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

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

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.

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

MisterNice