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The Grey Elf
Grey Havens
Jul 12 2015, 2:46pm
Post #1 of 20
(2236 views)
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Thoughts on tip jars
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Tip jars seem to be becoming more and more prevalent. My feelings are torn about them. I've always felt a gratuity is for excellent service and some servers simply have no opportunity to do anything but perform the basics of their job in a timely fashion and to the best of their ability. What can somebody at, say, a bagel place do -- carry my food to the table for me? Open the door for me on my way out? If not for service, then, doesn't the presence of a tip jar just baldly ask for a hand-out for people earning low wages? Yet I feel guilty every time I don't leave some change behind. Opinions, please, especially from those people who work in the food service industry.
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Dame Ioreth
Tol Eressea
Jul 12 2015, 10:50pm
Post #2 of 20
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Sometimes the management still takes a cut. As far as I'm concerned, I've already paid the management for my food, I don't need to give them extra. (I ask the server too. Not someone in management.) If the server gets them and they're working hard, I give them a bit extra. My daughter works for a bakery as a pastry chef. She never sees any tips and she doesn't make near enough for the time and effort she puts into her job. As far as I'm concerned, these people need to make a living wage. (but that's for another forum I think)
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Elizabeth
Half-elven
Jul 12 2015, 11:12pm
Post #3 of 20
(2135 views)
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Most of the time, it's really important to tip.
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Servers in restaurants and many other situations get far less than the minimum wage, and depend on tips to make up a living wage. The custom may have started as a "reward for good service," but at least in the US, it's a custom that allows the restaurant to pass off most of their personnel costs onto the customers, theoretically in exchange for lower prices for the food. Moreover, in most establishments the servers are expected to pool their tips, which are distributed not only to the servers but also to the people who bus the tables and perform other chores. If you do not tip, or give meager tips, you are punishing the servers.
(This post was edited by Elizabeth on Jul 12 2015, 11:14pm)
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Brethil
Half-elven
Jul 13 2015, 1:01am
Post #4 of 20
(2118 views)
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and if its good service, quite well. I feel like its part of paying forward the luxury of enjoying a night out, and I appreciate (feel very lucky in fact) having that ability and for those who are working as I enjoy myself.
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The Grey Elf
Grey Havens
Jul 13 2015, 2:03am
Post #5 of 20
(2115 views)
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CLARIFICATION: This poll is specifically about tip jars normally found by the register
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as opposed to the conventional tipping when served at table and for a perdonal server. I have no issue with conventional forms of tipping. It's those dang tip jars that make me confused.
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Brethil
Half-elven
Jul 13 2015, 2:06am
Post #6 of 20
(2105 views)
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AH! Gotcha. I still tip, for kinda the same reason. Its all a bit of luxury to me. //
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Bracegirdle
Valinor
Jul 13 2015, 3:32am
Post #7 of 20
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I have an interesting tipping story that I would preface with the fact that if you’re in the “people” (e.g. restaurant) business you need to leave your troubles at home and perform your service politely and with a smile. The story is about my grandfather who was quite wealthy. My mother would tell me stories of how he and she would sneak around their neighborhood at Christmas time and secretly leave bags of groceries on the neighbor’s doorsteps. Nothing to do with tipping but I needed this preface in attempt to convey what a wonderful generous man he was. In the very early 1950s my grandfather took us (me, my brother, and my parents) to dinner at what was at the time the most expensive and elegant restaurant in Boise. The waiter was having a very bad day. He was impatient and close to downright rude, but he wasn’t criticized as we enjoyed our meal as best we could. This was the time of cash, and as we finished and headed toward the door the waiter looked at the table, saw no tip, and said to my grandfather, “Haven’t you forgotten something?”. My grandfather looked at him and said, “Yes, I believe I have.” He walked back to the table and tipped up his plate and removed a $20.00 bill. (This would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $150.00 in today’s money!) You see, my grandfather always left quite large tips (under the plate). He was a very religious man and he fully intended for that rude waiter to get his unusually large tip with the hope that it would somehow make the poor man’s life some better. Apologies Grey Elf, for getting off the topic of tip-jars, but I thought it was an interesting story. As for the jars I personally don’t like them as I want to know who’s getting the money. I personally tip generously to a particular person – period! It’s kinda like these begs for money on television. “It’s only $19.00 a month, that’s less than 65 cents a day, and we’ll send you a jacket and a magazine to show our appreciation.” Most of the supplications are worthy but I would like as close to 100% of my donation to go toward the cause. I don’t want my money going toward a jacket and a magazine that I don’t want or need; and what % of my money actually goes toward the cause? Who knows?
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Starling
Half-elven
Jul 13 2015, 4:42am
Post #8 of 20
(2092 views)
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and long may it continue that way.
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Ciars
Rohan
Jul 13 2015, 9:25pm
Post #9 of 20
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I tend to tip if I'm being served, and will increase/decrease the amount according to the quality of service provided. However, if it is self serve and there's a jar at the till I ignore it, a tip in my mind is like a bonus, a simple thank you or acknowledgement as it were for good service, showing appreciation that the service has made your experience better, not for simply purchasing something. It's a bit I suppose like a child wanting a reward for something they are supposed to do, instead of for doing something more/ in addition. I'm not there to simply supplement earnings, and hate it when there's an expectation to tip rather than feeling like I should tip because of the lovely time I've had with friendly service I don't mind showing appreciation at all for the extra bit of effort given, I do mind when service is slow or non existent, I suppose my tip depends on the experience I've had and indeed reflects it!
