[N/A] Do people not Tip Anymore?

[Zeldman]

I always tip a $5 at airports (not at home as I use the self service). I was amazed at the great service I got when I first started. I asked several linepeople after I did it and they said that they are used to getting nothing.

Don't forget the line guys. A few times when I didn't have cash I would send a pizza over, making sure my N number was on the box.

They will remember you.... one way or the other...

 

[Ghery]

Brave man! Do you ever eat at the same restaurant more than once?

I eat (heck, go to) in Seattle as little as possible. It just isn't high on my list of places to inflict upon myself.

 

[SoCal RV Flyer]

I find it annoying that there seems to be pressure to increase the percentage of the tip at restaurants, etc. Uh, no.

As food gets more expensive, the wait staff gets more money at the same percentage. High concept, I know.

That said, I'll usually go 20% for a typical restaurant, but my favorite airport-based diners get 30%. More bacon, please, with a Lipitor and a stent on the side!

 

[Rogue_Ryder]

Myself, I would have gotten the change (hopefully two 5 dollar bills) and then offered the tip. I am guessing the worker also was the owner. I appreciate owners that work their own business.

And yes, I tip linemen at the airport. They do remember me. I make sure to carry a pocket full of 5 dollar bills just for that.

Restaurants, 10 to 15% unless the wait unit does something really spectacular for us.

10% That's insultingly low. The difference is the Lineman makes at least minimum wage at least $7.25/hr (probably a couple bucks more) while a server might only get paid $2.13 per hour, if everyone tipped just 10% service would be atrocious, 15-20% is more the norm for tipping a server and that's why generally you receive good service at most eateries.

If someone working a retail/service oriented job does stuff right during normal hours and working conditions then I will say thanks and am appreciative of the good job which is seemingly very rare these days. If someone goes out of their way to help like staying after hours or like the OP's experience fixes the tire in the pouring rain then heck ya they get a tip either a few extra bucks or if a 6 pack of beers.

 

[Sluggo63]

They are pretty unanimous in their opinion that the older the clientele, the smaller the tip is going to be.

One kid works at a local diner and told the story that when big group of old people comes in they flip a coin and a loser has to wait on them because they know the tip will be very little or completely nonexistent. just one more reason to be embarrassed of my generation. And honestly, I think a lot of the responses in this thread confirm.

But that’s not what the data say:

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/worst-tippers-survey.php

 

[Justin M]

My wife snickers because I'm a big tipper. I believe that tipping helps those who are struggling to make ends meet. 20% and then round up to the nearest dollar, more if the service is special. Of course, I live near NYC, if the wait person acknowledges my existence and does not imply it is a burden on them, that's special. Every so often one runs into great service, and I wonder "Where did they find you? Do they know how fortunate they are? I hope you find a place that appreciates you!"

 

[Grum.Man]

I don’t get the tipping of line people. Are you asking them to do something out of the ordinary?? They are usually more of an annoyance to me than a help. They are literally paid to pump gas and park planes. Are they armoraling your tires or waxing your spinner while you wait??

 

[flyingron]

I'll correct one misconception: The etymology of tip is not an ACRONYM. Words that date from before the mid-twentieth century are almost never are. The assignment of Tip/tips, golf, news, posh, sir, etc... to being acronyms is a quaint bit of "folk" etymology.

The use of tip meaning gratuity dates from the eighteenth century and while the original etymology is unclear, it is largely attributed to tip being a "light tap."

 

[Jim K]

I don’t get the tipping of line people. Are you asking them to do something out of the ordinary?? They are usually more of an annoyance to me than a help. They are literally paid to pump gas and park planes. Are they armoraling your tires or waxing your spinner while you wait??

I don't often tip outside of restaurants, in fact I go out of my way to avoid valets, bellboys, etc. who would expect a tip, but if someone goes above & beyond, I'll do it. For example:

In Tennessee, we were going to get an Uber, but they offered to drive us to the hotel in a crew car, and picked us up the next morning, as well as calling and getting the room for us at a reduced rate. They probably saved me about $50, so I tipped the guy who drove us $10. I still wonder if that was enough, but he seemed genuinely surprised and appreciative.

On the same trip I gave $5 to the young guy in Georgia who helped us load our bags onto the golf cart, tie down the plane in the dark, and drove us to the front door of the hotel. It wasn't a big deal for him to do, but he was super friendly and upbeat. Again super surprised and appreciative.

I viewed that as paying it forward to the next pilot, as I I won't be back to either of those places soon enough for them to remember me, but I hope they treat everyone as well as they treated me.

 

[Tarheelpilot]

I don’t get the tipping of line people. Are you asking them to do something out of the ordinary?? They are usually more of an annoyance to me than a help. They are literally paid to pump gas and park planes. Are they armoraling your tires or waxing your spinner while you wait??

