I usually just tell the person to keep the change, I feel a little weird digging extra money out of my pocket to just give to someone because it feels like obligated charity when it's a tip.

At 12/13/14 05:49 AM, Radaketor wrote: I don't tip.
They already get paid for their job.

At 12/13/14 11:28 AM, Crink wrote: why is it expected of me to supplement the staff's wages? they are already on a wage, it's not my fault it's shit

I'm sure you're both joking, but on the off chance either of you aren't, service people's wages are often a little low for their work, and is usually expected to be brought to an average level with tips and above that if their service is exceptional. It's why so many workplaces have workers split tips; to encourage everyone to provide a pleasant overall environment.

That being said it's obviously not a system that always works (because you'll always have people saying "why is it expected of me to supplement the staff's wages?", which is also a reasonable standpoint), but it's how it is.

I round up to the next dollar, and if it's delivery in the winter, I add a dollar. When I get food it's always a lot, so my tips are actually kinda shitty. I don't eat at sit-in restaurants so I don't feel guilty.

At 12/13/14 09:34 AM, Sekhem wrote:

At 12/13/14 07:04 AM, Newgaf wrote:

At 12/12/14 04:48 PM, Sekhem wrote: i only tip if they're black

That's fucked up. My mom was a waitress for 25 years, and you're a racist.

Hypocrite.

discrimination is based on power relationships

Bullshit discrimination has nothing to do with power it's judging based on one thing that has nothing to do with the situation. Being racist has nothing to do with wether you are black or white (or any other color) it's simply judging some one (discriminating) for some physical or mental difference. You can be racist against people who have red hair. I like you sekhem but you must admit you are racist and do discriminate against white people.

At 12/13/14 11:48 AM, Crink wrote: if it means that they charge more food, then so be it. i'd rather pay more for the items on the menu than being strong armed into tipping. it's basically extortion

Try to look at that in reverse and it seems a little more reasonable:

Food items are cheaper to allow 'wiggle room' in how much you pay, depending on the service you receive.

Again, I'm not saying I agree with the way the tip/wage issue is handled, but I'm also not saying it's wholly unreasonable.

At 12/13/14 11:47 AM, Sekhem wrote:

At 12/13/14 11:44 AM, GRIMthaREAPER wrote: Bullshit discrimination has nothing to do with power

maybe if you have no sense of historical context and exist in vacuum land

History tells us that their have been more white than black slaves over all. You think black people had it bad look how many times the Jews were captured and forced into slavery they built the fucking pyramids in slavery dragging a boulder up that SOB would make pickin cotton look like a dream. Now I will admit that with power there are more opportunities to discriminate but discrimination does not require power

At 12/13/14 09:34 AM, Sekhem wrote: the fact that she's a waitress means your family has failed for several generations

Not every white family owned a plantation, y'know.

As for the question, I'll tip anywhere from 0-20%, depending on the service and the bills I have in my wallet. I feel like that's pretty standard.

Tip is a misconception that suggests I should pay the employee instead of his employer.

At 12/13/14 12:03 PM, yurgenburgen wrote: "tipping culture"
one evening, one of the restaurant staff came round to the desk and told me I had to start telling my guests that if they were going to eat in the restaurant they had to tip at least 10%

That's pretty dumb. I haven't had any experiences like that while visiting Canada.

Speaking of other countries, when I was in Japan I discovered that the Japanese find tipping to be very rude. To them it's like you're taking pity on their poor livelihoods and flaunting your own wealth.

It's also rude to finish eating every single thing on your plate, because it implies you weren't given enough food.

At 12/13/14 11:59 AM, Sekhem wrote:

At 12/13/14 11:53 AM, GRIMthaREAPER wrote:

At 12/13/14 11:47 AM, Sekhem wrote:

At 12/13/14 11:44 AM, GRIMthaREAPER wrote: Bullshit discrimination has nothing to do with power

maybe if you have no sense of historical context and exist in vacuum land

History tells us that their have been more white than black slaves over all.

sounds like a #whiteproblem to me

Theres that discrimination :) suggesting that anything wrong in my life is nothing compared to your problems because I'm white

You think black people had it bad look how many times the Jews were captured and forced into slavery they built the fucking pyramids in slavery dragging a boulder up that SOB would make pickin cotton look like a dream.

Slaves Didn't Build Pyramids

Ok was wrong about that ill admit it but their still were slaves in Egypt

nice, bringing up myths about africa like most people when they try to justify historical racism

What myths about Africa never mentioned Africa. And I'm not defending or justifying slavery or any racism

Now I will admit that with power there are more opportunities to discriminate but discrimination does not require power

as long as you admit to racist tendencies and your race's historically racist past

I'll admit that America has been racist in the past as all the world has but not just against blacks.
And you know nothing about "my race" my ancestors were scot Irish, and a few we're Native American. They came over on boats for a better life for their children just to be kicked in the teeth, they weren't allowed to work most jobs they scratched and clawed to survive. Native Americans were pushed of their own land and staved and slaughtered. My blood line has always been poor and hard working people not rich slave owners. Yes they fought for the confederacy but not for slavery. Because they were born and raised there.