(This post was edited by Ciars on Jul 13 2015, 9:26pm)
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cats16
Half-elven
Jul 14 2015, 4:26am
Post #10 of 20
(2009 views)
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And yet you somehow down fall off the planet down there! Amazing! //
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Starling
Half-elven
Jul 14 2015, 6:43am
Post #11 of 20
(2000 views)
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with your free, no limits, never-ending pass to all ferry crossings forever. * * only available during normal, ie: vile, Wellington weather conditions. You are most welcome.
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cats16
Half-elven
Jul 14 2015, 6:48am
Post #12 of 20
(1992 views)
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Does it come with a free paper bag? Or does that cost extra?
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Starling
Half-elven
Jul 14 2015, 6:54am
Post #13 of 20
(1989 views)
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We're not made of money here, you know. And we are very much into recycling in clean, green NZ. We expect you to reuse that paper bag.
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Annael
Immortal
Jul 14 2015, 2:36pm
Post #14 of 20
(1964 views)
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I've been a waitress and I've been a counter person and I know what a difference it made when people were simply nice to me (so many aren't, taking out their bad moods on people who can't fight back and can't walk away). I consider dropping even a dime in a jar a way of saying "I see you and wish you well."
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Darkstone
Immortal
Jul 14 2015, 3:54pm
Post #15 of 20
(1963 views)
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When we were just starting out my dear first wife worked as a cook in fast food and the contents of the tip jar usually made the difference between ramen noodles or something a bit more filling at home. (I remember after one especially generous night she bought a small pack of sliced ham and a half loaf of bread and we had ham sandwiches for a late dinner and an early breakfast! Oh, they tasted so good!!) As a result I *always* tip.
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Bracegirdle
Valinor
Jul 14 2015, 5:43pm
Post #16 of 20
(1944 views)
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As a result I *always* tip. ??
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Are we getting OT. You tip to whom, what circumstances; tip-jar, restaurant, donut shop, Quickie Stop? A tip is a gratuity for superior service and should be to a particular person IMO. As Ciars says it’s like a bonus for good service. To put $ in a tip-jar, is no different than pooling, we are saying “Thank you!” for the POOR service from a few inferior grouchy workers, as well as “Thank you!” to those who perform excellent service. To me the undeserving workers are taking $ from the excellent workers. Does this remind ANYONE of socialism? Since when are we not responsible for our actions? Since when should we be rewarded equally for doing an inferior job with those that do a superior job? I don’t do tip jars. TACKY! I tip very liberally in restaurants (even if tips are pooled), but I ALWAYS note on the receipt who was my server and that I wish my tip to go to THAT person, even though I suspect it makes no difference except to let management know of that person’s good pleasant service. *retreats into Smial – puts up barricade*
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Bracegirdle
Valinor
Jul 14 2015, 6:45pm
Post #17 of 20
(1935 views)
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Tip-jars, pooled tips, and (sadly) human nature. . .
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Could we not substitute the logic of this (possibly fictional but factual) tale for “Tip-jars” and “Pooled tips”? CLASSROOM SOCIALISM An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an “A”.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all). After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a “B”. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a “D”! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the new average was an “F”. As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. Human nature will always cause socialism's style of government to fail because the world has producers and non-producers (makers and takers). It could not be any simpler than that.
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cats16
Half-elven
Jul 15 2015, 3:51am
Post #18 of 20
(1898 views)
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I'll pack a lunch for tomorrow. //
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swordwhale
Tol Eressea
Jul 20 2015, 6:28pm
Post #19 of 20
(1787 views)
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tipping a wait person in the rare times I eat out is something I do as generously as I can, I know they work hard... and I've done food service and it reeketh. Tip jars do seem a bit tacky, and aren't allowed at many places. I got tips from some customers ...who often asked if there was a tip jar, and when I said there isn't they often handed me money, which I split with the other person working with me. That was a specific appreciation of good service. I hate phone menus so much, I often converse like a mariner and use literary license at the $&^%$^&!!! recordings (hoping they are recording this... and maybe you'll hire some real live humans). I also congratulate every Real Live Human I get for being a Real Live Human and not a voice menu, and I am sincere! I often make people laugh, something I'm sure is nice when you've got to deal with grumpy dissatisfied customers all day. And I particularly thank customer service folks on the phone for being helpful and helping me wade through #&^%$! stuff that would otherwise make me nutz. I hope it makes up for their grumpy customers.
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diedye
Grey Havens
Sep 3 2015, 4:35pm
Post #20 of 20
(1436 views)
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I feel like I'm being watched and judged... if I'm being served at a table, I'll leave a tip, but I don't believe in leaving a tip for being served at a counter (i.e., McDonalds, Tim Hortons, Burger King, i.e., any place that is assembly-line service).
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