Tips

[dbriggsq]

Surely it's time to move on from medieval Britain ,where tips are thought to derive from, when one only tipped one's social inferiors, and move on to a more egalitarian society where everyone is paid a living wage and doesn't have to rely on handouts from total strangers to make a living.

Someone posted that it's an 'expression of gratitude' - why then does society not 'tip' doctors, nurses, dentists, shopkeepers etc etc. - all these people are deserving of gratitude and yet we don't tip them- why not?

By tipping people who are in 'non-tipped' positions there is a danger that employers may see that as an excuse to make it a 'tipped' position thereby lowering the employees hourly wage and making them worse off in the long run.

 

[luckyprincess]

Surely it's time to move on from medieval Britain ,where tips are thought to derive from, when one only tipped one's social inferiors, and move on to a more egalitarian society where everyone is paid a living wage and doesn't have to rely on handouts from total strangers to make a living.

Someone posted that it's an 'expression of gratitude' - why then does society not 'tip' doctors, nurses, dentists, shopkeepers etc etc. - all these people are deserving of gratitude and yet we don't tip them- why not?

By tipping people who are in 'non-tipped' positions there is a danger that employers may see that as an excuse to make it a 'tipped' position thereby lowering the employees hourly wage and making them worse off in the long run.

They can't just decide to make something a tipped position - the government decides. And I made far more than what I would have made with an hourly minimum wage position. Usually, in Miami, I made $600 a week cash from serving and that's working 5 days a week, 7 hours a day. If I were to work a 35 hour a week hourly job I would have to make around $17 an hour without taxes taken out to equal that pay..... so I can assure you most people working tipped positions don't want it changed, lol!
And you make it sound like they are beggars! They work, they get paid. We in the US have societal norms about tipping and I would say 98% understand it and abide by common norms. Do you feel that people who work on base plus commission are accepting handouts from strangers when they sell something? If it bothers you to tip, just think of it as a subcontractor. The server gets paid a base wage by the owner. The actual consumer of the service than pays a commission to the server. It is no different than someone working on commission in any sales position.....
Think of what your vocation is. You are basically 'accepting handouts from strangers' when you get your paycheck because you are paid from the profits that the owner makes. If you are a secretary, then you get paid from handouts from strangers that use your boss' business. Its as much of a stretch to say the same about serving...

 

[dbriggsq]

They can't just decide to make something a tipped position - the government decides. And I made far more than what I would have made with an hourly minimum wage position. Usually, in Miami, I made $600 a week cash from serving and that's working 5 days a week, 7 hours a day. If I were to work a 35 hour a week hourly job I would have to make around $17 an hour without taxes taken out to equal that pay..... so I can assure you most people working tipped positions don't want it changed, lol!
And you make it sound like they are beggars! They work, they get paid. We in the US have societal norms about tipping and I would say 98% understand it and abide by common norms. Do you feel that people who work on base plus commission are accepting handouts from strangers when they sell something? If it bothers you to tip, just think of it as a subcontractor. The server gets paid a base wage by the owner. The actual consumer of the service than pays a commission to the server. It is no different than someone working on commission in any sales position.....
Think of what your vocation is. You are basically 'accepting handouts from strangers' when you get your paycheck because you are paid from the profits that the owner makes. If you are a secretary, then you get paid from handouts from strangers that use your boss' business. Its as much of a stretch to say the same about serving...

People who work on base plus commission are still being paid by their employer - not by the people they sell the goods to. I am a secretary (as well as many other things) and I get paid by the company - the company is paid by customers who engage into a contract with the company - therefore they are not strangers.

To employ a person on less than minimum wage and then to expect them to make up the difference from strangers - I still feel is not acceptable in a civilized society.

Unfortunately it also has the effect that when a person in a tipped position has to provide a service for a person who they expect might not give them the tip they expect -they then don't provide the service that the person expects or even a service that is acceptable (I have experienced this more than once)

 

[jking6]

I tip but I limit my tip on my hourly wage. I will NOT tip more than I make in 1 hour. I have to save money in order to go to Disney and when I am there I try to live the high life. But my tips will show my real life. I feel that this is fair and I do tip if I get bags delivered and during the holidays I take mini candy canes to hand out to everyone I pass working in the world. I think it should what you can personally afford and I work in a doctors office and we do have patients that give us little gifts and treats when they come in.

 

[kaytieeldr]

For example: Yes, you can tip the Magical Express driver who will be flaunting money around in his hand, making sure you see that he wants a tip. It's up to you if you want to feel obligated or guilty and pay him extra for doing his job.

