Here’s a Tip
Posted by Gail | Filed under Money Management
Have y’all seen those credit card machines that offer you the option of choosing a preset tip in restaurants? Given that spending money on credit cards is easier than spending money in cash, do you think we’ll tip more because we’re being hinted at?
We will.
Look what happened in New York after cabbies started accepting credit cards. While cabbies practically went on strike to protest the fact that they’d have to accept plastic, two years later they’re laughing all the way to the bank. And credit cards have been heralded as the savor of the cab biz during the most recent financial downturn.
Apparently more and more fares are being paid with credit cards, even for short rides. And tips for drivers have been going up, up, up. While they were in the 10% range when customers had to pony up with cash, now they’re in the 13% range on average. And cards aren’t just being used for those long trips to and from the airport. Even the short jaunt is put on plastic. When those terminals are proffered with tip options, people opt for the easy choice. The presets are used about 70% of the time. Since a fare of under $15 comes with a tip option of $2, $3 or $4 (a buck fifty would be 10%) you can see the direction tips are headed in.
Rules abound for who you should tip and how much. But each of us goes about this a little differently.
If you go to get your hair done at a salon, will you tip the body who washes your hair? How about the person who cuts your hair? And the person who colours your hair?
When you go to a hotel and order room service, do you add a tip to the 15% already levied on the bill by the hotel? Or do you simply sign the bill and leave it at that? Do you tip the housekeeping staff? How about the people who hail you a cab?
When you go into a bar, do you tip the bar-tender for each drink? At the end of the night? Even if you only get a glass of water or a soda?
When you eat in a restaurant, do you tip on the total bill or on the total before taxes? And if you eat with friends do you split the tip evenly or tip on your portion of the bill? How about when you eat at a buffet-style restaurant and all your waiter brought to the table was a round of drinks?
I tip 15% for good service, more for exceptional service, and nothing at all when the service sucks. Hey, it’s my money. And if servers want some of it, then I expect to be treated courteously, dealt with quickly, and be offered a smile or two and a wee bit of interaction.
Discussions about tipping get really hot when those who live on tips get into the fray. While The Spurts want to help you decide how much is a good tip, and how much is wasteful, the guys and dolls who depend on those tips get into a twist when anything less than 15% is recommended. A while back, Oprah did a thing on her site on tipping that made a lot of people really mad. Hey, I’m not getting into the how much debate. You tip what you want to tip. It’s your money, right?
Well, maybe not if you’re putting it on that credit card. And if you’re just hitting the button when you’re offered the pre-set tip option, you’re not even tipping consciously. You’re just doing it mechanically. That’s never a good thing. Unconscious anything is dangerous.
How do you tip? Do you tend to tip a higher percentage on a lower bill and watch your tipping more when the bill is a biggie? Do you tip because you once were a server (or have a kid who serves) and feel the pain? Do you tip big because you’re worried people will think you’re cheap? Com’on, fess up!
August 9, 2010 at 6:39 am
I give out 10% tip every time I used the services like in the salon, restaurant.. etc….
August 9, 2010 at 6:58 am
I tip at restaurants, usually at least 15%, normally, though I do find I tend to be more generous than some friends, while cheaper than others – I tip on the pre-tax amount, never the after tax amount.
I tip at the hair dressers – usually 10-15%, but if I’m not charged the extra $ for having long hair get cut, then I will often just give the hair dresser the $ that would have cost me, since I was expecting to pay that anyways (I get my hair cut at Top Cuts, not a fancy salon, mind you!).
If the service is bad, I don’t give any tip at all. I do feel obligated to explain the reason for no tip though, depending on the situation.
One thing I’ve noticed is that my preference is to give a tip in the amount of a number that will put me at a flat dollar amount (ending in .00 or .50). It sounds silly, but I prefer the rounded dollar on my card.
August 9, 2010 at 7:07 am
Normally I pay 15% for haircuts and restaurants (based on the pretax amount). Having said that, we rarely go to restaurants and we stretch the time between haircuts as much as possible.
I’ve heard that if the restaurant owner is your server then you don’t need to tip. Has anyone else heard that? What about getting your hair cut by someone who works privately from a home-based salon? I have more of a problem tipping the home-based hair stylist. When I get a hair cut it only requires scissors and a spray bottle of water (no expensive products or chemicals) so the cost of the cut is totally for her time. The entire cost of the cut is profit so do I also need to tip? I don’t want to be cheap, but I also don’t want to pay more than necessary for a service.
August 9, 2010 at 7:12 am
If you can’t afford a proper tip you can’t afford to eat at a restaurant. Shame on you gail for being so stingy with people who make less than minimum wage. 15% on decent service 20-25% on good/excellent service (its fine not to tip if a person isn’t doing their job). I guess once everyone else makes it out of the service industry they feel the need to look down on others. Shame on you all for trying to save money at the expense of other’s living.
August 9, 2010 at 7:19 am
Usually I only tip when I’m at a restaurant that brings me the food, Buffets I never tip at. For us a dinner out is usually $35 at the restaurant in town. I usually just leave the $40 we had in the dinner out jar and we head home. doing the math, that $10 tip works out to 14%.
If the service is bad, I usually will not tip at all. When we eat out we use cash so, if we don’t want to tip we wait for the change to come back and scoop it all up. At our local restaurant, service has never been bad, which is I guess why we keep going back. When we are in strange new towns at restaurants we have never been too before sometimes the service can be hit or miss.
As for other things, when it comes to taxi rides or hair cuts we usually add in a small tip and we always pay for that stuff in cash so that we know how much we are giving in tips.
regards,
Jason
August 9, 2010 at 7:26 am
@Manda, the whole “if you can’t afford the tip you can’t afford to eat a restaurant” smacks of entitlement. I wonder what the restaurant industry would look like if only those that can afford to eat out do so. I’m betting business would drop away and people would lose their jobs.
regards,
Jason
August 9, 2010 at 8:09 am
The standard in the UK for restaurants is 10%-ish, rounded up to the nearest pound. Before you call us cheap, that is on the after-tax amount. All prices here are listed inclusive of VAT (our GST+HST equivalent), which is at 17.5%, about to rise to 20% in January. For a short taxi ride, round up to the nearest pound (or if that would make the tip less than 50p, round up another pound – it averages out in the long run).
@Manda – if someone can’t afford a big tip, but they can afford the listed menu prices at the restaurant, they are still contributing to the server’s pay. What would you rather have, empty seats and fewer staff, or a full house, more staff, and lower tips? I felt your comment was judgmental and inappropriate for this blog, which is supposed to be a supportive community.
August 9, 2010 at 8:10 am
Also, isn’t it illegal to pay less than minimum wage and top it up with tips? It certainly is in the UK, but I do not know about Canada.
August 9, 2010 at 8:10 am
I usually tip around 15%, but here in Ontario now with HST at 13%, I use that as my basis for a tip (the amount is already shown on the bill), and go up to make the 15% (pre tax amount). I agree with Gail about the “no tip” if service sucks in restaurants. I know the pay isn’t great, however, if I want a nice meal, and the person isn’t doing their part, well, sorry, but no tip. Yes, sometimes they are having a bad day, but that doesn’t preclude them from doing a good job. If the food isn’t prepared properly, well, that’s not the server’s fault, and the server will still get a tip if being pleasant and doing their job. As for my hair, I usually go where the person doing the cutting also does the washing, and she does get a tip. Even if it’s the owner, yes, I would still tip. I don’t think it makes a difference. I pay off our credit card each month, so if I pay with my card, it is my money going for a tip, but I still use the 15% amount. I don’t “overtip” just because it’s on plastic.
August 9, 2010 at 8:17 am
I have worked in service, and have a family business run on service, so I’m one of ‘those’ people.
I’ve rarely not tipped, only because even when service is bad, I remember the times I gave bad service and why that was and I just can’t bring myself to not when I know how little people are making. I really do wish we could raise wages and eliminate tipping in all but the most extreme cases (as is the case in many countries I’ve travelled to – I once got a tip handed back to me by an Austrailian waiter who said “I know you’re not from here, so just so you know: you don’t need to do that here”!
The sad thing is, we’ve set up our service industry here in Canada so that people are paid really low under the employer’s assumption that they’ll be tipped (Remember: anyone working in alcohol service is making BELOW minimum wage – ex: my last bartending stint two years ago paid me $7.75 /hr). So when you don’t tip, servers really do feel the hurt. That doesn’t mean I think everyone MUST tip everyone all the time, but I don’t think I could not. For me, the tip is part of the budgeting for the evening out.
My splurge purchase is my trips to the hair salon, so I do tip there about 10-15%, more if she did a good job. I know my girl and I know what she makes. I also tend to ‘overtip’ cab drivers, knowing as I do from my work with newcomers just how many of them have come to Canada with unusable medical/accounting/legal degrees, trying to make a better life for their children on $13/hr. That said: I do not tip for fast food or coffee (worked those jobs too!), or at hotels above what is assigned to my bill. If gratuities are ever included, I leave it at that. Ca c’est moi.
August 9, 2010 at 8:19 am
While I tip appropriately (almost 20% if service is exceptional – if service sucks they get under 10% simply because I know they are making minimum wage), I long for the day when we don’t have to tip. Travel to Europe and look at the restaurant prices. Seem high? Well, VAT (the equivalent of the GST/PST/HST whatever) is built into the price, as is tipping – at least in the northern European countries and Switzerland. When I figured out what I would pay for the same meal back home including taxes and tip, most often it was a wash – basically the same. And staff there are paid a decent living wage instead of the minimum wage rates we tolerate here. I think tipping is just a subsidy to businesses who only want to pay minimum wages. I reluctantly pony it up because I don’t think people in the service industry should be paid such crappy wages, and at least a tip goes into their pockets. At least I thought it did until I read a report on the restaurant industry where some unscrupulous restaurant owners were confiscating tips and taking percentages for themselves to make up for the recent increase in the minimum wage.
