I've always considered myself an above-average tipper. Unless a waiter/waitress dumps my plate of food in my lap, they can usually count on at least a 15% tip. Although nobody tips me for doing my job, I figure what the hell? If I can afford to go out and pay for a meal or a drink, I might as well splurge and fork over a few more bucks for my server. I know it looks tacky, but I've been known to whip my PDA out of my purse to figure up the tip. It was much easier to figure out the tips when our sales tax was 5% - you just had to multiply the tax times three and then you'd have your 15% tip. Now that our sales tax is 6% it's a bit harder for someone mathematically challenged like me. When I go out to eat with Stacy, I usually rely on her to tell me how much to tip; I don't embarass her by getting out my PDA or calculator. We went to lunch the other day, and being in a happy mood over our upcoming trip to Graceland, I picked up the check. I looked at the total and started to ask her how much she thought I should leave for a tip, when something on the check caught my eye: there in smaller print just below the total of the check, was "18% tip" and the actual dollar amount, an exact 18% of the total of the bill. It wasn't an approximate amount, rounded down or anything; it was figured down to the exact penny.
As I said, I don't mind giving a 15% tip, or sometimes more if the service was outstanding, but a restaurant telling me how much to tip is just out of hand. We love this restaurant; it's one of our favorite places to dine, but we were blown away when we saw the bill with the tip amount printed on it. I wonder what's going to be next? Will churches start printing an amount of a suggested donation on the bottom of the Sunday morning bulletin? As treasurer at our church, maybe that's something I should think about.
2 comments:
I too, am amazed that patrons are subject to an auto tip mandated by some restaurants even before service and quality is assessed. What use to irk me when traveling on business was the exorbitant 25% room service fee that was added to room service. I was never sure if the hotel worker received any proceeds from this and would usually provide an additional tip upon delivery to the server. It is my impression that leaving a gratuity should be the patron's option contingent upon the quality of service and product received. Call me cheap but I tend to avoid inside dining at restaurants that impose mandated auto gratuity and choose carryout instead. Puddin, what is the proper protocol for tipping the newspaper carrier? Although they are considered independent contractors, I certainly think that their faithful service in the early morning hours amid harsh weather conditions is deserving of tipping even though I have never seen my carrier. Also, with the mail carrier, I know they are prohibited from accepting a cash gift so is it acceptable to provide a gift or restaurant card for their loyal uninterrupted service?
I agree with you, MP - I will usually get carryout if possible and then not have to deal with tipping. We pay enough for carryout food these days, and I don't feel it's necessary to tip the bartender or hostess/host for bringing a bag of food to me. I will be addressing the subject of how much to tip tomorrow in the weekly TWIT feature, Link Of The Week. In the meanwhile, here's some info about how we can show our appreciation to our postal workers.
Mail Carrier: As a government employee, postal workers are prohibited from accepting cash gifts or gifts valued over $20. However, a small gift valued under $20 is fine (ex. cookies, chocolate, gift certificates). Wine is not a good option since carriers cannot have any alcohol in their vehicles. Better yet, write a letter of appreciation on behalf of your carrier to the postmaster
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