Posted by
King David Caul on Thursday, April 24, 2008 6:01:42 AM
At its core, Tipping is a long-term, evolving trend; which changes over time, culture, and location.
In the U.S., the trend has grown into a Frankenstein's monster. Worse than the discovery that the monster has the brain of a deranged thief, we find the monster has escaped and is violently running amuck through our village. This trend of late is the ubiquitous tip sign: EVERYONE wants a tip now!
And now that the desire to receive tips (note that I did not say "earn" tips) has spread to everyone who can imagine the possibility, we approach a state of gratuity anarchy. And the mentality surrounding tips has evolved; it’s not a sign of appreciation for good or exceptional service, it is an expectation. Tipping well is something you are all but required to do. I am even seeing arguments suggesting a standard 15% tip for bad service. Apparently, recent economic uncertainty and trouble has already affected negatively the habits of tipping. Probably...but it might also have something to do with the fact that people are getting completely fed up with the never-ending open palm phenomenon.
Culturally we've moved from debating whether tipping is a good idea or not, to the question of is 15% adequate, and should it be perhaps heading towards 25/30%. Why was tipping 10% appropriate at the beginning of the 20th century, but today only 20% is considered a complement? (Since the late 1970s, the going rate has been 15%) The answer is; when you feed the monster, it continues to grow.
The base standard of our new cultural etiquette demands: if I touch something of yours, you should tip me (which I guess translates to: if you don't want me ruining and breaking your stuff, that costs extra. I get paid for going through the motions, but refraining from ruining your stuff - that cost more). If someone touches your coffee, tip them. If someone touches your luggage, tip them. If someone touches your food, your clothes, your hair, your skin, your nails, tip them. If someone touches the door before you can, tip them! Deliver the paper, hand you a beer, write down an order - tip them! Someone speaks to you? Smiles? Tip them!
So, the key, obviously; don't let people touch your things. The moment you own something - don’t let people touch it. It creates a license for you to owe them money.
Tipping appears to have its origins in 16th-century England, and spread throughout European areas that had a servant class. This is somewhat ironic, as Europe has moved away from tipping and America has embraced it ridiculously. Early U.S. tipping practices were not well-intentioned! "Far from being perceived as a way of increasing the pay of service workers...was frequently seen as an employer strategy for exploiting workers, particularly black workers...When the Pullman porters organized into the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925, one of the first things they did was to petition the Interstate Commerce Commission for an order prohibiting tips. " ¹¹
And tipping was not particularly welcome here, either; "The New York Times (1899, p. 6) claimed that the tipping practice is a wretched system … every tip saves the payment of wages to an equal amount… This throws a flood of light on the frequent assertions that the abolition of the tipping system is impossible. "¹ "The Washington Post denounced tipping as 'one of the most insidious and one of the most malignant evils' of modern life. Tipping was seen to foster a lord-and-vassal relationship that the prouder professions resisted. Well into the 1910s many bartenders refused gratuities as an insult to their status."² "Gunton’s Magazine (1896, p. 16-17) called tipping offensively un-American, because it was contrary to the spirit of American life of working for wages rather than fawning for favors. It also stated that tipping did not favor the tip-receivers because their wages were reduced as a result of tipping"¹ And there existed an Anti-Tipping Society of America, who from 1905 to 1919 succeeded in having the custom abolished in seven states; alas, it did not survive.
So… let's go out to dinner: Our meal probably begins with some valet parking. Once you walk-in (if you didn't have to tip some maitre'd handsomely for a table, and if you don't encounter another new trend requiring an entire party to be present before being seated), then you see in your menu the expense of your entrées and your drink, desserts and appetizers perhaps. If you like wine with your meal, then be glad we're all rich, as the prices certainly have soared. You might notice another new trend which is showing up; a significant split fee. Isn't that fun? Add eight dollars to your plate, because you aren't going to eat it the way they want you to. So, you begin to eat your meal, and taking a pause, you discover that many restaurants today are quite comfortable hustling you along; many hands will attempt to seize your plates if you stop working at them for even a moment (Another lovely trend, but a bit off point). So then you get your bill, adding of course some delicious taxation. Now comes your chance to be a good American and support this poor struggling institution of dining. The modern world and our nation's economy depend on you doing your part to embellish the wages of those who otherwise simply could not be paid -- and it simply isn't fair to let these wards of the populace do just all right, they must thrive. And you must make it happen. So think 20%.
