Tipping and the Minimum Wage (Payson: credit card, tax, bill)

[Sovetsky Medved]

This Tipping thing is getting Greedy and way out of hand.
I remember 30 to 40 years ago the expected tip was 10% for good service, most places you would drop about $10 bucks for a decent meal and just leave a buck on the table, Nowadays servers would be insulted by that amount.
Im still going to go out to eat, nobody is going to tell me to just stay home, you know what you can suck if you believe Im gonna listen to you.
if you wanted a higher paying job, then maybe you should have thought about getting an education.
Im not going to fund you for your lack of knowledge.
I do still tip, because I know your cheap employer is only paying you like 2 or 3 bucks an hour.
But Here is how I tip.
If the bill is
$10 you get $2
$15 = $3
$20 = $4
$30 = $6
$50 = $10
$100 = $20
That is what I TIP, Not a dime more.
If you think Im being Cheap, then your screwed up.
And I ONLY tip waitstaff, because there forced to carry my food to my table and actually wait on me hand and foot.
any other type of laborer, will just have to accept whatever hourly wage there boss pays them.
if it's So bad then maybe you should not have accepted to work there.
I never tip Housekeeping, it's the hotels job to provide a clean room for the outrageous price there usually charging.
And I can carry my own Dam bags and get my own dam door "Thank You" and Im quite competent to park my own DAM car!
Seriously, You people are going to price yourselves right out of existence.
Because technology is advancing and I have no problem whatsoever in having my order taken by a tablet or machine.

[Sovetsky Medved]

Also I would like to add, I NEVER EVER give "Spare Change" to people on street corners or who stand outside businesses.
Your Not MY Child and I Don't OWE you a Dime!
Besides what in the hell is "Spare Change" There's nothing Spare about it, Im sure i will find something to spend it on

[AZ Manager]

Originally Posted by ChrisTK

My friend was a server and made, I **** you not, less than $5 and hour. I have several friends who are waiters and servers and make less than the minimum wage. Because of this, I tip at least $10 and give more or less based on service quality. The reason the wage is so low is because America has the mindset that everyone tips and therefor they shouldn't be paid so much for it when they "automatically get tips" every shift.

I see no reason why their wage is so low so I do my best if and when I go out. If you can't afford to decently tip, don't go out to eat. Then don't get mad at the people serving you if things are late or their busy or, if they know you don't tip period, just kinda ignore you in general and focus more on known tippers.

But regardless of service, $10 is the minimum because I KNOW their wages are **** and I hope my $10 can at least help them afford to get to and from work. I know when I got tipped at my old bar job, that was immediate gas money and I was immediately thankful every time someone tipped me. Its only right to do the same when you know the situation. Especially with the amount of people living check to check these days, any little bit counts.

Except even wait staff must at least make the minimum wage. We live in a society that thought this through already and put the requirement of at least the minimum wage and never below it. If tipped employees don't meet the minimum wage after tips their employer must pay the difference.

I rarely eat out though I do a decent amount of to go from restaurants and I tip based on service up to 10% for exceptional service. What bugs me the most is to go begging for tips and I will never pay one. I don't tip the Chipotle or Rubios and I certainly don't tip my cleaning crews or painters and they are worth way more to me as a landlord. I will never understand why to go counters seem to be expecting tips. If you need tips to survive then you are in the wrong line of work.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by AZ Manager

Except even wait staff must at least make the minimum wage. We live in a society that thought this through already and put the requirement of at least the minimum wage and never below it. If tipped employees don't meet the minimum wage after tips their employer must pay the difference.

I rarely eat out though I do a decent amount of to go from restaurants and I tip based on service up to 10% for exceptional service. What bugs me the most is to go begging for tips and I will never pay one. I don't tip the Chipotle or Rubios and I certainly don't tip my cleaning crews or painters and they are worth way more to me as a landlord. I will never understand why to go counters seem to be expecting tips. If you need tips to survive then you are in the wrong line of work.

You are right that this is technically the law, but employers abuse this all the time

[Blitzmark]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

On January 1, 2017, the minimum wage in the State of Arizona will increase to $10.00 per hour from the current $8.05. Tipped employees will see and increase to $7.00 from $5.05. In the coming years, we will see further increases to $12.00 and hour.

How will this impact your tipping at full service restaurants?

Dont tip....problem solved.

[elston]

I tip at 20% for adequate service and more for exceptional service......a good server can make good money ..... but so can a good electrician, a good lawyer, a good plumber. Waitrons need and earn their tips; unless they did something aggregious and rude they get tipped.

If they so offend me...(it happened only once to me) I go and inform the management about the problem. The time I did this it had to do with the server displaying racist attitude toward my international guests and even pointing and laughing with another staff person. I not only didnt tip....but walked out without eating....as our order was coming out....and went to the restaurant across the street.

[AZDesertBrat]

Originally Posted by stiffnecked

So if you're a waitress waiting on folks from Australia how do you shame them into leaving a tip???

