My "stupid tax" for today

[tasha99]

Well, I just went out to sushi at my favorite restaurant in Anchorage. It. was. delicious. No complaints about the service or the food.

But . . . I had a living social deal, and my receipt had both the pre and post discount amounts on them. Somehow, in my muddled head, when I was figuring out the tip (on the original, undiscounted amount), I came up with a final figure that didn't take the coupon off. So I left a $30 tip instead of a $10 one.

Anyone else have a stupid tax story. It might be therapeutic for me to hear it.

 

[angwill]

Well, I just went out to sushi at my favorite restaurant in Anchorage. It. was. delicious. No complaints about the service or the food.

But . . . I had a living social deal, and my receipt had both the pre and post discount amounts on them. Somehow, in my muddled head, when I was figuring out the tip (on the original, undiscounted amount), I came up with a final figure that didn't take the coupon off. So I left a $30 tip instead of a $10 one.

Anyone else have a stupid tax story. It might be therapeutic for me to hear it.

If you are saying you paid the tip on the original total before the coupon was taken off you were right. You are supposed to pay tip on the total before discount or the waiter/waitress gets stiffed because you have a coupon. Or am I understaning this wrong?

 

[cornflake]

Well, I just went out to sushi at my favorite restaurant in Anchorage. It. was. delicious. No complaints about the service or the food.

But . . . I had a living social deal, and my receipt had both the pre and post discount amounts on them. Somehow, in my muddled head, when I was figuring out the tip (on the original, undiscounted amount), I came up with a final figure that didn't take the coupon off. So I left a $30 tip instead of a $10 one.

Anyone else have a stupid tax story. It might be therapeutic for me to hear it.

I'm with the above poster. I may be misunderstanding you but it sounds like you tipped on the original amount (before discount) which, as noted, is correct.

Same as if, say, the owner is a friend and comps your meal, you tip on the cost of the meal as if you'd paid, even if you pay nothing at all for the food.

 

[tasha99]

No, I mean I didn't take the coupon off. So I paid full price and tip, and bought the living social coupon as well. Sort of a reverse discount.

 

[GAN]

So you wasted the coupon(essentially) ....there are worse things in life -consider that you made your servers night and feel good about it instead.

 

[cornflake]

Oh, oops, that sucks. Maybe if you called and explained you overpaid the coupon they'd reverse it or tell you to come back and take it off again next time. I mean maybe they wouldn't but can't hurt to ask - especially if you make clear it was that you saw both lines and then made a mistake and got mixed up and paid the wrong one and you're just asking, people are often nice when you put it that way.

So you wasted the coupon(essentially) ....there are worse things in life -consider that you made your servers night and feel good about it instead.

As I (now, heh) understand it, the tip was correct, the OP overpaid the bill itself, so the restaurant got extra, not the server.

Like, again I could be mistaken but as I understand it -

The original bill was, say (invented price) $50

The Living Social coupon was for, an again invented half off, so the bill was then to be $25 (and, say the OP paid $10 for the coupon itself)

The OP tips $10.

The OP *should* have paid $35 (the discounted price + tip), in addition to the $10 paid for the coupon originally, so a total of $45, off what would have been $60.

The OP DID pay the original bill plus tip, $60, plus paid the $10 for the coupon originally, so $70, so, as noted, a reverse discount, adding $10 to what the bill + tip would have been.

 

[mistysue]

We went somewhere and got REALLY REALLY bad service- but it was a large group and 18% tip was included. So DH pays, doesn't realize 18% was included and tips an additional 30%! (he was thinking it's a holiday I should tip better!!!)

We ended up leaving a 50% ($75) tip. This after I spent the entire meal wishing she would just remember to bring us some drinks one of the times we asked.

 

[ekatiel]

Here's my stupid tax story: About a month ago, I booked DH and I flights to Ft. Lauderdale for a cruise we're taking for our 10th anniversary. I used miles I got for free with a Continental credit card, so I was pretty pumped about our free flights. Well, I couldn't remember our frequent flyer numbers, so I called and had them book it over the phone. Before I realized it, I had paid $25 per person to have someone book it over the phone . I should have just called, gotten the numbers, and then booked online. Oh well, $50 is super cheap for two flights. Still, I was mad about paying "stupid tax"!! --Katie

 

[angwill]

No, I mean I didn't take the coupon off. So I paid full price and tip, and bought the living social coupon as well. Sort of a reverse discount.

Oh that really does suck then. It does sound like something I would do though.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I hope you still have time to use the coupon. I did that with one I bought it and set it off to the side and waited to print it out when I wanted to use it. Well I never got around to it. But I love those coupon deals for various things.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

We went somewhere and got REALLY REALLY bad service- but it was a large group and 18% tip was included. So DH pays, doesn't realize 18% was included and tips an additional 30%! (he was thinking it's a holiday I should tip better!!!)

We ended up leaving a 50% ($75) tip. This after I spent the entire meal wishing she would just remember to bring us some drinks one of the times we asked.

A 30% tip is outrageous, no matter what the season! Especially if the service wasn't that good.

 

[starry_solo]

See if you can use the coupon again then, since you really didn't use it the first time.

 

[deedeecee]

As I (now, heh) understand it, the tip was correct, the OP overpaid the bill itself, so the restaurant got extra, not the server.

