thoughts on people constantly asking for tips...

[RuthC]

Good for you, Dan. Good for you.

[obriendan]

Thanks, Ruth. And the play was "Destry Rides Again" with Andy Griffith (Now, how is it that I can remember this but can't find the car keys?)

[jhannah]

Right on! He got exactly what he deserved. That's just too crass.

[kryos]

It seems that everyone is getting "tip hungry". It is even getting bad right here in our own country.

 

I get tired of seeing tip jars on the counter every place you go. I often wonder how long it will be before I see tip jars in doctors offices.:D

I never hesitate to tip anyone (for whom tipping is customary) when they give me good service. But it really turns me off when they are brazen enough to ask for tips (no matter how subtly) ... especially when I know those people are making a nice wage. In fact, to me that is such a turnoff that I often purposely will not tip when they do that ... again, I'm talking about in this country ... where I know those people are making a good wage (not service people, etc.)

 

Seems like everybody is getting on the tip bandwagon these days ... even people who ordinarily would not be tipped. For example, I love those tip cups in Dunkin Donuts. Chances are ... at least at the one I generally frequent ... that it is the owner of the franchise who is filling your order. And he wants a tip? No ... I don't think so. He probably makes more than me! I'm carrying out the stuff. All he is doing is filling the order. As far as I am concerned, that is his job ... I certainly don't have to tip him for doing it.

 

Maybe this sounds like I am cheap, and I am sorry if I am coming across that way. But to me ... tipping is for service above and beyond ... and I am only to happy to tip the appropriate people for that. But when someone who is what I would consider a "professional," a business owner or other well-paid individual, I don't feel I should be expected to tip him ... just as I certainly wouldn't expect to be tipped for doing my job.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

The waiter returned with a tray containing the tip and curtly announced that "It is customary to tip at least 15%". At that point I pocketed the tip, complained to the manager, and we left the restaurant. This story has been repeated over the years, and I’m the hero!

Moral: Please don’t bug me about the tip!

Good for you! And if the manager ran a tight ship, hopefully that particular service person was fired ... or at least given some intense remedial customer relations training.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[HeatherInFlorida]

Rita, I happen to agree with you. The tip thing has gotten way out of hand. Have to admit I drop my change into the tip jar at Dunkin' Donuts even though I disagree with the concept. I only hope the tips are being divided up among the workers and not landing in the pocket of the owner. I don't begrudge a little extra to these guys that work there. They work hard and really aren't paid that much.

 

But the fact remains that they are doing nothing more than handing you coffee and a muffin (or whatever). There's really no extra "service" involved so there should be no tipping.

 

My most recent gripe about tipping is the recent increase that's taken place because 15% was the norm so we would tip above that for even "better" service. Suddenly it's 20% is sort of the norm so now people go above that for the extra and better service. Soon it will be up to 25%. Since the cost of a very simply meal in a chain restaurant has also increased to the point that you can't get out of any place without a bill much under $25 (plus at least the $5 tip), I just think it's gotten a little out of control.

 

Okay, flame me now:D ... it's okay. I feel better anyway;) .

[Bodger]

The thing I find interesting is that nobody has commented that the OP was complaining about this in the Caymans, where the standard of living is amongst the highest in the Caribbean.

 

I remember our first time in Grand Cayman the bus driver was talking about the wages earned by various people in Grand Cayman. When he came to the earnings of bus drivers he said "It depends on the tips." I thought that was a bit over the top.

 

I am glad to reward a tour guide or service person for a job well done, particularly in a less fortunate country, but get turned off by begging.

 

Bodger

[Tricia724]

My most "memorable" recollection of Jamaica occured on my first cruise there in the early 70s when my friend and I decided to climb Dunns River Falls. There were about 8 of us in the group....all toting cameras of some sort. Our guide told us to give him our cameras and he would take pictures of us climbing the falls.....which we all did. He then announced he would keep our cameras "safe" in a plastic bag so we wouldn't get them wet. At the end of the tour, he went into his little speech about how dangerous his job is and he can't get insurance and he has a family, blah, blah, blah.... then he told us he "needed" $2 apiece from us.....and when we gave him the $2, he would give us our cameras back! Well, I gave him the $2 (which was a good tip 30 odd years ago) and ransomed my camera but left Jamaica with a bad taste in my mouth which remains to this day.

