We need to rethink our tipping habits
Commentator David Sax talks about why the art of tipping needs to change.
Commentator David Sax. (http://blogs.villagevoice.com)
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TEXT OF COMMENTARY
David Sax: When my parents were younger, they took a trip to New York City and Katz's delicatessen.
TESS VIGELAND: If we wanted more letters from you, we couldn't think of a better topic than tipping. Here's commentator David Sax.
Sax: As they placed their orders along the counter, my mother saw a sign right next to a cup overflowing with dollar bills that said "Do Not Tip the Countermen." When she got to the table, she noticed her pastrami sandwich was half the size of my father's. "Why is your sandwich so much bigger?" she asked him. "Because I tipped."
Tipping is an awkward, opaque, gray area of our economy, and it's time to rethink it. Though we couch it in the notion that we are leaving a monetary symbol of heartfelt thanks, we are simply paying someone's salary because their employer will not or cannot. Somehow, it's become our responsibility to directly pay the disparity between their income and their financial needs.
Then there's the constant social pressure to tip more, more, more -- disconnected from the quality of the service. Used to be, a 15 percent tip on top of the pre-tax total of a meal was standard for competent service. This has been my baseline for nearly a decade. But I've lately been told that 20 percent is the new baseline, that 15 percent is for cheapskates and that I should really give 25 percent if I'm happy with the service. That's one quarter of the price of my meal... Oh, and now it's expected to be on top of tax.
How soon until 30 percent is the new benchmark, and for truly great service, I should really cough up half the cost of my meal? If these escalating tips translated into better service, maybe I wouldn't be so alarmed. Every meal, haircut and taxi ride ought to be better than the last.
But they're not. Even when the waiter forgets our order, the barber butchers our bangs and the cab driver hits several cats, we still tip at least the minimum. Withholding a tip is unacceptable, and only the worst penny pinchers do so. Tipping either has to be mandatory or it isn't, but don't pretend as though we have a choice, when we really don't.
Perhaps it's time that America took example from Japan, Europe and most other nations where gratuity and service are built into the price of the bill. We already do it for parties of six or more, so why not apply it to everyone? If 20 percent is the accepted standard for meals, then add 20 percent to my bill and let's put it out in the open. Why not a penalty system? We'll start off with 20 percent and if the waiter spills wine on you, take off 2 percent, if he spills hot oil, 10 percent. And if the service is truly exceptional, I'll still leave a little something extra to say thanks.
Vigeland: David Sax is a writer living in New York. His new book is titled "Save the Deli." OK bring it on, light our inbox on fire.
Comments
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From Wiesbaden, YT, 03/19/2010
I still don't understand tipping in the United States. Restaurants have become easy because the "suggested gratuity" is often printed right on the cash register ticket. But how much is correct for the service of a store clerk? When I tipped $5 after buying a pair of Levi's, I got a very funny look! And I was so sure the tip was rather generous!
03/18/2010
agreed! i wrote something similar a while back:
http://snarfed.org/space/tipping
From Los Angeles, CA, 03/17/2010
I usually tip 15% because that is what the IRS assumes someone will earn and then tax their income accordingly. I'll 20% or a little more if the service was really good. I, therefore, blame the IRS.
From sioux falls, SD, 03/16/2010
As a former server/bar tender at a lower-middle priced establishment, after tips I averaged well over $20 per hour. This was way more than I could have made at any other job. The current tipping system is insulting to every ordinary Joe out there that is working in construction, agriculture, manufacturing, etc.
What skills did I have that my minimum wage customers did not that would justify my making double their wage?
I would feel terrible getting a dollar tip for reaching down, grabbing a beer, and opening it for a guy that needed to work 10 minutes shoveling rock to earn that dollar.
Tipping needs to be based on time invested. If a waiter is constantly helping me, and he/she spends half an hour serving my table, a $4 tip seems fair, regardless of the size of the bill.
From Milwaukee, WI, 03/16/2010
I don't mind the extra cost of tipping. It's being aware of the guidelines that drives me crazy, especially with holiday tipping. I'm never sure if I'm tipping too little or too much, or if I'm one of the few in the midwest who tips during the holidays. Any decent guidelines out there?
