sassisusan

Your waitress usually makes about 2.50 per hour, out of that all of her social security taxes and federal and state taxes are collected. At the end of the week her paycheck is usually about 1.49. When you tip her, she has to give 10% of that tip to the busboy who cleans the tables, 1-3% to the bartender who made your drinks. Then she has to put a smile on her face when people are arrogant or nasty and smile when someone gives her 5 dollars for a 150 dollar check. Let me make the 15 percent easier, calculate 20% like I do the math is easier and you can help our another human being.

PFKMan23

That depends on the state in which she lives/works in. Not all states are like that. Moreover, not all tips are pooled.

fly2nrt

How is any of that my problem?

emma69

So she gives other 13% of her tip. By your maths she still keeps 87% of her tip. As you state that 'all of her social security taxes and federal and state taxes are collected [out of her hourly wage check] then she is making a pretty healthy amount of money. No one pays me extra cash each day on top of wages.

jackal

She goes to her manager and says, "I just got stiffed by a table." The manager's response? "Provide better service."

But what if she didn't do anything wrong?

Stealing money from perfectly good servers is not the right way to end this practice. It just hurts innocent people.

anat0l

Failing to tip is not stealing!

It may not be socially acceptable but it is not stealing. Stealing is an offence which could have you thrown into jail. In fact, if you were a server who was stiffed and you accused the customer of stealing from you, you most probably would face some consequences, some of them perhaps legal.

I respect that you still value the tipping system but let's be clear about this - not tipping may not be socially acceptable but it is not stealing (theft).

Kettering Northants QC

Paying 15% on food may not be unreasonable - paying someone 15% on overpriced wine (already marked up 4-5x retail price) I think is.

When it's suggested I tip I try to work out what a reasonable salary for that job in that location is and then work out what a per task tip rate might be suitable - not a precise science but help avoids the situation where you are being taken for a ride. At JFK for a porter to wheel luggage about 50 yards the forum experts elsewhere suggested a tip rate that conservatively worked out that my porter would make over 100,000 pounds a year.

seanthepilot

I am not against tiping.

Your point is EXACTLY the essense of this thread.... i ^ ^ ^

Fredd

Something we've experienced more than once when cruising with family is handing over our baggage to a porter when boarding. The tips are "optional" but we shudder to think what might happen to the luggage on its way to the ship if the tip isn't forked over. IIRC one or two cruise ports in the U.S. have even outlawed tipping for that reason.

We roll our own luggage aboard - the tipping of course is only one reason. If you've ever seen the piles of a luggage on a typical cart during embarkation or disembarkation, you're going to try to avoid it.

youreadyfreddie

Wait--there's a porter at a US airport that will still wheel luggage 50 yards?

thedoorchick

I once had a porter on a cruise embarkation be unbelievably rude to me. No way he deserved a tip and I would have happily stiffed him except I knew all too well that he had and would use the power to make my suitcase disappear.

That was years ago; I now carry my own luggage on board same as the above. Tips are the least of my reasons for doing that but definitely among the reasons.

idriveuride

Write your Congressperson and ask that the Minimum wage exception of the food industry be eliminated.

Unfortunately, the staff would not be happy as they can make BANK on tips; and, restaurants cannot afford to pay high hourly wages to retain quality staff. Work hard, get paid well is the motto.

Now, the wait staff are taxed assuming you have paid 15% in gratuity on your check, so if you pay 10% or nothing, they are essentially paying for serving you. In addition (as mentioned here) they also have to pay the busboy, bartender, host(ess) at the end of the night.

This is also why parties of 6, 8, etc are automatically applied gratuity. Not because it requires more work (does) or reduces the amount of tops they can work (does); but, because the tip often does not even reach 8%.

Back in the day, I had tables that on a $400 tab would leave $20. Where a couple having a nice dinner would leave $20 on a $80 tab. That's why the rookies get the groups or why you see auto tipping on groups.

emma69

Someone else posted that the government assume an 8% tip for tax purposes. Which given how many people are saying 15-20% means that server is making a fair amount of tax free cash that way. However, I thought it was entirely acceptable to the IRS for you to keep a record of every tip and only pay tax on the actual amount? Thus if you don't tip, you are only costing your server money if they use the blanket amount (which long term seems way more favourable to them anyway, tax wise).

Analise

Went to a Brazilian restaurant last night. The service was ridiculously slow. The waiter forgot my friend's drink order not once but twice. Last, it took the waiter over 20 minutes to bring us the check. When he did, I asked him if all of the tips were pooled. He said of course.

We left $1 tip. Hope they all don't spend their share in one place. The waiter had no incentive to be attentive and competent. The place was busy and the manager could not be found.

PDPhoto

I'd say $1 was too generous in the circumstances.

The waiter didn't carry out his duties to an acceptable standard and definately did not deserve a bonus or tip of any sort.

As many have said already, the amount the waiter earns is a matter for him and his employer, only.