Gratuities and Begging.

[Josh]

All right. At one point do these become unacceptable?

round 1.
Decided to head to the local swap meet, but running low on gas, so stopped at my local self-service gas station (did I mention self service?) As soon as I stopped got approached and asked what type of gas I wanted I was like 'WTF' told him Thanks but no thanks, got asked for a DOLLAR, sorry paying with a credit card, looked around and noticed each self service Island was "claimed" by someone. whatevers. Paid and pumped. got asked for spare change again (since I was using his ''zone' I guess).

round 2.
Stopped at a local sub place (national chain). nice sized jar with a generous
"TIP" sign.

round 3.
Still feeling the need for a pick-me-up stopped for a cup of brew at the mermaid. yes, more tip jars.

round 4.
Paid my swap meet fee and walked about. My bladder at one point asked for relief. Headed to the restroom area. wtf. THE DINGY bathroom has an attendant with another frikin tip jar. really? in a swapmeet in a bathroom I wouldn't use unless I had to?

round 5.
Exited and headed to pick up my kid from school. Decided to grab some chicken from "pollo crazy". Another 'helpful' citizen holding the doors to the patrons walking in. of course a 'tip' for the ardous and difficult task (opening the frikin door to get in) was 'tactifully' asked.

Whats the difference between the bums, clerks and the attendants?

one group got told how much the job paid, what the expectations are, get a weekly paycheck for this AND they agreed to this conditions. The other group doesn't and didn't but hopes. Which one sucks more? both.

As I understand it, a gratuity (TIP) is a GIFT for providing service ABOVE whats expected. When did this become a norm for providing regular service? or for providing a 'service' you never asked for?

[draco664]

All right. At one point do these become unacceptable?

round 1.
Decided to head to the local swap meet, but running low on gas, so stopped at my local self-service gas station (did I mention self service?) As soon as I stopped got approached and asked what type of gas I wanted I was like 'WTF' told him Thanks but no thanks, got asked for a DOLLAR, sorry paying with a credit card, looked around and noticed each self service Island was "claimed" by someone. whatevers. Paid and pumped. got asked for spare change again (since I was using his ''zone' I guess).

Never heard of (or seen) this before. Ugh. I suppose it is a valid form of exchange of service for payment, but damn, these places went self-service for a reason.

round 2.
Stopped at a local sub place (national chain). nice sized jar with a generous
"TIP" sign.

round 3.
Still feeling the need for a pick-me-up stopped for a cup of brew at the mermaid. yes, more tip jars.

If you have to unwrap your food, why tip?

round 4.
Paid my swap meet fee and walked about. My bladder at one point asked for relief. Headed to the restroom area. wtf. THE DINGY bathroom has an attendant with another frikin tip jar. really? in a swapmeet in a bathroom I wouldn't use unless I had to?

If I'm tipping for a bathroom, it had better bloodly well *sparkle*.

round 5.
Exited and headed to pick up my kid from school. Decided to grab some chicken from "pollo crazy". Another 'helpful' citizen holding the doors to the patrons walking in. of course a 'tip' for the ardous and difficult task (opening the frikin door to get in) was 'tactifully' asked.

"Sod off."

Whats the difference between the bums, clerks and the attendants?

one group got told how much the job paid, what the expectations are, get a weekly paycheck for this AND they agreed to this conditions. The other group doesn't and didn't but hopes. Which one sucks more? both.

As I understand it, a gratuity (TIP) is a GIFT for providing service ABOVE whats expected. When did this become a norm for providing regular service? or for providing a 'service' you never asked for?

Amen.

[Andara Bledin]

As soon as I stopped got approached and asked what type of gas I wanted I was like 'WTF' told him Thanks but no thanks, got asked for a DOLLAR...

Around here they do the window washing thing, they don't ask, and then they demand payment. I don't go to the local stations.

Not cool, ever.

round 2.
round 3.

The mere existence of tip jars, particularly in a place that prepares food that's somewhere between fast food and an actual restaurant, is pretty much to be expected.

