Is it rude to tip a non-round number?
Sep 10, 2018, 8:15 am
#16
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In New Zealand I try to get the pump to $xx.x4 so it gets rounded down and I get the 4 cents of gas free.
Sep 10, 2018, 8:21 am
#17
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If a server objects to an unround number, zero is nice and round......Problem solved.
I've seen some of the suggested/auto tip calculations round up so that the actual percentage is higher than what's stated, even as a percentage that includes the tax. As a result, I never trust their calculations.
I've seen some of the suggested/auto tip calculations round up so that the actual percentage is higher than what's stated, even as a percentage that includes the tax. As a result, I never trust their calculations.
Sep 10, 2018, 9:30 am
#18
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It is never rude to tip any amount. I suppose that there is a point at which it becomes foolish, e.g. over a penny or equivalent in non-US$, but never rude.
Whether you choose to calculate tips to the penny based on a notion rate or to calculate approximately and then round up is entirely a matter for you.
I tend to round-up to the nearest dollar on larger items and I don't leave less than $1. That's me, but I don't think of it as rude or anything other than my preferred practice.
On a side note, an employer paying someone to calculate the tips to see if someone improperly rounded up is run by a bunch of fools.
Whether you choose to calculate tips to the penny based on a notion rate or to calculate approximately and then round up is entirely a matter for you.
I tend to round-up to the nearest dollar on larger items and I don't leave less than $1. That's me, but I don't think of it as rude or anything other than my preferred practice.
On a side note, an employer paying someone to calculate the tips to see if someone improperly rounded up is run by a bunch of fools.
Sep 13, 2018, 10:11 am
#20
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I always round to whole numbers. I do the same when buying gas. This way when a credit card bill arrives, I can skim gas/restaurant purchases and know that if I see $21.72 for instance, something's not quite right.
I have absolutely no idea why anyone would be offended by round number. This is the first I've ever heard of such a thing.
I have absolutely no idea why anyone would be offended by round number. This is the first I've ever heard of such a thing.
Sep 14, 2018, 11:28 pm
#21
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Years ago, when restaurant bills were settled with cash more frequently than anything else, tipping odd amounts was the norm. Customers would round up the bill to something that's easy to pay, e.g., two $20 notes for a bill of $34.53, and leave the change.
My mother worked as a waitress when I was young. She complained about lots of things every night when she came home but never about the customers who left her $5.47 instead of a "round" $5. Yes, she brought home a lot of coins, but so what. She'd throw them in a jar in the kitchen. We kids would take the quarters and dimes to pay for school lunches. The nickels and pennies we'd have a party to roll up every so often and see if there was enough money there to do something fun like buy ice cream.
My mother worked as a waitress when I was young. She complained about lots of things every night when she came home but never about the customers who left her $5.47 instead of a "round" $5. Yes, she brought home a lot of coins, but so what. She'd throw them in a jar in the kitchen. We kids would take the quarters and dimes to pay for school lunches. The nickels and pennies we'd have a party to roll up every so often and see if there was enough money there to do something fun like buy ice cream.
Sep 15, 2018, 2:40 am
#22
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Off topic....
I had a friend who was a waitress back in the early 90's who basically did the same thing, but used a 5 gallon water jug to put all the loose change in at the end of her shift. At the end of one year, she had three jugs full of loose coins, which totaled around $5K. I decided that I was going to start paying everything with bills and put all my coins from change into a jug as kind of a force savings. After 6 months, I had around $1500 which I used to travel to see my son in the Philippines. Small change does add up, if you let it.
Sep 15, 2018, 4:45 pm
#23
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I had a friend who was a waitress back in the early 90's who basically did the same thing, but used a 5 gallon water jug to put all the loose change in at the end of her shift. At the end of one year, she had three jugs full of loose coins, which totaled around $5K. I decided that I was going to start paying everything with bills and put all my coins from change into a jug as kind of a force savings. After 6 months, I had around $1500 which I used to travel to see my son in the Philippines. Small change does add up, if you let it.
Sep 15, 2018, 6:23 pm
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Sep 15, 2018, 6:50 pm
#26
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Sales tax in my area is almost 9%. So, a $100 meal, with tax becomes $109. A standard pretax tip of 15% is $15. A posttax tip is $16.35. What has a server done to deserve it?
