It never fails to shock me how a tip is demanded in the US. People simply refuse to listen to reason when we (yes, there are others!) tell them that leaving a tip isn’t necessary. Well, I’m hoping for too much here, but if you’re a waiter, here are 5 reasons why I will try my best not to give any money to you and why the reasons for tipping are crappy.
1. You act as if you’re my best friend
Just leave me alone ok? I don’t want to bloody chit chat with you. I want food. FOOD! Get it? It’s a restaurant. I go there to eat. I go because I want either Italian food, Chinese Food or something else which I can’t get in a McDonald’s. So I come to a restaurant to fulfill my cravings for it. I will pay for what I value – food. Not you.
Christ, you offend me – kneeling down next to my table, pretending to like me and chatting as if you’re my best friend when it’s obvious that all you’re after is the tip! I’m not a bloody money bag you know. I will pay the bill which includes the cost of the food, the environment and the salaries of the people involved – nothing more.
The only way to get money out of me that I don’t have to legally pay is by prying it out of my cold dead hands…
Bottom line: I don’t want to know your name, or interact with you for any longer than I have to in order to place my order. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the equivalent of a conveyor belt that brings me my food and a computer into which I input my order. Of course, I won’t be rude. But don’t expect me to interact with you any more than I would with some stranger.
Image Credit: cafemama
2. You don’t get paid enough
And this is my problem how exactly? It’s astonishing that customers are expected to make up for your employer’s cheapness in not paying you a decent wage. Please include the full cost in everyone’s bill thank you very much. I’ll pay it because I have to and the charge is there for me to see.
What’s really funny here is that no one seems to criticize the employers! All criticism is reserved for non tipping customers instead of the owners of the restaurant for not paying a decent wage. Wtf! Could it possibly be because you guys know you can make much more by tips and under report your income to the IRS?
3. You’ll spit in my food if I don’t tip you?
And I’ll shoot your kid if you don’t give me a million dollars. Seriously, am I even hearing this right? You’re actually using the threat of blackmail to make me pay you? Well as long as you’re openly claiming to be a criminal it’s all right I guess.
Fortunately that’s why I prefer buffets. Listen apart from it being illegal, this shows your poor integrity. But if you spit in someone’s food because they didn’t give you money you didn’t earn, then you’re a loser and deserve to be a waiter for the rest of your life.
4. Bringing me my food isn’t worthy of being paid extra
Did you cook it? Did you invent it? No. You picked it up and brought it to me. While it might not be easy, there are plenty of jobs which are much worse – shop floor workers for example. And I’ve been a shop floor manager, so I know. Face it – compared to other jobs, being a waiter is unskilled. You get paid what the market will think your services are worth. You don’t deserve more for your work over and above what your employer should pay you.
5. Money doesn’t grow on trees
I expect you to be grateful and pray for me at night if I tip you 10%. Be happy I gave you anything at all. I worked for the money in my wallet and by giving you some I didn’t have to, I’m doing you a favor. Learn to remember that when people give you something they don’t need to, it’s a favor. You don’t complain that they didn’t give you more!
By the way, the same thing above applies to all professions that demand tips including those on cruise liners.
So now that you understand why I won’t give you money you don’t deserve, stop with the “oh how could you?” attitude. I can. And I will.
Update: Here’s a rebuttal of the many silly justifications for tipping that people have given in the comments section.
If US restaurants paid their waiters more – they would’ve charged you more for your meal. We have an honor system here – a waiter will give you a good service and you’ll reciprocate with a tip.
I suppose an honor system only works with honorable people…
In reply to Stan LS
Stan LS–the “honor” system does not apply to a free market capitalist society. I pay you what I’m supposed to pay you. I don’t mind if more is charged for the meal. You want to charge me more? Then charge it. I refuse to be apart of an arbitrary system that calls for “exactly 20%” to be tipped. If I want to tip 18%, 13%, 9.6934804857%, then I will.
You seem to be dishonoring the American way–free market capitalism.
BTW the profit margin is very large in restaurants. If restaurants simply paid their workers more, the experience would improve, waiters wouldn’t have to fight for tables, but simply focus on their customers as “people” rather than “dollar bills.” Get the picture? Also, sure managers may see a slight cut as do owners, but they’ll see little to no strife among their workers.
