Comments on: Tipping Guidelines Affected By Economy?

By: Chelsea

Chelsea — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 23:44:43 +0000

I am a barista at a drive-thru coffee stand and I always work by myself. I used to make about 15-20% of my shifts sales in tips. Now I am lucky if I make 10%. In the past year my tips are half what they used to be. The economy has seriously affected people’s approach to tipping. At least when it comes to baristas. Many many many people do not tip me. Day in and day out. People believe for some reason that I don’t work as hard as servers? And they don’t think they should tip on a $3 coffee. Not even a quarter? I’m a great barista too. I am very educated and always have superb customer service, even if someone is rude.

I just want to say thank you to those of you who tip and especially those who are great tippers. I have a few customers who tip me really well every day and if it weren’t for them I would probably only make 2% tips of my total sales. When these customers come through I get them their coffee as quick as possible and make it perfect! I talk to them and really care about how their day is going. GOOD KARMA TO THE GOOD TIPPERS! Bad Karma to the bad ones.

By: Financial Uproar » Why Are Frugal People Such Good Tippers?

Financial Uproar » Why Are Frugal People Such Good Tippers? — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:21:29 +0000

[...] noticed some of the cheapest (sorry,most frugal) people on the whole internet are great tippers. Frugal Dad gives 15-20%. The Simple Dollar is willing to give 40-50% for great service. (In his defense, he’s also [...]

By: kalyn

kalyn — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:25:28 +0000

I have been serving for almost two years and today was the first time i have ever been this insulted. i would like to say that we’re not always perfect, we’re not always going to have good days, and im sure you aren’t flawless ether so maybe next time you experience slow service be a little more considerate. you have no idea wats going out. chances are they are just overwhelmed, and im sure that they are aware of the mistakes so keep you penny in your pocket. cuz im sure they feel bad enough without your insulting penny….id rather just be stiffed.
its not that hard to get their attention if you want something… its not like we can read your mind and if their busy there are plenty of people around that are more than willing to help you out. simply ask them for assistance

By: Edris Cooper

Edris Cooper — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:30:48 +0000

I believe the ‘magic’ figure of 15% (20?) was arrived at as a result of the IRS’ assumption of income. Wait staff are taxed at that rate (whether they make that or not)

By: angela

angela — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:58:47 +0000

the restaurant manager is not responsible for paying the wait staff more on the hour because when you work in a restaurant you only make $2.13 an hour. your tips are suppose to match minimum wage, but with minimum wage going up that doesn’t mean that your tips go up. a lot of people wait tables as a second job or to help with their education cost so it’s not right to put anyone down for waiting tables as it seemed a couple people in this forum wanted to do. It’s a hard job and you know what somebody’s got to do it, but if everybody thought you shouldn’t tip then they wouldn’t be able to keep your favorite restaurants open because no one would want to work their. I always tip above the minimum because it’s what I do for a living and I do have a degree but I can’t find a job that I got a degree in and I have a set of 4 year old twins that come first that I have to take care of along with a disabled mother so you do what you have to do to get by. thankyou for all the people in this forum who said that there tips did not change becausse the economy because it would be understandable if you tipped well but not as much.

By: Linda Peters

Linda Peters — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:40:03 +0000

Anyone with an opinion on why we have to tip especially in a restaurant – shouldn’t the restaurant be responsible for paying their staff a fair wage? why are we paying for our food and then have to pay their employees to serve it? isn’t this responsibility of the person they have hired – this has always been a pet peeve of mine – waiters and bar servers are paid a lesser wage and their tips make up for what they should be making – anyone else feel the same way? same senario for hair salons, spas, etc. – we are paying for a service – and should not be supplementing a wage because their employer gets away with paying below minimum.

By: claire

claire — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:28:48 +0000

Some people here seem to be under the impression that servers receive compensation from the restaurant that there are employed at. Not so… I have worked at several restaurants and always received $2/hr plus tips that I earn. This job does not require any formal education, this is true. But imagine if your place of work just didn’t give you a paycheck one week with no explanation. How would you feel having done that work for nothing? Now what about if you had made a deal with your boss that you had to keep your mouth shut, no matter what they decided to pay you or risk getting fired? Count yourself lucky that you can depend on a steady paycheck and can afford to eat out.

By: cassie

cassie — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:21:05 +0000

I’m in my last semester of college and am waiting tables to pay rent and bills. there are weeks when i buy slim fast because tips have gone down so much (i live in michigan). and then there are nights when a really good tip gives me enough money to go grocery shopping. i only make 2.65 an hour-after taxes, the only money i have is what i bring home…

By: Lauren

Lauren — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:02:30 +0000

I commend you on tipping what you do. I am currently, and have been for a few years, a waitress. And for the people that have never waited tables before, It’s usually harder for them to understand how much we depend on the tips. I get paid $2.86 an hour, which is more than the standard server wage. Given, your tips are also part of my income, but sit and think about it. If you don’t tip me very well and I’m busting my butt for you, next time, your less likely to get good service. If you are a ‘regular’ somewhere, the wait staff will eventually remember you and no one will want to wait on you, because you will be remembered as that guy that doesn’t tip. Not only do we just wait on you, but we have other tables as well. And we also have opening and closing sidework, that we only get paid two dollars for. We tip out other staff as well. So when you think you’re ten percent is being generous, I’m sorry, but it’s not. It’s a disappointment. Because your ten percent, I’ll only get to keep about 3 percent of that. Thanks for nothing is how I tend to explain it. At my place of work, I don’t recieve benefits, paid time off, or even holidays off. So be a little more grateful, and if you can’t or just don’t want to, get fast food — you don’t have to tip them !

By: Jake

Jake — Mon, 25 May 2009 18:50:18 +0000

The owner is able to lure a waitress to work with him for a wage that is less then minimum with the promise she will make way more then that an hour with tips. Essentially the owner cuts his labor costs because the customer is bank rolling his payroll. This leads to the owner being able to accumulate a greater amount of wealth.

Why is it when it comes to tipping, no one ever calls out the owner for this practice?

Simply put, eliminate tipping, charger higher prices for your goods, and in return pay your employees a higher wage.