Do servers not want a tip?

[Cantw8]

Is that literally what you said? Because you got change, it just wasn't the type of change you wanted. In that situation, I would have explicitly asked to break the $10.

Yep, OP should have asked to break the ten. I would have done the same thing the server did and I would have thought the OP didn't know how to count lol. Receiving change back is different than "breaking a bill"

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

You needed "silver" or "coins" or "a quarter."
She brought you your change.
Thankfully, I imagine your service did not reflect your attitude.

It's not her fault that you came unprepared to pay the parking meter, or that you chose to wait until the very last minute to request the change you needed all throughout the course of your meal.

And I don't weep for our future. I teach high school kids and am constantly amazed at all the good they're capable of.

No, I needed change. I didn't get change. I can't even...

 

[wishinitwas]

I just returned from breakfast and just had to share my story. The server brought us our check that totaled $22.89 so I handed her a twenty and a ten and told her I needed change. She brought back $7.11 and I just shook my head and wondered how she could not comprehend my request. The parking meter outside was about to expire and I needed to put in another quarter. When I ask for change I expect to get actual change, but this server didn't seem to have the basic life skills necessary to understand what I'd asked for. Not a quarter to be found in my "change". I just couldn't even begin to explain how disappointed this made me. We had to leave a bit earlier than I'd hoped because I didn't want to risk a parking ticket on top of all my frustration. Her tip reflected her lack of ability to understand and meet my needs. I weep for our future.

So you expected $7 in quarters? I would have just figured you wanted the change from the bill instead of leaving it all for tip. Really is this real? Ask for a dollar in quarters next time!!!!!

 

[gwynne]

You needed "silver" or "coins" or "a quarter."
She brought you your change.
Thankfully, I imagine your service did not reflect your attitude.

It's not her fault that you came unprepared to pay the parking meter, or that you chose to wait until the very last minute to request the change you needed all throughout the course of your meal. Or that your last minute rushed request wasn't specific.

And I don't weep for our future. I teach high school kids and am constantly amazed at all the good they're capable of.

Psst...Alice, that was GOOFY Disney Dad being Goofy.
And may I say I love it when you post wonderful stories about your high school students. Warms my heart!

 

[Aliceacc]

I just returned from breakfast and just had to share my story. The server brought us our check that totaled $22.89 so I handed her a twenty and a ten and told her I needed change. She brought back $7.11 and I just shook my head and wondered how she could not comprehend my request. The parking meter outside was about to expire and I needed to put in another quarter. When I ask for change I expect to get actual change, but this server didn't seem to have the basic life skills necessary to understand what I'd asked for. Not a quarter to be found in my "change". I just couldn't even begin to explain how disappointed this made me. We had to leave a bit earlier than I'd hoped because I didn't want to risk a parking ticket on top of all my frustration. Her tip reflected her lack of ability to understand and meet my needs. I weep for our future.

She brought back $7.11-- your change.

And how did she manage the $0.11 if not in change?

 

[CPanther95]

Goofy Dad needs a sarcasm emoticon.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

So you expected $7 in quarters? I would have just figured you wanted the change from the bill instead of leaving it all for tip. Really is this real? Ask for a dollar in quarters next time!!!!!

I expected her to use situational awareness to infer the meaning of my request. I can't even...

 

[gwynne]

Goofy Dad needs a sarcasm emoticon.

A zillion times, this.

 

[Aliceacc]

Sorry, guys, I guess I'm a bit sensitive.

I love the kids I teach, and after a while I get tired of seeing people dump on teens.

Goofydad, you had me going for a while.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

She brought back $7.11-- your change.

And how did she manage the $0.11 if not in change?

But, I needed quarters for the parking meter. She should have simply understood that since she's a server in a location that has parking meters right outside the front door.

 

[CPanther95]

I expected her to use situational awareness to infer the meaning of my request. I can't even...

Perhaps your appearance led her to believe you arrived pushing a shopping cart, not driving.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Perhaps your appearance led her to believe you arrived pushing a shopping cart, not driving.

But I was wearing my most stylish pair of flip-flops!

 

[Hikergirl]

Sorry, guys, I guess I'm a bit sensitive.

I love the kids I teach, and after a while I get tired of seeing people dump on teens.

Goofydad, you had me going for a while.

I'd be sensitive too, its not just the teens they are dumping on, its you teacher's too. According to some if you guys did your jobs right we'd have servers that know how to read minds.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Sorry, guys, I guess I'm a bit sensitive.

I love the kids I teach, and after a while I get tired of seeing people dump on teens.

Goofydad, you had me going for a while.

I honestly thought you were playing along. I'm sorry...

 

[FayeW]

There is a very simple way to avoid this in the future. When you purposely overpay your bill because you need change for a tip, just tell the server how much you want back. Whenever I have been in the situation the OP described I have said "Here's $50, I just need $5 back". Server can usually just give me the "change" I requested right at the table. Problem solved, and I can leave without waiting for him/her to come back.

 

[wishinitwas]

I expected her to use situational awareness to infer the meaning of my request. I can't even...

Whoops lol

 

[mom2rtk]

A server with the job of waiting on tables all day probably doesn't consider your "job" of calculating a tip to be one that she (or he) needs to make "easier".

I didn't say it was her "job". I said I tip extra because she made my job easier for me.

 

[mom2rtk]

That's no different than someone that racks up a $37.20 bill when they only had $40 on them. They can justify that $2 tip however they want (whether they have no more than that, or aren't willing to give more than that because they don't feel like waiting for change.) either way, they are sticking the server with a $2 tip.

Seems to be a lot of hassle just to avoid simply asking for what you want instead of punishing any server that doesn't guess correctly what you want.

I'm just saying that if I'm a server, I'm trying to reduce the number of instances where someone might leave me only a $2 tip. Can't rid the world of bad tippers, but I can get people the change they might need so they won't take the easy way out and just throw down the 2 ones.

But for the fourth (or fifth?) time, I agree that if it's not working for the OP, she needs to find another way.

 

[CPanther95]

In this specific case, if the service was decent, I'd have probably given her the $40 and when I got the change back I'd take the 2 Ones and leave the Ten with the coins.

I generally figure 20% and round up to the nearest $5 mark, so that would work out in this case where a $7.44 rounds up to $10. But breakfast servers frequently get shafted by virtue of serving inexpensive food often with as much work involved as servers making much more serving dinner. So even if I'm only having a $2 cup of coffee, if I even got 1 refill, I'm leaving $5 tip (if no refills I might leave $5 total). If I get any kind of meal that involved multiple trips to the table and the server made sure I was attended to, I'm likely leaving $10 minimum regardless of the bill total.

 

[CPanther95]

There is a very simple way to avoid this in the future. When you purposely overpay your bill because you need change for a tip, just tell the server how much you want back. Whenever I have been in the situation the OP described I have said "Here's $50, I just need $5 back". Server can usually just give me the "change" I requested right at the table. Problem solved, and I can leave without waiting for him/her to come back.

Another perfectly valid method that is clear and not left up to interpretation. Probably the best method.