From nashville, TN, 03/15/2010
I have worked in restaurants and now drive an airport shuttle, not by choice but due to the fact the economy is bad, I was laid off and I have reached an age where jobs are hard to find. After being without work for a year, I am thankful for what I have. I DON'T receive an hourly wage, benefits, vacation, sick days, 401k's, etc. My pay is 25% of the total of my gross weekly income for my shift of 12-19hrs a day, 6 days a week. My weekly shift has to make at least $1000 + for me to bring home $200-$250 a week and I can guarantee you this doesn't happen often. This doesn't pay the bills but is all I have and takes up so much time I can't have a second job or even look for another one. I have gotten up at 1am to pick a passanger up at their house by 2:30am, driven passengers up to 4 hrs to their homes, including other states, have given them all the best info on where to go in town to have a good time and they can't even find a dollar in their pocket for me. I don't ask for much. If I have 20 passengers a shift (which I have never had) who each give $1 for my service to them, I would have $20 extra for the day and $120 for the week. The ultimate insult is driving 4 hours to take someone home, have a nice conversation with them and when they get out of the van they either say "oh, I'm so sorry I don't have any money on me for a tip" or just grab their luggage and take off. Didn't they consider a tip when they paid for their ticket? They could have added it to the fare then or planned ahead and tucked a couple of dollars away for a tip. I have found people from the upper East Coast, wealthy business people who can easily write the tip off, foreigners, soldiers and college students are the worst. These cheap o's can be read like a book. If you don't have the money for a gratutity, don't use the service - PERIOD! As strapped as I am for money in these hard times, I WILL NOT use any service (hair cut, eating out, etc)unless I can show my appreciation to the person who needs that money for their livelyhood.
From Wetaskiwin, AB, 03/15/2010
Get rid of tips. Pay these people a fair salery. If the business cant pay it they go bankrupt and tens of thousands are out on there ear. I was a farm worker and NEVER got a tip. Let these people do extreme manual labour and learn what works really about. If they cant hack it ..... tough.
03/15/2010
I am an American living in Europe, and am proud to say, that most countries pay the wait staff a fair wage. Its a shame wait staff have to hope on the generosity of the patrons to make a decent wage.
From tampa,, FL, 03/14/2010
i consider a tip to be a personal matter of discresion and little to do with the cost of the meal at a restaurant,most services anticipate tips,if their effort is recognizable, then a tip is in order, once offered to tip a volinteer worker, he turned it down.
From Flint, MI, 03/14/2010
Personally, I think that gratuity should be just that... gratuity; a 'thank you' for exceptional service. It should be illegal for restaurants, bars, etc. to count tips into the server's wages. Why are these locations allowed to get around the minimum wage laws? I used to host at a restaurant where the servers were required to tip me 2% of their tips. I consistently refused to take it. THEY earned that money. Not me. The 'thank you' from the customer was to the servers. Not to me. One of my honest goals in life is to open a restaurant where the servers get paid minimum wage and any tips they receive are THEIRS to keep. Not my restaurant's. Because simply put, when you think about it, the way it's set up today... the customer isn't tipping the server. They're tipping the restaurant. The customer is forced to undertake the legal responsibility of the restaurant owner and management. This needs to be changed.
03/14/2010
I have a different view of the tipping question. I see tipping as a relatively low cost way for restauranteurs to ensure that wait staff provide a certain leve of service. An alternative would be to hire someone to monitor their performance and add that cost to the price of a meal. Tipping has the advantage of providing immediate feedback to the server. What I don't get is the basis for the amount to tip. Why a percentage of the cost of the meal? I've received excellent service in low cost restaurants and not so good in highly priced restaurants. So I don't understand the relatioship between the price of the meal and the value of the service. Can someone enlighten me?
From Sun City, AZ, 03/14/2010
John Kutsch says "You can TIP Zero or 1% if you want (You cheap bastard) to send a message - no one will run out after you into the parking lot and throw garbage on you, and you will have sent a direct statement that no comment card could convey."
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Not so, John. After very unsatisfactory service from a waitress the group left a handful of coins to express our dissatisfaction. The waitress followed us out of the restaurant saying "you left your change"!
From Chicago, IL, 03/14/2010
To Insure Prompt Service - it's right there. You don't want to tip, then don't tip. It is the height of capitalism - a base salary and the rest is up to the service person to earn the rest.
That's probably how everyone should be paid. How often do you get a direct say in what someone gets paid? - Almost never, except in those situation where you get to tip.
You can TIP Zero or 1% if you want (You cheap bastard) to send a message - no one will run out after you into the parking lot and throw garbage on you, and you will have sent a direct statement that no comment card could convey.
[BTW - was this a joke, what are doing trying out for Steve Bucsemi's part in Reservoir Dogs?]