Again, i don’t care about “honor” and such outdated ideals. If you want “honor” go back to chivalry and knights in shining armor. Americans talk about being “so modern” yet you bring up topics that 99% of the world find obsolete.
I’ll pay what I want to pay. it is my money and there is no set agreement that I have to pay other than what is stated on the receipt. If you want more pay, talk to your employer.
In reply to Common Sense
I am not sure why you are throwing free market capitalism into this as it has nothing to do with the topic. The tip is not part of the bill as an incentive for the waiter to provide good service.
As for your claims of a large profit margin when it comes to restaurants – false. Most places barely break even on the food – they make their money on drinks.
Honor is an outdated ideal? Oh, my… Might as well skip out on the bill then.
My thoughts are simple, it should be clear before people sit that there is a service charge, (be it 10%, 15% or more). Then people dont sit if they are not prepared to pay.
I cant think of any good reason to say to someone who DESERVES a tip, that you wont give them one. And i cant think of any reason why some of you talk about attacking your clients, or poisoning their food. Lets just change the system, not fight the people that your job relies on.
while you are all crying about tips and wages, i just saw this today:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20564468
There isnt many examples of this sort of kindness. You guys are talking about getting paid per hour, and poisoning people who dont pay extra? For real, that cop will put his life on the line to protect people like yourself, noone tips him, and then when he thinks noone is watching he runs off and spends all his money buying shoes for homeless men.
imagine if we could all be like that, be prepared to give up our lives to protect others, and be prepared to help out those that are in need. If everyone in America did this, the world would be a better place
In reply to katie
“My thoughts are simple, it should be clear before people sit that there is a service charge,” – ok, I’ll make it clear for you. If you are sitting down at a restaurant in US – there’s a service charge you are expected to pay.
In reply to Stan LS
Unfortunately you making it clear is not enough. The restaurant itself should make it clear along with the percentage and include it in the bill.
In reply to Stan LS
agreed. The restaurant should post a gratuity service of some sort that is required. As soon as you contractually post this, the consumer is REQUIRED to pay it. So if you add the 15% to the bill, teh consumer MUST pay it, no getting away from it.
When I am referring to free market capitalism, i am referring to the market forces that dictate things such as wages and prices. “Restaurants barely getting by?” If restaurants were barely getting by, we would have a scant amount of restaurants to begin with. Hey if managers are making more than $30,000 a year, they are not barely getting by. They chose this industry, now they have to live with it. I don’t care what your situation is, i just want to consume, and as a consumer in a free market society, it is not my responsibility to reward you. Wages are your form of reward, that is it. Tips do not belong in a free market society unless they are posted on a bill SPECIFICALLY, making you the consumer legally obliged to pay them.
The honor system does not apply to skipping out on the bill. THis is illegal. A contract has been created between teh establishment (the restaurant) and the consumer in the form of a receipt. If every single cent on that receipt has not been paid in full, the restaurant legally has the right to press charges upon the consumer in the form of theft etc. If the gratuity is NOT on the bill, there is no legal requirement on the cnosumer to pay a gratuity unless he/she feels that he wants to. This gratuity can be anything from 0.5%-50%.
Stan LS, remember here in California, all wait staff make minimum wage. Why is it, then, that I have to tip? Best buy workers make minimum wage, yet their management says it is FORBIDDEN for them to take a tip, yet wait staff are allowed to accept tips?
Solution to the wage issues? One should unionize, demand better wages, protest, or quit the darn job if it is that bad.
Let’s just be blunt, the reason why this guy won’t tip is because he’s a cheap indian.
Indians are some of the cheapest people I’ve met; they’ll be stingy over pennies on the dollar; and still demand to be treated like first class customers. It has nothing to do with racism, its just the truth.
In reply to Indiansrcheap
Since you haven’t touched upon a single argument regarding the right or wrong of tipping, your entire comment is invalid.
In reply to Indiansrcheap
It is pretty common for Indians to be shitty tippers, but I think it’s a bit unfair to classify all of them like that. I’m a bartender. A few of my regulars are Indian. I always take good care of them, but they understand that if I have a bunch of service drinks to make and a full bar, they aren’t going to get everything the moment they ask for it. And contrary to the stereotype, they always tip me nicely. I was talking to one of them the other day, and he just bought his son an electric guitar and an amp. He also pays for him to have voice lessons and a season pass for snowboarding. Those things are incredibly expensive, perhaps even over priced. He works overtime so he can afford all of it. Yeah, it’s his kid, but a cheap person wouldn’t do what he does.