So long as they don't call attention to it and it just sits there, I don't really see the problem.

THE DINGY bathroom has an attendant with another frikin tip jar. really?

Did the place really have an attendant? Or did some local "entrepreneur" set up shop in there to try to cadge tips?

round 5.

See 1.

When did this become a norm for providing regular service? or for providing a 'service' you never asked for?

That would be the moment the government allowed lower wages for those who work in positions that traditionally receive tips.

I'd love to have a life where being irritated over the existence of tip jars was worthy of my even caring.

^-.-^

[AdminAssistant]

I don't mind tip jars, and if I go to a place that has one and get exceptional service, I'll put in a little. However, I never give any money to vagrants or panhandlers, ever. The last town I lived in was notorious for really aggressive panhandlers, the type that would knock on your door and ask for money. This town has two problems 1) Trustafarians who live on the streets as bums and buskers as an 'alternate lifestyle choce' and 2) the local shelter is the only one in the region that lets in drunks and druggies, so we get the absolute worst of the worst.

[Greenday]

Did someone really want a tip at a gas station? Pumping someone's gas is not a tipping job nor is wiping someone's windows. As someone from one of the only states where it's illegal to pump your own gas, I know for certain you NEVER tip gas station attendants.

[Seifer]

There are some instances where tips don't make sense to me. Why do I have to tip a valet attendant, again? He's going to bring my car either way, tip or no tip. Do I really care about the service? He can't smash my car into a wall without sever repercussions, so why do I need to tip him? I don't get it.

I understand tipping a waiter/waitress in a restaurant since they run your food and refill your drinks. I can also understand tipping in a place like Coldstone Creamery, where they mix your ice cream in front of you. But tipping someone who simply handed you your food over a counter? No way.

[jackfaire]

Why do I have to tip a valet attendant, again?

Like waitress a job where they get paid less than minimum wage on the basis that they make tips so the company doesn't have to pay them a fair wage.

[Seifer]

Like waitress a job where they get paid less than minimum wage on the basis that they make tips so the company doesn't have to pay them a fair wage.

I don't appreciate having to pick up the company's slack. If they paid their workers decent money I wouldn't need to feel guilted into tipping a valet attendant for moving my car 20 feet.

[HYHYBT]

Then don't use the valet.

Tip jars just make it clear that they *accept* tips if you happen to be feeling generous or don't want change weighing you down. I don't see why so many people see the mere presence of a place to put tips as a demand that you put them there.

[Racket_Man]

Like waitress a job where they get paid less than minimum wage on the basis that they make tips so the company doesn't have to pay them a fair wage.

I don't appreciate having to pick up the company's slack. If they paid their workers decent money I wouldn't need to feel guilted into tipping a valet attendant for moving my car 20 feet.

One IMPORTANT point ---- it is NOT picking up the company's slack - it is the GOVERNMENT allowing for tipped wages/tip credit wages and the company using that to their advantage.

I absolutley LOATH TIP jars for several reasons:
1. half of my current comes from tips AND I am paid sub-sub-minimum wage as a pizza delivery driver. Yes I have worked as a server/waiter before

I am REQUIRED by Federal laws and statues to report all of my tips as income. If I do not OR the IRS "thinks" I am not caliming enough I can get audited, penelized, folded, spindled and mutilated by the system and there is littel I can do about it.

it takews a LOT of money to fight the IRS.

2. most places that DO have these "tip jars" out, pay their employees AT least MINIMUM WAGE.

WHY is it that a person acutally making minimum wage needs tips????? YEs I know wages suck but come on.

Now the US DOL and the IRS watn their cut of all of your income. the standard is: IF you make more than $30 a month in tips that "income" MUST be reported as income. I really do wonder if that split up "tip jar" money is actually reported. most likely not.

why do they get to have "free money" and I do not????