From arden, NC, 03/14/2010
I think what most people fail to realize is while the national minimum wage continues to rise the server minimum wage does not. My first server job was in 1986. National minimum wage was $3.35. Server minimum wage was $2.01. Today the national minimum wage is $7.25 while the server minimum wage is a whopping $2.13. This is controlled by the NRA (National Restaurant Association) in D.C. not the employees. It has always been their stance (as far as I'm aware) the discrepancy is for tax bracket reasons. This explains why tip percentages have needed to be increased but never excuses bad service. If, for some reason, the server with tips is unable to make federal minimum wage levels it is up to the employer to make up the difference. This goes pay period by pay period, however, and if a server has a very bad shift or several in a row it can greatly affect their pocket. This has been a age old argument where the customers can say, "If you don't like it, find another job." And the servers can say, "No one called you at your house and said, 'Please don't cook tonight, eat out instead!'." I'm not sure if having the tip included would be a good thing, however. I think service would suffer. At the end of the day, this is the society we live in and if this truly bothers enough patrons I would suggest they get in touch with the NRA and express their concerns to them.
From HI, 03/13/2010
"
20%
"
Tipping is like saying, "Since I am wealthier than you thus I am expected to TIP". What an insult! That's one.
A coupon is a negative TIP. When you give coupon to the Chinese Checker at the cash register; it is like saying, "This coupon effectively cancels out the TIP that you had built into your charge". TIP cancellation is an insult. That's two.
Three strikes and you are out. You insult me just once more and I'm sending teen-gangs to mug you family, Weirdrdrdos.
From Niles, NY, 03/13/2010
We need to know just how deflated the base wages are, due to ownership's expectation that we will supplement their often low wages. For example, why do we tip based on the price of food and drink at all? It's about service, so why subject ourselves to the whims of a manager or owner or the price of tomatoes on this or that day from this or that area of the country? Over time, for the exact same meal and the exact same service, with the exact same amount of satisfaction (or not), we can end up tipping the same percentage yet leaving the waitstaff with a lower hourly wage overall because my tomatoes are supercheap right now. Post the base wage and expected/suggested tip percentage on the tip menu. If I finish my meal, realize the two hours running back and forth for me is worth more than base wage + 20%, then I raise it. If not, I lower it. Why do we hide the most necessary information to allow an appropriate payment for a specific service?
From Orwell, VT, 03/13/2010
You're missing the point of Tipping. TIPS: To Insure Proper Service. I started waiting tables & tending bar @ 23 years old. My teacher (a waitress in her 70s) taught me the "art" of serving the public. You get out of it what you put into it. 9 out of 10 times, if you give good service, you'll receive a good tip. And "you should live by the code yourself. If you don't get good service, don't leave a good tip and the smart server will learn a lesson".
Then there are times you receive the "Verbal Tip". That's when a nice person, usually older or not a person who regularly dines out gives you a less than 20% tip, but praises you and your service. This, to me, is just as welcome & more meaningful that the "BIG TIP"; however, you need the monetary tips to pay the rent.
From Bristow, VA, 03/13/2010
The reason we don't add tips in the way David Sax suggests is because of our schizophrenic nation. We don't want to be taxed any more than we are currently. People will be up in arm over a value added tax for service that might or might not be deserved. But, the commentary uses the same faulty logic that over indulgent parents use. I don't want to, but it is expected. In both cases they are wrong. If you get bad service you don't have to tip. If David feels guilty for not doing so then take he needs to take it up with his therapist and stay out of the policy making business. Personally, I think VAT is easier for tracking accurately the taxable income of people in the service industry.
From Rochester, NY, 03/13/2010
I'm not crazy about tipping but I'm not that bothered by it either. What I DO resent is the attitude that a tip is required. I've been waited upon by servers who got orders wrong, failed to remember requests ("Could I get a little more water?", served luke warm coffee, and had a bad attitude. As the "errors" go up my tip goes down. If it's really a bad experience I don't tip at all and speak to the owner about it on the way out explaining that it is not that I'm cheap but very displeased.
I fully understand that servers, etc. need tips to support themselves. But I also believe that if they need the money then they ought to do the job well. At the very least a pleasant attitude and a smile are basic and go a long way to mitigate other problems.
From Rochester, NY, 03/13/2010
"Used to be, a 15 percent tip on top of the pre-tax total of a meal was standard"
Some of us are old enough to remember when 10% was standard!
From MT, 03/13/2010
howdy, TIP is an acronym that came from "To Insure Promptness". It began as an attempt to use bribery to get better than typical service. It became standard as the food service industry became so competitive as to take the cost of labor out of the business model. When the competition for workers in the food service industry becomes so fierce that owners must actually serve their customers, as will happen as the demographics of the United States of America ages, then perhaps these workers will be paid a living wage. Until then the TIP is just an attempt to be noticed and remembered favorably.
From Jefferson City, MO, 03/13/2010
While I do tip, it is based on the quality of service. The most I tip is 25% of the check BEFORE tax. I have grown very tired of the continual increase in expected tips when the service has not increased as well. And as for the tip jars at self service restaurants, what EXACTLY have you done to earn a tip? Furthermore, when tips become a mandatory part of the check, I will stop eating out.