I also tip in restaurants before taxes – otherwise I’m tipping on taxes…however, if you notice the credit cards that allow you to just punch in the percentage tip – it’s on the whole amount including taxes – which means they’re getting more tip than they normally would. Proving Gail’s point.
August 9, 2010 at 8:21 am
In response to Alison, in Canada there is a standard minimum wage for each province, and a lower minimum wage that applies to servers or others who get tips. So a server who doesn’t get any tips legally gets paid less than the regular minimum wage in Canada.
August 9, 2010 at 8:27 am
I do believe in Canada it is against the law to not pay minimum wage. I waitressed for many years while in college and my son has worked in restaurants,too.
I am a tipper, because I did waitress, but I do think the whole tipping idea has gotten out of control and it is no longer something worked for but rather something expected.
I do tip my longtime hairdresser well. He therefore did my hair for free on his day off when I got married, he changes appointments for me and squeezes me in at short notice. It is entirely worth it (and I get great hair at a still reasonable price).
August 9, 2010 at 8:30 am
It has to be really bad service for me not to tip at all, but I have no problem tipping a really small amount when the service is bad. The comment about not going to a restaurant unless you can afford to tip hits home a little for me, since I often have found myself looking at a bill thinking ‘wow, that’s high, maybe 10% would be ok’…shame on me since I should be able to afford it, I just need to remember to factor that amount in before choosing to go to the restaurant (eating out is one of our vices that we struggle to keep under control to stick to our budget). I also cringe at the hair salon because the bill is so high already. When I find a good hairdresser, I go back to them again and again and want to tip them adequately (15%)…so I really like the automatic button on the debt/credit machine because it lets me get it over with, without thinking too hard about the number (the button you press is a %, like 10%, 15%, 20%, not an actual number).
However, I have a big issue with friends who are former servers who admonish others for not tipping enough. I’m not sure what the other poster was referring to about them making less than minimum wage…that shouldn’t be right. Minimum wage is too low as it is…if you’re not making minimum wage, look for a new job. I worked for 4 years making minimum wage in the service industry with $0.00 in tips (minimum wage was $5.00 when I started my first job)! It was terrible, hard, exhausting work and I feel for anyone who is doing it…but why should in the food service industry some get tips and others not? I worked in hot working conditions, did lots of food preparation, served food to rude customers, cleaned disgusting dishes, and was on my feet all day..and not one dollar in tips because I worked in cafeterias instead of restaurants!
August 9, 2010 at 8:36 am
I go by 10-15% for average service, up to 30% for excellent service, and absolutely nothing for bad service at a restaurant. I also tip about 50% for breakfast, since it requires every bit as much effort to serve and costs far less than lunch or dinner. I do always feel a little bit of guilt when not tipping at all, because I know it often shorts everyone in the restaurant; the dishwashers, the cooks, the hostess, etc. tend to have a tip pool that gets divvied up.
I either cut my own hair or go to a cheap salon, so I don’t have to worry about all that. I generally do most of my own work so that I don’t have to tip.
One that I always make sure I tip is the housekeeping staff at a hotel. I used to work as a housekeeper, and most people don’t do this. When you’re lifting beds and vacuuming all day, it can be nice to see the occasional loonie on a pillow! That loonie means very little to you, but it adds up for them.
I don’t believe that tipping should be automatic. It’s supposed to be an incentive for people in the service industry to provide excellent service. You work hard, you get tips. It’s that simple. I really dislike all these servers who whine and complain about how you should tip no matter what. Then you know what? You should do your job well, with a smile on your face no matter what. I’m forgiving when it comes to food being a little wrong, or coming to the table cold. I’m not forgiving when I have rude service or someone who acts like they don’t want to be there.
I have a problem with people (it’s often the ones with a lot of money) who don’t tip even for excellent service. One of the worst tips I got was from a billionaire: $10 for an entire week of breakfast and dinner service! I chose to look at it, though, as $10 I wouldn’t have otherwise. *sigh*
August 9, 2010 at 8:38 am
Oh, and @Diana,
There is a different minimum wage for servers and bartenders, just like there’s a different one for people under the age of 18.
I think the worst crime is student minimum wage; why should a 16 year old who is saving up for university make less money than an adult who does the same job? It’s robbery.
August 9, 2010 at 8:46 am
I must add, that $5.00 an hour was in 1999, not that long ago. It was in the Maritime provinces where yes the cost of living is also lower, but the university tuition prices certainly are not. In fact, as I was working to get through school, my university tuition was the highest price in Canada.
August 9, 2010 at 8:50 am
My husband was a hairstylist for 21 years (before he had to retire due to illness) and tips were very important as they work strictly on commission with no benefits (unless you work in a chain salon this is the norm)…he always provided top notch service and his tips reflected that…if someone didn’t tip you felt that too…we always tip based on service provided not necessarily percentage…it’s always a good decent tip…and don’t forget servers now usually have to share with kitchen staff as well….it would be so much easier if there was no such thing as tipping and everyone was just simply paid a fair and decent wage…but there I go dreaming again…LOL..
August 9, 2010 at 8:56 am
Only in 3 provinces, Suzanne. Quebec, Ontario and British Colombia. [ I checked because I had never heard that liquor servers made less than the minimum wage}
August 9, 2010 at 9:02 am
I had read the comments and there are some I agree with and some I don’t. This is my take on it, restaurants are expensive as it is therefore we don’t eat a lot at them but when I do I tip well IF the service is good (I used to be a waitress a long….. time ago) my hairdresser gets a tip from me every once in a while. But here is a question There is always someone providing a service of some kind Do we or do you want to tip everyone every time someone does something??? It feels like everyone has their hand out for $$$$$ I think Gail needs another jar (TIPS) LOL
August 9, 2010 at 9:16 am
I’m a fairly inconsistent tipper. I tip very well for great service, but probably am considered not a great tipper for decent or adequate service. In my opinion I don’t quite understand why some jobs get tips for doing their job, and some don’t. I don’t tip my garbage man, and I don’t tip my lawyer, so I’m often a bit perplexed about who to tip and whom. Generally speaking I tip when service goes above and beyond what I expected. So a waiter who brings me what I asked gets 10% but a waiter who gets the kitchen to make a subsitution or makes a good suggestion etc gets 18% (I’m good at mental math).
August 9, 2010 at 9:49 am
I agree with Geoff and some others have replied. Why do fast food workers not get tips? Why do I tip at certain coffee shop takeout places but not others? The ‘tip’ jar starts to really bug me after a while. Ditto the auto-gratuity on parties of 5 or more at certain restaurants. 18%? What if the service is bad, you have no option to withhold the tip.
I admit I have never ‘not tipped’ due to bad service but I have gone down to 10% on bad service and I have written on the bill ‘tip reflective of service’. A previous waitress recommended that so that they knew it was related to service & maybe take a lesson from it to change something, but I’m not sure it isn’t just rude of me to do. If there is no comment card what do other people do?
August 9, 2010 at 9:49 am
I object to the concept of tipping. I think that employers should pay their employees a reasonable wage and expect them to provide the service for which I’m paying them. That said, I seem to be the minority in this concept, and so I do tip sometimes. I tip 15% at sit down restaurants when the service is good, and I tip 20% to my hairdresser (who washes, cuts and styles my hair) because I’ve gotten to know her over the years and know that she struggles financially.
August 9, 2010 at 9:49 am
I completely agree with “if you can’t afford the tip you can’t afford to eat a restaurant”.
There are many ways of saving money, or making more money. Some of these ways are not paying tips, embezzelment, stealing, breaking into a bank, running an illegal drug operation, not paying wages, etc. Either being immoral, illegal, or stingy on other people’s skin.
etc.
I think that ideally, we should try to save money yet stay away from those things.
August 9, 2010 at 9:53 am
When does it end? The cashier in Walmart, Zellers, Safeway etc etc who makes min. wage, smiled, interacted with you, bagged your items, etc….do you tip her for her curtious service? What about the floor staff in any store who offers their help and helps you locate your items, is their service not worth a tip? I am so tired of the “waitresses only make min. wage, they rely on tips” well, guess what – half the country works for min. wage!
August 9, 2010 at 9:54 am
I’m in Ontario (where servers get less than the normal minimum wage) and I tip 15% for normal service and more for great service (or when I loiter a bit after a meal and the waitress doesn’t rush me while I chat with my friends–I don’t do that if there’s a lineup for the table, though). My hairdresser gets 20% because I love chatting with her & love my haircuts. I leave a toonie on the pillow at hotels (each night since the person cleaning the room might change each day–I used to leave money at the end of the week until someone pointed out the different-cleaner thing to me). I don’t take cabs but I’d tip there, too. I don’t tip for fast food/coffee (those people are paid normal minimum wage here). I never know how much to tip for concierge service or hailing a cab, etc. at a hotel, though! And we carry our own bags to our room because we’ve already taken them to the airport & then on to the hotel so getting them up an elevator is pretty darned easy after that! I did once let a guy carry my bag up a couple of flights of stairs in a hotel without an elevator and tipped him.
August 9, 2010 at 9:57 am
I tip when it’s worth it. If the server is having a bad day or a personal problem or whatever, I shouldn’t have to deal with the crappy service because of it. Although it is hard to put personal issues aside when at work, if it affects the quality of your work, then it needs to be done. A portion of the money that I pay for food at a restaurant goes towards the servers paycheque. If a server wants a tip, and understands how important that tip is to their lifestyle, then they need to treat the people they are serving how they (the server) would want to be treated. I tip my hairstylist $5 for a haircut, and more if I get some more done; however, if she makes my visit unpleasant, I won’t tip her. I took my two youngest children to a chain salon for their first salon haircuts, and the stylist spent the whole time trying to sell me products, not paying close attention to what she was doing. I didn’t leave a tip, and I started to feel bad about it as I was driving home, but when I got home, I noticed that my daughter’s hair was cut on a slant in the back, as were her bangs, so I was happy that I didn’t leave a tip.