I think the server did get the extra. The restaurant applied the coupon, so the restaurant accepts the discounted price as payment for the meal and the server gets a very generous tip.
I hope the server was very good!

My stupid tax story: I never go to Denny's but one year I went on my birthday. (I was out of town with a friend.) Except I forgot to tell them it was my birthday. Oops. I didn't realize it until days later. ("Hey, that should have been a free birthday meal!")

 

[disneychrista]

No, I mean I didn't take the coupon off. So I paid full price and tip, and bought the living social coupon as well. Sort of a reverse discount.

If you paid with a credit card & you put an amount ($10) in the tip amount but only made the error in the total, then you can dispute the charge (with the restaurant). Now if you only put in a total, leaving the tip line blank, then just chalk it up to a lesson learned.

If you paid cash - well next time you will not make the same mistake.

 

[tasha99]

We went somewhere and got REALLY REALLY bad service- but it was a large group and 18% tip was included. So DH pays, doesn't realize 18% was included and tips an additional 30%! (he was thinking it's a holiday I should tip better!!!)

We ended up leaving a 50% ($75) tip. This after I spent the entire meal wishing she would just remember to bring us some drinks one of the times we asked.

Oh no! That's awful. My meal cost was almost $70 and I ended up leaving a $30 tip. So my tip was only about 40%, but at least we got good service.

See if you can use the coupon again then, since you really didn't use it the first time.

I did use it though, so the extra just looked like a really big tip to the waiter (who was a really nice kid). Someone suggested I call, and oooooh how I want to, but I can't. I would feel awful trying to take back some young kid's tip. We're regulars there, too, so I wouldn't want them to remember me like that. I'm having two groups of family visit this summer, and I plan on taking both large groups there. So maybe this will all work out. Sometimes the sushi chef, who is the owner, throws in some great little extras, and always it's super fresh and nicely presented.

I've slept on it and gotten over it. We're spending a day in Anchorage because my son is going to DC with his class-so we're going through our coupons. I am off to go use a breakfast Groupon, and I will be a whole lot more careful this time!

 

[deegack]

Oh no! That's awful. My meal cost was almost $70 and I ended up leaving a $30 tip. So my tip was only about 40%, but at least we got good service.



I did use it though, so the extra just looked like a really big tip to the waiter (who was a really nice kid). Someone suggested I call, and oooooh how I want to, but I can't. I would feel awful trying to take back some young kid's tip. We're regulars there, too, so I wouldn't want them to remember me like that. I'm having two groups of family visit this summer, and I plan on taking both large groups there. So maybe this will all work out. Sometimes the sushi chef, who is the owner, throws in some great little extras, and always it's super fresh and nicely presented.

I've slept on it and gotten over it. We're spending a day in Anchorage because my son is going to DC with his class-so we're going through our coupons. I am off to go use a breakfast Groupon, and I will be a whole lot more careful this time!

If you're a regular, I bet you get great service next time.

 

[tasha99]

If you paid with a credit card & you put an amount ($10) in the tip amount but only made the error in the total, then you can dispute the charge (with the restaurant). Now if you only put in a total, leaving the tip line blank, then just chalk it up to a lesson learned.

If you paid cash - well next time you will not make the same mistake.

I paid with cash, so oops.

I think the server did get the extra. The restaurant applied the coupon, so the restaurant accepts the discounted price as payment for the meal and the server gets a very generous tip.
I hope the server was very good!

My stupid tax story: I never go to Denny's but one year I went on my birthday. (I was out of town with a friend.) Except I forgot to tell them it was my birthday. Oops. I didn't realize it until days later. ("Hey, that should have been a free birthday meal!")

Thank you. We should form a club for people who pay for free stuff. It could be very exclusive.

 

[cornflake]

I think the server did get the extra. The restaurant applied the coupon, so the restaurant accepts the discounted price as payment for the meal and the server gets a very generous tip.
I hope the server was very good!

My stupid tax story: I never go to Denny's but one year I went on my birthday. (I was out of town with a friend.) Except I forgot to tell them it was my birthday. Oops. I didn't realize it until days later. ("Hey, that should have been a free birthday meal!")

Ooh, I didn't think of it that way but yeah you're right. Oh well, no harm in overtipping a good waiter!

A 30% tip is outrageous, no matter what the season! Especially if the service wasn't that good.

If the service wasn't good, yeah, but in general, it's not that much if the service is great/if you're being nice/if it's a special thing [you sat a long time, it's a holiday, etc.]).

 

[merbobear]

At CRT last year we ate our meal and then I went to the restroom while dh was settling our bill. I had told him that gratuity was included in the meal already, but he didn't listen. On top of that, he tipped about 30%....added to the already included 18%, the server got almost a 50% tip! At least he was a good server though!

 

[johnsontrio]

I hope you still have time to use the coupon. I did that with one I bought it and set it off to the side and waited to print it out when I wanted to use it. Well I never got around to it. But I love those coupon deals for various things.

With most of those the promotional value expires but not the amount you actually paid. You can still use the coupon after the expiration date. Some of the vendors will still honor the entire value because they want your business. Also, the amount you paid can be refunded to your account if you are unable to use it.