I always tipped the line guys when they serviced the lavatory. that was mess...

 

[Sluggo63]

I'll correct one misconception: The etymology of tip is not an ACRONYM. Words that date from before the mid-twentieth century are almost never are. The assignment of Tip/tips, golf, news, posh, sir, etc... to being acronyms is a quaint bit of "folk" etymology.

The use of tip meaning gratuity dates from the eighteenth century and while the original etymology is unclear, it is largely attributed to tip being a "light tap."

In Germany a tip is called “Trinkgeld.” Literally “drink money” and was historically given to barmen and waiters and waitresses for them to get themselves a beer at the end of their shift.

 

[Pugs]

Group of five of us went to a local German restaurant after work Tuesday. A couple of appetizers, beers and dinner and the waiter added a 20% tip to the bill. I've never seen the tip added in for that small a group before. Perhaps he knew his service wasn't really that great?

 

[wayne]

I don’t get the tipping of line people. Are you asking them to do something out of the ordinary?? They are usually more of an annoyance to me than a help. They are literally paid to pump gas and park planes. Are they armoraling your tires or waxing your spinner while you wait??

For when they help us carry luggage, or get the rental car. Or better, when they have the rental car blasting AC on a hot day so the car cools down before we hop in.

Not if they just park us and check to see if we need fuel.



Wayne

 

[Grum.Man]

I usually have 1 bag and an Uber so I guess I am not taking full advantage of the services they could provide.

 

[Bill]

I tip 20% at restaurants, and double that if it's a holiday. As for line guys, if they go above the normal marshaling into a spot, they get a tip. The ones who have my rental car beside the plane by the time I'm shutdown get a big tip. Other than that it varies based on service.

 

[NealRomeoGolf]

Group of five of us went to a local German restaurant after work Tuesday. A couple of appetizers, beers and dinner and the waiter added a 20% tip to the bill. I've never seen the tip added in for that small a group before. Perhaps he knew his service wasn't really that great?

Interesting. Half the time in Germany if they let you use a credit card there is no way to add a tip. And they find leaving cash on the table tacky. So then I leave nothing. Kinda feel bad.

 

[Larry Vrooman]

I worked as a waiter in high school and with tips I made more money per hour on average than I did in either of my first two post college professional jobs. Being a good waiter is as much managing people as it is providing good service.

One of the downsides is that wait staff usually make a base wage that is a lot less than minimum wage on the premise that tips will make up for it, and for the most part it does. However, if you are honest and report all those tips, toward the end of the pay period you'll find yourself assigned to a dead shift while a low performing waiter or waitress gets the prime shift in hopes that they'll earn enough in tips that the company won't have to make up the difference to bring them up to minimum wage. Another downside is that some restaurants try to reduce payroll costs by requiring wait staff to split the tips 50/50 with the bus boys, who don't actually do much, especially if the wait staff is good about pre-bussing the table.

Consequently, I try to always carry cash so that I don't have to tip on the card receipt and leave a record of it. And, whenever possible, I give the money directly to the wait staff as a gift. Legally, a tip has to be reported, while a gift (at least a gift under $12,500 per year) does not.

 

[James331]

I default 20% or zero, but I’m easy, keep my drink full, don’t screw up my order and be friendly, that’s about all I ask.

I did go out tonight for a bite, got the check and right as I was about to write the tip I noticed it said “additional tip”, they actually automatically changed me for like a 10%ish tip, well that’s all they got.
If they would have not done that they would have had twice the amount, get greedy, go broke

 

[schmookeeg]

I hear the "$2.13 base wage" justification a lot, but the servers at home in Portland make a BASE of 12.50/h and still get sh^tty if tipped less than 15%

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipped_wage

I'm betting any server would, given the choice, prefer $2.13/h + tips instead of what any other entry level job is making in that state.

I hate tipping and would love to go Mister Pink forever, however, I don't want european levels of disinterest from servers either, so I think our system is still "sucks least" status.

 

[Sluggo63]

I don't want european levels of disinterest from servers either, so I think our system is still "sucks least" status.

Thats a double edged sword for sure. Nothing worse than having a nice dinner with good conversation and the server just drops the check with your entree. I get they’re trying to turn tables, but come on...

I like that in Europe, if you have a reservation, that table is basically yours for the night. And it’s ready when you get there. I hate showing up to a US restaurant at the time I had a reservation for and then having to wait 30+ minutes to be seated because someone else is at the table. In Europe, you’ll see restaurants with “Reserved” signs on them everywhere, just sitting empty waiting for the diner. I have gone in to eat at places solo, before the dinner rush and was seated at a “reserved” table with the caveat that I had to leave before a certain time so it could be cleaned for the actual customer with the reservation.