Yes 20%... I know, it used to be 15% (and before that 10%) but this is adjusting for inflation you see. Never mind that the cost of the meal is already adjusted for inflation, and therefore 15% of the adjusted price actually results in identical relative wage to the earlier eras; it is a matter of treating the nation's waiters in a manner that, well...boosts their self-esteem. Yes that's your responsibility.
One thing that cracked me up is going on the web forums which you can find about tipping, and reading all the entries from restaurant wait staff moaning about how excruciatingly hard they work. I can't tell you how many posts I've seen where a restaurant server has declared their job one of the most dangerous, stressful and difficult jobs there is. That takes quite an imagination. And don't tell me I don't know, years ago I waited tables in some seven different establishments. Right, it has tuff moments - Unlike everyone else, who show up for work whenever, then put their feet up on the desk and eat cupcakes for a few hours before going home exhausted from telling jokes all day...It really isn't fair that waiters have to actually work.
Obviously, the job itself should pay a real wage! Just what does minimum-wage mean anyway, if select service industries can make this peculiar arrangement?
OK, so anyone who wasn't around for the Civil War is probably accustomed to restaurant tipping. Maybe that's not even the the real problem... maybe the problem is the list of everyone else we must now consider for tips in order to consider ourselves socially just and correct. At the bottom of my rant is a list of the itchy palmers I can think of; Please add to it if you notice omissions.
What are the arguments for tipping?
The gold standard of tipping arguments is that it directly relates to the quality of service provided. No it doesn't. That's nonsense. I spent the last year in Singapore, where tipping is flat-out discouraged (and you can't imagine how wonderful it is to be relieved of the unrelenting assault on your wallet and your guilt). The service in Singapore is fundamentally no better nor no worse than in the United States. Indistinguishable. People do a good job because it's their job. They care or they don't; and they lose their job or keep their job accordingly. If employers had to pay real wages would they put up with crappy staff? No, they wouldn't tolerate it. Wait staff would have to perform and keep clientele happy or find the door, just like in most any other employment situation. And restaurants that pride themselves on superior service would have to pay staff better to retain better servers, just like in any other employment situation. In addition, the two significant studies cited elsewhere show little relationship between quality of service and size of tip. So it becomes increasingly meaningless with regard to expectations of good service.
"The argument that tipping is efficient is based on the assumption that customers tip according to service quality, whereas in reality there is only a weak correlation between service-quality and tip size. By far the most important factor that determines tip size is the size of the bill and there is no reason to think that the size of the bill is correlated with service quality...Moreover, most restaurants practice tip-pooling; that is, tips do not go directly to the staff who provided the service, but instead are aggregated and then distributed to all servers according to some formula. ... Tip-pooling reduces the incentive to provide good service that tipping allegedly provides, because each waiter has an incentive to free ride on the other's efforts by exerting less effort in providing good service as his or her tips will only be marginally affected" ³
And when service charges are included (as with a party of six or more), this logic and argument would suggest a complete collapse in the service you would receive. Most of us know, that is just not the case.
Analysis has further concluded what is intuitive; that institutionalized tipping caused wages to decline! (Usually this is an unacceptable trend to most.) As these wages have become settled at a ridiculous low-end figure, the receivers of these wages complain of their financial disadvantage. It hardly needs to be pointed out for the millionth time that they could pursue another job. Of course for some that's a possibility and for some it’s a difficulty. So moving past that, let me just ask how the struggling individuals expect to live in a society where they themselves will have to grease the palms of everyone else they encounter throughout their day? Are you making great money or are you going broke, which is it? If you're broke, then how do you expect to function in a society that expects the generous tip at every encounter? Live by the sword, die by the sword.
While living in Chicago I did my best for years to tip generously. I desperately wanted to be a welcome face in the establishments of my neighborhood. Sadly, after years of eating out in the downtown Chicago scene, I don't know if I ever felt like my earnest attempts at generous tipping was ever remembered or even noticed (aside from places where I was most definitely a regular). Once everyone is expected to leave a minimum of 15%+ on every occasion, leaving a nice tip of 18 to 20% does not make you a hero to anyone. You are easily forgotten. You're just another member of the congregation who relinquished their tithe to alter of the service providers. I'm afraid to say, generally you're only going to be remembered if you return with consistent regularity or you leave a bad tip (and no doubt, this will never be forgotten).