Posting comments like this doesn’t make our side look any better. Yeah, it’s infuriating when we’re stiffed, and it’s common to dislike the group who does it most frequently, but being rude isn’t going to solve anything, much less actually get them on our side if there’s a possibility of doing so.
Bhagwad and Common Sense, I understand you don’t tip and nothing is going to change that, but it’s a bit unfair to just tell people to “get educated” or “find another job” or “unionize”. Those things are much easier said than done, especially in this shitty economy. And there really isn’t a server’s union, so they’d have to actually build one from the ground up, and would most likely lose their jobs in the process.
It should also be noted that a lot of people in tipped positions are trying to pay their way through college. Since it’s hard to find a job as it is and college is incredibly expensive, they need to take whatever job they can get, so you can’t say “Well, it’s your fault you have that job” if that’s all they could find. I’m not going to waste my time trying to change your mind, I just wanted to point out that it’s not right to criticize the people in those positions when you have no idea what brought them there in the first place. I know it’s not your problem, but you can be a bit nicer.
Also, a piece of advice for you guys:
Don’t become a regular at any bar or restaurant if you aren’t going to tip well or at all. I’ve never seen anyone’s food get spit in, but you’re not going to get good service. Bad service can ruin a night out. I had a server who rolled their eyes at me when I told them to please make sure there was no butter or chicken in the dish I ordered (I’m vegan). When the order got messed up, he was pissed that I asked to send it back and asked me if I could just pick the chicken out (while ignoring the fact the dish was slathered in butter, which I can’t have). This was supposed to be my celebration dinner because I had just opened my own bar. That had been my goal for a while, so I was really excited, and the server ruined it. Worst of all, I had never even been to the place before, so it’s not like I stiffed anyone and this was their response. I was just unlucky. But if you go to a place regularly and don’t tip, you’re much more likely to deal with shitty experiences like that. It won’t be bad luck.
indians are bad tippers just as whites are fiscally very irresponsible, right? Lets put the stereotypes aside boys and girls. Pamela, again, if the job is SOOO horrendous, why not work at Best Buy? Why not work at Wal Mart? They all make minimum. Out here in California and in Washington (state) all wait staff make minimum, so does that mean I don’t have to tip in Washington and California? There are many restaurants in Californai that refuse to accept tips. THey simply have an automatic 18% gratuity on ALL bills and nothing else.
The only person that is stiffing you guys is your employer. You should stick it to him. quit the job. I understand you are going through college, but there are 100s of other jobs you can take that don’t require a colelge degree. Work in sanitation for awhile. I know many college students that did that and it worked out AMAZINGLY well for them. THey paid for their undergrad and grad work that way. Not all non-collegiate jobs are wait staff jobs.
Trust me, i understand every position out there and the economics of it simply don’t make sense. You have a set of employees out to punish consumers? Take economics 101 and you’ll understand that is one of the worst ways to perform business. Perhaps employers like restaraunt owners in San Diego should get with the times and simply NOT accept Tips. The more we as consumers tip, the more we are feeding the fire that is the status quo of tipping. I am doing the service a favor. I am one of the few Americans who is fiscally responsible.
I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be harsh at all, but its all economics. There will be rich and poor people in capitalism, that is how things work. Soviet Russia tried to fix this and create an even ground, but obviously that didnt’ work. In places like Norway, there even isn’t a minimum wage, and many laborers there make $2-3 an hour. Perhaps wait staff should be more grateful for what they have than anything. Perhaps like all other employees, wait staff should remove their emotions from the job and just work like normal people.
Lets end this status quo. I say as difficult as it is, you should unionize. Do you think the teachers’ union was easy to create? The teamsters? Sanitation? No none of them were. THey took YEARS of hard work and earnestness. Perhaps wait staff should do the same.
In reply to Common Sense
I can’t help but think that you completely ignored what I wrote.
In reply to Pamela
I didn’t ignore it. You are arguing a more humanistic approach to commerce, but unfortunately in a capitalistic free market society, you can’t look at the humanistic approach to things. Its all about business. There will be rich and poor people and lots of people in the middle. This is how real capitalism works.
I understand there are a lot of people that have a tough time making ends meet, but when I go to a restaurant and enjoy myself, your burdens are not my responsibility.
