Tipping

[DrPhil]

I was at a sports bar and the waitress was a complete idiot. She was one of the most annoying types of idiots--a smiling idiot. A smiling idiot is someone who seemingly doesn't know that she/he is dumb as hell and either smiles because she/he is clueless or thinks the smile will distract you from the dumbness.

She was very pretty and her idiocy and smile would've worked well if we were a group of men who were eager to interact with a semi-scantily clad waitress who is dumb but will sit and chat with us as we order buffalo wings and beers. It's a sports bar, afterall. I could see she was struggling because we weren't her normal customer-base and she didn't know how to make the shift from dumb-but-pretty to good-waitress-worthy-of-tip. Her manager essentially said that she has a lot to learn in terms of dealing with different customers.

Since we had already complained to the manager and gotten her in trouble, and he took one of the items off of our bill, we still gave her 15%. She really was horrible but she's horrible in low wage, low skill, hourly labor. It's a college town so she's probably a college student who could use the 15%.

[LaneSig]

^^

This reminds me of when my friends and I go out. If we are getting bad service, they always look at me and ask what's going on. I'll tell them either: a) The server just got double or triple sat, they're not getting any help from their fellow servers, it's the kitchens fault, etc.; or, b) This person is a horrible server. They are ignoring us and all their other tables.

If it's (a), we will cut them some slack and still tip 20%. For (b), we'll tip accordingly. I've also been known to speak to a manager if I feel that we are blatantly being given bad service.

[agzg]

Here's a question:

When I boarded Lucky over Thanksgiving, there was a tip slot on the credit card receipt. Is it normal to tip at your Doggy Daycare/Boarding place? They also do grooming, which I would normally tip for. At these types of places, is it appropriate to tip on some things but not on others? I gave them a $30.00 tip because I didn't know what to do, and I got a HUGE first-timer's discount and I still ended up coming up less than what the bill would have been without the discount.

Live-in looked at me like I was nuts, and said that was a huge tip, but I don't know how to tip on things like taking care of my animal for five days. After all, I don't tip the vet.

I'm not sure what to do, but I also wonder now if when we take him back over Christmas, will they expect another huge tip?

[IrishLake]

From my experience, the operator of the kennel is usually the owner. So no, I would not have tipped for just the doggie stay. I would have tipped for the grooming though.

[agzg]

Ah, so the tip part must have been there for the grooming services. He did not get groomed, just boarded. Although he did smell nice when I got him back. $30 is a ridiculous tip for a grooming though.

[cheerfulgreek]

I give more than 15% normally, depending on how much the bill is. I never give less than 15% unless they're just extremely rude to me. I won't leave anything at all, if they're rude.

[Alumiyum]

It's always 20% for me unless they've given me reason not to. I give them the benefit of the doubt if they just seem tired or stressed (especially in the middle of a busy restaurant), but if they're downright rude no 20%. That very rarely happens to me, though.

[sceniczip]

I usually give 20%. I had a weird tipping thing though where I didn't know whether to tip my horses' chiropractor. She is so cheap and comes from so far away for them but I figured I don't tip the vet, farrier, etc.. so I didn't tip her. We do Christmas tips though for the people who take care of our horses.

[KSUViolet06]

I'm a pushover, so even if you make a big mistake (screw up my bill or bring me the wrong thing), I probably will STILL tip you (though not a full 20%) because I know that you probably don't make much money and you still need to eat.

[nittanygirl]

I've been a server lots of times and know how frustrating it is to put in so much work and not get tipped well, so I almost always tip 20% as well. I go down to 18% if it was alright & 15% if it sucked. If the server was rude to me they will be lucky if I leave $1.
I always feel uncomfortable leaving less than $2 though even if my bill isn't much.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

I'm a pushover, so even if you make a big mistake (screw up my bill or bring me the wrong thing), I probably will STILL tip you (though not a full 20%) because I know that you probably don't make much money and you still need to eat.

I don't reduce a tip for a mistake because everybody makes mistakes. How a mistake is handled is another story though. Rudeness is what makes me reduce a tip.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

I'm a pushover, so even if you make a big mistake (screw up my bill or bring me the wrong thing), I probably will STILL tip you (though not a full 20%) because I know that you probably don't make much money and you still need to eat.

I know from serving that shit definitely happens. And when it hits the fan.. it sucks. And it sucks worse when you have people who don't understand and look at you like you're an idiot. (I'm not at all saying that's how you are.. just making a point).

Screwing up on a bill.. I wouldn't reduce someone's tip because of this. It happens. ESPECIALLY when the 10 people at one table all want separate checks. Talk about a headache.. especially when it's a Saturday night, you're running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, and everyone at the table is drunk and making fun of you when you walk away from the table.. except they're drunk, so they don't realize how loud they are and that you can hear them.

