The timing of this post is a little ironic . . .
I'll try to make a long, convoluted story short and sweet (which is not really possible for me). When I schedule lunches with my doctors, I use a delivery service to pick up the food and take it to their office. Today's delivery was a very uncharacteristic 20 minutes late.
When the driver finally showed up, I could tell that she was flustered and very upset. It didn't bother me that she was so late since the doctor was running late as well - but she kept apologizing anyway.
But I thought she was about to break down and start crying when she realized that, in her haste, she had charged my credit card incorrectly and had essentially given herself a 25% tip. Knowing that correcting the charge on my credit card would be more trouble than it's worth, I told her not to worry about it and just keep the extra $$.
At this point she actually did break down and start to cry!
"I should have just called in sick this morning! I went to pick up your food and then my car wouldn't start. And when it finally did I raced here so you're food wouldn't get cold but then I got pulled over by a cop who gave me a ticket and now I've charged you too much and I know you're one of our best customers and I don't want to make you mad!"
I swear that she said all of that with one breath!
Since it's so unbearable for me to watch someone cry I gave her a hug and a big smile and told her to go home and watch some Oprah - that got her laughing a bit.
I'm not saying that over-tipping will make people happy, but at least it lets them know that it's completely understandable to have a bad day every now and then.
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Kelly says that sometimes I can be too generous of a tipper.
I think it goes back to when I waited tables in Abilene - I remember what hard work it was just to get an extra buck.
Some guy would come in and play Dr. Pepper Derby (meaning he would ask for a refill every other minute) and then leave a crumpled up dollar bill on the table and actually have to nerve to say on his way out, "Now don't spend that all in one place!"
"I hope all that Dr. Pepper makes you pee in your pants!"
I did get some pretty interesting tips while waiting tables:
But I never know how to tip the kids at Sonic. Do you tip them or not?
And what about the waiters who bring you your food curbside when you're ordering to go? Do you tip them the same as you would if they were serving you inside?
Here's a little insider tip on how to handle a waiter with a bad attitude: Pay with a credit/debit card and where it says "Tip" on the receipt write "Not with that attitude." At the end of the night the waiter will have to turn in the receipt and his manager will see it. If he doesn't turn the receipt in then he'll show up short and have to pay for your meal out of pocket.
I saw a guy get fired because someone did that to him!
So I don't mind giving a couple extra bucks if the service was what it should be. But if things go bad don't even try blaming it on the kitchen with me!
It's rarely the kitchen's fault!
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Which best describes you as a tipper?
Total Votes: 22
"You want a tip? Don't forget to floss!": 0% (0 votes)
2 shiny nickels: 0% (0 votes)
15%: 36% (8 votes)
15% plus a buck or two - they're working their tail off!: 63% (14 votes)
7 comments:
Over here in California I've noticed it's more like 18% to 22%.
And I've seen dirty looks from staff for leaving "only" 5% to 10% on takeout orders.
It's gotten ridiculous, and like you I worked as a waiter myself Wade.
Better yet, how'bout working as a personal travel guide, 24-7, and barely peeling $5 from someone after spending 14 to 23 DAYS with them.
Ouch.
When I worked as a valet people would drop $5, $20, even $50 for 30 seconds of service.
Strange stuff that tipping business.
I usually give a big tip, when I was content with a waiter. If I wasn't, I just leave it and spare the tip for the next nice one :-)
(Maybe this explaines anonymus' 50$ tip - you were the first nice one after months of disappointment...)
Once I went to a very expensive restaurant with a friend and we had been sent to try the service seeing, if we could use it for a Christmas Party with important customers (30 persons in total).
The service was that horrible (at the end five tables wanted something more to drink, desserts, the paycheck and so on and the waitress was still flirting with the barkeeper and ignoring all tables for at least 20 minutes).
We did not use that restaurant for the customers. I thought about sending a fax to the boss, but I was afraid he might fire the waitress and that was nothing that I wanted to have caused...
I only get problems with the hairdresser. There is no real "rule" for that in Germany. You give a tip, if you liked the service. But how much? And how to do it when paying Euro Card (this way the money will go to the shop, not to the hairdresser herself)? And you're not supposed to tip the boss - so how am I supposed to know who's the boss??
My main "rule" is, that I always try to be friendly (if the other one is too) and never impatient...
Helen
I am usually a generous tipper, but I do not tip Sonic people or pizza delivery people. The pizza place down the street charges a $2.00 delivery charge plus a $10 minumum order (which isn't that bad unless you are ordering for yourself when the hubby is out of town). I tipped the guy not knowing about the delivery charge. Ugghhh!
OK, I feel as though I have to defend myself.
"Kelly says that sometimes I can be too generous of a tipper."
I think I'm a fair tipper. 98% of the time I tip the standard 15%. If it's exceptional service, I'll add in extra. If it's horrible, terrible, embarassing service, I'll tip 10%.
My issue is that Wade almost always tips 20%+. I'm just trying to be generous while also watching our own pocketbook. Do I sound like a scrooge or what??
Hey Anonymous (Butch?),
I don't feel as bad for tipping less on take-out orders because they'll turn several of those out during the course of the shift whereas there are only so many tables you can wait on at a time. 5-10% actually sounds reasonable to me.
I've always wondered how much a valet could make - it seemed to me that they could have a good night if they are working a $$$ restaurant or club.
You should write a book on proper tipping etiquette!
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Hey Helen,
The waiter/waitress who is blantantly neglecting a table is a tough one to deal with. I'm afraid the grumpy old man in me is becoming more and more difficult to keep silent in such situations.
Kelly is Mrs. Anti-Confrontation, she hates it when I complain. When I do, I try to be calm and reasonable (eventhough inside I may be raging mad!). I've always felt like it's important for an establishment to hear feedback - both positive and negative.
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Hey Shannon,
I agree with not tipping when a service charge is already applied. What I hate about it is when they don't tell you that you've already been charged gratuity and just let you add additional tip without realizing it.
That's wrong!
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Hey Babe,
No need to defend yourself - I was just stating that you often comment about how much I tip!
The point to my post was that I tend to over-tip because I can relate to the hard job that the waiter has and I often personalize it with the experiences I had as a waiter.
Thanks all for stopping by,
W
Wade,
I don't feel bad about not tipping enough on a takeout order as much as I'm upset that the server feels shorted instead of grateful.
I tend to over-tip for the same reason you do. Though there was this one time in New Orleans I instructed a group of 10 travelers not to tip a penny. Everything was abhorrent, just terrible.
The waiter kept bringing drinks to us that had bugs in them. Ugly little two-headed monsters with big fangs, that sneered at us as they swam backstroke past the ice cubes!
We left, stepping out onto Bourbon Street and the guy ran out after me, bumped chest-to-chest, and threatened to fight.
It was a wake-up call for a new guide, a little lost, a little confused, running behind during his first trip to the Big Easy.
I was wary selective about where to dine after that.
We should have probably walked out without paying for the meal but... I was wrapped up in trying NOT to cause a path of trouble, while traveling across the country.
You know, there were certainly times when I felt like I was under-tipped but I never thought about chasing the guy down and picking a fight!
What's gonna happen? If I kick his butt (which is highly unlikely!), is he gonna cry Uncle! and give me a $5 bill?
People who try to pick fights deserve to get whooped simply because of their neanderthal and barbaric way of thinking.
But that's just my opinion!
W
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