3. the tip jar actully dilutes those jobs that DO depend heavilly on tips ie. delviery drivers, servers, hair dressers, valets, baggage handlers, etc.

by this I mean NOW with a LOT of workers having their hand out for that "tip", the customer is going to get "burned out" on having to "tip" everyone and their family thus further reducing overall tipped wage averages

also the tipped wage/tip credit wage is a somewhat recent thing. it was not until 1966 that a seperate tipped wage structure was codified into the Federal labor laws.


I would dearly love to make minimum wage AND be properly compensated for the use of my vehicle

BUT

The service sectors involved are too entrenched in the mentality of "OOOHHHHHHHHH GLLLLOOOOMMMM and DOOOOMMMM of higher wages". " blargle blargle business failures blargle blargle"

they use a LOT of scare tactics in their public relations campains even against a higher minimum wage.

[Boozy]

I don't appreciate having to pick up the company's slack. If they paid their workers decent money I wouldn't need to feel guilted into tipping a valet attendant for moving my car 20 feet.

You'll be picking up the slack either way. It's a tip, or it's higher prices for goods and services to cover the wage increase.

Personally I find tipping to be a clumsy and inefficient way of remuneration. I didn't like it as a waitress, and I don't like it now as a customer (although I do tip). It would be nice if everyone paid the same for their services. It's not right that two people can eat the same meal at the same restaurant with the same server, and one guy gets to pay 15% less because he's a douchebag and won't tip.

[Seifer]

Then don't use the valet.

Sometimes that isn't an option.

I had to go to a certain hotel downtown for volunteer work, and there was no option to park your own car. It was either hand your car over to the valet or go fuck yourself.

Believe me, I'd much rather park my own car and walk the extra few yards to the building than have to tip someone.

[wraiths_crono]

Food shop and bar tips: to help keep the employees happy and motivated, also to give them a little extra (non taxed up the rear) into their pockets at the end of the week. The ex and I were happy of that when she worked at Quiznos because it did come in handy to have some spare cash outside of the normal paycheck.

Bums: they have to get creative in the harder financial times because no one just gives loose change as it can be assumed it had been before, tho I will give a bum some change IF I have it and IF they honestly tell me they are buying beer with it heh.

[bara]

Its the fault of the company and the wage laws that make tips necessary.
Tips are supposed to be a gratuity. Yet without tips, servers and similar jobs wouldn't make enough to get by because of the wage laws.

I can almost forgive the government taxing them, but allowing employers to set wages so low that it is actually necessary for a person to make a living is unacceptable.

[Ree]

I'd love to have a life where being irritated over the existence of tip jars was worthy of my even caring.

That's a little judgmental.

Just because you don't feel that complaining about a tip jar is a big deal, that doesn't mean others are not entitled to their opinion of tip jars.

I work damn hard for my money.
I go out of my way for my customers.
I don't get tipped.

Personally, because I do have family in the line of work where tipping has become the norm, I understand the whole crappy wages supplemented by tips thing, and I do tip very well.

I just hate being forced or shamed into tipping.

That being said, I would not be so arrogant to assume, because a person is annoyed by a tip jar that they have an easy life and nothing better to complain about.

In the same way that the wages are scaled down to factor in tips, prices are also rising. It was one thing, a few years ago to go to dinner and spend less than $40 with tip for dinner, but now, dinner for two can go up to $100 or more, depending on food and beverage choice, so by the time the tip is added in, it can be quite pricey.

One may argue and say that, unless a person can afford the tip, they shouldn't be going to dinner, but that too is a bit of an elitist attitude.

Also, tipping has always been considered as something given for actual services such as greeting, seating, serving and cleaning in a restaurant. Now we have fast food workers expecting tips for assembling a sandwich and tossing it in a bag, or scooping ice cream into a bowl or cone.

Where the heck does the line get drawn?

So, yeah, just because a person doesn't feel there is anything wrong with the explosion of tip jars in areas that never used to be considered "tip worthy" jobs, that does not negate the feelings of someone else who is getting a little tired of what seems like shameless begging.