board77

The Last Homely Site on the Web

Self-service tipping

Post Reply   Page 1 of 5  [ 94 posts ]
Jump to page 1 2 3 4 5 »
Author Message
Jude
Post subject: Self-service tipping
Posted: Thu 10 Jan , 2013 7:50 pm
Aspiring to heresy
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 19653
Joined: Wed 23 Feb , 2005 6:54 pm
Location: Canada
 
I've only seen this crop up in the last decade or so - tip jars even when you go up to the counter, order your food, and take it to your seat.

What do you think of this? Do you tip in this case?

_________________

[ img ]

Melkor and Ungoliant in need of some relationship counselling.


Top
Profile Quote
Berhael
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Thu 10 Jan , 2013 8:26 pm
Milk and kisses
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 4417
Joined: Wed 27 Oct , 2004 11:03 am
Location: lost in translation
 
I think I've only seen it in Starbucks. I may throw in a coin or two if the barista has been genuinely (as opposed to corporately) nice.

_________________


"The most terrifying day of your life is the day the first one is born [...] Your life, as you know it... is gone. Never to return. But they learn how to walk, and they learn how to talk... and you want to be with them. And they turn out to be the most delightful people you will ever meet in your life."


Top
Profile Quote
Jude
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Thu 10 Jan , 2013 9:13 pm
Aspiring to heresy
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 19653
Joined: Wed 23 Feb , 2005 6:54 pm
Location: Canada
 
I think I've seen it in other coffee shops in the UK (Cafe Nero, Costa, for example).

_________________

[ img ]

Melkor and Ungoliant in need of some relationship counselling.


Top
Profile Quote
MariaHobbit
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Thu 10 Jan , 2013 9:37 pm
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 8041
Joined: Thu 03 Feb , 2005 2:39 pm
Location: MO
 
I haven't seen that before.


Top
Profile Quote
aninkling
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Thu 10 Jan , 2013 9:44 pm
Offline
 
Posts: 2048
Joined: Fri 10 Aug , 2012 4:42 pm
 
Not a chance (and I've seen it more and more). What's next, tipping the grocery store clerk for checking you out?

Even in the US, counter staff are paid a normal wage, not one based on the assumption they'll be getting tips.

_________________

Society can and does execute its own mandates, and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. ― John Stuart Mill


Top
Profile Quote
Deumeawyn
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Fri 11 Jan , 2013 1:06 pm
Offline
 
Posts: 254
Joined: Sat 06 Oct , 2012 3:02 pm
Location: Dreams
 
We don't usually tip here in Oz, but the tip jars have been appearing in some places. But it's considered an inside joke as its a "tourist trap" to get a few coins out of American visitors who are used to tipping for coffee, etc. Me, I don't tip unless the restaurant service was extremely good. Maybe a little extra if the waiter is good looking. But usually it never occurs to me to tip.

_________________

Maiden the Shade


Top
Profile Quote
Jude
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Sat 12 Jan , 2013 2:04 am
Aspiring to heresy
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 19653
Joined: Wed 23 Feb , 2005 6:54 pm
Location: Canada
 
My attitude has always been the same as aninkling's. At least until last month, when I was with someone at an independant coffee shop. She seemed shocked that I didn't put some coins in the tip jar.

Everyone in this thread seems to think tipping for self-service is unwarranted. Yet most people I see actually do throw some coins in the jar. Maybe it's a Canadian guilt thing?

I'm still confused about what to do. I would certainly want to tip if it's the right thing to do, but on the other hand, I don't want to be taken advantage of. :scratch:

_________________

[ img ]

Melkor and Ungoliant in need of some relationship counselling.


Top
Profile Quote
LalaithUrwen
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Sat 12 Jan , 2013 3:53 am
The Grey Amaretto as Supermega-awesome Proud Heretic Girl
Offline
 
Posts: 21756
Joined: Thu 24 Feb , 2005 3:46 pm
 
I think it is a guilt thing. I'll toss a few coins in usually (unless the service is bad). I didn't even realize until a few years ago (after a discussion on here, I think) that other countries don't have tipping (like we do here).

_________________

[ img ]


Top
Profile Quote
aninkling
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Mon 14 Jan , 2013 2:12 pm
Offline
 
Posts: 2048
Joined: Fri 10 Aug , 2012 4:42 pm
 
The odd thing is that, in the US, I rarely see anyone put any money into the tip jar. Most people I know seem to think this is tipping gone overboard.