You don't. You take the good with the bad when it comes to tips. Canadians don't tip either. I learned that taking care of tours in Alaska and that's just the way it is. It shouldn't affect the level of service though.

[AZDesertBrat]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

A lot of great points in this thread. I, too, don't understand why we are suddenly seemingly expected to tip cashiers at fast food types of places. And the tips for delivery drivers-- we don't tip truck drivers who deliver goods to stores. I completely agree about the idea that why are we tipping based on percentage? I don't see that the person handing over pricier food is really doing any more for me than the person who brought me the burger.

I've been a waitress, in two different places. Neither was high end (Pizza Hut and Holiday Inn), but I still made way over minimum wage with the tips I got and my $2.25 an hour or whatever the wait staff rate was at that time (less than half minimum wage in the day). As long as I had a few tables going at all times, and each table gave me something, I made out better than I would have as a cashier. I busted my a$$ as a waitress. I appreciated my tips. I worked just as hard as I would have at a fancier place (with less help). At that time, 10-15% was expected for decent service. Now it seems the "norm" is 20%. When will it end?

There is a local restaurant that doesn't do the tip thing. The prices are built in such a way that you pay them and that's that. No tipping. LOVE that concept. I feel like tips are expected in so many situations now. I'd rather just pay up front for whatever the charge is, with the expectation that the person performing the service job is doing it well. As someone else said, there are plenty of positions in the service of others. To be clear, I do tip, and I generally tip around 18% for good service. I dislike that we are such a tipping society, though. I'd rather the prices were clear upfront and tipping went away. All workers who do their jobs well should be getting a livable wage, period.

Re: the bolded. It comes down to taxes, really. I don't know how your employers figured out your taxable income but mine took total sales and claimed 10% of that as tips that we paid taxes on. I guess the IRS thinks the average tip is still 10% or something. As a server I usually averaged 20% of my sales and for the last ten years of waitressing I claimed, and paid taxes on, every penny. It really affects a person's future social security income.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by smksignals

What about take out? Let say you go into a local food joint (not fast food) where you order, pay, then receive your cooked meal. You order a couple of lunches to go. The cashier swipes your card and gives you the receipt to sign (prior to receiving your order) and there is a spot to write in a tip. Do you tip before you get your food? Do you tip for takeout ? This actually drives me nuts...

Per Emily Post: Take Out: No obligation; 10% for extra service (curb delivery) or a large, complicated order

The only place I tip for take out is my favorite Chinese food place cause I like them.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

I eat out every single day. Here is my approach to tipping.

Assuming decent service. I calculate after tax (not before tax) which officially rounds it up some.
- $10 meal, $3.
- $15 meal that is involved (water or soda refills) ==$4. But normally $3.
- Takeout: depends. Normally a buck or 2 unless there was a lot of running around. Then $3-$4. Never ever 10%.
- A $50 bill: $8-12 depending on how much effort (refills, apps, etc). Less for spendy drinks. More for soda refills.
-$100 bill: $20-$30 depending on the time I tied-up the table, quality of service, caliber of place, and amount of refills. A little less of a percentage if it is a bottle of wine that I am pouring myself or if I ordered a $25 rack of ribs.
-$200 bill: Same math as above. But I error on a few less percent unless it is higher end. If there are more than one server (big table) a little more.
-Buffets: 10-20%. Again, refills and a lot of plates that need to be taken away, a higher percentage. If I see the plates stack up and I also fill my own glass at a machine, 10%.
-Bar service drinks only: $1 a drink if they are mixed. A top shelf spot. 10-15% while sitting at the bar. 20-25% if just one drink. If I get one beer at a time, $1 tip at a time. If I get 5 beers and walk away, then $2-$3 tip total. Rude/fast paced bartender that barks at you when they are busy, I give cash or a $1 tip total for multiple drinks and find a better tender at the same establishment and overpay him/her.
-Giftcards. Zero. Maybe a couple bucks if it is the front hostess.
-A server waiting for me to sign the bill in front of him: 15% tops. I want the courage to stiff him or her.
-A built in gratuity? NEVER more than on the bill even if they were awesome (they gambled).
Also, the places that we frequent a lot and that know us, I tip at least 18% even when the service is "challenging". You don't want to be "that guy" even when it is warranted. I try and request specific wait staff to avoid those situations.

For me, I don't care if someone is swamped. If they are swamped, I won't get mad. But that doesn't mean I should tip them 20% for trying hard. Work the math. If they have 10 tables each producing 20% or $10 for an hour of semi-fast dining, that's $100 an hour. I'm not rewarding them for ruining my meal because someone didn't schedule right or someone called in sick. Maybe 15% for a hard working that was understaffed. That same math still pays them $75 an hour when they are too busy. After all, I could have cooked and stayed home. The concept for me going out was to enjoy myself not try and make eye contact in order to flag them down. If I don't get refills, have to rot to get my bill, cold food delivered at the table, etc, etc I will pay cash and leave a 10% tip. Maybe less. RARELY do I stiff someone. If I do (once a year), I ONLY pay cash.