It is my money to spend, and if I don’t receive good service, I won’t reward the person for the bad job that they did.
August 9, 2010 at 10:09 am
I don’t see a different minimum wage for servers in BC – where did someone find that? When I was in the service industry we didn’t have a different wage.
http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/facshts/min-wage.htm
August 9, 2010 at 10:19 am
I hate all this tipping stuff. People get all judgmental and cranky about how other people do it, there’s no real “standard” outside of restaurants (where 15% seems to be acceptable-how did we get to that number anyway?), and there seems to be no end to who to tip (those coffee shop jars bug me for some reason too…would some people thrown in an extra quarter at McDonalds if there was a jar suggesting it was expected?)
I find human behaviour fascinating (surprise surprise). Given the “easy way out” (as in, choose 15% tip with this button so you don’t have to do the simple math) we’ll take it 9 times out of 10.
August 9, 2010 at 10:25 am
I agree with Terrie and Geoff (and others)–where does it end? I don’t believe in tipping. I’m not saying I don’t tip, but I don’t like it. Why is it up to me to top-up someone else’s wage? I do feel for them if they’re making minimum wage (or less, in some provinces apparently), but I honestly can’t see why it’s my obligation to pay extra on top of what I’m already being charged. Whether I can “afford it” or not shouldn’t matter. Every job is a service in some way or another, so why do certain people get tips and others don’t?
That said, I do tip in restaurants, reflective of the service I get. I also tip more at places I frequent more often. Am I buying myself (hopefully) better service next time, or am I avoiding potentially poor service, if I don’t tip enough?
I tip my hairdresser, but not a lot as she runs a home-based business and has (virtually) no overhead.
I do enjoy reading everyone’s different comments on this topic!
August 9, 2010 at 10:28 am
I have very mixed feelings about tipping.
My first “job” at 13, was waitressing at a local restaurant. It was a summer ‘opportunity’ for students, and we weren’t paid — it was ‘volunteer’ — in the winter months, seniors would volunteer waitressing. Tips were divided equally among all the workers. An average 7 hour day would give you under $10 — and we worked our tails off. We also didn’t get any free or discounted food (except coffee, which I’ve been drinking ever since!), nor did we get a lunch break. They still run that same restaurant the same way today; note: they don’t ‘advertise’ that their servers are unpaid either.
Also, my husband had to get work as a labourer when jobs in his field were non-existant for a while. He made under $7.00/hour (mid-90’s), and they didn’t get tips, and he had a wife and child to support (I was making some money, but even with a higher wage, we still brought home a similar amount — he did a lot of overtime, and I had a lot of deductions). The fact is, does anyone ever really make enough??? And how many are tipped???
And then there’s the whole concept of buying teachers gifts at Christmas and at the end of the year — the expectation that they should have something ‘extra’ because of all the hard work they do looking after Johnny… that’s what thank you cards are for, not spa gift certificates and wine, which many are coming to expect. The articles in the paper in June about how teachers hate getting mugs, for example, just rankles my chain, because they don’t HAVE to get anything, and it’s the thought that counts, right? And, I think they are well paid, considering the 3 months plus, of holidays…
Those are just my pet peeves, but everyone has had their own experiences, and needs to be true to their own values.
Note: I do tend to tip the amount of tax that’s charged on a bill, rounding up to the nearest dollar to be closer to the 15%. And yes, I do get my children’s teachers gifts, but my kids have to make them (ie: a nice beaded Christmas ornament, or cookie mix in a jar, etc.)
August 9, 2010 at 10:38 am
Traveling deep into the southern US states was what made me feel like the worst tipper EVER! Apparently us Canadians are terrible tippers… but on the other hand; it is impossible to beat Southern hospitality…
I would get eyes for anything less than 25%… and we’re talkin’ the Waffle house, not the steak house.
Also knowing what the poor dishwashers make in the back, as most wait staff do a “tip out…” which is mere shillings for these poor kitchen staff.
I have also taken restaurant managers aside and provided a tip solely for the kitchen staff if the food was off the chart.
August 9, 2010 at 10:44 am
I typically give 12-15% for good service. I used to add up the taxes, which came to 14% (I live in MB), but now that the GST has gone down, it’s only 12%, so I usually add up the taxes and give a bit more.
I am one of those people who will easily not tip if the service is bad or even just mediocre. I feel that if your job is to bring me food and drinks and my water glass sits empty, this is poor service. You’re already getting paid to do these things that are necessary for your job. Your tip is something you get based on how well you do them. To me, your wage is showing up and delivering that food/drinks. Doing it well (i.e. bringing fresh water when the glass is near empty, being very friendly, offering suggestions on menu items, etc.) means you did your job very well and made my dining experience more enjoyable, therefore you get a tip.
That being said, my hubby has worked in the food industry behind the scenes and he knows that the tip doesn’t just go to the person you see in front of you – it also goes to the cooks, the dishwasher and so on. So for him, tipping is a given unless the whole experience (including the food) is horrible.
August 9, 2010 at 10:47 am
I tend to tip an amount about equal to the tax. I always do my own math on the debit machine though. My husband is a better tipper than me, he always suggests leaving more.
I had a friend who used to tip at full serve gas stations. She was surprised when the rest of us said we didn’t do that. Does anyone else tip there? (Although there are so few full serve gas stations anymore!)
August 9, 2010 at 10:55 am
ok I don’t know what people are talking about that there’s a “different” minimum wage for servers & bartenders. There’s definitely not. At least not in Alberta. Minimum wage here is $8.80/hr and THAT IS WHAT SERVERS & BARTENDERS MAKE. I promise. I know because I was one.
That said, they’ve assessed that you need to make at least $12/hr to “live” in Alberta. SO IF YOU DON’T TIP YOUR SERVER CAN’T BUY GROCERIES OR PAY RENT.
And I’m with the original poster that said if you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to eat at a restaurant. Before you go out to eat, you have no idea what the service will be like, so you should essentially go in expecting to tip 20% for really excellent service, and then scale down depending on how the dinner actually goes. Not tipping is very rude, especially if there was nothing wrong with the service. Ripping off a college student who’s working the crappy part-time job of bringing you your salad just so you can stay within your household budget is just plain mean.
If you can’t afford the tip, choose a different restaurant. Seriously. Working in a restaurant sucks. The service industry will eat your soul. It’s totally miserable — and that’s mostly because because of customers that treat the staff like garbage and then don’t leave any cash.
As for other services, I usually tip 20% for my hair (but I only get haircuts, never coloring). I know hairdressers generally receive 50% of the cost of the service BUT unless they’ve built up a solid client base, they might not be making very much money. You never know, the person that cuts your hair maybe have only 3 appointments in the day and only make $60 from those without tips. Given how much the service industry sucks (see above!) I don’t think my hairdresser deserves to stand around for 8 or 9 hours for $60. I don’t think my hairdresser does, but some do, it’s hard to start out.
As for the “where does it stop??” people.. oh my god Safeway employees are unionized and make like $18/hr with full benefits. Your server gets nothing because the restaurant treats her like a disposable piece of kitchen equipment — not a person, just a food-carrier-out-er. Why don’t you treat her like a person, because her company certainly doesn’t.
August 9, 2010 at 11:08 am
There are so many people working in Canada for the minimum wage. Like Geoff and others have said, how do we decide which of these workers should be tipped? In essence, they are all working hard and taking lots of crapola from the general public. I tip 10-15% for a good restaurant, before the darn HST is added. I do not tip my hairdresser, but give her a monetary gift at Christmas. I used to get my nails done, but the fill cost $38.00 and magically, the tech never had any loonies or toonies for change, thus ensuring she had a $2.00 tip each time. Needless to say, I have given up that extravagance.
Tipping is personal. I believe we shouldn’t judge how others choose to do this, or to whom. Like I said, how do we choose who should and shouldn’t get it.
August 9, 2010 at 11:12 am
Surprised no one’s brought it up but I detest that many merchants now include a tip option on their debit machines. It really irks me when I buy a pizza and go pick it up myself that I get presented with a tip option. There was no service provided yet I’m being encouraged to give a tip anyway. I always end up questioning myself as to whether I’m being cheap or if this is a cash grab on the part of the vendor. If I’m at a sit-down restaurant, that’s one thing. But tipping at a fast food joint? I find that cheeky and never tip there.
August 9, 2010 at 11:16 am
I tip anywhere on the scale 0%,for crappy attitude….came to the table once in 3 hours cause I was sitting on my arse talking to my boyfriend by text service to 35% for awesome stunning service. I tipped a perfect server 40% at a restaurant and she cried LOL(was a $50.00 tip)
August 9, 2010 at 11:19 am
Tipping can be frustrating. In the past, I’ve sometimes not tipped, not because I didn’t wan to, but because I didn’t realize it was expected. For example, coffee places which serve food, but you pick up the food at the counter and take it to the table yourself. There’s still service involved… the servers have to clean up after you. But I know I don’t tip at tim horton’s which has the same set up. Honestly, it can sometimes cause me some tension, trying to figure out if I’m supposed to tip, and how much.
I tip because I know people depend on it for income. But I would MUCH prefer higher food prices in a no-tipping environment. My standard rule is 12%-15% if nothing is wrong with service. I give less for bad service and nothing if the service is awful. For exceptional service, I can go upto 20%.
For taxi drivers, I generally go higher, because they have a difficult and possibly dangerous job. My fare is usually between $10 to $20, and I usually tip 18%-20%.