[Oceanwench]

I saw something similar at the Falls last year.

There was a man hovering around the tourists who were on an overlook to the falls. He would go up to couples and ask, "Do you want me to take your picture?"

They'd hand him their camera, pose, and he'd snap a shot. Then he'd stick his hand out for a tip, while holding the camera slightly back ... implying that the tip had to come first, before he'd return the camera!

 

As far as tips at counter service [Dunkin' Donuts, etc.] -- aren't those workers paid at least minimum wage?

Whereas most waiters are paid $2.10 [or thereabouts] an hour, and rely on tips.

Both my daughters have worked as waitresses here in Florida, and one is now tending bar by the beach in Fort Lauderdale. The tales they tell!!!

[kryos]

As far as tips at counter service [Dunkin' Donuts, etc.] -- aren't those workers paid at least minimum wage?

Whereas most waiters are paid $2.10 [or thereabouts] an hour, and rely on tips.

Exactly. Waiters and waitresses ... at least to my knowlege ... are NOT paid minimum wage. A woman I know who works at Olive Garden told me that her paycheck would generally be something like $35 for a week's work. She made about $2.00 an hour because tips were considered a part of her wages so the company did not have to pay them minimum wage.

 

Conversely, people in Dunkin Donuts and such places must be paid minimum wage because tips are ordinarily not a part of their salary. Thus, the employer is required to ensure they always make the minimum wage ... and he must provide it.

 

I realize people in places like Dunkin Donuts are not very well paid. However, most of those people are young kids who are only working there for pocket money and perhaps to offset some of their school-related expenses. When I was a kid, I did the same thing ... working in a People's Drug Store for minimum wage of like $2.50 an hour. I did not have to live on that money. Mom and dad provided for all my needs. That money was just so that I could have a little savings if something came up, and to be able to go out with friends once in a while without having to badger mom and dad for the money. Mom and dad were not rich ... and they certainly had no hesitation to use the word no. They took care of my needs, but weren't about to keep me in spending money so that I could go out with my friends. In short, if I didn't have my own money for that sort of thing, I didn't go ... plain and simple.

 

Regardless of the fact that people in places like Dunkin Donuts don't make a lot of money, I still don't feel a need to tip them ... and I won't. My feeling is that if I eat in ... am served at the table ... then I tip (and will tip well if that service is great). But if I carry out the items ... and all someone is doing is handing them to me ... I don't tip.

 

Just a "thing" with me.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Rita, I happen to agree with you. The tip thing has gotten way out of hand.

No reason to flame you, Heather ... I entirely agree with you. It's almost as if a tip is a given today ... and an extraordinarily large one for service above and beyond. Eventually, it will get to the point that a family will never be able to afford a meal out once in a while ... not unless they want to go somewhere different each time out of fear of being known as cheapskates.

 

My favorite tipping story, though, is one I encountered in Kissimmee, Florida. There is an outfit there called Warbird Adventures. They take people for both sightseeing and aerobatics flights. I know the guys who own it. One of them was our former jump pilot at Skydive Cross Keys.

 

Needless to say, these flights are not cheap ... nor should they be. They take place in a T-6 Texan and I'm sure the maintenance on that airplane must run in the thousands each month. Anyway, I signed up for one of their aerobatics flights and my old friend the jump pilot (and part owner of the company) agreed to take me. I knew I was in for a great time.

 

The flight lasted for an hour ... and it wasn't until the last 15 minutes or so that I noticed a little metal plague on the instrument panel ... "tips are never expected, but very much appreciated." I couldn't help myself ... I actually burst out laughing. You can see it on the videotape of the flight, though you can't tell what I'm laughing at.

 

Of course, I did tip him ... because he is a friend and he gave me an awesome flight with a few "extras" thrown in that the average guest pilot would not get (zero-g maneuvers). But I still can't get over the fact that someone would be "nudged" to tip a "professional" like a pilot ... not to mention an owner of the company ... when they were paying a base amount for the service in excess of $500.

