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Tipping the scales.

35 Comments

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I can’t say I’m overly fond of the tipping system in general and feel it would be better if employers paid their workers a living wage… but that being said, I understand how much people rely on the income and tip accordingly.

I’m a good tipper and rarely if ever drop below 25%. Yes, my husband gives me the stink eye when I leave tips for hotel housekeepers and slip the moving men some cash, but I’m happy to appreciate good service.

There’s only one place where I take issue with tipping.

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And that’s restaurant take out counters.

They’re not serving me. They’re not making multiple trips to my table to refill a glass or clear plates. They’re not reciting specials and making sure the food is properly prepared. No. They’re handing me a bag or box. And for that, I don’t tip.

What say ye blog friends… am I right, or do you tip takeout?

Oddly enough, when I was thinking about writing this post a memory popped up on my FB page. It was a picture I’d taken of a bill we received at a cafe in Vermont. The register had printed a helpful guide for tips.

See if you can spot the problem.

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I admit I don’t understand the new math… but even under those convoluted rules 20% of $39.19 shouldn’t be $17.49.

🥴

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35 thoughts on “Tipping the scales.”

  2. Now that many places use tablet-based POS (Point of Sale) devices, the tip screen is part of the software. When I bought a car battery, a tip was solicited. I did not provide one.

    I love (not) that system that calculated the tip for you at nearly 50%. Was the $17.49 50% of the pre-tax amount?

    I loved travel to a country where they pay a living wage and tipping is not part of the economy.

    As for tipping for takeout; that’s complicated. Since the person filling my order is a sub-minimum wage worker, I tip, but less than I would for table service. (When I was a plumber, I don’t think I ever received a tip.)

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  3. I don’t tip takeout either, it just doesn’t make sense to me. I wasn’t waited on but I do know that they aren’t being paid enough. I’m a tipper as well, but there are limits to where and what service I’ll tip. I tip the oil change team that takes care of my car, I’ve even bought them pizzas for lunch. But it seems that now a days everything/everyone/every service demands a tip. Even if they didn’t earn it 🫤.

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  4. So either the software is faulty or someone at the cafe messed with it in the hopes that customers would just leave the suggested gratuity without doing the math. I really hate the whole policy of tipping. There are some restaurants that have dispensed with it all together out here.

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  5. Well it is Vermont after all…not the best and the brightest. I use to correct all the notes and notices the kids brought home from school and send them back. Being from a big city tipping is second nature. I have groceries delivered and the store makes a point of saying “no tipping”. I usually get the same delivery people and I tipped them in December. While I tip my take-out food delivery people generously in December I gave them a extra -in cash. My husband and I were shocked to learn that many people do not tip their Uber and Lyft drivers. If you only knew how little these folks make! I’ve tipped some of my drivers 100% (or more) when the app showed they were getting barely the cost of a gallon of gas! I am just so thankful that there are people who provide these services.

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      1. No thanks – I prefer safe cars, safe and polite drivers, reliable service and not being ripped off by drivers taking the long way to boost the meter. Perhaps things have changed but taxi drivers get a percentage of the meter. Taxi service where I live sucks in a major way. Most of the Uber and Lyft drivers where I live drive hybrid or electric cars, so plusses for that as well. I’ll tip 100+% for safe, reliable, enjoyable rides.

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  7. Very bad math. In a way, I guess I tip for takeout, but not really. I regularly get takeout from a local restaurant, but I place the order at the bar and I have a beer while I wait. I tip the bartender on the whole amount. I like the bartenders at this place, they have Modelo on tap, and the bartenders are friendly.

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  9. The only tip I leave plumbers is, “Pull up your pants!”

    I’m here all week, folks…

    As far as takeout though, it depends. I often order coffee from Dunkin’ or Starbucks, and even if I’m picking it up, I tip a dollar or two. After all, somebody made the drink/food and packaged it up for me. But if I don’t have cash on me, I won’t lose sleep over not leaving a tip.

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  10. Fastfood take out — NEVER. Takeout from a specialty place, say a one-person operation — depends on friendliness and promptness. Service with a smile and a friendly hello, etc. — depends on cash-on-hand.
    I never tip using a credit card because that is taxable income. Cash cannot be traced.

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  11. Tipping culture is getting out of control in this country and it’s spreading abroad as well. I tip for restaurant servers and bar tabs (usually 20%) and for food delivery as well, but not for takeout that I go and pick up myself. As others have said, some restaurants are starting to charge more for food and declaring themselves “no tipping” restaurants. I like that business model, but there aren’t very many restaurants like that yet.

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  12. I worked in a restaurant but wasn’t a server. I made a regular wage because I wasn’t depending on tips. The servers made, I think, less than half minimum wage because tips were supposed to make up the difference. Which it didn’t always. I don’t know how takeout servers are paid, though. Anyway here’s your tip calculator:

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    2. I’ve never understood how restaurants can legally pay their workers less than minimum wage. That’s simply not right, tips or no.
      As for the video, thanks. That cleared things right up.
      🤣

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      1. It’s actually written into the law. In WI, the minimum wage is $7.25/hour. For tipped workers it’s $2.33/hour. The law says that if wage + tips is less than $7.25, the employer has to make up the difference. (As an aside, when I was a dishwasher/busboy, we got tips when we worked as the busboy. At the end of the night, each server gave us a quarter. You read that right – 25 cents.)

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  13. Eve and I are excessive tippers when tipping is part of the expected cost, but, like you, we draw the line. Fast food is one of them. I might drop my leftover loose change in a cup, but that is more for my convenience than their service. A tip jar at the convenience store counter? For what? Tips for take out orders? Hell, you should be tipping me for saving you work. A plumber who just charged me $120 an hour to clear a drain line? Nah, I have my limits, but saying “NO” is not one of them.

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  16. The math ain’t mathing! I’ve seen that before too, like they are hoping you don’t know how to figure it out yourself? Trickery.

    I generally don’t tip for take out… But I’ve been known to do that for our smaller Mom & Pop restaurants where we pick up instead of dining in some evenings. They seem to go over the top for us and I appreciate that.

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