DO you tip?

[catsknowme]

I survived on tips when raising my children. What I did like about it was that the better I performed, the higher my tip (typically); esp. when compared to my daytime job, where I made less than my co-workers who were transferred from the shipping dept. to the front office because they couldn't work fast enough nor accurately enough in shipping

What is bad about the tipping system is that the server is taxed on 10% of their sales. Meanwhile, the server "tips out" the support staff (bussers, cooks & dishwashers, sometimes hostesses, etc.) at a rate of usu. 20%-40%. I never had any objection to tipping-out my support staff (after all, there's no such thing as Super-Waitress, just Super-Team), but I was the only one required to pay income tax on the tips!
As for hotel work, it is very, very hard work & profitable only for those at the top of the ladder. So, I do tip - small if the room is poorly done, & large amount if done well. Far too often, the hotel maids are considered too low on the social scale (IMO) and I am sure they get discouraged from the lack of tips & the lack of recognition, yet they perform a vital service - after all, I wouldn't want the cleanliness of my room to depend on the goodness of the previous guests...EEEWWWW.....
Great thread, by the way!

Susan

 

[ilovesiamese]

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

You're not supplementing a waitress's income you're paying her. There is no other income for a waitress than tips, in most places.

I agree, the wages in the US are sort of scandalous, but if they're raised likely more and more people will be unemployed as American companies move more and more jobs overseas. It's funny that Honda and Toyota are creating more jobs than the traditionally American car companies like GM and Ford.

If you can't afford to tip someone you're supposed to tip, go to a restaurant that is not full-service, cut your own hair, etc.

What I meant by not regulated was that every type of job in the U.S. should have the same minimum rate per hour, like here in Canada (but it's regulated by province and calculated off living costs).

If the rates were raised, some people may loose their jobs, especially like at a small private business, but it shouldn't affect the large chains as much. There is too much of a demand for their services to leave and there are always ways of balancing costs, like raising prices slightly, etc. I mean, Canada isn't falling apart (employment wise) because we have a decent minimum wage.

You guys have to stand up and not take this crap. There are a heck of a lot of waitresses/waiters out there and if you all stood up, people would take attention.

 

[scamperfarms]

Originally Posted by Sailfish

I'm sure horses arn't cheap. It might also be inapropriate to expect ones horse to get an apple while the one next to it goes without. But for shure I do understand that some horse owners are teetering on the fence as to being able to afford these animals. I can relate. I have a boat and run it out of Provincetown. Without becomming pollitical... "Jab". In the last few years everything has increases in price so fast I'm not able to keep up with it. Gasoline is headed to six bucks, Real estate taxes have doubled. Two years ago it cost 75 bucks to neuter a cat.. Now thats 150 bucks. I'm now in a position where affording the boat is questionable. So I'm going to mothball it for some years. I'm sure thats something that you can't do with a live animal. If I'm being forced into a position like this I wonder how the chambermaid or stablehand id fairing? I believe that if one can afford such luxurys, A certain sense of generousity should be attached. In some instances the government certainly thinks so. I guess I'm a people person.

Nope you cant just moth ball an animal by any means. And from a note of a former stable hand..its always inapropriate to give someone elses animal a treat unless priorly approved. A horse may be on a special diet or have allergies ect

only horse i give apples to at the barn is my own.

And if one were to say "oh just sell the horse" easier said that done, lol market is in the tubes along with everything else.

 

[scamperfarms]

Originally Posted by catsknowme

I survived on tips when raising my children. What I did like about it was that the better I performed, the higher my tip (typically); esp. when compared to my daytime job, where I made less than my co-workers who were transferred from the shipping dept. to the front office because they couldn't work fast enough nor accurately enough in shipping

What is bad about the tipping system is that the server is taxed on 10% of their sales. Meanwhile, the server "tips out" the support staff (bussers, cooks & dishwashers, sometimes hostesses, etc.) at a rate of usu. 20%-40%. I never had any objection to tipping-out my support staff (after all, there's no such thing as Super-Waitress, just Super-Team), but I was the only one required to pay income tax on the tips!
As for hotel work, it is very, very hard work & profitable only for those at the top of the ladder. So, I do tip - small if the room is poorly done, & large amount if done well. Far too often, the hotel maids are considered too low on the social scale (IMO) and I am sure they get discouraged from the lack of tips & the lack of recognition, yet they perform a vital service - after all, I wouldn't want the cleanliness of my room to depend on the goodness of the previous guests...EEEWWWW.....
Great thread, by the way!

