I notice that often when traveling overseas, many restaurants add the 10% service charge on the to go order. When pressed the always take it off.

Those overseas types are terrible. You really have to watch them...

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I've worked delivery and I remember having one customer who was in a nearby hospital. She called in really complicated orders (I always helped pack and bag the orders). Also, she had an open wound so for me to deliver the food I had to be helped into scrubs. She refused to tip so one night I had the nurse tell her she had to. She told me, rightly so, that I couldn't require her to tip but I felt that if I had to put on scrubs, run the risk of getting sick and do extra work for nothing (I didn't even get gas money at the job) that she should give me SOMETHING.

I guess I'm guilty of being aggressive :(

Gotta agree with you on this one. She was out of line by not tipping and deserved to be told so. I may have been a tad more agressive than you :)

I agree, you are being aggressive. It is NEVER acceptable to tell a customer that they "had to" tip. Tipping is voluntary, period. You certainly could have suggested that she tip, and pointed out the extra work you had to do to deliver to her, but telling someone that tipping is required when it isn't is out of line.

CMK I don't think that's being too aggressive. Delivery is a biz where tipping is customary, usually, and you didn't confront her or anything.

I'm curious now. Is it customary to tip people who deliver medicine?

Yes - For a typical prescription:
10%/$1,995 in the US and 10%/$19.95 in Europe.

I don't get the US amount (unless it's a commentary on the price of healthcare in the US).

It's reactions like this that make me want to stop tipping altogether. Too much, not enough ... never enough. Should I really have to constantly worry about whether my tip will be the amount you would most prefer, ruining my experience?

To all such scowling servers: F u, your juvenile sense of entitlement and your stupid stuck-out hand. Get real and grow up.

The Dunkin Donuts near me has a mug that reads, "Tips for exceptional service." The service was awful. Do I get to take money out of the tip jar?

Mike

You could always learn a little slight of hand and claim you are making change for a five. That would make you four dollars richer.

I'll be honest.. i don't understand tipping. Why are we SUPPOSED to tip? And why only at sit down restaurants?

IF the argument is that the tip is needed for the waitstaff to make a living, why doesn't the restaurant just increase the hourly wage and just increase the price of each food item? And if that is the reasoning, why don't we HAVE to tip at Taco Bell? Do we not care about those guys?

IF the argument is that we tip because of the service, then we should not tip at all if the service isn't good. Also, why then don't we tip doctors, lawyers, your banker? They are also in a service economy. So do we only tip waiters because they get paid little? So again, why don't we tip the guy working at McDonald's or why don't we tip the garbage man everytime the truck comes along. They are also part of the service economy and they make little.

Here are my thoughts:

The tipping economy allows for restaurants to get away with underpaying their employees. We as customers play along.

Tipping is more about the TIPPER than the person getting tipped. The Tipper feels better about giving "charity" and going along with social norms. Usually the big tippers make a big show of tipping big.

Here are my final thoughts: Tipping is your prerogative. If you want to tip, tip. You'll be helping someone. Don't tell others what to do.

I feel like I have to get on my soapbox again here: Tipping is a social convention, it's about noblesse oblige, and has nothing to do with reason. It is an art my grandfather taught me, and in learning to practice it, I find I have more reasons for appreciation than anger when I expect customer service. It keeps my life happy and low friction. I like that.

If you choose not to tip, that's fine, but trying to find reason in social conventions out of frustration of the practice won't make it disappear in a puff of logic.

Thankfully in most parts of the world that statement is incorrect. And to classify it as an art is plain ridiculous.