For most of my thirty years in the work force I have worked
for tips and for the most part I made a great living doing it. Of course, there
were always those times I received a tip that just left me shaking my head at
the inconsiderate nature of people. I mean, a fifteen cent tip is more of an
insult than not leaving a tip at all. It’s rude and offensive and the server
will remember you in the future. Why piss off the person who handles your food?
However, as much as I have grumbled in the past about lousy
tippers, the act of tipping is based upon the person actually doing it. It is a
reward for great service. Since I have worked for tips before and know that
feeling, I tend to tip more than I should, even if the service wasn’t exactly
worth it. It has been an extreme case when I have left a poor tip or not tip at
all and in those cases the server had completely pissed me off. At that point,
however, they’re lucky I haven’t tried to have them fired.
Over the last few years, though, a new trend has started to
emerge, one that I am not in agreement with. Now, they want to tell me what I did just tip my server. I don’t even
get a say in it! Oh, I could tip more if I felt so generous, but I cannot tip
less no matter how bad our server was. It started out with suggestions and
usually they gave you three options–15%, 18%, or 20%. That’s not too bad and I
can understand the necessity for the suggestions. There are people out there
who have trouble with basic math and, therefore, find it difficult to figure
out what to leave as a proper tip and, after all, it’s only a suggestion. It’s
not mandatory. When you tell me what I just tipped you after my meal is
complete, then that is all you will receive from me–period. I’m also not likely
to return to your establishment and will tell everyone I know of the hidden
charge. And before you say that it is not a hidden charge, allow me to call
bullshit. You put it on my bill and made
me pay it. You didn’t ask. You didn’t suggest. You didn’t give me the chance
remove it and put something else on there. That’s not a tip; that’s a charge.
I understand that not everyone tips properly. Some may not
even tip at all. Still, that’s the risk of the profession and, quite honestly,
as one who has worked in that profession, I know that the great outweighs the
good which then outweighs the bad. I know that while some customers may suck at
leaving a gratuity, most are more than fair. If a restaurant forces customers
to tip a certain amount whether they wish to or not, then that needs to be
posted in large letters right up front, so that people are forewarned. It also
needs to have its designation hanged from tip or gratuity to commission or
extortion, because really we are being extorted to pay our server a commission
of our meal for doing their job. It is no longer about me being grateful to
them for excellent service. There also needs to be a guarantee that my server
is going to be the best damn waiter or waitress in the world and not some
forgetful twit that I have to keep reminding to fill my water glass.
I think they have forgotten that the word gratuity goes
along with grateful. You cannot force someone to be grateful and appreciative.
You also should not be allowed to determine how
grateful I am. Putting the tip on my bill for me is like charging me for a
meal I didn’t eat. At that point it is not a gratuity but theft. I didn’t agree
to it and, to be honest, you just lost money I would have gladly surrendered.
Employers, if you don’t want to pay your staff a decent wage
and thus force them to live on tips and the generosity of others, that’s up to
you and that’s fine. However, do not force me to make up your deficiency and
extort the generosity out of me. You’ll lose in the end.
For those who work for tips, give great service and I’ll
leave a great tip. I can be grateful. However, I will not be extorted.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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Well said, Robbie. I was a a hairdresser for 15 years, and I am the daughter of a hairdresser who was also a single mother. I know what it's like to live on your tips. I know what it's like to spend 2 hours on someone's hair, then get handed a 50 cent tip. Like you, I therefore tend to over tip when I go to a restaurant or someplace where I get a personal service. But I do not want to be told that I must tip, and how much that minimum tip will be. I'd rather the restaurant raised the cost of the meals and passed that off in wages to their staff. That would be honest. When you're slipped a bill with a mandatory tip, it is no longer a gratuity at all. As you pointed out so succinctly, it then becomes a hidden charge, a kind of surcharge on our meals, which is just plain wrong.
ReplyDeleteIt's not something that should be slipped in and especially not after the meal. I don't mind the suggestions, but adding it to my bill just makes me boil.
DeleteThanks for visiting :)
If you've never seen the movie "Waiting" you will enjoy this comical romp about restaurant employees and, the B.S. they have to put-up-with with every day patrons.
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