I used to tip $1 if at all. I say "used to" because I've made the decision to stop tipping anyone altogether, at least for now.

Don't get me wrong--waiters, waitresses, deliverymen, bartenders, barbers, taxi drivers and service workers in general are important and they deserve to get paid more. They deserve to get paid just as much as anyone else regardless of profession, for that matter. Instead they're just screwed over by management for reasons that are beyond the control of any customer. At the end of the day, everyone should be taking home an equal paycheck without customers feeling obliged to tip an additional 15% to 20%.

Also, I happen to live with a waiter who's a total dick and a slob at home. I've lectured him countless times, clean up after him every fucking day and he's a disgusting man child that needs to go back to where he came from: some butt fuck dump down in Toledo. I'm in the process of finally kicking him out of my apartment after more than a year. He was fired from his last job as a bartender for stealing the very liquor he was supposed to serve and getting in a drunken altercation with a customer and his boss. I won't miss him. I don't want to generalize and say that all waiters and bartenders are like him, but I can't lie and say that having to live with him didn't sour my overall impressions of people that share his exact title.

At 12/13/14 06:17 AM, NeonSpider wrote:

At 12/13/14 05:49 AM, Radaketor wrote: I don't tip.
They already get paid for their job.

At 12/13/14 05:53 AM, Mismo wrote: I don't tip.

I bet you do though. Or you just don't ever eat at restaurants more upscale than fast food. You don't have to tip. But if you get a reputation for not tipping you're going to make a lot of enemies. And these enemies would be the ones making your food. Just remember that.

I know it might seem weird, but in Sweden people don't generally tip. Unless it's at some swanky restaurant, but otherwise we don't just don't it. Don't know why, might just be a cultural thing.

Usually 50% if the service is good. It makes me feel good, it makes the waitress feel good, and they treat you like gold the next time around.

Plus I bartended for 4 years, and while service industry people make disgusting amounts of money if they're smart, they also work hard.

At 12/13/14 09:34 AM, Sekhem wrote:

At 12/13/14 07:04 AM, Newgaf wrote:

At 12/12/14 04:48 PM, Sekhem wrote: i only tip if they're black

That's fucked up. My mom was a waitress for 25 years, and you're a racist.

Hypocrite.

discrimination is based on power relationships

Racist hypocrite.

@Mismo
@Radaketor

Yeah sometimes I forget about the cultural differences in other countries vs. America. You're both quite right in that it is a cultural thing and also sometimes I forget which users are/aren't American, with a general (sometimes false) assumption that they're American. So that's definitely "my bad". I think it's because when there aren't any blatant foreign errors in someone's English, it's quite easy to assume they're either American or British but Brits tend to give themselves away by their word choice. So if anything it's a testament to your excellent English skills.

So in each of your countries, tipping may not be as customary as it is in the US. So if it isn't something people generally do then you're definitely in the clear. But if you're a non-tipper in the US you'll definitely make a lot of enemies. The problem is that most restaurant workers are not even paid minimum wage and must supplement their income with tips and while technically if they don't make enough in tips to make minimum wage, the restaurant owner is supposed to cover it, in actuality what happens is if they ever complain to the restaurant owner about not making enough in tips they instantly get fired, or if they complain about it too often.

It's ironic because the "minimum wage" isn't really the minimum wage. It's only the minimum wage for certain kinds of jobs. For restaurant workers, they might only get like $2.13 an hour (where the minimum wage is like $7.25 an hour), and they're expected to "make it up" in tips. So when tips should really be a something extra for when someone goes "above and beyond", in America it's a part of someone's regular pay.

So if you're regularly not tipping those $2 workers they're going to get pissed at you really quickly and pissing off a bunch of poor people isn't really a good idea unless you don't intend to show your face around those parts again, because they will remember. It's not just one restaurant or a few of them either -- they're practically all like that, outside of maybe the very most expensive restaurants where a typical one person meal is over $100 or something. I can't imagine the people who work there are working for less than minimum wage. They'll still get pissed at you for a non-tip though.

At 12/13/14 12:02 PM, SuperBastard wrote: Not every white family owned a plantation, y'know.

Yeah, in fact only 1% owned a plantation, or at least had numerous slaves. It's just that the 1% was so rich, they kept all the slaves to themselves.

See? This whole 1% thing has been around since the Civil War!