The Tipping System

This post is probably going to make me seem like a cheapskate. Whatever.

I think the payment system for waiters/waitresses in the food service industry is completely wrong. They make $2 something a hour and depend on the tips for customers to make up the rest. It's unfair. It does allow for an incentive for the employees to do a good job, but their tips (and income) therefore rests in the hands of strangers while the restaurant owners bring in more money than they know what to do with as they charge $12 for a $4 burger.

Sometimes they'll get lucky and get really big tips. Sometimes they don't get anything.

My problem is I get annoyed when they are asking me for tips or criticizing me for my tip.

For example, one time I was at the Liquor Store in Boston, and I got two PBRs - which was already absurd at $6 each - and left a $5 tip because I was in a good mood. Next time up I just left $2, and was yelled at for being cheap, being ugly, was given the finger, etc etc. for my tip choice. I was drunk enough to try to engage in conversation with these wonderful human beings, and explained my logic, and I was still told to F off. Really?

At a bar - where all these bartenders have to do is reach down and open two cans of beer, does that warrant a serious tip? Isn't it out of generosity that we give anything anyway? Or maybe they get some girl back there to dress like a slut so guys will give her more money for attention. I don't fall for that. Regardless, I left a tip, and was told to F off because it wasn't big enough. That's not good customer service, and really turned me off towards that place. You can't treat your customers like crap and expect to have them coming back. Most of the people there seem to have more money than they know what to do with, so maybe I didn't belong.

Another time my friend was at some restaurant and paid the check and the waitress said "Are you guys short on cash? Cause you didn't leave a big enough tip." WHAT. No no really, that one floored me. You didn't leave a big enough tip? Who says you get to determine what it is?

Look, I know the system isn't going to change, so it's up to the customer to make up for the rest of the income for these people. But that doesn't mean it is a given. It should be based on the service - did you do a good job or were you rude? There shouldn't be a "well it should be somewhere between 12-18% of the bill" rule. It should be whatever feels right. After all, the whole concept is voluntary. It may be bad etiquette or whatever, but if the person did a really bad job, then they get a really bad tip. Am I just being cheap or does this make legitimate sense? My friends who have worked in the restaurant industry always argue this with me, but I don't understand the reasoning if they're rude. It's a privilege, not a right.

Everybody has had those who are really nice and seem concerned about your meal, and others who are so short with you that you can't even ask for more water/condiment/beer. I'm typically a person who asks for recommendations for meals, but if you act frustrated or annoyed with me, then that's not good for your end result. Sorry. I sound like such a mean guy. I sound cold-hearted here, so I should acknowledge that I know some people's entire income rests on tips, but you can't beg or tell the customer what the "right" tip is. Like I said, sometimes they get lucky and sometimes they don't. Depends on a lot of factors that are out of their hands, but the thing they can do to help themselves the most is to be positive, not nasty. And I know the "in such tight econmoic times" story, that doesn't give anyone the right to be a grouch. We're gonna get through this together, not on our own.

Or cab drivers, same shtick. If you're on your phone or make some wrong turns or something, no deal. My last cab driver I had was great and I gave him a nice tip. Not only was he friendly but he was courteous towards where I wanted to go and gave me options on how to get there and what he thought would be best. Then we talked about baseball and the city and whatnot. It helped that he was American-born and spoke English with zero accent, but he actually seemed to care. Most cabbies couldn't care less who you are or what you do. I read somewhere that cab drivers in NYC get around $50k a year. That's more than I will get for a while. So I don't feel bad when they complain that we didn't leave a "big enough tip" on a $10 fare. Relax.

I guess my point of this whole thing is that tips are a necessary evil because corporate America is a greedy bastard. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. I don't have a problem with tipping people for good service, but tipping "because I have to" doesn't fly with me. It's about respecting good service. And the times your trying to impress people - which doesn't happen for me much, but I understand the idea. But when someone tells their customer they didn't leave a big enough tip? Now we're just being greedy, and that drives me nuts.

That being said, anyone want to leave some tips for reading this blog? Whatever you leave, it's not enough. C'mon now, this takes hard work!

If you don't understand the sarcasm of that last paragraph, then we can't be friends and you may want to consider reading other blogs. Just sayin'.