Forgetting the specific location, it's customary to tip any service person who handles one's luggage. This includes the Magical Express driver if one has carry-on luggage from the plane that's too big to bring into the passenger compartment of the bus, or one or more strollers or car seats... It's not necessary to tip the Bell Services or Luggage Assistance CM who brings your DME-transported checked luggage to your room, Walt Disney World does that. It's customary to tip these CMs if you leave luggage with them (if, for example, your room isn't ready) and they bring it to your room later.

There's nothing wrong with a polite "Thank you very much" when someone does something that they are expected to do. Too many people are thinking the laws of tipping go out the window just because they are at Disney World.

Wrong. I follow the same common-sense 'laws' of tipping no matter where I travel. Heck, I even practice them when I don't travel.

Um, at the airport, if you use curbside check-in, even if there's a fee the Skycaps still get tipped. Guests who use RAC for their return trip should note that this is, effectively, curbside check-in with the curb being about thirty miles from the terminal instead of thirty feet - and that the people working here are airport employees, not Cast Members.

 

[kaytieeldr]

To employ a person on less than minimum wage and then to expect them to make up the difference from strangers - I still feel is not acceptable in a civilized society.

Then please don't support any industry whose employees are paid less than minimum wage and who our government expects the difference to be made up by customers . Don't dine in restaurants.

 

[michael's mom]

I'll have to agree with a previous poster that restaurant/food services usually require a tip. Although if it wasn't for that darn receipt (suggested/mandatory tipping) at table service restaurants, I don't think I would be leaving a $30-$50 tip. That's just ridiculous.

Stop worrying about tips and start looking forward to having fun.

I'm not sure that $30-$50 tip is ridiculous at all because the only reason you're having a tip that high suggested is because your bill is well over $200 (esp. if it's $50). In order to rack up such a high bill, you either have quite a few people in your party, requiring a lot of work on behalf of the server (who relies on tips to survive, making far less than minimum wage) and therefore, it's only a few bucks per person anyway, or, you have ordered a lot of food and drinks, and staying at that table for a long time (which is totally fine by me ) but that keeps that table unavailable for other guests, thus, cutting down on the income for that server that evening. I believe Disney recommends 18% gratuity. I can tell you that DH and I have never tipped less than 20% unless our service was bad, so at Disney, we tip more than suggested. We figure, at $4/hour (random, made up figure), if they are working hard to make our meal enjoyable, they deserve our gratitude.


I also think that things are different in Disney. I can tell you, I've received service in Disney that, on it's worst day, has far surpassed that of any other place I've ever visited. It's almost like the want to make guests stay as magical as possible is contagious. So, yes, I tip my servers, we tip Mousekeeping and will continue to do so (not because we want special treatment, because we appreciate coming home to our room made up nicely and the surprise of the occasional towel animal makes me smile at the end of a long day in the parks). If we use valet services, we tip them. If we were to use the bell services for our luggage, they'd get a tip too! Just like anywhere else that we happen to be.

I guess to each his own. Whatever helps to make your vacation magical is what's best for you. But I feel better when I can thank those people who make my stay more enjoyable. It may be their job, but a small token of appreciation can go a long way. I've never felt like I was throwing my hard earned money away. It's just part of our budget

Happy vacationing!

 

[luckyprincess]

People who work on base plus commission are still being paid by their employer - not by the people they sell the goods to. I am a secretary (as well as many other things) and I get paid by the company - the company is paid by customers who engage into a contract with the company - therefore they are not strangers.

To employ a person on less than minimum wage and then to expect them to make up the difference from strangers - I still feel is not acceptable in a civilized society.

Unfortunately it also has the effect that when a person in a tipped position has to provide a service for a person who they expect might not give them the tip they expect -they then don't provide the service that the person expects or even a service that is acceptable (I have experienced this more than once)

Yeah, its just perspective. You as a secretary are paid by strangers because you are paid directly from the money they give to your boss/company. So it's a handout from a stranger in the way you presented a few posts ago.

Are you suggesting that when someone waits on you and your family that they are a stranger? Do you not say hello, converse with them, smile, say thank you, have a relationship for the duration of your meal? If not then I can see why you would think that strangers may pay servers. But I can guarantee that a secretary doesn't have an ounce of the interaction with the people that pay her salary (the people that use the companies services that make a paycheck possible) than a good server has with a table for an hour. They are actually a stranger more to you than a server.