Since restaurant prices are increasing, thus a percentage based tip is going up as well, I see no logical reason to increase the tip percentage.
Sep 15, 2018, 8:01 pm
#27
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Not really needed as she had a machine that would sort the coins and place them in tubes that would be measured with a correct rolled amount. The hard part was having to write her account number on each roll when she deposited it into her account back then. I also have a machine I use now that does the same thing so I just drop my loose coins in it at the end of the day and when the tube is full, roll the coin.
Also back then, I used to work in retail, so I had a coin kit that consisted of 4 tubes and wrappers that I would consolidate the coins at night and leave only one drawer with loose coins to make it easier when a cashier had to count a drawer to start their shift.
Sep 16, 2018, 2:22 pm
#28
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Interesting. I'd never considered this, and decided to pose it to family members who are servers.
None cared whether a customer tipped to make the total a round number, or tipped a round number. However, one *did* say that, in the case of someone who tips to make the total a round number, if the tip was low (say 10% or less), she - when entering the total check into the POS system - will subtract a penny, to make the total $XX.99, versus $XX.00.
As for tipping in general, I always tip on the total bill, and start at 20%, going up for better service. Using Jaimito Cartero's example, I'd rather the server have the extra $1.35. I've been very fortunate in my life, and know that $1.35 will mean more to the server than it does to me.
Note: this is only for tipping within the US
None cared whether a customer tipped to make the total a round number, or tipped a round number. However, one *did* say that, in the case of someone who tips to make the total a round number, if the tip was low (say 10% or less), she - when entering the total check into the POS system - will subtract a penny, to make the total $XX.99, versus $XX.00.
As for tipping in general, I always tip on the total bill, and start at 20%, going up for better service. Using Jaimito Cartero's example, I'd rather the server have the extra $1.35. I've been very fortunate in my life, and know that $1.35 will mean more to the server than it does to me.
Note: this is only for tipping within the US
Sep 17, 2018, 6:31 am
#29
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Interesting. I'd never considered this, and decided to pose it to family members who are servers.
None cared whether a customer tipped to make the total a round number, or tipped a round number. However, one *did* say that, in the case of someone who tips to make the total a round number, if the tip was low (say 10% or less), she - when entering the total check into the POS system - will subtract a penny, to make the total $XX.99, versus $XX.00.
None cared whether a customer tipped to make the total a round number, or tipped a round number. However, one *did* say that, in the case of someone who tips to make the total a round number, if the tip was low (say 10% or less), she - when entering the total check into the POS system - will subtract a penny, to make the total $XX.99, versus $XX.00.
Sep 17, 2018, 6:36 am
#30
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My bill was $33.41.
I could have tipped $6, but that's a hair under the 18% custom. I could have tipped $7, but that's over 20%. I've seen some companies write into their expense policy that tips over 20% will not be reimbursed.
I tipped $6.59. That made the grand total $40.00. Was that rude?
Years ago I dined with someone who used to wait tables, and as I filled out the receipt, he noticed I was trying to make the total a round number. He said as a server he hated that practice. He didn't give a reason. I suppose there's an element of selfishness here: the round total is convenient to me, but not to the server.
Indeed, a quick Google search brings up one argument that some restaurants pool and split tips, and that oddball amounts like $6.59 make splitting more complicated. I'm not sure if that argument has any merit, but it was out there.
What do y'all think?
I could have tipped $6, but that's a hair under the 18% custom. I could have tipped $7, but that's over 20%. I've seen some companies write into their expense policy that tips over 20% will not be reimbursed.
I tipped $6.59. That made the grand total $40.00. Was that rude?
Years ago I dined with someone who used to wait tables, and as I filled out the receipt, he noticed I was trying to make the total a round number. He said as a server he hated that practice. He didn't give a reason. I suppose there's an element of selfishness here: the round total is convenient to me, but not to the server.
Indeed, a quick Google search brings up one argument that some restaurants pool and split tips, and that oddball amounts like $6.59 make splitting more complicated. I'm not sure if that argument has any merit, but it was out there.
What do y'all think?