August 9, 2010 at 11:36 am
I used to waitress back in 2000-2002 at $5.95/hr. If I worked a closing shift 6:00pm-11:00pm I would be busiest between 6:00-9:30pm and the last hour and a half would be cleaning and tending to the occasional table. I could EASILY make $150-200/night in tips plus wages. If you do the math that is anywhere from $35-$45/hour. Not bad wages at all. The only reason I quit is I could only get 1-2 shifts/week and got hired at a bank full-time making more money/week.
That being said I always tip 15% at a restaurant because I know how it feels to give good service and be stiffed. Some restaurants also require the waitresses/waiters to pay a percentage of their total food sales to the hostess, dishwasher, and bus boy/girl.
August 9, 2010 at 11:37 am
I think the arguement that the you should tip your server because they only make minimun wage is crap..there are LOT”s of jobs out there where the employee only makes min wage but you don’t tip them.. I worked for min wage at the movie theatre, grocery store, video store – and guess what in all of those roles I helped and served people. if you want to make more than min wage you need to get a skill that allows you to get a job where you earn more. Why should I have to subsidize your wage simply because your employer doesn’t pay enough? I went to Univ so i wouldnt always have to make min wage.. People specifically going into the serving business because of all the money they can make on tips-because our society has created this expectation that you have to tip. And don’t forget the majority of people don’t claim all of their tips – I know that there is an amount that they need to claim but do you really think it’s the exact amount that they earned that year in tips?
That’s not to say I don’t tip- but only when it’s good service- just like Gail
August 9, 2010 at 11:39 am
Are you kidding me? Higher for cab drivers. I used to feel sorry for cab drivers and all their tales of woe, until I realized they all live in million dollar houses in the estates part of my neighbourhood. Do you make their jobs dangerous, if yes, then do tip more, but if you’re well behaved why are you tipping more for other people’s bad behaviour?
I tip even less when they just dump my bags on the ground.
August 9, 2010 at 11:41 am
This is a great topic!
Good question about the based-from-home hairstylist. I used one last time I got a haircut and I did not tip, figuring there is no amount being given to a salon and taken away from the hairdresser. I know there is overhead, so maybe it was the wrong decision.
Having worked in the States for a while, I go into the habit of 20%, but pre-tax. No way am I tipping on top of our Canadian mega taxes! No way! Plus, 20 is easier to calculate than 15.
Re: the suggested tip on debit/credit machines, I still do my own math and punch in my own number, but maybe I’m just a control freak, haha.
I have never been a server, so I don’t give giant tips ever, but nor do I ever leave without giving a tip. For me, poor service would still get something just shy of 15%.
Tipping is a cultural thing, in my opinion. I have to admit, I love it when I’m in Europe or South America and I get to skimp on the tip and I don’t care who knows it!
August 9, 2010 at 11:47 am
Hello,
I tip at restaurants, generally 15% using the tax amount on the bill as a guide -provided the service is good.
Does anyone tip the attendents on the plane/train when you buy snacks from the cart?
Also, I am not so clear on tipping at hair salons. For example, during a recent visit 4 people were involved (washed my hair, another cut my hair, then someone else applied highlights, and again rinsed styled my hair etc).
Here is what I did: For a $35 shampoo / cut, no hairdry/style at $35 -> 15% = $5.25 and then for the highlights at $130 -> 15% = 20$ plus $3 each for the two people who washed/rinced my hair. Total tips $31
{Questions: Are you tipping on one’s time at a salon? If so, the cut & highlights were the same amount of time, one just costs more than the other. Am I being cheap if I don’t leave a complete 15% for the perswon who did the highlights?}
Vanity insanity? It adds up – I am looking for ways to cut costs. I am stretching out the time between visits and am looking into other less costly ways to hide the greys!
August 9, 2010 at 12:16 pm
@Natalie: I sometimes have to take cabs at night. There has been violence against taxi drivers in my city. The fact is that the drivers are taking a risk by agreeing to work the night shift, and I depend on them being willing to take that risk in order for me to have transportation. I try to avoid having to take cabs, but there are times when cabs are a need, not a want. If any of my favorite restaurants closed down, I’d be sad but I would make do. If taxi services stopped running, I’d be up a creek without a paddle. I’m grateful to have them! So, yes, I do tip more for taxi drivers.
I do still tip for other people in the service industry. I don’t stiff them. I just don’t tip extra, unless the service is excellent
August 9, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I agree that you shouldnt go to a restaurant if you don’t want to tip. If you want to just pay the list prices on the menu that’s fine…get takeout or better yet speak to management and ask them to pay better wages so no tipping will be required. I find it upsetting that some are name calling and saying others are “entitled” for expressing that tips are very important to servers trying to make a living (some servers even take a loss when no tip is included as they are expected to give a percentage to back end staff). Perhaps you are entittled for thinking someone making minimum wage should subsidize your dining in a restaurant, which is always a luxury purchase.
August 9, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Tipping bugs me to no end.
I once worked at a summer camp in the US. They built their pay structure in an odd (at least to me) way: You were quoted a basic salary plus an amount of “guaranteed tip”, equalling total salary. if you didn’t get that much in in tips, the camp would make up the difference. I think in my case it was 2000 USD basic, plus 600 tips, so 2600 for a summer of work.
It really brought home to me how much we have come to rely on tips to make up the basics. If servers can’t pay their rent without tips, that says something to me, and it’s not “therefore I should tip so they can have a place to live”. We have set up a really screwed up value system if we think it’s okay for an employer to advertise something they can’t really give (exceptionally low prices without hurting their service staff) and expect the consumer to make up the difference to ease their conscience.
August 9, 2010 at 12:30 pm
I dont tip if I get bad service, those working in the sevice industry choose to work the min-wage job mostly because they are good a cust service and make $$$ on tips, if not get out of that industry and work at mc donalds!!
These days everywhere you go there is a tip jar, COMON please you made my chicken wrap at subway. People set prices for their services that they think is fair so if I walk in and my hair cut is 35 bucks then I pay 35 dollars, dont expect me to tip you just because you did a good job if you are expecting a tip then make it 40 for a hair cut. I dont consider my self cheep at all if I get good service at a resturant then I will tip 10-15% but in no way is 15% the new 10% I spent 100 on a dinner and I think an extra 10 bucks is enough considering I was not your only customer
August 9, 2010 at 12:32 pm
I agree that there are a lot of min wage job that are no less hard than waittressing that have no tip. You are NOT allowed to accept tips when working at McDonald’s. The tipping system is silly. I guess that tipping started when some people to spend the extra to get better service or priority. Did you know that some people believe that you should tip your movers? Some argue that it is because they are in the service industry but like others mentioned, not all service industries expect tipping. The system is a bit messy.
I tend to tip 15% for good service but only 5-10% for poor service. Some fancy restaurants expect 20%! I check my bill because I do not want to tip twice.
In the States I can see a different situation in some cases because if you do nor work enough hours, you might not have health care benefits. That sucks! But it is hard to tell who gets what benefit.
Do you tip in cash? Some restaurant owners are nice and will give the complete amount of the tip to the worker even though the owner has to pay a fee to the CC company. Some owners will return the tip after the fee!
August 9, 2010 at 12:38 pm
The fact that servers are paid “less” than the normal minimum wage doesn’t strike me as a particularly compelling reason for getting a tip. After all, servers could, presumably, choose to work for the normal minimum wage (at another job) if they wanted to. (And, of course, that rationale wouldn’t apply to, say, barbers or masseurs, etc.)
In my mind, the compelling reason for tipping is to reward people for providing me with good personal services (be they servers, cabbies, or barbers). If they do their job well (not perfectly, not beyond the call, just well) and are pleasant they’ll get a decent tip, if they don’t or are unpleasant, they won’t (and to emphasize the point I’ve been known to leave a 1 cent tip). In a no tipping environment, you can’t evaluate (and reward) good service. I think of the tips as being sort of un-written social contract between you and the person serving you.
I’m not sure why anyone thinks they should tip at a buffet, timmies or McDonalds, as there really isn’t a service element to those jobs. You’re paying for food, quickly, in a fairly anonymous machine-like process. There’s no personal service element to it, so why would you tip? That’s functionally equivalent to tipping at a vending machine.
August 9, 2010 at 12:40 pm
OK so you feel obligated to tip your waitress. What about the half dozen or so people in the Kitchen. I was one of those back in High School and I cannot remember ever getting any of the TIP money. At the time the difference between what was paid to the Kitchen staff and the servers was minimal and everyone was making close to minimum wage. All of the “you need to tip the waitress so she makes a living wage” infuriates me. A good restaruant relies on good service but service does not matter when the Kitchen dosen’t serve up. I’ve heard the watiress all complaining because of other restaurants in town asking for all the tip money and then disbursing it to all of the staff. Talk about entitelment.
The question is how much to tip. To tell me that I should feel sorry for the waitress and tip more because she is making minimum wage doen’t hold water. It is MY money thank you and I will tip however much I want. I will say that I tend to tip more on a smaller bill than a big one as I won’t tip less than $1 (you can get a sadwich and a glass of water for less than $10) unless the experience is really bad.
One final comment. The restauants that add 15% to the bill because the party is over (some number) of people angers me. Who is getting that extra 15%? I know they label it as TIP. What if the service dosen’t deserve the extra 15%?
August 9, 2010 at 1:27 pm
I’m certain I’ve insulted many a service provider because I just didn’t know it was customary to tip them. That’s what happens when you don’t get out much! But I do always tip at restaurants, and I tip my hairdresser. I will leave a small tip in a hotel room after a stay, but since I rarely stay at hotels (can count on 1 hand the number of nights I’ve stayed in a hotel in the last decade!), it’s not a big deal. I always tip the pizza delivery guy but I don’t tip the Purolator delivery guy… what’s the difference? Should I tip the Purolator guy? There are so many service providers that I’m not sure if I should tip… massage therapists? Newspaper carriers? Coffee shop attendant?
