Tipping

[AndyinLiverpool]

11 minutes ago, JoetheRam said:

See Mr Pink in the opening scene of Reservoir Dogs for my opinion on tips.

And look what happens to him

[Wolfie]

1 hour ago, David said:

Why would you tip a waiter/waitress but not a grocery delivery worker?

Because you could be engaging with that waiter/ess for a couple of hours and multiple interactions. A grocery delivery person is stood on my doorstep for maybe 2-3 minutes, tops. The Ocado ones are always friendly & helpful but there's not even a financial transaction taking place with them. I'd be interested to know if anyone does tip these people.

1 hour ago, David said:

Why would you tip a taxi driver but not a bus driver?

It's a personal interaction thing again. The bus driver is just (normally) just the miserable bloke at the front of the bus but the taxi driver normally does engage in some conversation - if only to say for the 47th time that evening whether they've been busy or not.

1 hour ago, David said:

Why would you tip a barman/woman but not a McDonalds crew member?

I don't tip bar staff (unless in USA)

[Day]

4 minutes ago, Wolfie said:

Because you could be engaging with that waiter/ess for a couple of hours and multiple interactions. A grocery delivery person is stood on my doorstep for maybe 2-3 minutes, tops. The Ocado ones are always friendly & helpful but there's not even a financial transaction taking place with them. I'd be interested to know if anyone does tip these people.

Engaging with a waiter/ess for a couple of hours, how long does it take to decide what you want to order??? Usually they go and serve other tables if you're not ready yet. If I have to engage with one longer than 5 minutes across the night they are not doing their jobs correctly and deserve to be fired.

[McRamFan]

3 minutes ago, David said:

Engaging with a waiter/ess for a couple of hours, how long does it take to decide what you want to order??? Usually they go and serve other tables if you're not ready yet. If I have to engage with one longer than 5 minutes across the night they are not doing their jobs correctly and deserve to be fired.

You should try better resturants than Nando's and TGI's...

[Day]

Just now, McRamFan said:

You should try better resturants than Nando's and TGI's...

Never been to either. 

Can I take your drinks order, can I take your food order, here's your starter, here's your main, would you like to see the dessert menu, can I get the bill please does not take 2 hours. 

If you get one that hangs around like a house fly I will quickly swat them away, the kind that take your plate away as your pierce the last breaded mushroom with your fork. Stood there in the corner waiting for that moment. No no, go sit in the kitchen on Facebook, just have a quick scoot around every 10 minutes from a far, let yourself be seen without making this weird.

[ColonelBlimp]

1 hour ago, David said:

Minimum wage was £5.93 back in 2010, should have reported them. The customer on the doorstep isn't to know that you are being paid below minimum wage, not usually a question you stop to ask when your pizza is being handed over.

But you, as a customer, would know that the job being done is poorly paid and would tip accordingly, as long as the service received was polite and swift, yes?

 

Ocado/Tesco/Asda delivery drivers is a different thing I think.

[RoyMac5]

28 minutes ago, Wolfie said:

It's a personal interaction thing again. The bus driver is just (normally) just the miserable bloke at the front of the bus but the taxi driver normally does engage in some conversation - if only to say for the 47th time that evening whether they've been busy or not.

If you're running for the bus and the driver waits do you tip him?

Pay a proper wage for the job. Don't like tipping. If you work in the service industry you should be aiming to provide good service to all your customers.

[Wolfie]

16 minutes ago, David said:

Engaging with a waiter/ess for a couple of hours, how long does it take to decide what you want to order??? Usually they go and serve other tables if you're not ready yet. If I have to engage with one longer than 5 minutes across the night they are not doing their jobs correctly and deserve to be fired.

Nowadays if me & Mrs Wolfie get the chance to go out, then it's usually a couple of hours in a restaurant for 3 courses, coffee & drinks etc. Of course you're not interacting with the waiting staff for the whole time but they are available to you for that length of time if required and good waiting staff will be constantly keeping an eye on your table even if they're not coming over every few minutes.

Like @McRamFan said, depends on the quality of restaurant. I try and avoid the big chains wherever possible, in favour of local family run places - which doesn't necessarily mean more expensive.

[Day]

2 minutes ago, ColonelBlimp said:

But you, as a customer, would know that the job being done is poorly paid and would tip accordingly, as long as the service received was polite and swift, yes?