I always assumed they got most of their tips from men who didn't want to deal with the change from their order. :)

For what it's worth, most of the tipping guides say there's no obligation to put any money in the jar, though some suggest it if they've done something special for you (above and beyond their regular duties).
I think this is from a guide for foreign students. http://www.eslc.msstate.edu/PDF/SOP_Tipping_Customs.pdf [pdf warning]
Quote:
Tipping IS very important in the US because many people in the hospitality industry (restaurants, hotels, casinos, etc.) are paid less than minimum wage because they are expected to make tips. Many people in these jobs rely on tips as a major part of their income. Not tipping—especially for a waiter in a restaurant—is considered very rude
Quote:
Sometimes I see tip jars at fast-food restaurants, ice-cream parlors, or coffee shops.
Is tipping necessary at these places?”
No, tipping is not necessary in these cases. Usually tipping is required when people are actively serving you. For example, is a waiter is checking on your table often, then you should leave a tip. If a food vendor hands you a hot dog, then you do not tip
Of course, it may be different in Canada.

_________________

Society can and does execute its own mandates, and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. ― John Stuart Mill


Top
Profile Quote
Jude
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Mon 14 Jan , 2013 2:57 pm
Aspiring to heresy
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 19653
Joined: Wed 23 Feb , 2005 6:54 pm
Location: Canada
 
Here in Canada I see people of both genders throwing coins into the tip jar. Maybe we have a more easily-triggered guilt complex? :halo:

_________________

[ img ]

Melkor and Ungoliant in need of some relationship counselling.


Top
Profile Quote
aninkling
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Mon 14 Jan , 2013 3:24 pm
Offline
 
Posts: 2048
Joined: Fri 10 Aug , 2012 4:42 pm
 
Or fewer coin purses?

_________________

Society can and does execute its own mandates, and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. ― John Stuart Mill


Top
Profile Quote
Jude
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Sat 20 Apr , 2013 1:01 pm
Aspiring to heresy
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 19653
Joined: Wed 23 Feb , 2005 6:54 pm
Location: Canada
 
Found on failblog:

[ img ]

They're losing all sense of shame!

_________________

[ img ]

Melkor and Ungoliant in need of some relationship counselling.


Top
Profile Quote
Frelga
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Thu 25 Apr , 2013 6:17 am
A green apple painted red
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 4622
Joined: Thu 17 Mar , 2005 9:11 pm
Location: Out on the banks
 
A dollar tip at the cash register? Cheek!

If all they did was take my order and maybe make my coffee, I leave nothing, or perhaps any pennies I don't want to carry around. If there was some above and beyond service, I may leave small change.

The places that have me stumped are the ones where you order and pay at the counter, and then the waiter brings the meal to your table. The wait staff basically does most of the work of a full-service place, except taking the order and bringing the check.

There's one such place where I go all the time, so that they have my coffee going before I even finish ordering and occasionally give me free sweets. I reciprocate by leaving most of my change and an occasional dollar, but I wonder if I should actually tip as at a real cafe. Yet when I go with others, they don't tip, either. :scratch:

_________________

GNU Terry Pratchett


Top
Profile Quote
Deumeawyn
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Fri 26 Apr , 2013 12:49 am
Offline
 
Posts: 254
Joined: Sat 06 Oct , 2012 3:02 pm
Location: Dreams
 
A debit tip jar???? :x
Paywave is becoming more popular (well, here in the advanced tech country of Oz) and this thing where if it's under $20 the transaction will approve without a PIN or signature, there is quite an opportunity to scam $1s off people without them even knowing it (unless they're diligent on checking their statements or online banking summaries). Our bank is considering offering customers 'RFID' shield cardholders to keep this from happening.

_________________

Maiden the Shade


Top
Profile Quote
Berhael
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Tue 21 May , 2013 9:42 am
Milk and kisses
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 4417
Joined: Wed 27 Oct , 2004 11:03 am
Location: lost in translation
 
Frelga wrote:
The places that have me stumped are the ones where you order and pay at the counter, and then the waiter brings the meal to your table. The wait staff basically does most of the work of a full-service place, except taking the order and bringing the check.

There's one such place where I go all the time, so that they have my coffee going before I even finish ordering and occasionally give me free sweets. I reciprocate by leaving most of my change and an occasional dollar, but I wonder if I should actually tip as at a real cafe. Yet when I go with others, they don't tip, either. :scratch:
That's how pubs that serve food work here in the UK. You order at the bar, giving your table number, pay, and then a waiter brings the food to your table. I found it unusual at first (in Spain you always sit at a table and get a waiter come and take your order, unless you're at a tapas bar, where you basically order and eat at the bar, often standing up), but I've got used to it now and find it very convenient because you can leave as soon as you've finished your meal if you want to, without having to wait for a waiter to bring the bill. :)

_________________


"The most terrifying day of your life is the day the first one is born [...] Your life, as you know it... is gone. Never to return. But they learn how to walk, and they learn how to talk... and you want to be with them. And they turn out to be the most delightful people you will ever meet in your life."