And then there are those in the medical field who aren’t allowed to accept tips, but when a nurse or doctor provides suberb care and advocacy for you or your loved one, I DO want to thank them with a tip – heck if I give a server a tip for paying special attention to me during my dinner at a restaurant, I sure want to give the doctor who gave me special attention a tip too… but that’s not considered acceptable – perhaps a small gift as a token of appreciation instead, but really, what’s the diference?
Ultimately, shouldn’t a tip just be a way of acknowledging superb attention from a service provider? I don’t believe it should ever be considered “salary top-up”.
August 9, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Ummm….I worked at a hotel for several years–and every waiter/waitress that worked there brought in 100 to 200 dollars per shift easily. So they’re looking at $1600 MINIMUM extra cash at the end of each month. 3000 if they have a busy month.
And I’m supposed to feel ’sorry’ for their minimum wage? Yes, I made about 2.50 more an hour than them. That doesn’t even come CLOSE to what they’re making.
Yes, I still tip. And yes, I know not all wait staff make that kind of money–but I resent the concept that I should have to subsidize someone else’s staff with their income–if other people are expected to live on minimum wage with no tips, why are waiter/waitresses so special?
And by the way, a good chunk of those tips would never get taxed, before the tax people tightened their grip. So, a couple of grand TAX FREE every month is a pretty sweet deal.
August 9, 2010 at 1:31 pm
I believe in tipping at restaurants and for getting my hair done. I don’t believe in tipping tons of money because I feel sorry that the server doesn’t make much more than min. wage. Think about it – how many times have you been at a restaurant and had lousy service because the server was given too many tables? In that case if we all just tipped 20% that person would probably be making more per hour than a professional. If you are at a upscale restaurant and the server has just a couple of tables you get better service therefore you tip more (and the meals are probably a lot more as well). Also, what are server’s feelings on elderly patrons who are just on a pension – they don’t make a lot of money so do you feel they don’t deserve to have a nice meal out if they can’t afford an extra $20 for a tip? I think everyone is struggling financially and you don’t tip the receptionist at the dentist’s office because she’s only making $15/hour do you?
I don’t want to sound harsh as I have worked in a restaurant before but all jobs are hard and really why don’t we just tip everyone that we talk to everywhere we go? That would be silly wouldn’t it. I will always tip in a restaurant unless I get awful service and that won’t change I just wish the expectation would change and for people not to feel bad if they can’t afford a tip higher than 10% or even 7-8%. If you think you should be paid more money that what a server makes because you feel its very hard work then I suggest you find something else. Its that simple or as Gail says to people that can’t afford their lifestyles find a creative way to make more money! I’m just trying to be real here I do understand what its like to be a student working for min. wage.
August 9, 2010 at 1:36 pm
The great tip debate rages on.
Personally I see the value of tipping for personalized or exceptional service, I always think of it as a bonus in a similar vein as how most office workers get annual bonuses based on performance.
It is without a doubt cultural as it is most prevalent in North America, that being said in my experience (and in particular in restaurants) North American service is more involved. An example is the fact that most pubs in the UK you order at the bar and basically a busser brings out your food.
My issue is that is has become expected and factored into the wages paid to servers and it loses its impact on service because people feel obligated to pay since they know that the wait staff is getting screwed to a certain point and want to compensate for that.
I know that most restaurants now require that wait staff either pool their tips or share a percentage with the kitchen staff. I am torn as I think the kitchen staff had as much to do with mys satisfaction and should be rewarded but the person waiting the table next to me might be awful and shouldn’t be rewarded. It becomes arbitrary.
I tend to tip on the higher end, % wise, but have no problem giving nothing or next to nothing for crappy service.
August 9, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Tipping bugs me too — I only tip so that I don’t feel cheap and I “feel” pressure from society to tip.
I don’t tip home based business owners — my hairdresser works out of her home and charges $50/cut — it takes her 30 minutes. Therefore, her hourly wage is $100/hour — and I pay cash! Plus, she gets the tax deductions for working out of her home.
I ocassionally tip the business owner if they work out of a location other than their home. Their overhead is a cost of doing business — they are the ones who set their prices for covering their overhead.
Typically, when I use the services of a small business, I will pay cash rather than my credit card. The “merchants” pay credit card merchant fees to the banks to the tune of 2%-5% of the transaction when I use my credit card. Therefore, I try to save them that expense.
Obvioulsy, you’ve got a hot topic, Gail
August 9, 2010 at 1:54 pm
I just have to add one
What about stippers? (LOL a lot)
Just had to do because it is getting serious.
August 9, 2010 at 1:58 pm
@Cas : totally off topic, but to follow up on your point regarding teacher gifts: I’m not a teacher, but a lot of my friends are. They’ve told me that their favourite “gift” is a really personal thank you letter or note from the kid or their family – specifically saying what they appreciated about the teacher (especially where they’ve gone above and beyond for the child or their family). Her point was that it had much more meaning to her than any other “gift”.
My Mom was a teacher and she brought home “teacher” mugs and trinkets – and while she appreciated the thought she felt badly that she had no where to keep these.
August 9, 2010 at 1:59 pm
Because you asked… I tip 10% (after tax) amount at sit-down restaurants for the expected, mediocre service, and higher for very good service. But I top out at $20 tip no matter where I am. I also tend to be stingier at a packed restaurant because I know even if all the tables are only leaving $5, she’s making a extra $20/hour or more! Hard work for good pay!
I had a host of jobs in highschool in college that were minimum wage, and one that was piecework (sometimes way less that minimum, sometimes much more depending on the crop and how hard I worked). I worked hard for my money no matter where I was and always thought about the quality of what I was doing. I waitressed at a high-end resort and at a burger joint too, the first pooled tips and shared them with the kitchen, the other was just a VERY slow restaurant. Either way not a lot of tips came my way. I didn’t learn to rely on it or expect it, I was happy to get my paycheck and knowing I was being courteous, accurate and respectful to all the patrons.
I don’t like tipping. I really don’t. Call me cheap all you want. They agreed to do the job so they SHOULD do the best they can! It’s a work ethic thing more than a money thing for me. Should your retail cashier be rude, sloppy or inacurate just because she’s not expecting a tip? Chances are she’s pulling in minimum wage too.
Hairdressers I have never got in the hang of tipping “properly” I just don’t know what’s expected (or why). Cabbies only get the “rounded up” amount from me, and sometimes that is pitifully small, then again, I’ve only needed a cab 8 times in my life. And as for hotels… the very few times I have been in one I leave a small amount of cash to the housekeeper, nothing extra as I pay at the desk (sorry to stay but they have only been so-so establishments) and have never had the thrill of a bellhop or room service to worry about.
My sister is “one of those”. She leave 30% no matter what because she used to waitress…. I just don’t get that logic. I did too, and so I know what’s really involved with the job, and SO many other jobs have the same headaches for little money (and no hope of tips), the justification escapes me.
August 9, 2010 at 2:31 pm
@ Marie – personally I always tip my strippers.
@ Lily – good point. I was in the UK earlier this year and at the first bar we sat in, we took a table and waited for the waitress. And waited. And waited. Eventually we figured it out; you order drinks at the bar and food at the food bar, and someone brings it out later. Personally I actually preferred the north american style, but when in rome…
August 9, 2010 at 2:52 pm
@ Jen: I also know of many teachers — they might say that they prefer the thank you cards, personal notes, etc, but the comment on the day that they get these is “Do the parents have no idea how much time I put into their little Johnny?”, or, “Do they not know that I deserve liquor after what I went through?” — these comments tend to be more the exception than the rule… I work with them, I hear them; I point it out to them, they will then say “they don’t REALLY mean it”, but they’ve said it, and continue to year after year.
Back to tipping — is the point to recognize good service, to compensate for inadequate wages, or because it’s part of our culture?
If it’s to recognize good service, then you should be able to tip anyone in the service industry.
If it’s to compensate wages, then you shouldn’t be expected to tip business owners, including people who work out of their homes — they have tax deductions and other benefits that employees do not.
If it’s because it’s part of our culture, maybe society needs to rethink it…
The confusion is, why do we tip? And without a well-defined system, we need to do so according to the values that we live with and want to teach our children.
I have to say, that with really bad service, I walk out — if they can’t serve me, acknowledge me in the first 15 minutes of sitting, I leave.
August 9, 2010 at 2:52 pm
I tip 10-15% on average at sit down restaurants. I have on rare occasions left next to nothing for awful service. My hairdresser doesn’t let me tip. If I have to go get my food there is no tipping. In the US servers make at least minimum wage. Some state allow a lower wage for servers with the idea that the tip makes up the difference. The caveat is if the server doesn’t make enough in tips the restaurant has to make up the difference to achieve the standard minimum wage. I find tip jars offensive and it is one way to make sure I don’t leave one. One thing I noticed the other day when I ate out the restaurant had a note in the menu about 18% gratuity for parties of 6+. There was an additional note this could be adjusted higher or lower at the request of the diners if they felt it was required for poor or exceptional service. Personally I would prefer if the prices were raised so tipping was not required.
August 9, 2010 at 3:06 pm
The tip debate is a firestorm for sure.
I think it is an individual decision…whether it is based on your own experience or others you know or just how you feel about it . Why does there have to be a right or wrong way?
We don’t eat out in restaurants very much, but, when we do we tip what the tax is…haven’t eaten out since the HST hit July 1st.
Living in a small community…things here are different. Picture Mayberry RFD.
I’ve been going to my hairdresser for years. She has her salon at home and her fees are not high. She also does my once a month pedi and rubs my feet for a good 20 minutes. I give her a small tip each time that rounds up my bill, but then as I know her so well, I give her a Christmas gift. Last year it was a chocolate house with all the trimmings.
My masseuse – I don’t tip as her fee is equal to the big city and she works from home too. She gets a Christmas gift though – maybe she’ll get a chocolate house this year as she has a two year old and he’d love it.