There is the argument that people should tip well because this is the way these people make a living. But this is not a sufficient argument in and of itself; It is an explanation of the mentality, but not a good justification of the practise. What if another individual makes his living by avoiding all unnecessary expenses, like gratuities? Each individual must take responsibility for finding a job that pays them directly and consistently in a manner they can live with. It is nobody else's responsibility to compensate for the fuzziness or inadequacies of a contract between employee and employer.
And in this way, tipping can promote an antagonistic relationship between the customer and the server; why must the customer provide the restaurant’s employees an incentive to perform? The customer can discover a sense of resentment, being expected to accept the responsibility for paying the wage of someone who simply did their job. This includes every instance where service was simply functional, lacking any flair or special attention. It is a nuisance to regularly suffer the game-playing, mathematical test, and guilt resolution as an end to every meal.
And tipping is a very clumsy to comment on the overall dining experience; as this built-in method of evaluation ultimately affects only the server. But what if the atmosphere and the food sucked? You don't get to express your dissatisfaction with your tip! And how are we supposed to reward good, exceptional, service if everyone is given a tip at every interaction? Then it’s not a reward, but an expectation; and thus there is no significant positive reinforcement when someone does something really special. Tips are not supposed to be an entitlement, they are supposed to be a gratuity. By virtue of the fact that is absolutely expected, it becomes essentially a publicly mandated subsidy, primarily benefiting the business owner at the expense of their employees. And the employees will further lose less conspicuous benefits which ordinarily accompany a job in the US; Social Security benefits properly correlating to the actual time invested in your job, health care benefits, vacation days, etc..
Tipping researchers "Ayres et al. and Michael Lynn...showed that tipping may facilitate prejudice... tipping facilitates significant tax evasion. " ³
"The bottom line is if you don't want to pay a gratuity for a service performed for you, don't use the service. " Is an actual quote from louseytipper.com. It is ironic, as this same individual was complaining that the government is grabbing 8% of wage. The IRS is grabbing twice that from rest of us. This hypocritical argument "if you don't want to pay for the service, don't eat out", would equate to "if you don't want to pay the government tax bill, don't live in this nation". This argument ignores the reality that we don't mind paying for what we get, were simply sick of this tipping structure and mentality. We don't feel are getting our moneys worth, and we don't like it.
The economic arguments against tipping are strong, payroll taxes are not the only taxes evaded when cash tips are not reported by waiters, sales taxes are evaded as well. If the service component is charged separately, through a tip, it does not appear in the bill, and sales tax is evaded. "A mandated switch to a service charge will not only reduce opportunities for discrimination as suggested by Ayres et al., but may also significantly improve tax compliance." ³
So, what are solutions? Let's begin enforcing minimum wage laws, without exceptions for these "special case" scenarios. What's this $2.15 wage anyway; it’s an amount PERFECT for the government to snatch for covering your presumed tax obligation. (If the government said employers could pay wait staff NOTHING, then there’d be no cash to grab!) It's an unacceptable arrangement. Wait staff must begin receiving real wages. As government institutionalized tipping-dependant structures are disassembled, the rampant escalation of tip greed into every other field would begin to die (either by public resistance or practitioner embarrassment). The mandated service charge needs to appear on our checks. At that point a tip would be a meaningful and optional expression of true thankfulness.
And the rest of the world won’t find our cities so frustrating.
Modern folks (or extorting pirates, depending on your point of view) who expect and/or deserve tips in the U.S. - As collected from several web sites that claim "expertise" (whatever the hell that means) in these refined social etiquettes. These are NOT my suggestions! My feelings are in the parentheses:
· Maitre'd - go ahead and splurge. (Yes, that's what one site recommends. And sure, why the hell not; We're all just MADE of money, and Maitre'ds add so much to our lives!)
· Headwaiter/captain: May get a cut of table server's tip; so tip your server extra to reward captain, or tip captain separately (Even MORE surcharge at the restaurant!)
· Bartenders: $1 for beer or wine, $2 for mixed drink, or 10-20% of bar bill
· Sommelier or wine steward: 15% of cost of the bottle
· Coatroom attendant: $1 - 2 per coat
· Washroom attendant: 50¢ - $1
· Buffet Waiter staff: 5% - 10% At least $1 per head if you get your own beverages. If you order beverages from the server, then you should tip 10-20% (20%! Thanks for the drink!)
· Carryout /Take-out counter: $1 - $2, 5-10% percent if they show you the food and offer complimentary items.
· Food delivery person: $2 minimum. 10%-20%
· Pizza Delivery $2 - 5 or 15% to 20%, whichever is greater
· Coffee/food retailers w/ tip jars: Tip is optional.
· Catering Server: $20 /server.
· Bellhops - $2 minimum $1+ per bag $10 for bringing you to your room with luggage; $5 dollars for opening and showing the room .
· Bellman (As offered by some D. Moritz ) "If you carry your own bags when you stay at a hotel, you are a loser. You should tip your Bellman EVERY TIME he touches your bags. $5 MINIMUM - $20" (Bite me Mr. Moritz)
· Hotel housekeeper/Maid service - $2 - 10 per night.
· Concierge - $5 - $10 . If the concierge suggested and made reservations for you then $20 - $25.
· Doorman - $1 / bag or $2 for hailing a cab, $1 per person
· Room Service: 15% - 20%
· desk clerk: special services given - $5
· Pool Attendant $1 - $2 for each service -towels or lounge chairs
· Valet Attendant: $2 - $5 for each trip to car, more dependant on weather or location
· Limousine driver: 20%
· Motor Coach Tours : $1 - $2 /person /day.
· Tour Guide / Bus Driver Day Trips Only $10-15% of the tour cost , $1 to $2 /person /day.
· Cruise Ship cabin steward: $3 - $3.50 /day per person
· Cruise waiter: $3.00 /day per person
· Cruise bus boy: $1.50 /day per person
· Cruise cabin boy, bath steward: 5% -8% of total fare divided among them,
· Cruise bar steward, wine steward: 15% tip added to bill automatically
· Chartered Flights Pilots: $50-$100+/pilot. Ground Crew extra
· Skycap at airport: $1+ / bag curbside; $2 / bag if skycap takes bags to check-in counter.
· Electric Cart Transport: $1 - $2
· Train Sleeping Car Attendant $3 - $5 / passenger / day
· Courtesy Shuttle Driver : $1 - $2 / person, or $4 - $5 per party
· Taxi drivers: 15%-20; an extra $1 to $2 for help with bags
· Parking attendant: $1 - $2. If attendant helps with luggage/packages $5 is customary
· Gas station attendant: $1 - $2 for pumping gas, $5 for pumping gas and checking fluids
· Tow truck operator: locked out of car $5 to $10. Jump Start / Tire Change $3 - $5 , Tow $5 - $20
· Mechanic - $10 - 20+ for jobs over $500. , $50 for jobs above $500
· Barber/Hairstylist: 10-20%, . "If you do not get your hair cut often, then $5" (Why? Because you owe them a living?)
· shampoos personnel: $1 - $5
· Manicurist 15%
· Spa service 15-20%
· Masseuse 10-20% for a one-hour massage (note the tendency to claim your medical benefits and their medical professionalism, yet exercise the extremely unprofessional medical practice of accepting tips)
· nutritionist: see above
· alternative medical practitioner: see above
· Movers: $10-$25 / person. One Person Job $20 - $50
· Furniture deliverer: $5-$20. /person
· Building superintendent: Varies
· Handyman: Tip is optional.
· Contractor Foreman: $50
· contractor labor: $30 /worker
· dry cleaner:
· Lifeguards
· ski/snowboard instructors 15-20% . minimum $5 per student
· Grocery store bagger: $1 - 3.
· butcher
· Flower delivery: $2 - 10
· Shoe-shiner $2 - 3
· Showroom Maitre d': $1 - $2 for preassigned seats. For unassigned seating, you may tip according to where you want to sit. Usually a tip over $50 will guarantee your seat. (I should freakin hope so!)
· Sports arena usher: 50¢ - $1 per party if shown to your seats
· Clown at children's party: $15 - 25
· Dog groomer: 15 %, $2 / dog minimum
· Disc Jockey: $1/song. $5 - 10 for immediate service.
· Exotic Club Dancer: sit at the stage minimum $3/song/person.