Before you ask, I have worked in the service sector when I depended on my tips to make a living. I gave the best service possible and I assumed my customers gave the best tip possible and went on with my life.
From Milwaukee, WI, 03/13/2010
Having worked in the service industry as a waitperson, barista and hairstylist I couldn't disagree more with Mr. Sax's assessment that tipping has become mandatory in American culture. These jobs are extremely demanding, both physically and psychologically, and those who perform well deserve to be tipped accordingly. However, many people do not tip, even when the service they have received has been exceptional.
While I'll just go ahead and ignore his incendiary and condescending idea of a penalty system, I will admit that I do agree with his point that we should consider moving toward a model that includes service in the bill. Until that day, if Mr. Sax is feeling peer pressure to tip at a level that is inconsistent with the quality of service he has received, may I suggest that he start thinking for himself and tip the amount he believes to be fair.
From NC, 03/13/2010
What I've never understood about tipping in restaurants is: why should a more expensive meal require a higher tip? As far as I can tell, aside from perhaps having a better knowledge of food, waiters in expensive restaurants are doing the same amount of work as in diners. Why should I be paying them so much more?
From Billings, MT, 03/13/2010
Tipping is a difficult area to navigate. All one can do is try to be fair. I agree that counter tip cups that I have seen at Dairy Queen, Z-Pizza and Subway are insulting. If someone is so upset about not being tipped properly, maybe they should consider another way to make a living. There are also instances where I am not sure if a tip is appropriate. In these cases, if I ask, the service provider is insulted. It will never happen, but the best solution is to include the tip in the bill.
From Racine, WI, 03/13/2010
Traveling in Japan was partly a pleasure because the need to tip was absent -- no social pressure, no second-guessing the customary tip rate, etc. I was especially impressed by a fisherman to gave us comlplimentary a lift on his little truck to a destination in the maze of the Tokyo fish market, and then refused a tip -- he seemed taken aback that his courtesy should result in a tip.
Americans may think that tipping results in better service, but it doesn't seem to make a difference in many venues. I'd rather that service environments pay a better wage that results in the ability to choose a higher quality, more dedicated worker.
(and yes, I usually round up the tip in European venues, but appreciate the fact that the service charges are built into the price.)
From Nichols Hills, OK, 03/13/2010
I completely agree with the tipping comments as it seems absurd to me to pay more for what you have agreed to pay as priced on the menu and if we are to suppliment someone elses employees salaries just add it to the price of the meals. I dont tip if the service is lousy.
03/13/2010
What about those tip cups in Duncan Donuts? I hate that.
http://soyouwanttobeabanquetmanager.blogspot.com
From Minneapolis, MN, 03/13/2010
"Withholding a tip is unacceptable, and only the worst penny pinchers do so. Tipping either has to be mandatory or it isn't, but don't pretend as though we have a choice, when we really don't."
Mr. Sax, have you ever worked a job where customers were asked to tip? Was it recently? The majority of customers withhold tips. I've worked in restaurants, diners, bars, and not long ago at a national coffee shop chain. Customers certainly have a choice, and, more often than not, choose not to tip, no matter what the quality of service is. I and friends of mine have worked huge tables full of well-to-do customers, all but literally bending over backwards to provide excellent service, only to be stiffed. Not tipping is very acceptable for too many people.
Service industry employees need to be paid a living wage, so that tipping will no longer be necessary in order for us to pay our bills.
If, as you suggest, an employee should be penalized for spillling wine on you, which is sometimes the customer's fault (knocked, tripped), how about we charge more if the customer is rude, arrogant, crude, and treats us with less respect than a slave?
Moira Manion
From Hailey, ID, 03/13/2010
My sister-in-law has just moved to a small town in Idaho where she works for $6 dollars an hour as a beautician. She relies on tips to make up for her low hourly wage. Recently, she colored a woman's hair, which took approximately three hours of fussing and fixing, the woman raved about her hair treatment and left the salon without giving a tip. She works for one of the bigger tech firms in Boise, so money was not the issue. Many people like my sister-in-law rely on tips and I agree with David, that maybe it needs to be part of the price, to make up for the people who "forget" to leave a tip.
From Stamford, CT, 03/12/2010
Somewhere I seem to remember that one was not expect to tip the proprietor. Usually, the proprietor was also the landlord.
What I take from this is that tipping the employee was a way to make up for the advantage that naturally goes to landlord. (That is, the land rent they get to pocket -- a not-insignificant contributor to their profit over the decades of their landowning.)
This doesn't, of course, account for all the proprietors who are tenants.
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