My chiropractor is wonderful too and I usually bake something for him at Christmas – no tips throughout the year. I give his two receptionists baking too – great gals.
There is a method to my madness. They all treat me VERY well – I reciprocate. They squeeze me in for an appointment – don’t charge for some services – stay late so I can get there – and don’t charge me if I’ve forgotten my appointment (like last Friday at the chiropractor – I have some sugar-free kick*** blueberry muffins with his name on them cause he’s into eating healthy as a thank you for not charging).
We’re heading to the Big Smoke the end of this month and I’ll have to get my tipping chops honed. Yes, I will be leaving a toonie per day on the pillow even though my DH tells me the room and bathroom is the same as the day we arrived – I’m one of those that makes the bed and tidies up.
Back in the day – 1974 – when DH was supplementing his income for our mortgage by working as a bartender – he came home one Christmas Eve with $100. in tips. We were completely gobsmacked and thrilled – that was a huge sum then.
As for teacher’s gifts – my DH appreciated a thoughtful note from the parents in a card handcrafted by the student. Means more than ’stuff’.
August 9, 2010 at 3:46 pm
people keep mentioning that they get paid less than min wage, it is ILLEGAL to pay someone less than the MIN wage that is set up provincially!!!!
August 9, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Forgot. The men down at the garage that service both our vehicles love when I bake…they get goodies and are VERY good to us when making up the bill.
I’ve worked in health care for over 40 years. Have bent over backwards daily for patients to make things easier for them to transition through the system. Tips are not given nor expected (I make a good wage) but, I do have one little older gentleman that once a month brings in a box of chocolates for our staff. They appreciate it. I don’t eat sugar…
August 9, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Not to sound harsh but I’m one of those people that feel if you didn’t do your job right then I feel you don’t even deserve your pay never mind your tip. Honestly, I live in Calgary Alberta (originally from NS) and I have never been to so many restaurants in one city where dumpy, crappy, rude and belligerent waiters worked and had such an air of entitlement to a tip. I shouldn’t tip you for doing your job well, you should do your job well because you get paid to do it. And yes I do understand you make minimum wage, but honestly so does half the country and you don’t see then demanding you give them a tip because their employer is cheap. If you don’t like the wage, get out of the business.
To the person who said “tip because they need the money to buy their groceries” I say if you depend on tips to buy your food, then it’s likely you are spending too much money some where else. People live on less every day. They do what it takes, whether it is have roommates or a second job. So stop complaining and live within your means, or do something about it and get something better.
Since good service is hard to find in this city, I tend to over tip when I find a waitress that is exceptional (25% +). On average, even for your crappy service I will give a 5%-15% tip (depends on what you did to ruin my night). If you were attentive and pleasant you will always get 10-15% tip. I tip more at sushi places because their service is always pristine, I’ve never had bad service at a sushi place.
I tip my stylist 20% when I have the cash, and less when I don’t. Mostly because he does an amazing job on my hair and is a friend of mine. You do good work you get a good tip.
I once left a waitress a 2 cent tip because she spent the whole time I was there flirting with some guy sitting at the bar. After 45mins waiting for my food (when there were only 2 other tables of people) we asked for the bill. After an hour passed (dishes not even cleared), we got up and went up to her to get the bill (I might add we got a dirty look for interrupting her conversation with previously mentioned guy). We almost left without paying at all. But instead we left her a 2 cent tip so she knew 1) That we didn’t forget to tip her and 2) So she knew what her service was worth, nothing. I think it was fair. If you ignore me or treat me badly, you get tipped poorly. Don’t try to bully me into tipping you because you get paid a low wage, take that up with your employer. If you rely on tips to make it through the week, do your job well and don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
BTW those automatic tips you pay for a party over x amount of people is negotiable to some extent. We had that issue once, and the service was really poor. We went and talked to the manager and told him. Not only did the server not get much of a tip, the manager now knew that she was a crappy server. So my advice to those waiters and waitress’s that think even with automatic tipping that you will always get your tip. Think again. If you do a crappy job you won’t get much from me, unless you plan on showing up at my office and giving me a tip for being good at my job.
Also I know a few servers, they make over 50 000 a year and make minimum wage. Since most of that is tips so it is not being taxed. Should I feel bad for someone who makes that kind of cash? I know educated people who make less then that.
August 9, 2010 at 3:59 pm
This is totally off topic. We were invited to a wedding anniversary party with dinner and cocktails included.
The couple had requested NO gifts please.
Do you fulfill this wish or get them something???
I am torn cause it sounds like they have gone all out paying a dinner for everyone just like a couple would getting married!!!
I have never had to deal with this situation before and don’t want to appear cheap lol
Please give me your advice
August 9, 2010 at 4:14 pm
I used to be a very consistent tipper. I would tip at least 15%, and then more if they blew me away with their service.
However, I am now very jaded when it comes to tipping:
New years eve we went to a very expensive and very fancy restaurant in Toronto and had a great meal and great service, but due to a miscalculation, and possibly too much wine, we only tipped 20%. the serve looked at the tip, and then said ‘that’s it?’…..I was embarrassed and appalled.
It was that level of entitlement that made me watch very closely to the actual service I was getting to determine the amount I will tip.
Last night my fiancé and I went for Lunch at Swiss Chalet. It was not busy and our server had our table of two and one other table of two and we waited forever for everything. I just had a soup and a salad while my fiancé was having a full dinner and I asked that he put them in at the same time so we would be eating together, but he did not. I also asked for a roll with my soup and I got it with my salad.
He was very pleasant with us and suggested his favourite entrée but that’s not all it takes to get my money. He still got an 8% tip.
August 9, 2010 at 4:44 pm
For my cabbie, when I take a cab, I usually give them $2 even on a short trip. the reason being is I am usually coming home with many bags: grocery store or Walmart and our cabbies always help carry in my stuff. So for that, giving more than 10% is good for me and them. I rarely have to wait more than 5 mins for a cab when I call.
Restaurant, I usually tip 10% on the total bill. Don’t eat out much, so not much tipping.
The pizza or food delivery guys, I usually give them $2. That will almost get them 2L of gas, or a coffee at timmies in between runs.
August 9, 2010 at 5:03 pm
You know it’s interesting that this post about tipping gets 70 comments, but the post about investing in equities get 9.
And yet investing in equities will in theory be far more lucrative than what we ever pay out in tips (one hopes, anyway).
August 9, 2010 at 5:08 pm
I used to be a bellydancer. [btw This has nothing to do with stripping as I kept my clothes on and also spent hours and hours every week practicing and learning.. ]
Frankly, I didn’t really like the tipping, especially when people made a big deal out of it (ie, if you wave a 20$ bill in front of me, I probably turned and walked the other way)…
I much rather want people to have a good time and laugh and be _there_ with me..
August 9, 2010 at 5:28 pm
@Roxy re the wedding. If it were me, I’d respect their wishes and not buy a gift, but I’d probably make a donation to a charity in their name and in the congratulatory wedding card say that “In lieu of a gift, I’ve donated to the ABC Foundation in your name”.
Just a thought.
August 9, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Thanks for replying Maggie. Thats a great idea!
August 9, 2010 at 5:40 pm
I thought minimum wage was the minimum wage you could legally pay someone…? Do waitresses make less than minimum wage? I don’t understand.
August 9, 2010 at 6:00 pm
@Geoff – I think more of us understand the tip debate and have an opinion as opposed to many of us still trying to figure out investing in equities…or maybe it’s just me
For tipping I will admit to not tipping once and it was my SIL’s idea which made sense…in an empty restaurant with about 6 front staff “working” (talking at the bar) and ignoring us so much that we had to get up and ask them to take our order (after one of them had seated us previously) get up to ask for our one and only refill on beverages and get up to ask them to print out our bill.
In general we tip at least 15% in sit-down establishments and for haircuts. I will say that the min wage discussion/element of this is interesting…in BC there are two levels of min wage. It doesn’t matter your age or education…if you haven’t worked 500 hours (I think that’s the number) you get a lower wage, then bumped up to the regular min wage after the required hours are logged.
Both min wages are pathetic and among the lowest in Canada…and I haven’t made min wage since it was in the 4.25 an hour level…although I haven’t been too far above min wage until the last couple of years and never received a tip for my efforts.
August 9, 2010 at 6:15 pm
@Geoff, I have more uncertainty about tipping than about investing in equities. I know that I currently don’t have the knowlege or personality to invest in equities myself. I feel more comfortable with mutual funds. So even though it’s an important topic, there’s not much to discuss for me.
Tipping, on the other hand, is not as cut and dried, even though it’s not as significant an issue in my life.
August 9, 2010 at 6:49 pm
I really don’t mind tipping in general, but one of the worst places I have ever felt obliged to tip was on the Disney Cruise this past year. We went on Christmas to give our children the complete opposite Christmas as the year before (we were hit by a drunk driver on Christmas day). We pinched pennies to be able to afford it, the kids got dollar store gifts from Santa, and we only brought on enough cash for a couple souvenirs, left our credit card at home so we wouldn’t overspend..don’t drink etc. We kept getting notes to not forget to tip our waiter, head waiter, waiter’s assistant, and our room guy. It was over the top what they did, and we did not expect that great of service…but the problem was that we didn’t have enough to pay them what Disney was saying was the expected minimum amount..10 per day per person including kids (40 times 5 days). Then we found out that Disney gives them nothing except a minimum tip based on all their clients. It was Christmas and I am sure that many people gave them more than the minimum…anyways we gave what we could but they didn’t take debit on the ship either to access more funds. Most of their employees were from all over the world, leaving families at home (phillipines, india) to work solely on tips. Shame on Disney for having a Cruise cost so much, not paying their employees and making me feel like crap!