Top
Profile Quote
Jude
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Wed 22 May , 2013 9:02 pm
Aspiring to heresy
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 19653
Joined: Wed 23 Feb , 2005 6:54 pm
Location: Canada
 
Berhael wrote:
Frelga wrote:
The places that have me stumped are the ones where you order and pay at the counter, and then the waiter brings the meal to your table. The wait staff basically does most of the work of a full-service place, except taking the order and bringing the check.

There's one such place where I go all the time, so that they have my coffee going before I even finish ordering and occasionally give me free sweets. I reciprocate by leaving most of my change and an occasional dollar, but I wonder if I should actually tip as at a real cafe. Yet when I go with others, they don't tip, either. :scratch:
That's how pubs that serve food work here in the UK. You order at the bar, giving your table number, pay, and then a waiter brings the food to your table. I found it unusual at first (in Spain you always sit at a table and get a waiter come and take your order, unless you're at a tapas bar, where you basically order and eat at the bar, often standing up), but I've got used to it now and find it very convenient because you can leave as soon as you've finished your meal if you want to, without having to wait for a waiter to bring the bill. :)
I suppose the way to determine whether or not to leave a tip is to find out whether the establishment pays a living wage - presumably the tipping custom is to make up the shortfall between a living wage and what they actually get paid as salary?

_________________

[ img ]

Melkor and Ungoliant in need of some relationship counselling.


Top
Profile Quote
Jude
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Fri 28 Jun , 2013 2:41 pm
Aspiring to heresy
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 19653
Joined: Wed 23 Feb , 2005 6:54 pm
Location: Canada
 
How much to tip everyone from MarketWatch
Quote:
Tipping etiquette in America has become a minefield of awkward handshakes, rudimentary mathematics and social blunders. This week, New York’s Conflicts of Interest Board fined two sanitation workers $2,000 for accepting a tip. They were paid $10 between them for hauling off an unusually large amount of trash for a resident in Queens, N.Y., though they requested $20.

But while tipping sanitation workers is a no-no, a growing number of workers expect it and depend on it. Many consumers may be surprised to learn that they’re expected to tip baristas, for instance. (Consider it a goodwill tax for all that free Wi-Fi.) Just this week, New York’s Court of Appeals ruled that Starbucks SBUX +0.52% baristas must share their tips with shift supervisors. The court found that the supervisors do much of the same work as baristas and are, therefore, entitled to a share.

Tip jars are popping up in the most unexpected places, says Chris Young, executive director of The Protocol School of Washington, a company that offers courses in etiquette. “What used to be old-fashioned customer service has now become a privilege to receive” for customers, he says. But with workers facing stagnant wages and increases in the cost of living, it’s little wonder tipping has become more widespread, he says.

Here’s a guide to some of the other more unusual places customers are expected to tip in 2013 (besides fast-food chains).
(slide show continues in linked article)

— By Quentin Fottrell

_________________

[ img ]

Melkor and Ungoliant in need of some relationship counselling.


Top
Profile Quote
LalaithUrwen
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Fri 28 Jun , 2013 3:44 pm
The Grey Amaretto as Supermega-awesome Proud Heretic Girl
Offline
 
Posts: 21756
Joined: Thu 24 Feb , 2005 3:46 pm
 
Oh my word. I can't keep up with all of that. :(

_________________

[ img ]


Top
Profile Quote
Jude
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Fri 28 Jun , 2013 3:47 pm
Aspiring to heresy
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 19653
Joined: Wed 23 Feb , 2005 6:54 pm
Location: Canada
 
I don't think anyone should be expected to.

_________________

[ img ]

Melkor and Ungoliant in need of some relationship counselling.


Top
Profile Quote
LalaithUrwen
Post subject: Re: Self-service tipping
Posted: Fri 28 Jun , 2013 4:00 pm
The Grey Amaretto as Supermega-awesome Proud Heretic Girl
Offline
 
Posts: 21756
Joined: Thu 24 Feb , 2005 3:46 pm
 
Quite so. I think it's gotten to be ridiculous. If I were wealthy, I guess it'd be different. Then I wouldn't have to blink at handing everyone who comes in contact with me a $20 bill (or more). But I'm not wealthy (by American standards, anyway). I really can't afford to tip all of these people.

I tip waiters/waitresses. I tip my hairdresser. I tip hotel maids (usually). That may not be an exhaustive list, but that's all I can think of right now.

_________________

[ img ]


Top
Profile Quote
Display: Sort by: Direction:
Post Reply   Page 1 of 5  [ 94 posts ]
Return to “The Turf” | Jump to page 1 2 3 4 5 »
Jump to: