I think about this every now and then. How did jobs that are commonly known for tipping (waiting, delivery, hotel baggage, etc) come about? Why is it such a necessity nowadays to tip people for doing their jobs.

Now don't say I'm being cheap, because that's not the case. I usually always tip if the service is good and I can afford it. But why do we, as consumers, put ourselves into situations where businesses take advantage of our tipping by lowering hourly wages to the point where tipping is absolutely necessary? If someone does a good job, I believe they should be paid EXTRA for what they're doing, not paying to make up the rest of their paycheck. Any idiot can deliver pizza or wait tables, and many of them suck at what they do, but there is still the feeling of a necessity to tip.

I, as well as many of you, work hard at my job. In my situation, my hourly pay is less than stellar, and do I many things that benefit my customers. I rarely get tipped, and many of the things I do for customers, they couldn't do themselves (unlike picking up a pizza, or moving food from a kitchen 30 feet away to a table). I'm not saying being a waiter is easy, because they definitely work hard when the place is busy or have bad customers, but that's the nature of the job.



I guess my point is, why am I paying $4-6 extra for a pizza to be delivered (delivery fee $2, tip $2-4)? I know, I know, if I don't wanna pay it then I should eat at home or go pick up the pizza, but that isn't the point. I shouldn't be forced to tip someone, and if I don't the quality of service would drop dramatically and there might even be violent outbursts due to it. IMO a tip should be something extra, like if you were to take your vehicle to get an oil change and the guy does something he doesn't have to, like clean the window glass or vacuum out the carpet. He deserves the extra money because he is doing something for me, not what he is getting paid to do by the company.


/rant

 

Why do people make commission? Why do people get bonuses at the end of the year?

All of it is incentive to work harder and perform your job better. Taking pride in your work is a lost art. People want some form of compensation for doing an above and beyond job.

 

But commission and bonuses are paid by the company because they see a direct increase in profits because of the harder work of their employees.

The incentive is lost when their tips are necessary to remain competitive with other more common jobs that pay standard hourly wages. I know that if they really work hard, then yes they can make a lot more money, but as a consumer I feel like I am getting screwed for being forced to tip for adequate service. I know I could always not tip, but I know that person is relying on my money to make a living. But at the same time, if that person isn't making enough money, they can always find another job. Nobody is forcing them to work there.

 

i always thought of it as appreciation, someone else doing it since im to lazy to lol

arent the employers holding taxes out for tips ? or more taxes( something like that ) i mean arent they at a lower pay scale cause there jobs can recieve tips?

 

How about the many jobs out there where the employer has a company policy against their employees accepting tips? You do your job exceptionally, and a customer appreciates it enough to tip you, but another employee sees it. You end up getting reprimanded. Awesome!

 

What would you guys think if businesses such as Walmart started adding a %15 tip on top of your entire grocery bill? After all, they do scan your groceries, and bag it for you.

I bet many of you would be upset and say "hey that's their job, they're supposed to scan and bag my groceries".

 

When I use to work at a movie theater a certain couple would come in almost every week and order a large popcorn and drink every time they came.

Large popcorn with layered butter and a large diet coke. I got tipped everytime they came in cause I had it ready before they even got to me. Didn't do it cause I knew they were going to tip me, did it cause I knew what they wanted. Wasn't trying to over do my work, I was just doing my job really.

But like you say Scott, if the service isn't great, they don't get a great tips but Businesses shouldn't cut the wages of the works so the tips make up for it. Thats bs.

 

My company has a "no tip" policy, but as with many businesses, it's really there just to protect the company if something were to happen. One of those "it's ok as long as you don't get caught" things that the company can fall back on if they had to.

I do accept tips for doing things for people, but I do not get tipped often (once or twice a year at best).

 

ahh i see what youre saying, i was at casa ole one eveing and left a tip a nice one at that, me leaving the tip didnt bother me it was the percent they took out for the tip. kinda got pissed cause i actually left more than what added into the bill. i told the lady ( cashier ) something about it and she told me to ask for the left tip back, i told her why not just take the percentage rate she charged me BACK? since it was less that what i left.. i was more upset when she asked me to ask for it back from the waitress when should could have easily removed it from the bill, but she went on to say my CC has already been charged, wife made me leave it ALONE

 

That is exactly the type of thing that warrants a tip. The chinese food play next to my work is also a good example. I order from them all the time, they know me when I call, and I could probably just tell her I want food and she'd know exactly what I wanted. No matter how busy they are, they always take care of me and get my food out quicker than other customers. She also throws sweet n sour sauce in the bag without me even mentioning it, because she knows that's what I usually order. I tip her because she is going above and beyond her responsibilities to give me service. Simply remembering who I am and being friendly to me is enough to warrant at least some kind of tip. Tipping in those situations feels good, and I enjoy doing it. But being in a situation where I get a general service, which is exactly what is expected of that particular job, and being practically forced to tip is not a good thing to me.


Also, at the chinese food place, I do not always tip. Sometimes I pay with my card or simply can't afford to tip much more than having her keep the change. She does not expect the tip, and when I first started doing it, she always kept trying to give me back the change as I left. Her actions were not driven by the tip, but definitely warranted a tip.