· Tattoo Artist $10-$15 minimum for a $150 tattoo. $20-$50 minimum for a $200 or above tattoo
· Casino Blackjack Dealer: $5+ per session. Also it is common to place a bet beside yours for the dealer. (WHY?!)
· Craps Dealer: place as much as 10% beside your bet
· Drink Waiters: $1+/drink
· Keno Writer/Runners: $1 when they first run your ticket, more if you play a lot.
· Poker Dealers: $5/session, win or lose. Winners should tip at least $10 (But don't subtract that from the IRS totals folks - they consider it YOUR money)
· Roulette Dealers: $5+/session
· Slot Attendants: $1 - $2 when they repair your machine, fill it with coin, etc. (Even though that really isn't personal service, now is it?)
· Slot Machine Changer: $1+/change served, 10% on a jackpot
· Casino security Officers: allowed to accept tips and do greatly appreciate them... (Um, why wouldn't they. I can think of reasons why they SHOULDN'T accept tips)
· Casino Cashier: 5% of your cash out if you have a big win. (Guess after all the tips it won't be as big as you thought!)
· --- just a question: do the casino staff feel any urges to tip ME if I LOOSE? --- Remember the era when going to Vegas was supposed to be cheap? SOOOOO over.
· Weddings: Gratuities are almost always added into the final bill, (but is it then proper to tip the servers? Guess what they suggest) customary addition amount would be up to 15%. This would also include catering managers, hotel banquet managers, waiters, waitresses, bartenders and bridal consultants.
· wedding Coat Room Attendants: 50¢/guest.
· wedding Florists, Photographers, Bakers, Musicians: only for extra special services, up to 15%. (Why, what'd they do wrong?)
· wedding Civil Ceremony Officials: you may find a "suggested" donation . average gratuity $50 - $75. additional for travel.
· wedding Clergymen, Rabbis, Priests: $75+ donation is considered proper
· wedding Organist: $35 - $50 for each person if not included.
· wedding DJ: $25 - $100
.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS!!!! Holiday Tipping!!!!
· Newspaper delivery or garbage collectors : $15 to $25
· Dog walkers, nannies, or cleaning services: one week's pay +
· Manicurists: $10 to $50
· Hairdressers: $25 to $100
· Apartment Building Staff
· Custodian $20 - $30
· Cleaning Person - $75
· Doormen $25 - $100 each.
· Gardener/Yard Worker - $50
· Handymen $20 - $30 each
· Superintendent $30 - $100
· Health Club or Spa / Locker Room Attendant(s) $5 - $10
· Trainer(s) $50
· Baby Sitter two nights pay or more, maybe a gift as well
· Full-time Nanny - $270
· Beauty Salon : cost of a regular session plus a gift. No less than $5 per staffer.
· Day Care Service $15 - $25 and a gift
· Garbage Collector(s) $15 - $20 each
· Mail Carrier - The USPS asks that gratuities have a cash value no more than $20 and a letter of appreciation to the supervisor.
· Newspaper Delivery Person Daily delivery $15 - $25
· Parking Attendant(s) $10 to $20+ dollars each
Who gets left out (and some for GOOD reasons - but it just starts to seem like discrimination, doesn't it?)
· Receptionists
· Tech support/customer service (pop them $20-40 thru paypal?)
· airline in-flight personnel
· fast food service ("service" being the phenomenally operate word of the debate, right?)
· Bus drivers
· Theater ushers
· Cinema ticket takers/snack counters personnel
· Museum guides
· Salespeople in general
· bank service personnel
· loan application personnel
· tax preparers
· financial advisors
· lawyer
· Internet installer
· blockbuster floor help (helps you find Shrek 3, hand over $2)
· police officers
· Doctors
· Nurses
· government workers (generally illegal and considered a bribe)
Argentina - Tipping officially illegal, but waiters expect a small tip
England - 10% if no service charge
France - Up to 10%
Japan - Tips are viewed as insulting
New Zealand - None
South Africa - 10% if no service charge
Thailand - None
1) "The history of tipping—from sixteenth-century England to United States in the 1910s", Ofer H. Azar
2) "The history of Tipping", Eric Felten
3) "THE CASE AGAINST TIPPING", Feb-06 Yoram Margalioth
11) "To insure prejudice: racial disparities in taxicab tipping", 01-MAY-05, Ayres, Ian ; Vars, Fredrick E. ; Zakariya, Nasser
©2008 king david caul