Or are you seriously saying that you think servers just walk around outside the restaurant and solicit money from strangers? I guess I'm confused. If someone buys a tv from a guy in an electronics shop then he gets a commission directly from that sale. It isn't the boss suddenly giving him the company money - it is the money directly from that sale. I think you are confused because it actually changes hands a couple of times before he gets it. Serving is more intimate (hence why the 'stranger' comment is 'strange') because you are cutting out the middleman - the boss doesn't get the money first and then dole it out to you in bits in a paycheck. So really, it is exactly the same but serving allows you to actually meet the customer and interact with them and gives you performance based pay. You can make as much or as little as you like. Being paid by a company from people you've never interacted with is getting money from strangers far more than serving.

I will say that when I had a repeat non-tipper they got the absolute minimum from me. A smile, a nice attitude, the order, drinks refilled - nothing more. I am getting exactly $3.54 an hour (before tax) to do that from the company. The rest (great service, good suggestions, something to amuse your kids if they are melting down, help with wine, extra checks, extra little perks, amuse from the chef, that kind of thing) I reserve for people that pay for my services. That's just smart and human nature. Why kill myself over someone that won't pay for the extras? Makes no sense. I would never give bad service, though - wouldn't be employed long that way! Like I said, its all perspective. The money all comes from the consumers of a service - it's just how it gets to you that is different. If I had to get paid just from the employer than your meal costs would skyrocket because I and no one else I knew would do it for less than $17 an hour minimum....

 

[dbriggsq]

Then please don't support any industry whose employees are paid less than minimum wage and who our government expects the difference to be made up by customers . Don't dine in restaurants.

Obviously I'm not saying I don't tip when I eat out and I'm not saying others should not do so in the system as it is now.

I'm wondering whether there might not be a better system which is fairer to all concerned. When overtippers gradually push the tipping norm up to 20-25% (and who knows how far it will go) it does become unfair on some people and will stop them dining out.

 

[dbriggsq]

Yeah, its just perspective. You as a secretary are paid by strangers because you are paid directly from the money they give to your boss/company. So it's a handout from a stranger in the way you presented a few posts ago.

Are you suggesting that when someone waits on you and your family that they are a stranger? Do you not say hello, converse with them, smile, say thank you, have a relationship for the duration of your meal? If not then I can see why you would think that strangers may pay servers. But I can guarantee that a secretary doesn't have an ounce of the interaction with the people that pay her salary (the people that use the companies services that make a paycheck possible) than a good server has with a table for an hour. They are actually a stranger more to you than a server.

Or are you seriously saying that you think servers just walk around outside the restaurant and solicit money from strangers? I guess I'm confused. If someone buys a tv from a guy in an electronics shop then he gets a commission directly from that sale. It isn't the boss suddenly giving him the company money - it is the money directly from that sale. I think you are confused because it actually changes hands a couple of times before he gets it. Serving is more intimate (hence why the 'stranger' comment is 'strange') because you are cutting out the middleman - the boss doesn't get the money first and then dole it out to you in bits in a paycheck. So really, it is exactly the same but serving allows you to actually meet the customer and interact with them and gives you performance based pay. You can make as much or as little as you like. Being paid by a company from people you've never interacted with is getting money from strangers far more than serving.

I will say that when I had a repeat non-tipper they got the absolute minimum from me. A smile, a nice attitude, the order, drinks refilled - nothing more. I am getting exactly $3.54 an hour (before tax) to do that from the company. The rest (great service, good suggestions, something to amuse your kids if they are melting down, help with wine, extra checks, extra little perks, amuse from the chef, that kind of thing) I reserve for people that pay for my services. That's just smart and human nature. Why kill myself over someone that won't pay for the extras? Makes no sense. I would never give bad service, though - wouldn't be employed long that way! Like I said, its all perspective. The money all comes from the consumers of a service - it's just how it gets to you that is different. If I had to get paid just from the employer than your meal costs would skyrocket because I and no one else I knew would do it for less than $17 an hour minimum....

I get paid by my boss - I know exactly how much I'm going to get and I know if I don't do a good job I'm answerable to him. Someone on less than minimum wage has to rely on the generosity or not of other people who they have no contract with.

My son works in the hospitality industry and where he works he gets paid above minimum wage and no tips are allowed - he does a very professional job because he is answerable to the person who is contracted to pay him - he serves everyone equally well not just those he expects might give him a good tip.

I don't think prices would skyrocket - they haven't in Europe where many restaurants have a prix fixe menu which includes a service charge.

 

[Lynne M]

The OP asked for a list of people that it's customary to tip, not a debate on whether one should tip. They've long since gotten their answer, so we'll wrap this up.