I could list a million stories. But I will say it's definitely hard to know that you have to keep a smile on your face for a full hour while some people look at you/talk to you like you're below them because you're serving them their food. And no, it doesn't really matter if you're a server at the finest of restaurants or in a corner bar.

Originally Posted by nittanygirl

I've been a server lots of times and know how frustrating it is to put in so much work and not get tipped well, so I almost always tip 20% as well. I go down to 18% if it was alright & 15% if it sucked. If the server was rude to me they will be lucky if I leave $1.
I always feel uncomfortable leaving less than $2 though even if my bill isn't much.

These are my tipping habits to a tee!

And I'll tip above 20% if the server went above and beyond. I'll also tip above 20% if I have a new server. I remember what those first few days were like, and I was thrilled if I got a decent tip.. because I know I sucked at the time

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

I know from serving that shit definitely happens. And when it hits the fan.. it sucks. And it sucks worse when you have people who don't understand and look at you like you're an idiot. (I'm not at all saying that's how you are.. just making a point).

Screwing up on a bill.. I wouldn't reduce someone's tip because of this. It happens. ESPECIALLY when the 10 people at one table all want separate checks. Talk about a headache.. especially when it's a Saturday night, you're running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, and everyone at the table is drunk and making fun of you when you walk away from the table.. except they're drunk, so they don't realize how loud they are and that you can hear them.

I could list a million stories. But I will say it's definitely hard to know that you have to keep a smile on your face for a full hour while some people look at you/talk to you like you're below them because you're serving them their food. And no, it doesn't really matter if you're a server at the finest of restaurants or in a corner bar.

My only job in HS was at a restaurant (pizza chain). So I get it. That's why I try to be as nice as possible to food server/waitress people because I know how people treat them sometimes. The whole "food service worker = beneath me" thing is ridiculous but that's totally how some people act. I worked a pizza drive-through/phone/hostess job all through high school. I have some really crazy stories.

Ex: The time we had to call the cops because some lady tried to snatch me through the drive-thru window on Super Bowl Sunday (busiest day for pizza).

We should have a food/restarant worker story thread. lol.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

My only job in HS was at a restaurant (pizza chain). So I get it. That's why I try to be as nice as possible to food server/waitress people because I know how people treat them sometimes. The whole "food service worker = beneath me" thing is ridiculous but that's totally how some people act. I worked a pizza drive-through/phone/hostess job all through high school. I have some really crazy stories.

Ex: The time we had to call the cops because some lady tried to snatch me through the drive-thru window on Super Bowl Sunday (busiest day for pizza).

We should have a food/restarant worker story thread. lol.

I worked at a little ice cream shop one summer and had one lady go nuts on me. She called me a stupid little bitch and threw the napkins and to go cup I'd just handed her back in the window at me because she thought I was counting her change too slowly. Thankfully the manager looked over right then and saw my face...he told me afterwords he was expecting an actual explosion. He was a really big guy so he told her to leave and not come back all threateningly and when she started cussing HIM out he opened his phone to call the police and she sped off at about 3473243928 mph.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by Alumiyum

I worked at a little ice cream shop one summer and had one lady go nuts on me. She called me a stupid little bitch and threw the napkins and to go cup I'd just handed her back in the window at me because she thought I was counting her change too slowly. Thankfully the manager looked over right then and saw my face...he told me afterwords he was expecting an actual explosion. He was a really big guy so he told her to leave and not come back all threateningly and when she started cussing HIM out he opened his phone to call the police and she sped off at about 3473243928 mph.

People turn into complete ASSHOLES when it comes to food/ice cream. So dumb.

My story:

It's like an hour before the game on Super Bowl Sunday. We have a drive-through where you can pay/pick up if you don't have time to park/come inside.

The line is out of our parking lot and TO THE STREET because everyone waits until 1-2 hrs before the start to come pick up food.

Most of the folks in line were really patient (and understood the long line/wait). We were even giving out FREE 2 liters to people for their wait.

Most people = complain about the wait, but forget about it when you give them their change and a FREE 2 liter.

I got to this lady and as soon as she pulls up, she starts GOING OFF.

OMGWTFBBQ THIS LINE IS SOOOO LONG. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES. WTF! I WANT TO SPEAK WITH YOUR MANAGER!!!!

I apologize for her wait and tell her she's getting a free 2 liter.

Her response: I DON'T GIVE A F**K!

I asked her what kind of 2 liter she wanted and she insisted on speaking to my manager.

I said ok and shut the drive-through window (it's Jan/Feb in Ohio--cold so I shut it anytime I walk away) and go get Manager.

I came back, opened it, and she GRABBED ME (with my manager like 5 feet away from me) and said "DIDN'T I JUST SAY I WANTED TO SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER???"

Manager grabbed me away from the lady and my co-worker called the cops. They came and basically told her "That was unnacceptable. Don't come up here again" and took a report of what happened.

I could've pressed charges but I wasn't hurt and didn't think it was necessary. I think she got the point because I never saw her again.