 

I guess in the next couple of years we're gonna be expected to tip our doctors, accountant and attorney too.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Rita, I happen to agree with you. The tip thing has gotten way out of hand. Have to admit I drop my change into the tip jar at Dunkin' Donuts even though I disagree with the concept.

Suggestion for you ... for the future.

 

I never put my change in that jar. I stick it in my pocket. Then ... when I get home at the end of my day ... I have my own jar in the bedroom that I empty my pockets into. Every couple of years I empty the jars at the change machine at the local bank (free service for account holders).

 

I'm up to five regular-sized jars now ... filled with change. I'll be making a trip to the bank in the next month or so ... right before my 30-day cruise on the Amsterdam. I figure I've got enough money in those jars to easily pay for most of my shore excursions on that trip ... including a tandem skydive with video and an aerobatics plane flight. I figure I've got about $1,500 in those jars at this point.

 

Save your spare change. You'd be shocked ... but it really adds up after a while.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Titan(ic)5.6]

I've got a question that I would like everyone on chime in on that is related to tipping.

 

Since some cruise lines are automatically accessing a "tip charge" on your bill for cabin stewards, etc., wouldn't it be more "up front" for cruise lines to include this in their advertised price for a cruise?

[kryos]

I've got a question that I would like everyone on chime in on that is related to tipping.

 

Since some cruise lines are automatically accessing a "tip charge" on your bill for cabin stewards, etc., wouldn't it be more "up front" for cruise lines to include this in their advertised price for a cruise?

Most definitely yes. Will they do it? Most definitely no.

 

Cruiselines like you to think that just about all expenses are included in your cruise fare. This way, even if the price seems high, you'll figure it's still a bargain. What a lot of people embarking on their first cruise don't realize is that they can easily spend as much as their cruise fare on stuff like shore excursions, drinks, specialty restaurants, spa treatments, etc. And, because you put all those things on that handy little room card, many people don't even realize what they are spending as the week progresses. Then, come the last day, there are a lot of faces with worried expressions on them as those same people get busy figuring out where they're gonna get the money for that big charge card bill that will be coming in.

 

Of course, it's all marketing ... the cruise lines know that the cost of a cruise is probably, on the average, higher than the price of a "reasonable" type land vacation. But, they still want to lure families onboard and will thus try to keep the base price as low as possible in order to entice them, figuring that they'll more than make up for that with the revenue from onboard sales. And, as long as that tip charge is adjustable ... and not set in stone ... the cruise lines do not have to add that cost into the price they quote for the cabin.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[RetRanger]

Just off the Ryndam, Sea of Cortez

 

No one asked for a tip, on the ship or tours both ship and private. The cruise director(Eddie Haskell?) did give an explanation of where the auto tip went on the diembarkation talk.

 

We did tip for special service and when we felt like it. We had some special help from three school girls in Loreto who escorted us to an internet cafe. We also tipped at a couple of our tour stops for the nice demos of stuff we were presented.

[Titan(ic)5.6]

The cruise director(Eddie Haskell?) did give an explanation of where the auto tip went on the diembarkation talk.

 

You mean Wally's friend on Leave it to Beaver is now a cruise director???:D

 

[RetRanger]

If it was't Eddie it was a darn good clone!

[JohnR49er]

If they come right out and ask for a tip I tell them "Get a life" in the 3rd race..........................

[babyher]

Rita

 

I agree with you 100%

 

As much as the in your face tip lecture turns me off , I can see some tour operator in a third world country who makes nothing try and make a little extra dough.

 

But around here every Dunkin Donuts, convenience store, newspaper stand has a tip jar on the counter. Give me a break!!!!! I should tip you for pouring a coffee and ringing up a New York Times?????

 

It just gets a little much.

 

Let me tell you , On my recent cruise our waiter and his assistant bent over backwards for us. They could not do enough to please us all week. Never once did they ever say the word tip to us. They not only got the auto tip , but $20.00 a piece extra. You would think we gave them gold.