Susan

wow sure wish my waitress's would have tiped me when i was a busser. but nope never not once got anything. and i worked my rear off.

 

[shengmei]

I try to avoid places where I need to tip since I can't afford to tip right now. It would be mean for me to not tip when I am supposed to.

 

[tari]

I always tip housekeeping when I stay at a hotel...not just on the last day, but every day. I stay at hotels a lot for business now, but I put myself through college as a waitress. I think anyone who's worked for tips knows how much the servicepeople depend on them.

 

[sherral46]

Thank to those who agreed with me!

I got $24.00 in tips today! Which was good I needed gas in my car,or I would have had to walk 17 miles to work,tomorrow! I only work about 30 hours every 2 weeks,no bennies,no sick days,or vacation days,etc..

 

[lilleah]

Heck yea! If waitresses/servers stood up and protested or unified into a Strike type thing for minimum wage! That would be AWESOME! Scince both of my jobs are waitressing, I'd be screwed money wise, but what a great idea man!

Minimum wage + tips! Oh, I would be in heaven. I think more people would become waitresses though.

 

[satai]

Originally Posted by IloveSiamese


On the note of tipping, especially for waitresses, I believe you guys need to stand up for better wages and perhaps try unions. I am not your employer and I should not be responsible to supplement your wages (BTW, most don't claim their tips into their income, or if they do, they only claim a small percentage).

This is a valid point. Though I have not, all of my siblings have worked as waiters and waitresses (in the US) and have largely lived off of tips. However, while tipping is pervasive in the US (and at a larger percentage) than elsewhere, this was not always the case. In decades past it was often taken as an insult to the waitperson, particularly the more luxious the establishment.

Given that the situation is as it is though, I would never go to a restuarent (especially in the US) and not tip, and I always remember to tip the correct amount.

I rarely stay in hotels anywhere, and never have in the US (I stay with my sibs, of course!) and have never tipped, though I will be careful to check in the future if this is customary.

 

[satai]

Taken from http://oasis.gov.ie/employment/pay_a..._min_wage.html

1 Euro = 1.2661 US dollar, according to www.xe.com (currently)



The National Minimum Wage Act, 2000 provides that the minimum wage rate for an experienced adult employee from 1st May, 2005 is 7.65 euro per hour. Before then, the minimum wage rate was 7 euro per hour.

An experienced adult employee for the purposes of the Minimum Wage Act is an employee who has any employment whatsoever in any two years over the age of 18.

Exceptions to those entitled to receive the national minimum wage

There are some exceptions. The legislation does not apply to a person under 18 or a person employed by a close relative nor does it apply to those in statutory apprenticeships.

***The Minimum Wage Act provides the following sub-minimum rates.
1 An employee who is under 18 is entitled to 5.36 euro per hour (this is 70% of the minimum wage;
An employee who is in the first year of employment since the age of 18 is entitled to 6.12 euro per hour (80% of minimum wage);
An employee who is in the second year of employment since the date of first employment over the age of 18 is entitled to 6.89 euro per hour (90% of the minimum wage).

2 The trainee rates provided by the Act are as follows:
First one-third of training course 5.73 per hour euro (75% of national minimum wage rate).
Second one-third of training course 6.12 euro per hour (80% of national minimum wage rate).
Final one third of the training course 6.89 euro per hour (90% of national minimum wage rate).

***Can an employer refuse to pay the national minimum wage by claiming s/he cannot afford it?

Yes, the Labour Court may exempt an employer from the provisions of the national minimum wage for between 3 months - 1 year. Only one such exemption can be allowed.

The employer must apply to the Labour Court for the exemption with the consent of a majority of the employees, who must also agree to be bound by the Labour Court decision.

The employer must demonstrate that s/he does not have the ability to pay the national minimum wage and, if compelled to do so, would have to lay-off employees or terminate their employment.

An exemption may only be sought from paying the full rate of the national minimum wage, not for cases covered by the reduced rate, for example, employees who are under 18 years of age.

