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Another tipping discussion

post #1 of 37
8/24/07 at 5:05pm
Thread Starter 
While tipping waiters, barbers / stylists, valets, etc is a long time accepted social norm - what do you think about all of the other tip jars in the world.

It seems that you can't buy anything anymore without being confronted with a tip jar.

So - do you tip at Starbucks? Why or why not?

I mean what's the difference between the salesman at NM, the cashier at Target, the guy who pours you a coffee at McDonalds and a Starbucks barrista. Why does one of these individuals ask for a tip?
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post #2 of 37
8/24/07 at 5:06pm
I use these tip jars to make myself feel important and to avoid spare change if I don't want it in my pocket.

It is a stupid concept but I really hate change.
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post #3 of 37
8/24/07 at 5:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rajesh06 View Post
While tipping waiters, barbers / stylists, valets, etc is a long time accepted social norm - what do you think about all of the other tip jars in the world.

It seems that you can't buy anything anymore without being confronted with a tip jar.

So - do you tip at Starbucks? Why or why not?

I mean what's the difference between the salesman at NM, the cashier at Target, the guy who pours you a coffee at McDonalds and a Starbucks barrista. Why does one of these individuals ask for a tip?

Starbucks - I'm a little mystified as to why they have tip jars - what with all I've read about their pay and benefits packages - strange that head office allows or tolerates it. I still tip tho'.

The Tim Hortons chain in Canada does not allow it - tip jars are nowhere to be found. Same with McDs.

What with many localities labor laws allowing restaurant staff to be paid less - I do believe this is an indirect way of having the public subsidize a business - just a gripe of mine. Still, I tip 25%+; you can't fight reality. I do find the relationship one of servility and that disturbs me a bit.

When I was young - I knew an older man who grew up in the depression and tipped only to avoid ostracization. A friend I looked up recently had dinner with me and insisted 15% was generous for good service - his reasoning being that 'they don't know you' - you don't have to treat them that nice'. Jeez.

I would like to know of the Australian, European and UK viewpoints on this.


Moose
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post #4 of 37
8/24/07 at 6:24pm
usually no tip from me.
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post #5 of 37
8/24/07 at 6:27pm
For me, if I enter an establishment and have to stand at a counter to both order and receive my food/drink item(s), there is no tip. In my mind, there is a distinct difference between counter help and wait staff. Wait staff get tipped as I can sit down and relax, they do the standing and ordering for me.
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post #6 of 37
8/24/07 at 8:53pm
>UK viewpoints on this

Tipping really isn't part of our culture, at least the working class part of it. There is a little bit of rounding up say with taxi fares [sometimes] and maybe in a nice restaurant a small tip is left. The idea of tipping bar staff for serving a drink is laughable over here, utterly bizarre, incomprehensible. Bar staff over here would tend to get a slap for poor service, not a tip for good. No carrots, just sticks.

I think the same sort of people serve over here as they do over the pond, strangely the Brit attitude seems to be more free market. If the server isn't earning enough money they should get a better job.
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post #7 of 37
8/25/07 at 2:30pm
Soemtimes I'll throw in the change from my order. Last night I went for ice cream and threw in a dollar, but I knew the girls working there.
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post #8 of 37
8/25/07 at 4:34pm
I don't throw money in tip jars and just empty out my change into a bowl every day. Usually about 2-3x a year I'll take it with me grocery shopping, plot it all in the Coinstar thing and walk away with $60-$100 bucks.

I get somewhat pissed with all the tip jar out..especially since they are where you place your order and not pick up your coffee/sandwhich/smoothie/etc. I know the idea is to get people to just throw in their change; but, to me it feels like I'm tipping someone who sat there and typed something on the computer...not made the actual product. Even then you don't know if it is even good or not...what happens when you walk away and your latte tastes like crap or you get back to the office and they put mustard on your sandwhich?

The worst tip jars are at Pret-a-Manger because they seem more like those Ronald McDonald Foundation charity things.
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post #9 of 37
8/25/07 at 5:09pm
How did tips get so high in the US? I'm looking at the wiki article on tipping and most european countries is either strictly optional or around 5%. Where does it originate?
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post #10 of 37
8/25/07 at 9:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tarmac View Post
How did tips get so high in the US? I'm looking at the wiki article on tipping and most european countries is either strictly optional or around 5%. Where does it originate?

Wait staff is paid much more in EU...it can even be a profession...not just some job you do while working through college/grad school or while you are trying to get your acting/singing/modeling career off the ground. Therefore, we are guilted into having to pay an extra 15-20% more for the meal than we should.
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post #11 of 37
8/25/07 at 10:04pm
I never give anything to tip jars--it's like legitimatized pan-handling.
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post #12 of 37
8/25/07 at 10:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoCal2NYC View Post
I don't throw money in tip jars and just empty out my change into a bowl every day. Usually about 2-3x a year I'll take it with me grocery shopping, plot it all in the Coinstar thing and walk away with $60-$100 bucks.

I tend to throw spare change into tip jars, but keep it if there is no tip jars. I do the same thing as you, and keep a jar in my house for spare change. Even though I take out all the quarters (keep those in my car for meters), a full jar of change yields a surprising amount. My fiancee laughed, estimating less than $10. It came out to $65, and that's after coinstar's cut.
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post #13 of 37
8/26/07 at 12:28pm
Yah Coinstar is I think 8% unless you turn it into like a gift card or whatever.

There is some bank that has a "Penny Arcade" and I don't think they take a %.
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post #14 of 37
8/26/07 at 11:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Omegablogger View Post
>UK viewpoints on this

Tipping really isn't part of our culture, at least the working class part of it. There is a little bit of rounding up say with taxi fares [sometimes] and maybe in a nice restaurant a small tip is left. The idea of tipping bar staff for serving a drink is laughable over here, utterly bizarre, incomprehensible. Bar staff over here would tend to get a slap for poor service, not a tip for good. No carrots, just sticks.

I think the same sort of people serve over here as they do over the pond, strangely the Brit attitude seems to be more free market. If the server isn't earning enough money they should get a better job.

This is basically how it is in Australia - restaurant staff might get 5-10% if they're lucky; bar staff generally get nothing.
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post #15 of 37
8/26/07 at 11:11pm
It's Commerce Bank.
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