FlyerTalk Forums - tipping cheat

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Quote:

Originally Posted by indyscott (Post 9029047)

$9/$55 = 16.36%

$55/$320 = 17.19%

The side note would be even more interesting if it were true!

Another side note: it appears the 18% auto-gratuity is on the pre-tax amount, not the after-tax amount. I agree with this methodology of calculating the tip. After-tax tipping is yet another step in the upward spiral of tip inflation. I suspect all servers who buy-in to this method are voting for Huckabee and the FairTax (30% national sales tax)!

Dang, I even was a math major in college. I think I may have misremembered the numbers a bit, because, as this thread was on my mind when I was at work, I made sure to pay attention so that I might report back. Guess I didn't do such a good job.

On my political side note, I do support a national sales tax and eliminating the income tax. Not because of the tipping implications (mouth watering), but because I'm sick of owing $5K in taxes at the end of every year, even if I'm saving.

Chris

A gratuity is something I decide on as the customer...not you. I will not do the "auto gratuity' thing...ever.

I think a lot of servers give poor service then complain when the tips are bad...perpetuating the "cheap customer" image...when in fact it is often the service dictating the low tips.

Ok heres my tipping schedule:

20% excellent service,
15% standard service,
0% poor service

I would say about 20% of waiters provide excellent service, 75% of them standard, 5% poor service.

I tip pretax not post tax, and I do include drinks in the tip.

If your employer is taking some money from the tip I'm leaving, I'm sorry but its nothing I have control over.

On the other hand I wonder how many waiters include cash tips in their income tax return?

One thing that irritates me the fact that if I leave a $18 dollar tip (say 20%) for a waiter and they don't seem to even care, yet I leave a $4 tip for a cab driver and they think I'm the greatest guy on the planet.

Exactly....tips are required to be reported but I know many servers who do not report all of their tips.

If it is such a problem for servers they should look for jobs with set pay.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vesicle (Post 9063918)

For sure. I've seen plenty of co-workers' sections look terrible (when I was employed at lower quality restaurants) and then had them complain about their bad tips. One clearly creates the other.

The auto-gratuity thing is a dilemma amongst servers themselves. Some want it to protect themselves from getting burned on large parties, others don't want it because (like I referenced in earlier posts), it is generally a lower tip percentage than what we normally receive.

Chris

interesting posts - 20% is on the table?

Quote:

Originally Posted by phil398437 (Post 9063963)

Ok heres my tipping schedule:
20% excellent service,
15% standard service,
0% poor service

I am a little flabbergasted by these tipping prices. I am not rich, my company does not pay for meals, nor do I usually go out to a restaraunt to eat. I go out mainly on two occassions: when my dad is in town and I would like to take him out, or when friends from out of town visit and we go out. I have always considered 15% a good tip and if the service is reasonable then that is what I give. When the service is very good I tip more, but I do not see 20% as reasonable, although I will now consider 15% standard after reading these posts. When did 15% become a standard tip, not just a good tip?

I have worked as a dishwasher and never got a tip and it never bothered me, but I did not see or interact with the customers. I would say that there is a sense of entitlement in these posts and think a 20% tip recommendation borders on ridiculous.

I have to agree Happy...I was raised on the 10% for normal decent service and 15% for exceptional..."tip creep" is likely due to servers trying to make people feel as if they are cheap if they don't pony up a certain amount and it works on a lot of people.

It happens when people 'expect' or act entitled as you mentioned...I live in Central Europe and tipping is not standard here...but since the foreign tourists who don't know any better do it the servers now expect it from everyone and act like jerks when you don't. And...they get paid a normal wage without it so it isn't like the guy making 3usd per hour and needing the tips to make ends meet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayhawkCO (Post 9063858)

Here's how I look at this (sorry I've been away from the thread for a couple days. Working those doubles and making those tips :)) Look at service on the airlines. Almost every thread that I read on FT is about how terrible of service they've been receiving lately. I've gotten to the point where I expect pretty much nothing except a drink order taken. These people don't (often) receive tips and hence they don't have any real incentive to not only go above and beyond, but even maintain the absolutely BASIC level of service -- civility. They're not making anything more for trying harder, and they're not getting fired for a bad job either. Like has been happening for a long time, employers pay their employees just enough to not make them quit, and employees work just hard enough not to get fired.

I think if they restaurants completely eliminated tipping, and increased the price of food and beverage to compensate for their additional labor costs, service in restaurants would eventually degenerate to the point that we're currently seeing on the airlines. Of course you're still going to have the employees who do a superb job, but you're also going to increase the percentage of those who, quite frankly, don't give a damn.

I think if we got to choose how much we paid, within reason, for our flights given what level of service we received, and a percentage of that money went directly to the flight attendants, gate agents, etc., you might see a few more smiles next time you have to go out of town on a business trip. Even during ir-opps you might actually get someone who sees you as a person instead of another body waiting in line.

To get back to the original topic a bit, my restaurant recently switched which tables "constitute" a section, and since the better servers in the restaurant get to pick which section they would like, I happened to choose one of the larger sections that will not have any parties of six or more. So, no more auto-gratuities for me. I couldn't afford it anymore. :D

Chris

I totally disagree.
You can not compare two different kind of works. The most important duty for flight attendants is safety.
How is it then with pilots? Should we tip them before take-off so that the flight would be smooth and landing would be happy or just when exiting from the plane?
Firemen and police officers do not receive tips but they still do their job. The list is endless.

off topic but related when discussing service as above...I also take issue with FAs being touted as "Safety Personnel" and here is why...Police, Fire and EMS people get training and then use it daily...if you cannot perform you are not going to last (normally anyway there are always crack slippers)...yet an FA can go 30 years and never do anything but serve food and drinks...yet when things go south I am supposed to have confidence this person is going to be able to keep it together when they have never experienced true danger? Would you have confidence in a Paramedic that sat at a desk for 20 years then came to YOUR heart attack? They have never been truly tested as a LEO or Fireman has under real stress and I trust myself more than them to get myself out of a bad situation. I do not feel safer because of the FAs being on board.

Well said westcoastman ^

Quote:

Originally Posted by westcoastman (Post 9021568)

I wish more people could read your insane standard so there would be more public support to control out of control escalating tipping standards.

Quote:

Originally Posted by happytravelling (Post 9064463)

Well I only tip 20%, 20 percent of the tip. I tip 0% five percent of the time so in reality that only works out to 16% average when you take into consideration the poor service waitors that subsidize the good guys tips. Just a way so im keeping to about the 15% standard while rewarding those who do a good job by taking away from those that do a poor job.