***Can employer reduce my hours of work due to the national minimum wage?

No, an employer, arising from the national wage agreement, cannot reduce your working hours without a corresponding reduction in duties or the amount of work.


***If I seek my entitlement to the national minimum wage am I protected from victimisation or dismissal?

Yes, victimisation is prohibited by the legislation. In addition if you are dismissed for seeking the national minimum wage, you may bring a claim for unfair dismissal regardless of length of service or number of hours worked per week.

 

[wellingtoncats]

I've never tipped anybody and I never will.

Im on minimum wage $8.20.

 

[zissou'smom]

Your min. wage is 8.20???? You make the equivalent of 15$ an hour when you are on minimum wage???? Just to let you know, in America it would be customary to tip a waitress because they make 2.13/hr, the equivalent of 1.16 pounds. and our min. wage is 5.15, which would be 2.81 pounds. At least in Ohio.

Out West, the min. wage is significantly higher. In Santa Fe, for instance, it's over 8.00$. But here in Ohio our min. wage is just whatever the federal one is.

 

[trouts mom]

At the hotel I used to work at, the Room attendants made more money than I did at the front desk..I never understood why they were tipped.

 

[satai]

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Your min. wage is 8.20???? You make the equivalent of 15$ an hour when you are on minimum wage???? Just to let you know, in America it would be customary to tip a waitress because they make 2.13/hr, the equivalent of 1.16 pounds. and our min. wage is 5.15, which would be 2.81 pounds. At least in Ohio.

Out West, the min. wage is significantly higher. In Santa Fe, for instance, it's over 8.00$. But here in Ohio our min. wage is just whatever the federal one is.

No, I don't think so. Wellington is in New Zealand (unless it's a different Wellington, but she used $ sign). 8.20 NZ$ is 4.95708 US$ (www.xe.com).

 

[zissou'smom]

Sorry, I thought you were in the UK for some reason! I don't know why... Silly me. What is min. wage in the UK, if someone could enlighten me?

So NZ and here is close to the same, then. I make about min. wage too and I always tip. Do servers in NZ make min. wage or less?

 

[shengmei]

That kind of misunderstanding happens all the time everytime there is a conversation about tips. Don't feel bad.

 

[satai]

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Sorry, I thought you were in the UK for some reason! I don't know why... Silly me. What is min. wage in the UK, if someone could enlighten me?

So NZ and here is close to the same, then. I make about min. wage too and I always tip. Do servers in NZ make min. wage or less?

From http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/nmw/nmwfaqs.htm

As with Ireland, minimum wage varies by age and time in work (see below)
5.05 UK£ = 9.23078 US$
4.25 UK£ = 7.76851 US$
3.00 UK£ = 5.48366 US$

Q. Who can get the National Minimum Wage?

A. Most adult workers who
are resident in the in the UK,
have a written, oral or implied contract,
are not genuinely self-employed.

Top
Q. What am I entitled to?

A.
Workers who are aged under 18 and no longer of compulsory school age can expect to be paid no less than £3.00 per hour
Workers aged between 18 and 21 years can expect to be paid no less than £4.25 per hour.
Workers who are aged 22 years or older, can expect to be paid no less than £5.05 per hour.
Workers aged 22 years and over who start a new job with a new employer and do accredited training should be paid £4.25 per hour for the first six months only.


Top
Q. I am not getting the National Minimum Wage, what should I do?

A. If you are not getting NMW you can call the confidential helpline and make a complaint; all complaints made to the helpline will be followed up. If you wish to remain anonymous we will respect your wishes

 

[crystal211]

I've never left a tip at a hotel...I never realized you should. This topic was brought up on another forum I belong to, though, and I will definitely tip next time I go to a hotel.

The exact same thing goes for wait staff - we went out for dinner last week, the waitress ignored us while chatting up a member of the band who was setting up for a gig that night, the people setting up (during the dinner rush) were rude, half dressed and noisy and knocked over the drinks of the people at the next table and she didn't come around to clean it or apologise (or bring replacements) for 10 mins while she was chatting.

The bill came to 46.84 and I left here $47 so she knew I wasn't just forgetting to leave a tip.

I do the same -- they know they're working for their tip...if they can't do their job, well then I can't leave a tip.