April 25, 2006
What's Up With Tipping??
There are two specific areas that need to be addressed. First scenario is what I call "The Guilt Cup". The second scenario is what I call "One Buck Bob" or "Mathless Matt". Let's discuss The Guilt Cup first. This is a cup or container placed right by the cash register at many fast food or coffee joints. Every time I see one I want to pick it up and hurl it across the room. I have seen so many of these cups in so many inappropriate locales that I feel I must educate the masses on the intention behind tipping.
Tipping is customarily done for a particular service provided. The intention is you do not have to do anything so you pay the person doing that duty for you. The tip is calculated on variety of criteria including but not limited to - quality of service, quantity of service, quality of food/drink, friendliness of service, amount of bill, time spent doing task, time occupying a designated/limited space, etc.
The Guilt Cup gets its name from employees putting out tip jars when the service they provide only falls extremely loosely under the service provided category. If you have to stand in line to order your food or drink, YOU are doing the work not the person behind the counter. The person behind the counter is only doing their assigned task/job. This is what they get paid for. However, if I go into an establishment and park my behind in a chair and someone comes to me to take my order, brings me my order, and responds to additional requests and fulfills those tasks appropriately; they are doing all the walking and carrying of the items for me. They deserve a tip, not the rude cashier behind the fast food counter.
Ok, let's talk about One Buck Bob. One Buck Bob is the person who leaves one dollar as a tip no matter what the bill was or how much service they received. I watched recently as a family of four ate breakfast at a restaurant attached to a hotel. Because they were guests of the hotel they had coupons that comp'd their meal. I do not care how many freebees you get from hotels or other organizations, stop making the wait staff pay for your ignorance. I guarantee the wait staff does not get a cut of the profits at the end of the day from the hotel/restaurant/organization. This family ate well and left a huge mess to clean up and left one dollar. Now come on, are we that selfish or are we just ignorant? The bill would have come to about $30 if they would have had to pay. The tip should be off that amount not the free amount. This also goes for discounted meals. Give the wait staff the tip based on what you would have paid normally. Just because you got a discount on the meal, doesnt mean you got discounted service.
Next step up from One Buck Bob is Mathless Matt. This is the person who uses the excuse that they just can't figure out what 15% is. This is the biggest lie I have ever witnessed. If the person truly could not figure out 15% then the tip amount would be below 15% some time and above 15% other times. These people are just cheap. The tip always comes up short of 15%. My theory is if you can not afford AT LEAST 15%, do not go out and ask other people to serve you. Keep your cheapskate butt home and take care of yourself. Do not expect others to be at your beck and call and then not compensate them fairly. The wait staff is not on a missionary quest to serve all human kind no matter how they are treated. They do not look forward to serving your pimply faced, bloated, bratty children, and you for a measly buck or two. Do us all a favor, STAY HOME. Please leave the seats for people who know how to treat other people and are willing to show it.
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