How would I know this? The national minimum wage is £7.38 or £7.83 over 25's.

Do I know that your take away isn't paying this?

If they are I have to guess the age of the person delivering at night. Let's assume you look younger and I believe you are on £7.38ph an hour. 

Now I have to guess how many hours is this person working, a take away can open at 6pm until 2am, that's an 8hr shift, roughly what a sales assistant in a shop down the town centre would earn.

But this person may only start at 10pm until 2pm through personal choice or hours that are being offered, how do I know?

Can I enquire is that a restaurant own car/bike or are you paid petrol expenses? Oh you get £1 per delivery expenses, now can you tell me how many deliveries on average you have made tonight?

Your experience of working £5ph plus £1 delivery won't reflect what goes on with every take away driver, they may all get minimum wage plus a pound for delivery in a busy take away.

I know we have a member on here that tweeted recently he turned up for work and was told he wasn't needed, on a zero hour contract but they pay him just 4 hours of the shift. 2 kids at home to provide for, yet won't ever see a tip because it's not seen to be a service industry job. 

[Day]

Just to add, you have online sites like Just Eat, you can order and pay for your food before it even arrives, they do not have any option to leave a tip for the driver. If you have no change in the house are you a moron for ordering online knowing you can't tip the driver or are the morons the restaurants that treat their drivers like poo?

I understand that people take crap paid jobs at times because thats all thats out there, but if nobody took these who would deliver the food? Make a stand. 

Quick look shows Dominos pays it's drivers minimum wage plus a pound for each delivery for expenses.

[Stive Pesley]

I was shocked when I went on holiday to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, the Americans would tip the Mexican bar staff even though the drinks were free, but the pay-off was that they spoke to them and treated them like dirt. Literally like slaves - as if throwing them a dollar gave them that privilege.

After a few days we got chatting to some of the staff and said how embarrassed we were at the way the Americans talked to them - and how we weren't sure if we were expected to tip or not. They replied that they didn't mind because they know English culture is different and we don't tip, but we do speak to them and have a laugh, and treat them like equal human beings and that was worth just as much to them as a few dollars and a miserable shift of verbal abuse

 

[Wolfie]

45 minutes ago, StivePesley said:

I was shocked when I went on holiday to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, the Americans would tip the Mexican bar staff even though the drinks were free, but the pay-off was that they spoke to them and treated them like dirt. Literally like slaves - as if throwing them a dollar gave them that privilege.

After a few days we got chatting to some of the staff and said how embarrassed we were at the way the Americans talked to them - and how we weren't sure if we were expected to tip or not. They replied that they didn't mind because they know English culture is different and we don't tip, but we do speak to them and have a laugh, and treat them like equal human beings and that was worth just as much to them as a few dollars and a miserable shift of verbal abuse

 

I've experienced exactly the same on 2 visits to Mexico. For a while we were feeling really bad that we weren't tipping constantly and then on about day 3 noticed the attitude of the American tourists.

[TigerTedd]

Lots of likes from me for @David in this thread. Share his sentiments entirely. 

When did we suddenly become American? In America they have to tip because they don’t have a minimum wage. Maybe it’s suppose to give an incentive, the best worked get the most tips. 

But that’s not how we do things in the the UK. Workers are supposed to get a fair wage for what they do. If you’re not getting a fair wage, quit, make a stand, join a union. Don’t ask for handouts. Do a good job cos you have pride in your work, not because you’re on a promise for an extra quid or two if you do a good job. 

Is the American system really better?

and needing to refer to websites for the correct etiquette of who to tip how much? balls to that, far too much chance of offending someone, it’s a mine field. Better that no one gets tipped, then it’s fair for everyone.

its those of you who embrace this American culture of tipping, that tip as a matter of course, that have turned it into a ‘thing’ when it never used to be. Now people expect it, and feel offended if you don’t leave a tip.

Ill leave the change, but only cos I can’t be arsed to wait around for 5p change. I don’t really care what they do with the 5p, they can chuck it at Steve Bruce for all I care. If they feel offended by a 5p tip, well it wasn’t intended as a reflection on your service, I just didn’t want to wait. 

 

[McRamFan]

Tipping started in 17th Century England.

