, and one was at a diner waiting tables. Some Saturdays, I worked the over night, 11-7am. Lame, but the tips were usually good. Because we were the one of the only diners open 24 hours on Saturday, we would be packed, and us girls would be running all night long. One night we were slammed, and I was stiffed by a table I gave great service to. Fill water and coffee, smile, checking on them a lot. Nothing.

I chased them out the door yelling, "Thaaaaank You!!!!" -- And then felt a little better...

Fuck Mr. Pink. Waiting is not an easy job, and it's a shit job. 15% should always be figured in. It's earned through the hospitality service job title, not how fast I drive, or how hard I work to kiss someone's ass.

aphroditeskiss1

I have worked in an ice cream shop and a bagel shop, both in an upper mid class to rich neighborhood. I come from an upper mid class family and before I held those two jobs I was still a good tipper. However, after realizing how hard it can be to deal with bitchy ass people who then don't tip and still have to keep a smile on my face and wish them a nice day, I now tip probably close to 45%, just because I know that your paycheck doesn't always cover your ass. For all of you who have been stiffed, I am sorry and I feel your pain. Do a service for me and I'll make up for it!

__________________
"You always said destiny would blow me away. But nothing's gonna blow me away"- Something Coporate
" I do not pop pills! I take them and I eat them..."
- Foamy's friend