The more I tip, the more I am feeding a status quo. The more I tip, the more society allows wait staff to be paid $2.13/hour (btw i have no problem with abolishing minimum wage as it doesnt work). take up these qualms with your employer, dont’ blame the very consumer that provides revenue to your establishment.
I don’t drink any alcohol, so trust me I have no need to worry about going to a bar btw.
I’m not trying to be mean or harsh, but i’m attempting to convey a sense of Common Sense. rather than punishing the very clients that provide revenue to your busienss establishment, perhaps the workers should send the message to their employers of their dissatisfaction. Every other business does this. Strikes, protests, unions etc. Just recently, the LA dock workers protested. Some of them are pretty low paying and risked losing their jobs, but they still protested and the upper management heard their qualms. The LA/Long Beach harbors lost almost a billion dollars a day during these protests. Perhaps if wait staff would take up arms against their own employers, the restaurants will lose business and the employers can FINALLY get the message. I’m sending my message, perhaps the staff should follow pursue this as well.
Dickwad, I mean Bagwad, if you don’t like American culture, I totally understand. It’s a real drag. Say! I have a solution! Move to a place where you won’t have to deal with it anymore! Like…back to Pakistan for example.
Sorry Pak-Pak. I meant to say Pakity-Pak in my last comment. Say, I think I’m gonna not bathe for a week and wear a lot of cologne, post publicly that I think of other human beings as “conveyor belts that bring me food” and then talk about *their* integrity. Well, at least they take showers my man. And aren’t ugly fucking Smellman who don’t get laid ever. Except possibly by ugly, smelly-ass Paki women. Ta-ta. Indian cinema sucks btw. And so does Indian music. Just a rip off of American hip-hop.
American culture does suck…you should move somewhere you won’t have to deal with it…or stink up its air with your body odor. Learn to tip you cheap shit. “Conveyor belt”…”integrity” …think a little there Paki. No one likes you btw.
Oh, also, it’s good to see that you are still spending your time doing this. I only spend ten minutes or so checking in to comment. You on the other hand, spend countless hours on here – just to piss off other people who probably never return by your point of view is so worthless. I myself check back because I like to picture you doing this while other people who do tip are banging their girlfriends. After you do this you jerk off to porn because no girls like cheap dicks who don’t tip. Sorry captain. But you can always change…I guess.
In reply to Pakity-Pak
perhaps Pakity that you should retain one important part of American culture–if you have something nice to say, say it. if you don’t remain silent.
You can insult, well other people can too so be aware. You insult the rest of the American population. I am an American and am appauled by your comments.
Perhaps you should get a significant other, just a suggesion.
In reply to Common Sense
Oh but I do have a significant other – she too thinks this Dickwad guy is a total loser for making and maintaining a website about not tipping “conveyor belts” – and then, ironically, making judgements about *their* integrity. Our guess is that he, in fact, is the one who is angry about the fact that he isn’t getting laid. But simple hygiene, less cologne to cover up the B.O. from not showering, and dropping the high-and-mighty act to excuse being a cheap asshole might help him get laid in the future. He’s not *that* ugly after all. ;D
In reply to Smellypits McCheap
Smelly pits, you should be ashamed of yourself. Baghdad here is from the second shittiest nation on earth, Pakistan. Only India is shittier. Wouldn’t you be bitter if you were him? If I didn’t get laid for years at a time I wouldn’t tip either! And smelling bad, wearing too much cologne to cover it up, and not tipping are the way of his people! Have some respect for tradition. And speaking of tradition: Dalit president! Hey-ohhhh!
In reply to Smellypits McCheap
While I don’t mind abuses, I do require that your comments at least have some semblance of an argument regarding the logic of the actual post. Otherwise you’re not adding anything other than displaying to the world the poison you have inside you. You’re more than welcome to do that on your own blog if it suits you.
Your first warning. Do it again and your IP is marked as spam and sent to a database for being banned from all other blogs.
Cheers!
My top reasons not to tip!
1) I go to restaurant to eat not to distribute charity
2) Charges should be included in the receipt
3) I am not responsible for the whole world
4) It encourages waiters to keep doing a shitty job
5) How much waiters really make?
a. If they get $2 min tip from one person, and within one hour in case of shitty restaurant ( suppose they serve 15 people) they make $30 and typically waiter work at least 5 hours a day, 5*30 = $150 . Let’s make a no more conservative and do like $90 per day in tips plus the restaurants payment that would be like $3*5= $15 per day $105 * 20 days = $2100 per month. F*** I am not tipping next time.