 

Those are the kinds of people you don't mind tipping and tipping well

[yiddishkopf]

Jackie Mason has a wonderful routine about going to Starbucks, carrying his cup to the table with cream, sugar, etc, mixing in his desired additions, drinking the coffee, getting rid of the trash and being expected to put a tip in the ever present tip cup!

[RuthC]

Until my retirement I was the staff trainer for my state's Human Services department. In my sessions I used to joke about putting out a tip jar so the trainees could show their appreciation. ;)

One class gave me the cutest magnet---it's a ceramic jar marked "tips", and even has a removable cork stopper. :D

 

So much for ethics in government. :eek:

[Bookish Angel]

To be on a pricey vacation and to not tip well to people whom are often living subsistence lives seems immoral and classist to me.

[rustytdog]

Last year, my wife and I sailed to Mexico. On one of the tours bought thru Carnival, the tour guide kept repeating how poor and underpaid the service workers of Mexico were. On the 4 hour tour, we were told how much things cost for him and his family including education, food, etc. Near the end of the tour, we returned to the bus early and saw the guide putting $10 and $20 bills into the tip bucket at the front of the bus. Prior to the tour, the Carnival Cruise Director (Jeff Bronson) also kept talking about tipping the service workers of the ports. I agree with others that a sign of "tipped greatly appreciated" is more than adequet. Anything else is outright begging.

[wgeddings]

Tipping is something that really can frost me at times. I agree that you should tip for good service (especially in many of the places the ships stop). I think however that the US is to blame for most of the tip-mania going on. I was in Las Vegas recently and everywhere had a tip jar. I was buying some film in a drug store and the cashier had a tip jar. Why would someone tip a cashier in a Las Vegas drug store?

 

The reference to now wanting 18%-20% is also part of it. Who decided it should be moved up? I really get upset by places, like restaurants, that automatically add in the tip but never seem to quite make it obvious that they have added in the tip. Too many people end up tipping twice. I pointed out to a pastor friend that his tip had been included in his original check for our party and he had just left another tip on the table. He had the guts to go back and ask the waiter for the extra tip back but I doubt many people would. Usually it is the same tip-demanding people who leave few tips (with obvious exceptions).

 

Now, as to cruises, I was surprised to learn that a cabin steward makes $1 a day plus tips. James Deering (Hotel Manager on Zuiderdam) said it had been that way for as long as he could remember. Before automatic tipping, at least 30% of the passengers would neglect to tip. Now, a good steward, taking into consideration all of his cabins, can make about $300-$400 a week. I do not begrudge any tips on board the ship now with the automatic payment but I share the wish that the ship would just go ahead and add the $10 per day charge into the price and then distribute it and ask for no tips except in special circumstances.

 

On the islands, I have found tipping to be much better when someone is not pressuring you. I agree that a subtle hint is fine but when someone starts pressing, the tip starts decreasing. No matter what their standard of living or needs, a tip is a gratuity, not a fee. I am thankful to give tips to people but I view a demand for a tip as little more than a mugging. As for haggling over prices, at so many of the shops and stands in places like Mexico and Bahamas, I think the haggling over prices is their source of entertainment. Treat it like a game and watch for the signals from them to tell if they are really enjoying it. I just loved standing nearby and watching a skilled vendor sell the same item to some people for more than twice what he sold to someone else after promising them the lowest price. I've even had vendors notice me watching and shoot me a quick smile when they know they just haggled well. I guess it would be boring to just have price tags and sell the same thing over and over every day.

[babyher]

I agree about the haggleing. if the store owners didn't like it or even enjoy it , then all these shops in these ports would have price tags on everything just like your local J.C. Penney or Wal Mart or Sears. Thats the price if you want it, if you don't, see ya.

 

I am sure everyone here has been in one of these shops and asked the price on a certain item and the guy says $50. When you put it down and start to walk away, he will say "$40" and so it starts.

 

Granted not everyone is the type to get into it and may just take pay the $40, others will stay there until they get it for $15. Its all part of the game. IF you want to play.

 

If the sales person is willing to mention a lower price right off the bat , then you know the item you are buying is not worth the original price quoted. So how are you screwing them?