Do you consider yourself to be a good tipper? Or a bad one? Or do you not know whether you are a good or bad tipper, and you just take a guess each time a tipping occasion arises?
Well have no fear, I am here to help you! I have never worked in the service industry where tips were allowed or customary, but I do consider myself a good tipper.
Here are my tips on tipping.
I have no money to tip…
This is something that I often hear. People will say that they don’t leave a tip because they don’t have money. Well guess what, you shouldn’t be going places where tips are asked for then! You should be budgeting for the total amount, including tip. People work hard, and it’s sad that some people leave no money or a low tip, especially when the service was good.
I have friends who work in the service industry and I know that they are awesome at what they do. However, the amount of people who completely stiff restaurant workers is actually extremely high, and it just astonishes me.
I have a friend who works at a restaurant where the typically meal is around $50 and up per person, and she constantly tells me of stories where her and her fellow coworkers provide excellent service (they have really good reviews, so I know she’s not just saying that), yet several people each night leave less than a $5 tip on the total bill. This usually equates to a tip of 5% or less… That is just sad.
I don’t tip because the owner should be paying them more.
Even if this is the case, in the U.S. tipping is considered normal. You shouldn’t be stiffing your waiter, waitress, etc. just because you think that the business owner should be paying their employees more.
But the service was bad.
Occasionally, you may encounter bad or even absolutely horrible service. Before you decide not to tip at all, there are a few things you should remember.
At some places, tips are pooled together. So, if you give someone a bad tip or completely stiff them, you are basically hurting everyone who works at the place because tips are shared.
If your problem was with the food, then this is usually completely out of the waiter or waitress’ control. You can always tell them about what is wrong, and they should be given the opportunity to fix the problem.
And, at some establishments, the workers have to give their managers/owners a percentage of their earnings. So, if you leave 0%, then they may have to pay the owner for you to visit – this is usually around 4% to 5%.
If the service was absolutely dreadful, then you should still try to leave at least 10% because of the cases above.
What are your thoughts on tipping?
