Tip jars are getting out of hand
 

Has everyone noticed tips jars in stores where they should not be. I saw one at a gas station and one at a take out only place. It is getting a little out of hand don't you think?

When I see a tip jar that I don't think is merited I simply don't leave anything in it. However, I don't normally mind them at take out places and pick-up counters because I don't believe the employees have any expectation of a sizable tip, just whatever people feel they can spare. I usually just leave ten to fifty cents. When I worked at a bakery in high school which had a take-out counter, we placed a tip jar out and divided it up equally every week. We almost never got bills and we didn't expect them. It was just an outlet for someone who wanted to show their thanks with their change.

[rant]
You live (acording to your info) in a country where money is more important than anything else. Everything is measured against its dollar cost. It is no trouble finding someone who can name the richest man in the US, but can name our Nobel laureates?

And you wonder why tip jars are in gas stations and convenience stores and take-out joints???
[/rant]

<peeve>

Starbucks (can substitute many corporate names here): if a corporation that charges >$3 USD for a cup of "fancy" coffee cannot afford to pay its employees a living wage that doesn't depend on tips, maybe those employees need to be looking for another job- not a pay supplement from me.

I went to a Starbucks in Albertsons the other day and the barrista was so charming I wanted to leave her something. I asked where the tip jar was and she said she is an employee of Albertsons and not allowed to take tips. Thought I might get my coffee there in the future.

Several years ago I moved to California for a while. When I arrived, I was amazed at the number of tip jars everywhere. When I was having some rennovations done by a small company, I asked the owner (a native of the area) if it was expected for me to tip her workers. Her response (and I paraphrase) was "No. I pay them for the work they're doing. The only people who should get tips are restaurant waiters and your hairdresser."

I think she hit the nail on the head.

Also, if you buy a Starbucks, Jamba, or similar card, there's no way to leave a tip on the card and there's no cash in your hand to drop into the waiting tip jar. Dilemma avoided.

[OPINION]

[OPINION]



Not to be confused with fact.

In Paia HI the nice-n-noisy but yummy fish restaurant on the corner by the traffic light has a HUGE tip jar by the young tattooed girl who takes your order and later yells out your first name so you can come to the counter to pick up your order.

She has lately added a small "glancing/pointing" gesture towards this HUGE jar. Disgusting.

MisterNice

I simply ignore them.

Tipping is a cultural phenomenon and is different in different cultures. In Japan, they see even our policy tipping of waiters and waitresses (15-20%) as offensive, and in Europe 15% is way too much.

As cultures change, so does tipping policy. If you've grown up with a culture where tip jars were infrequent as I did, then I understand why the recent proliferation seems inappropriate. But the disappearance of reasonable paying manufacturing and other similar jobs replaced with low paying service jobs has resulted in many people requiring these jobs as their livelihood. Previously, such service jobs were staffed by teenagers, students, and part-time workers, and the economics of those companies was based on low salaries that were acceptable to such workers.

Now with so many people requiring low paying service jobs as their primary income, it is not surprising that tip jars have proliferated. In truth, the only difference between tipping in unexpected vs expected places is the length of time such practice has been in place, not really where they are.

All of the above is not meant to disagree with the response of a number of people posted above. I myself am startled to find tip jars everywhere. But I do think it is a sign of our changing economic structure and the increase in low paying service jobs. That is why recent economic reports showing an increase in the number of jobs and the number of employed is very misleading. Most of these jobs are not of sufficient income to provide a livable wage.

Sorry to have gotten side-tracked, but I do think it is more than just some service workers becoming greedy.

There was a thread in the AA forum where a security agent was soliciting tips at JFK :D

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155954

Hold your horses
 

Get a load of this one:

At my neighborhood grocery store, there is a tip jar next to the cash register.

Tipping is only "expected" in the US for sub-minimum-wage employees. Waiters and bartenders. That's it.

Some people tip barbers, some tip bellhops -- that's voluntary tipping, presumably when extraordinary assistance is provided.

Other types of tipping -- tip jars specifically -- are not traditional, and those few travelers who participate in this new tipping can ruin the whole service experience for the rest of us.

It irks me to see cutesy signs like "Tipping is not a city in China"-- if they must have a tip jar, let the jar speak for itself.

My sister was a waitress for a short time, and always always gives me a hard time about leaving an 18%ish tip. If a waitress is "nice" she'll leave like a 30-35% tip. On my card, of course. :rolleyes:

The DHS and the TSA should *BAN* tip jars. The terriorists could hide a bomb or WMD in them

MisterNice

Couldn't agree more - tip jars are out of hand. On a recent trip to Australia I enjoyed their policy of taxing more. Most people there just round up the bill - and the service was great. Although I knew tipping was not an accepted custom in Japan I felt I had to offer a tip the small woman who carried our very heavy bags to our room. She politely declined the offer and said it was her pleasure. Why can't it be like that everywhere?

Also the percentage for a tip is getting too large. In the past 15% for a waiter was normal - now it is 20%.

cejkwj

I do not feel bound by the 15%-20% rule if the service is below par. I have started seeing the tip jars in Dunkin Donuts. What is next McDonald's and BK and other fast food places.

I saw this one guy actually take money OUT of the tip jar at a Starbucks (he needed a quarter or something). The cashier was stunned and the guy just looked at her with this smile on his face, got his coffee and politely walked out.

If people actually put money in these jars, wonder who gets it? The cashier, the counter help, cooks? Can't imagine but it's becoming widespread at all sorts of strange places where I'd never thought of leaving a tip.

As far as I know, it all depends on the location and thier policy -- at a pizza place I go to, they have a tip cup there and the cashier use to keep the money but now, no one gets the money and everyone gets free soda's that works there -- the tip money goes into the register to pay for these drinks. I would imagine each place has different policies...

Used to happen all the time to me, it's very rude!

Starbuck's tipping jars are getting WAY out of hand. One barista actually asked me if I wanted to put the change of a $3.30 drink in the tip jar when I gave 5 bucks.

James Smith

I've also noticed at little take-away places if you pay by credit card there is a place for a tip on the receipt so you feel like a jerk putting $0. I think it's getting out of control. But on the other side of the coin, I know of a guy who works in a restaurant/ with a take-out. The waiters have to take turns manning the take-out, and they always know their tips are going to be way less the day they get assigned to the take-out. I'm not sure the answer--pay all waiters etc. a reasonable wage and get rid of the whole tip system??

Tip jars are useful because you can toss your pennies in there if you like. But I have run into varying reactions to my occasional attempts to get a penny out of the tip jar. Sometimes they say go ahead, other times they seem to get offended. I don't get the offended bit, really... I suppose some places actually expect to get tips, which I find rather silly for a counter type place.

I ignore the tip jars, and think they're silly.

On the otherhand, think of it this way. Say you pay $2.85 at Dunkin Donuts driveup and give the cashier $3. then you drive off.

You can be sure that Dunkin Donuts wouldn't want people making the change in the register, and then sliding the 15 cents into their pockets. That's a formula for inconsistencies in the cash draw.

So they put the jar out, tell the clerks that everyone will share and that's what starts it. Once the cashiers get a part of a little pot, they want part of a bigger pot. Only human nature.

But I still don't tip. If I did, I'd need to tip the guy who offloads the supplies from the truck, and everyone else who had a hand in delivering me my morning coffee.

And speaking of morning coffee, our local Dunkin Donuts hasn't served coffee for a week, as our town has had an e-coli alert in the drinking water. I've had to get creative about coffee, and it's KILLLLLING MEEEEEEEeeee. (thank you.)
Rita

What are you doing? Making coffee with bottled water?

Driving to the next town to buy there. Pathetic.

This morning they announced the water was safe again. Safe like it was before the water ban, no doubt.

Yum.
Rita

I was at DFW last week at AA Terminal A and at the Fridays Kiosk (the little stand with bad sandwiches and drinks), had a cup with a dollar bill in it. Why would I tip someone for ringing up my transaction? The person had no other purpose than to collect money and make sure I don't walk away without paying - What kind of extraordinary service could he provide to warrant a tip?

Totally agree that tipping is becoming WAYYYY too "expected."

I have no problem at all providing tips for "excellent" service or for those who go above and beyond or who simply provide good "service with a smile" (the other day a waitress told us she forgot to put in our order so it'd be delayed by 15 mins.; she was really nice about it though and still got a tip of at least 20 percent). I do understand that people in the service industry often are underpaid and underappreciated so I do my best to thank people via tips and other means (giving Christmas presents to my letter carrier, writing nice notes and letters of commendation to corp HQ or the employee's boss when someone's been really nice, etc.).

But let this be MY CALL. Don't FORCE it on me. If a tip is no longer voluntary, what's the point? I really resent restaurants that add an "automatic tip." Really? How the hell is that a true "tip?" Why not just add the extra 15, 18, whatever percent to the menu price? I'd rather pay a couple bucks extra for a meal included in the COST of the meal when it's imposed on me than to charge me the amount anyway under the "illusion" of a tip. As for all those other bogus tip jars that are popping up as you all mention, I'd ignore them, too. What's next, me putting out a tip jar in my office here at a non-profit in a commercial building? :rolleyes: Hey, *I* do a good job, too! Feel free to PM me if any of you feel like giving money away just because someone does what they're expected to do. I'm going to Hawaii in a couple of weeks... your money will be well spent. :D

One reason may be the sales taxes (sales taxes might get worse based on discussions this week). Let's say you go out for dinner for 4, and have a $200 tab (no alcohol). If the restaurant builds an additional 15% into the price to pay the waiters more, the total subject to sales tax (on the consumer) is $230; in a state with a 5% sales tax, the additional tax would be $1.50. There may be other costs which increase as salaries increase. If so, the restaurant may have less profit unless the waiter didn't get 100% of the bump. Over many meals and many waiters, the amounts can be significant. I've wondered and don't know whether most states require manditory tips to be included in the amount subject to sales tax.

Tips are definitely getting out of hand. We used a shuttle bus at a county fair a couple of weeks ago. The drivers had decorated coffee can tip jars attached to the dashboard with the message, "Tips are never required but always appreciated!" This was for a 5 minute ride on a school bus. :td:

So embarrased
 

I always felt uncomfortable about taking anything from the "leave a penny, take a penny" tray in many stores. After all, I never leave any!

Well, one day at a Subway Restaurant, I was one or two cents short, so, instead of breaking a $20 bill, I helped myself from the "leave a penny, take a penny tray."

Boy, was I mistaken. "That's our tip jar!" the cashier said. Needless to say, I stay away from such 'trays' now.

You're kidding me
 

You mean, you take their tip money on purpose? I swear I did it by accident!

Exactly. It hasn't happened to me very often, but I find it really annoying. I usually complain and state that it's MY decision how much to tip and not the waiter's or the establishment's.
BTW I've noticed that this tends to happen more often in places which are frequented by a lot of tourists. Seems that quite a lot of non-US tourists don't know how to tip appropriately.


If a restaurant regularly adds a tip, it should be mentioned on the menu, just like many places do for bigger parties (e.g. for 8 or more).
However I strongly prefer the US-style voluntary tipping to the all-included approach which is common in Europe. I'm not a penny-pincher when it comes to tipping, IF I receive good or excellent service; but if I get crappy service I like to have the option to reduce the tip accordingly. Voluntary tipping is an incentive for the waiter/waitress to provide better service IMHO.


Same here, but once in a while they come in handy when my wallet is overflowing with pennies. ;)

andy

My feeling is that the non-US tourists understand exactly how to tip appropriately. It's the US-tourists who have lost their bearings.

Tipping is for extraordinary service. No tipping is required for standard service. The rest of the world understands this perfectly.

The strange US exception for waiters and bartenders (where, owing to a sub-minimum wage exception, they receive commonly a 15% "tip") has morphed in the minds of some US tourists into a de facto rule for other services. Only with truly extraordinary, above-and-beyond service should the traveler consider a gratuity.

However, when the rest of the world visits the United States, US establishments do not understand this. When I visited the US for the first time and failed to add the 15% "mandatory tip" to bills for satisfactory service, I was on the receiving end of some surprising comments.

My favorite is the so-called "tipping guide" that some places have taken to printing at the bottom of your tab. You know the ones....at the bottom of your bill or credit card receipt is a little note letting you know what 15% of your bill is, and 20% and so on....

While this seems to go hand-in-hand with the restaurants that have a little card on the table (real classy joints!) regarding tipping for our foreign tourist friends (who are, as mentioned earlier in this thread, not used to our tipping culture), the things that REALLY bother me about these tipping guides are:

a) Most people are not idiots and can do the math themselves (I know...there are exceptions)

b) The calculations seem to start at 15% and go up only. I guess if you got crappy service you have to figure out your substandard tip yourself!

and my absolute favorite (drumrole please...)

c) They always seem to figure the amount based on the total tab AFTER taxes, which they know is NOT the custom. In places like NYC this can make a big difference.

My coffee at Starbucks is in the $5.00 range. I think that is real expensive for a cup of Joe, albeit a Fru Fru loaded cup of Joe. I agree with the posters that state that tips are generally for people making less than minimum wage. I think tip jars are a level higher than the people begging for work or food (but really want cash) on street corners.

That's why they are often called Fivebucks :)

The basic McDonald's order also seems to be about 5-bucks, but I don't see any tip jars there.

Earlier in this thread someone posted a link to a website with minimum wages for tipped employees by state. In California it is $6.75 per hour whether you are tipped or not. In some states it was as low as $2.35 and hour if you receive tips and about $5.25 in non-tipped jobs. Good grief!

What gives with that two-tiered thing? Apparently one should take your location into consideration before tipping? Yes, there is a cost-of-living differential, but does this make any sense? I see an real profit in the 50-States Tipping Guide (tm)which I might print and sell on the web for our European visitors who are already confused and appalled by our "system" :)

Stay tuned.

The employers need to pay their help. Only in the US has the public been duped into allowing sub-minimum wages and passing the burden of paying the employess to the general public. I don't understand why is is allowed to continue.