August 9, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Gail – I tend to tip like you.
As a hair stylist I find the comments very interesting. Stylists rely on tips but don’t expect them. We know alot of clients don’t even know that tipping is done by other clients. Considering how personal a haircut is compared to say a waiter bringing your food – most people tip way more at a restaurant and as a result most food servers make way more than stylists. Most comison stylists have second jobs while they build up a clientele (around 5 yrs) and as the average “life” of a stylist is 5 yrs. you can see how alot give up. Tips can help encourage the talented ones to stay and lack of tips can weed out the untalented. So it is like your vote. We do not stay in the industry if we don’t love it. It is hard on our bodies. It’s also one of the only legal industries that actually allow touching of people without gloves on. I find it hard to hear that some would tip another service – like cab drivers- but dismiss tipping the person who gives them their hair style!
August 9, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Made a mistake on the math
10 for waiter
6 for extra waiter
4 for head waiter
10 for housekeeper
Therefoe 30 per person per day- times 5 days (120*5= 600 in tips!)
August 9, 2010 at 7:08 pm
I always tip, and I prefer 15-18%. I disagree with restaurants that add the tip (especially when the party is less than 6 people). If they add 15% I won’t add any more – regardless of how spectacular the service was, but we have no recourse for bad service if the restaurant has added the tip.
I agree with “Manda(a different one)”; tipping housekeeping.. years ago my daughter worked in housekeeping at a resort hotel and she said that people would tip $10 to the valet to park the car and she would seldom get a tip and if she did it was usually less than $2/day. Somehow this never made sense. We always tip well in the hotel, and if the room was not cleaned properly, we complain appropriately.
August 9, 2010 at 7:24 pm
As someone who works pt in retail at minimum wage, I feel more sorry for fulltime RETAIL workers than anyone in the service industry. If you are good at your job at a restaurant you will rack in the money in tips. Many people are in the restaurant industry because of tips, not because they have dreams of waiting on people.
I do tip, but it depends on the restaurant/the price. If I am at a restaurant that is basically like a sitdown fast food restaurant, I will tip at 10-15%. A more upscale place where the service will be more complex recieves a bigger tip (20-30%). If you do no more than take my order and bring me my food, why should I tip you a large amount? If you have opened wine, poured drinks, delivered bread, ground fresh pepper, checked back to see how the food is….you have done quite a bit of service to make my meal enjoyable.
In Australia, going out is MUCH more than here. But you don’t have to tip. It was ackward at first, but then it just became easier. Making salads at a food court during a working holiday earned me $16 an hour!!!!
If people are interested in this debate, check out this book: Waiter Rant by Steve D – something something (can’t remember the last name). It provides an interesting view on the life of a waiter at a high end NYC restaurant.
August 9, 2010 at 7:28 pm
It is not illegal in the foodservice industry to pay less than minimum wage if liquor is served.
The Canadian Food and Restaurant Association website http://www.crfa.ca
Ontario government maintains minimum wage rate differentials for student workers and liquor servers. As of Mar 31 2010 the wages in Ontario are:
General Minimum Wage $10.25
Students $9.60
Liquor Servers $8.90
“CRFA is pleased the government has recognized the importance of minimum wage differentials and will highlight Ontario’s decision to other provinces considering changes to minimum wage rates.”
This has long been the way it is, like it or not, in the foodservice industry in Ontario.
Gail and others have made valid points regarding tipping in this discussion and all points of view are appreciated.
August 9, 2010 at 8:06 pm
I do tip my hairdresser and take a gift card for Timmies or baked goods to my mechanic because I know they like that and I do really appreciate the service. I have left tips at buffets when I have ordered a drink, I do tip more at breakfast and I have left no tip for really poor service. In general though I leave a 15 percent tip. More of course for great service. I’ve never left a tip for a cabbie because I have never taken a cab
Now I know to think about that if I ever do. Thanks everyone
August 9, 2010 at 8:28 pm
I’ve worked in the service industry for 10 years. You shouldn’t blindly tip based on percentage.
I tip ~%50 at my favourite sushi restaurant. They even pack my “to go” order in tupperware that I brought from home (I’m green like that). The bill is 20$, I’m stuffed and have lunch for tomorrow and I’ve been there 3 hours – the waitress knows my name, I know where she goes to school. $10 is fine for her time and kindness.
I eat out at a nice steak restaurant once or twice a year. I tend to “under tip” when i buy a nice meal. The steak dinner may cost $150. I’ll probably leave $15 if service has been good. I’m sure the server is “mortified” but it’s the same quality and time as the waitress at the sushi restaurant.
I know many people in the industry wouldn’t agree with my tipping based on value not on bill size. Let’s face it, it’s not really in their best interest to agree with me. On a side note, servers at decent chain restaurants make a good wage considering it’s low skill. (Often between $20 and $50 an hour)
August 9, 2010 at 8:30 pm
@Geoff~not so odd to have this many messages about tipping. It is something in everyone’s realm of experience and they have an opinion about it. I’d like to think that a large number of people here have knowledge and experience about investing in equities, but, I fear this is not the case. I know I find it overwhelming and nerve wracking trying to make sense of it all…but then, that’s just me.
August 9, 2010 at 10:27 pm
I haven’t read all the posts yet, but want to put my two cents worth in – Jenn: “the entire cost of the cut is profit??”" guess what? time is money, whether your hair dresser works out of her home or not. Jason – your dinner costs $35 in your restaurant, and you pay the $40 in your jar…doing the math, that $10…” my math says that you tipped $5 not $10, working out to 8.75%, not 14%. Revenue Canada assumes that depending on your profession, you earned a certain $$ amount in tips. You are expected to pay taxes on this assumed income. Working in a Casino, there are tipping and non tipping players. One card player will tip $5 for his free Coke to be delivered in a glass glass, with no straw. He refuses to tip the dealer who helps him earn thousands of dollars, but tips in his own way. Some players will cash out their slot winnings with a ‘loose change’ amount, and even if they won several thousand, requiring an attendant to hand pay, I have seen a 75 cent tip handed over. My favorite was an old fellow who called the waitress back to tip her a nickel for his drink!! All 100+ employees who work at our Casino split our tips based on hours worked that particular day. Those tips balance out our earnings, and are depended on to make ends meet. In fact, tips have at times been discussed in our union negotiations!! Just my two cents worth, gonna go back and read the rest of the posts. I personally do tip when at a fancier place where someone serves me, IF the service makes me feel important, rather than a bother to deal with. My son also worked as a bartender where he was expected to pay the kitchen staff a set $ amount to the kitchen staff of the evening, regardless of whether or not he himself made enough to do so!! A very touchy topic, by the looks of it.
August 9, 2010 at 10:36 pm
@ Catherine – re “I know I find it overwhelming and nerve wracking trying to make sense of it all…but then, that’s just me.”
That’s actually a reason TO comment and ask Gail questions, if I ever heard one.
Also to Charms “I know that I currently don’t have the knowlege or personality to invest in equities myself. I feel more comfortable with mutual funds.”
Depending on your mutual funds, you probably are investing in equities, just through your mutual funds. That’s fine but you should always know what your MER is and what your equity investments are inside your mutual funds.
August 9, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Suzanne:
“He refuses to tip the dealer who helps him earn thousands of dollars”
I thought you were supposed to be impartial when dealing cards… which table is yours?
August 9, 2010 at 10:56 pm
oh my! so much to think about, this tipping blog. i tend to over-tip as i grew up in a tourism-oriented state (nevada). people live off their tips for the most part and the smart ones bank their paychecks. living in california now, i am known by my friends as the biggest tipper but i’m really careful about it. i have no qualms about tipping just a bit for buffet service, and when service is poor. i tend to go a bit overboard when service is great, and will side-tip when that happens. rarely here i’ll admit.
when i travelled the uk i was impressed in scotland. i gave the bartender a tip, which he immediately offered to put in a “charity jar”. he had 5 different jars, each one for a different non-profit charity & let me choose which one i donated to. i thought that was awfully kind. he said he hadn’t accepted a tip in years!
and geoff, yes, many posts here. it was a good read tonight. i don’t have much of an opinion on equities, since i’m such a novice. as already mentioned, tipping touches us all. and from the diverse opinions posted, we all have our own idea and method. for me tipping is quite personal; there is no way to explain my system. i just do as i feel.
and i never feel obligated to leave a tip. shame on those who feel it appropriate to scrutinize the amount of the tip and question it. a tip is just that, a tip. something extra for services well rendered.
great topic gail! and wonderful reminder of the little extras that need to be in my budget.
August 9, 2010 at 11:10 pm
Jason – stylist shears cost hundreds of dollars. We get them sharpened for $25-$35 a time but then after a few times they need to be replaced. Of course there are our other tools like trimmers et… that are always getting replaced too. We understand this is all part of business but it does put a bit of cost to performing a hc at home.
August 9, 2010 at 11:17 pm
I work in a hotel in alberta. I do not fell it is required to tip every person that you see. I whould say perhaps the hotel dinning and salon like you whould elsewhere, but not houskeeping, I do take payment at my specific job and on the credit machine their is a tip part, and I tell my customers to ” please ignore the tip option as it does not pertain to me” and I find that the customers are veary glad when I do tell them that. Also I do not think the hotel whould even take tips for certian jobs. Hopfully that helps.
August 10, 2010 at 1:11 am
@ Crystal: speaking as a former housekeeper at a few different hotels in Alberta, I take exception to you saying housekeepers shouldn’t be tipped. That being said, housekeepers don’t really expect much in the way of tips–but we are VERY grateful when we do get them.
I started tipping my hairdresser a few years back, once I realized that tipping was expected–until then I honestly didn’t know. I was more than happy to since her work was always excellent, and I felt she more than deserved it. I also tip the pizza delivery guys–but not before I check the pizza! Once, I checked it after they’d driven away, and found both of them squished to the side with all the toppings sliding off…obviously it had been tipped/dropped. Not impressed with that one.
