Comments on: Tipping 101

By: Robert Prather

Robert Prather — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 06:17:10 +0000

Anderson,

If your friend from Miss. State worked at Harvey's, and recently, she probably received a 20% tip from me. I'm also a TA (in Economics) but have never lectured on the etiquette of tipping.

By: shipmate

shipmate — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 06:11:21 +0000

Here in Japan, it's considered an insult to tip someone. i.e., "Oh, you poor lowlife, you don't have a good enough education or the motivation to get a good job. I feel sorry for you. Here's 500 yen."

By: Anderson

Anderson — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 01:52:20 +0000

Reminds me of my friend in the TA program at Miss. State who had been a waitress and bartender. Every semester, her students got the Tipping Lecture. "If you can't afford to tip 15 or 20%, then you can't afford to eat out" was the main point, but with additional emphasis.

It still amazes me that waiters and waitresses can be paid, like, $2.10 an hour.

By: Leslie

Leslie — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 21:32:27 +0000

I deliver pizza for a living, and trust me, if it weren't for the tips it wouldn't be worth doing. We are given some money to put gas in our cars, but when you're putting 100 miles a day on your car, the expenses add up fast. (Like oil changes every six weeks.) Tipping your pizza delivery person is based on a combination of factors -- the order total, how far away from the store you are, local average income -- because if you've ordered $50 in pizza and live out in BFE you had probably BETTER tip about $5.00 if you don't want your driver to curse your name all the way back to the store. (If you live 2 blocks from the store you can get away with a $1 tip, but 10% is still more polite.) Time=money, and if I'm on the road for half an hour (there and back) for one delivery, that one delivery had better tip. Many pizza delivery places nowadays tack on a 'delivery charge' to their totals; please please please do not assume this goes to the driver, because IME it doesn't. This money goes back to the store to reimburse it for the money spent on gas for the drivers, and is absolutely *not* a "built-in tip." (But check with your local stores to see how they handle it, customs may vary.)

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 17:28:05 +0000

I dunno--I pretty much ignore them. I tip restaurant servers, cabbies, valet parkers, and hotel bellmen. That's about it.

By: The Window Manager

The Window Manager — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 16:12:21 +0000

Overseas Tipping

As OTB points out, there are some doubts on who and what to tip in the U.S., but in most overseas countries it is pretty easy: it generally isn't done.

By: Brian J.

Brian J. — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 15:27:06 +0000

Enjoy your world, where tip jars haven't yet appeared on fast food counters, while it lasts.