6) Last but not least reason, It’s my F*** money and my F*** decision!!!!
In reply to Orachimaru
I’m not going to tell you to tip, but I’ll let you know right now that your calculations are WAY off. It’s very rare that a server serves 15 people every hour, and the tip is usually a percentage of the check not per person. Servers that make $90/day on average either work in an extremely busy restaurant or a high-end one.
When I was a waitress in college, the most I ever made in a night was $130 in my two years of working there. The least I ever made was $7. An average night was $30-$40.
Also, in your calculations, you’re disregarding taxes. Even if you were correct, their annual income would be $25,200. That might be a livable wage for one or two people, but what about those with a family? You seem to be forgetting just how expensive life is. Food, shelter, utilities, car payments/insurance, gas, etc. That money disappears so quickly. People can live off of those wages, but you’re making it out to seem like they’re making a shitload of money when that’s not the case, and they’re usually making less than you’re assuming.
You don’t have to tip, but you should at least have your facts straight.
See, Common Sense, now I know you ignored what I wrote. You seem to think I’m trying to convince you to tip or giving a reason to tip, when I’m not. And I quote:
“I understand you don’t tip and nothing is going to change that, but it’s a bit unfair to just tell people to “get educated” or “find another job” or “unionize”. Those things are much easier said than done, especially in this shitty economy.”
“I’m not going to waste my time trying to change your mind, I just wanted to point out that it’s not right to criticize the people in those positions”
Basically, all I’m trying to say is, jobs are in very short supply and people are just taking what they can get. That includes Wal-Mart and Best Buy. In fact, many of those places are over-staffed. You can use all kinds of arguments against tipping, but telling someone “Well, you should just get another job!” is not a good argument. Some of your other arguments I understand where you come from, despite the fact that I disagree, but that argument is not one of them.
In reply to Pamela
lets just say we agree to disagree. There are MANY other jobs one can take. Work in sanitation. The sanitation union is very strong. They pay their workers on minimum $15/hour. Don’t need much experience at the lower end. Many, many jobs out there, entry level. Not just waitressing.
I’m not ignoring you at all Pamela, what I am stating is a simple reality regarding the wait staff industry. Now let me tell you one thing that I highly agree with Orachimaru: I am not responsible for the whole world. Your wages are not my responsibility. All I care about at the restaurant that I am patronizing is that you give me my food in an orderly fashion, that is it. If you have children, if you are hungry, if you are in debt, if you are a poor college student, those are extremely sad realities, however at the very moment I am patronizing your restaurant, I only care about my food. I care about my belly at that very moment. It may seem harsh, but it is a reality.
There are many restaurants where they abolish the tipping system. Instead they tack on an 18% gratuity and guess what, these staff members are so happy.
Let me ask again. Here in california and in washington state, everybody, including wait staff, makes federal minimum. So does this mean that I don’t have to tip at all in these states?
In reply to Pamela
btw, nothing is easy. Working is not easy. Having a family is not easy. Also not everything is fair. It isn’t fair that you receive poor wages I understand that, but you know what? In capitalism, i have the right to not care. Its a sad but evident truth. You have a family? I’m sorry about that, but please spare the sobs and give me my food. For all I care, you could be making $1/hour. A hungry person simply won’t care.
I still am in utter disbelief that the ONLY job a college student can get is a wait position. Sanitation is a great place and they BEG entry level people, yet nobody applies. Janitorial is another. Maintenance (low level) is another. there are many many options that make great amounts of money. Janitorial staff can make 10-12/hour at the entry level. A lot of colleges offer janitorial positions to their students and they make $15/hour (yes you read that right). So what gives?
You have consumed an enormous amount of waste items since you posted this. You thought you were changing your little piece of the world, but really, you just guaranteed yourself sh*t cake forever. Enjoy it, truly.
In reply to Andy
Hey Andy, I thought we as Americans appreciate freedom of speech. Why do you insult someone’s freedom to speak? Just because you don’t agree with somebody, does that make person an (explitive) cake? Are you, Andy, the judge of all matters? You decide if a person is a good cake, a fruit cake or a s(explitive) cake?