Well, that tells you how much I get out to buffets.

You're right, in most cases. In those cases, I seem to recall just leaving the tip in cash on the table.

Some buffets, though, especially those where the buffet is an option but ordering off the menu is also an option, are pay-at-the-end.

At buffets I tip the server what ever I deem necessary. I have never heard of this tipping at stations thing.

I think that I certainly would have given him a 'proper' tip second time around - nothing for that behaviour!

You've decided who is cheap and misanthropic, man up and come out with it.

The rule about tipping is really very simple.
I work for my money.If they don't work for theirs they don't get any of mine.
And anyone tipping anything more than 10-15% because they feel obliged to need their head examined.

I'd be glad to go through this thread and provide a list of those I think are cheap, misanthropic, or both. However, since that could be construed as a personal attack and violate the terms of use, I will not do so unless given a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card by the moderator.

I'll offer another option. I'll name names and if I get some sort of punishment, you will be subject to the same (terminated, suspended 30 days, slap on the wrist, etc.). If you're really that curious about what I think, you'd go for that.

If you're not that curious, knock it off with trying to get me to name names...it's pretty obvious reading the thread anyway.

NB: Since I have been dinged for misspelling "misanthropic" once, I will make another correction. I used the word "cheap" in a colloquial sense. "Stingy" is what I really mean.

Las Vegas (and other gambling meccas) are different from elsewhere (in the Universe). You are dealing with a different sort of person.
This is probably the reason why numerous publications (which are left by housekeeping in your room) have a "tip" page--the list is extensive.
Even these "tip happy" publications, still only list $2/person at buffets (up from $1 awhile ago). The "station" tipping (I noted in an earlier post), may be unique (except possibly for omelets) for LAS; but, at these you always find a few dollar bills (conspicuously) present in hands reach of the preparer.
Some tipping "rules" (per the publications noted above) would only apply to gambling locations: (1)if you are playing table games, it is suggested that you tip the employee regularly, based on your bet, (2) when you win a SLOT MACHINE jackpot, two people come to pay your prize, a security guard and a slot attendant, each of these are supposed to receive a tip--WHY?
[I once had a jackpot of $2000 (exactly), the attendant returned with 19 $100 bills, 4 $20's, 4 $5's--why not just 20 $100--the implication is that I tip some of the smaller bills.
[In another thread here on FT, a gambler noted that if he did well, he would tip his limo driver $100--the airport in LAS is about a 15 minute drive from most hotels.]

With all of these different rules floating around, a book could be published to the principals, logic and range of tips. When I was in Europe, where tipping lower was the norm, the establishments still try to get tourists to tip more than the norm. I felt out of place, but I tipped less and tried to keep my ear to the ground for the norm. Generally, I don't deviate much, although I don't know how much to tip if say we were on a tour and the guide at the end had a box for tips. How much do you tip then. 15% of the entire tour cost seems much to me, but is this the norm, or is a lower amount acceptable?

The American "slide rule and calculator" approach is not necessary in Europe. Just give whatever seems reasonable at the time. If you've only got €1.65 in loose change give that. If you want to give €5, give that. It's all good. If your pockets are empty , give nothing. The only arbiter of what amount is "acceptable" is you.

The tours in Europe were confusing to say the least. We crammed 6 tours in six days and its true, that money and loose change to follow the principals you are talking about.

Just recently did a Kauai Na Pali coast Catamaran tour on Captain Andy's Southern Star. I was able to post the tip on credit card at the desk. In this case what would be the appropriate amount to tip on a $550 tour? I figure the food portion is worth $120. Tipping in tours are so difficult to figure out. That's an $85 tip if I go by the 17% rule.

just a few days ago, i encountered a receipt that included "suggested tips" with 15% and 20%. but whatever the numbers were, they weren't 15% or 20%. i could not find any permutation of the total (pre-tax or post-tax, with or without drinks, and randomly excluding an item) that would make a total that matched the suggested 15% tip.

has anyone else encountered this before - where the precalculated "helpful" tip amounts are not the percentages they claim to be?

Could it be that the net amount (suggested) included a 15% tip on the tip amount?
[If the price were say $50, the tip @15% would be $7.50, so the "suggested" amount would be $50 + $7.50 + $1.13 (this last number (rounded) is 15% of $7.50)--in the world of tipping anything is possible (even probable).

A multiday catamaran tour sounds like a cruise, and cruise tips are their own crooked world entirely.

I'm not a big package-tour guy, but my father-in law used them a ton, and his MO was to slip their guide a $20 note (or the local equivalent) at the end of a multi-day tour. Seems about right.

Received a bill the other night at Blue Dragon on big island and the suggested tip did not make sense in the least. I ignored and tipped based on my usual method if calculation. I hope the servers aren't used to receiving the suggested tip amount. I don't think suggested tip calculations on bill receipt helps anyone.

Nkedel.. Makes sense and I didn't tip the crew the admissions price based on the meal method amount. Seems a bit much as a lot of the fees paid goes into capitalized costs of the boat and operations of the company and equipment. So in my mind I saw what the meal was worth and service received throughout the tour and I tipped on that.

In some limited cases it does.

I have seen some restaurants calculate 15%, 18%, and 20% of the pre-tax total and print those at the bottom of the reciept; since these are the most common percentages that people in the US use for calculating tips, having the numbers there, already calculated, makes it simple for folks like me who, despite what I like to flatter myself is a fairly normal intellectual capacity in most respects, have trouble doing simple mathmatics in our heads. I've used them myself a few times, and seen other folks among my family and coworkers use them, as well.

So long as these calculated percentages are accurate, I have no objection to them being printed on the bottom of the reciept, especially if multiple commonly used percentaged are calculated, allowing the diner the option of quickly selecting one that they feel is appropriate to the level of service they received, or manually calculating their own if they so choose.