[Wolfie]

10 minutes ago, TigerTedd said:

Lots of likes from me for @David in this thread. Share his sentiments entirely. 

When did we suddenly become American? In America they have to tip because they don’t have a minimum wage. Maybe it’s suppose to give an incentive, the best worked get the most tips. 

But that’s not how we do things in the the UK. Workers are supposed to get a fair wage for what they do. If you’re not getting a fair wage, quit, make a stand, join a union. Don’t ask for handouts. Do a good job cos you have pride in your work, not because you’re on a promise for an extra quid or two if you do a good job. 

Is the American system really better?

and needing to refer to websites for the correct etiquette of who to tip how much? balls to that, far too much chance of offending someone, it’s a mine field. Better that no one gets tipped, then it’s fair for everyone.

its those of you who embrace this American culture of tipping, that tip as a matter of course, that have turned it into a ‘thing’ when it never used to be. Now people expect it, and feel offended if you don’t leave a tip.

Ill leave the change, but only cos I can’t be arsed to wait around for 5p change. I don’t really care what they do with the 5p, they can chuck it at Steve Bruce for all I care. If they feel offended by a 5p tip, well it wasn’t intended as a reflection on your service, I just didn’t want to wait. 

 

Tipping has been around since about the 1700's. And it started in England.

[Spanish]

4 minutes ago, McRamFan said:

Tipping started in 17th Century England.

In the 1970's tipping was something that you did rarely and only for great service.  Somewhere in the 90's I suppose it became expected and that's where I don't get it.  The employers have effectively passed on part of their costs to you guys (prices didn't go down) and being Brits you didn't complain.  You pay extra because the employer is not paying enough, what a daft bunch you are?

[TigerTedd]

12 minutes ago, Wolfie said:

Tipping has been around since about the 1700's. And it started in England.

Well yes, there was all that ‘why thank you my good man, now take good care of my steed, there’s a good chap’ malarkey back then. But we very much seem to have taken on the American model of tipping ie the bill is £20, so that’s a £3 tip, regardless of the circumstances. 

I’d tip if someone was properly looking after me, above and beyond their job description. But not as a matter of course, and certainly not just for doing the job that they’ve been paid for already. 

[Spanish]

4 minutes ago, TigerTedd said:

Well yes, there was all that ‘why thank you my good man, now take good care of my steed, there’s a good chap’ malarkey back then. But we very much seem to have taken on the American model of tipping ie the bill is £20, so that’s a £3 tip, regardless of the circumstances. 

I’d tip if someone was properly looking after me, above and beyond their job description. But not as a matter of course, and certainly not just for doing the job that they’ve been paid for already. 

Used to live over there and they really dread the brits walking in because they know that a proportion will not understand the etiquette.  it should be called a tax because a tip it ain't. 

Thankfully there is not much of that in Spain where I live.  Leave the change in bars tip around 3-5% in restaurants 10 -15% in top class restaurants.  If I don't tip nobody comes running after me and it will be the sort of place I won't frequent again anyway.  these aren't rules they are just my way of saying thank you. I'm probably more generous in a regular place than a one off.

[Sith Happens]

15 minutes ago, Spanish said:

Used to live over there and they really dread the brits walking in because they know that a proportion will not understand the etiquette.  it should be called a tax because a tip it ain't. 

Thankfully there is not much of that in Spain where I live.  Leave the change in bars tip around 3-5% in restaurants 10 -15% in top class restaurants.  If I don't tip nobody comes running after me and it will be the sort of place I won't frequent again anyway.  these aren't rules they are just my way of saying thank you. I'm probably more generous in a regular place than a one off.

Or maybe they should just get paid properly.

I went to New York a few years back, mostly did tip, understood and generally on the menus it told you what to tip etc. One person I didnt tip was the driver of the transfer we had arranged. It was a minibus, we were told max wait time half hour. 

We rang on arrival at Newark and told yes on way, no sign, rang again and again. Took an hour and a half, then he was about as happy as a stoke fan when he got there, so i didnt tip. He gave me a right mouthful when i got off. Even if its the etiquette the person receiving the tip should provide an acceptable service.

[Sith Happens]

On the Americans in AI resorts bit. They do it because they are scared they wont get as good service as the next person. 

I tip on AI holidays if i have had good service, not until towards the end of the holiday though when i have worked out who deserves one and who doesnt.