I tried to tip at McDonald’s once, and she pushed it back and said they weren’t allowed to accept tips. She looked almost shocked and offended by the money…?
I know the waitresses at a bar I worked at HATED the VLT machines in the bars–they complained that they spent too much time constantly making change for people, and that people rarely tipped for that. Funny–I guess when you get used to getting a tip for almost every service you perform, you just come to expect that you should get tips on everything you do. They also disliked the VLT players because they tended to drink less while they gambled, therefore giving them less tips.
I don’t take cabs, so I have no responsed to that one. And I’ve never, ever had a separate shampooer, hair stylist, and hair colorist, so I wonder what amazing salons would have these things?
Also, it’s customary to ’send a beer to the chef’ if you’ve enjoyed an exceptional meal–a nice way of letting the guys in the back have a little something. (at least in our local town).
Of course, my parents don’t understand the concept of tipping–living their whole lives in a small rural farming town, it simply isn’t a custom there.
August 10, 2010 at 1:47 am
I wasn’t sure I wanted to post because I have some pretty strong feelings about tipping. The sense of entitlement absolutely floors me. I do tip when service is good and don’t when it is bad. I don’t stay home when I can’t afford to tip well because that, too, is just silly. I have earned my money, I can spend it however I like.
I am a nurse. I work long hours and am paid pretty fair. No one tips me when I help save a life or bring someone their pain killers or a glass of water or make their bed or give them a bath/shower… that is expected of me and I do it to the best of my ability. I knew the job when I signed up.
Telling me that there is the minimum Revenue Canada assumes you are making and taxes you on doesn’t break my heart. Last I heard, it was around $1000.00/year. (it might be much different now but…) When my ex-sister-in-law came home from her serving job and made almost as much money as I did IN TIPS ALONE, and is only taxed on $1000.00??? I didn’t feel so sorry for them after that.
Too, if making minimum wage isn’t doing it for you, find something else… go to school… get a 2nd job like many people have.
Sorry, I just get so frustrated about people telling me I HAVE to tip… no matter what.
August 10, 2010 at 2:40 am
Wow! 93 comments! The most of seen in this blog…
My hubby use to work in restaurant for his for job. Which he peeled potatoes and he never got tip..
I think the tip thing has gone silly. The coffee shop tip cup. Right at the till which ur change can go in there instead of pocket. When I was going in for hot choc. drink in winter time. I was useto of the give penny and leave a penny bowl. That I once picked out the tip cup to make my right change and the gal showed it was a tip cup instead. That I looked at her shooked that I have to wait around the counter to get my treat and not served it.. Why should u get a tip?
I don’t tip my hairstyler since I don’t have a regular one and they always want to staighten my hair instead of what I want it, never that great service and just because it’s long hair ur going to charge me $10 more?? What’s up with that? Their always trying to sell hair products and color hair but get haircut over with..
My hubby tips his barber but it’s been going up since 2003 that when it was at $15 he got like $5 since guys would give them a green bill. Than as it reach to $20 smaller tip. Now it’s $20 and guys seem to give $2 tip.
Restaurants the services has to be good the moment u walk into the door. Since ur not cooking at home.. I go to this one for breakfast which the food is delicious but service sucks for refills and every time u gotta ask for the receipt to pay. Which is stupid! That one time we almost wanted to walk out without paying since ours dishes were empty for a loooong while.
Our rule of the thumb is every $10 gets a $1 tip!!
Also I don’t get when the cook can’t have the food hot served or that he and server serves the food partly burnt… Also get a laugh when someone else serves ur food and they don’t know who’s plate it is.That personal service has gone under.
I don’t understand why u would have to tip at a hotel when now there extra fee on top of taxes and room.. Which I don’t stay at them that much!
We don’t like the tip on the machines when they first came out but it’s understandable now. Since not many carry cash around with them.
Here’s a laugh…. we once paid with the machine and the waiteress was soo excepting a tip off the machine. When she saw that there was no tip.. She didn’t act too happy about it and didn’t say thanks to happy.. But how do u know theres a tip waiting for u on the table. We felt like we should walked bac to the table and give it to someone else…
Here’s a THOUGHT… Why can’t a construction worker get a tip for a well job done?
Is it because his bill is hundreds of dollars? Their wage hasn’t gone up much since minimiun wage has gone up alot over 20 years..
It’s understandable kids who r just getting into work force should get less than minimiun wage since they are living at home and have no responsibles of living… There are lots of adults out there that are getting minimum wage and look at all those years they put in for experience…Adults probably can get more done in a hour since they understand the ropes of working…
August 10, 2010 at 2:53 am
Marie – I am very impartial, and also – very hard to win money off of! I guess we come to expect it, that at the end of the night, a player will leave their 50 cent chips (won off of blackjacks) as a tip. While this may not seem like much, it is the thought that counts. We have ‘put up’ with players insulting us when we make our hands, accusing us of cheating, swearing, being drunk and belligerent, and so on. I know that comes with the territory of the job, but think about it – would you accuse your grocery store teller of being a thief because prices are higher this week than last? Then, to make up for those players, someone will bet a $5 chip on 3 card poker for the dealer, hit a straight flush and that $5 just turned into $200!! I once earned over $300 in tips in less than 20 minutes, but that was once in four years!! Or, the icing on the cake, the poker player who won a huge pot wants to meet you in the parking lot to give you $5 so you don’t have to ’share’. I am licensed by the Government, and that scenario is grounds for dismissal, and loss of license, as well as future employment in this field. A waiter can ignore a table of poor customers, I am stuck at my table, and at the mercy of whoever approaches me. For those of you who say – get another job, get realistic! I have 3 diplomas and am not using any of them because no one would hire me in those fields at my age! We all do what we can, where we can, and there needs to be changes made at the provincial level to balance out wages better. On another note, our local paper featured a local waiter who traveled two months out of every year to some foreign country, using only his tips. Glamorizing the waiting profession with these articles has many a young person expecting to make as much money ‘on the side’. This waiter had 10+ years experience, and a loyal customer base. My nephew works at a small city Boston Pizza, and banks his paycheques, living only on his tips. It’s all relevant, we’ve all had excellent/crappy service, and our resulting emotions from the experience will dictate how we react. My son took me out for a birthday supper, costing about $30, and tipped up to $40, because our waitress ‘was hot”, but that did not reflect on her service, which was adequate, or the food quality, which was basic. It also didn’t get him her phone number, lol…..
August 10, 2010 at 3:04 am
Just for the record, our tips are dropped in a locked box at the card tables, counted and calculated by management, and added to our paycheques, so we pay taxes on them biweekly, instantly. I believe that last year my tips totaled approximately $3,000, which realistically works out to $1.54/hour. For every dollar tipped, I get about a penny. Our tips are also shared by maintenance, cleaners, and computer techs. I wonder if Gail had any idea about this can of worms…..
August 10, 2010 at 3:08 am
it all seems so complicated!
I’m glad I live in Australia where the most I’ve ever tipped or been tipped was the change so a $47 bill would mean a $3 tip.
August 10, 2010 at 9:57 am
When my husband was working as a full time hairstylist he did really well in the tip department…BUT his clients were treated top notch…he would go to them if they were very ill, he went to the hospital to give many people their “last” haircut…literaly…you’d be surprised at what was important to folks as they are breathing their last…he even went to the mortuary once because he had a client that really wanted her hair styled by him for her wake!…when our son became diagnosed with autism at a year and a half we joined a whole new world…that’s when we learned about autistic individuals and their sensory issues, so my husband was the go to person for a child with autism who needed a hair cut…during this process many times he would get bitten hit scratch vomitted on etc…and he would go to their house if coming to the salon was too much…he never charged for any of this…so if someone tipped him he deserved it…he gave ALOT and he provided an exceptional service that to this day (more than 3 years after he had to quit work) people still phone and ask if he will do their hair…he always says no, if he was well enough to cut hair he would be back at the salon…the level of service he provided was indeed worthy of a tip, but if he didn’t get one he didn’t change the level of service he provided…we relied alot on those tips…they furnished the nursery from top to bottom when we were expecting our first child…they paid for fun things and necessary things…and yes we claimed them on our tax returns…so, if you get great service give a tip (which by the way doesn’t have to be money…if I have a great Nurse I might send flowers, or candy…if my kids have a great teacher then gift cards are nice, if the doctor goes above and beyond then a nice gift basket is well rec’d…you get the idea)…even at the bank I work at we are constantly enjoying a box of donuts or homemade cookies etc from a happy client…my husband didn’t just get cash tips…there were gift cards, alcohol, baking, cooking, tshirts, books etc…do what is right for you
August 10, 2010 at 11:09 am
I provide just about anyone who provides good service with a tip — yes, this means that I will tip a cabby, a hairdresser, a waitress, a florist, and on and on. I do not provide the friendly car salesperson with a tip — his commission is his tip. I may leave a small amount more for exceptional restaurant service if there is already 15% included.
My reason is that there are so many variables that we may not know of: some service workers get less than min. wage in some provinces (thankfully not mine); some waitresses have to share their tips with the host and kitchen staff; how much is cab insurance, licenses, permits (I don’t know!); an at-home hairdresser does have to pay the mortgage on her house, her time is worth something and those shears are PRICY, don’t forget about the time afterwards to clean-up your hair — so if I tried to account for all these unknowns when tipping someone I’d spend an hour trying to calculate it “fairly”, so I try the KISS method (Keep It Simple) — good service means a good tip
And I know what I’m going to tip BEFORE I get to the debit machine.
August 10, 2010 at 11:09 am
@Geoff, just to clarify, I am aware of which equities are in my mutual funds. I meant I’m not comfortable investing in equities directly, by myself. I don’t yet have the skill to do so.