Tipping thing is getting out of hand

[MissGotRocks]

Our system is flawed. People need to be paid a living wage. Period.

Of course, were that to happen, the resulting increase in price for various services would cause people to lose their minds.

You are absolutely correct. People who rely or depend on tips for a living have a hard time because they never know how much money they will have earned by the end of the week. Kind of hard to budget and plan. Being paid a living wage would certainly solve that issue. Probably no where close to happening though - not in my lifetime!

 

[Betty Baguette]

All these people (and self-checkout machines!) who shouldn't be asking for tips but are will make a lot of people stop tipping period. This will hurt those who need and deserve the tips.

 

[TooPatient]

Our system is flawed. People need to be paid a living wage. Period.

Of course, were that to happen, the resulting increase in price for various services would cause people to lose their minds.

Price of living is a whole different can of worms. Areas vary wildly as to what it costs to live. Not sure how to go about that as a one size fits all isn't practical.

The price increase would definitely be there. One thing that I think would happen would be a drop in how many people go to restaurants or buy coffee or whatever else. Things around here are already high enough that a hamburger and fries plus glass of iced tea for two comes in at around $50 once you add in tip. We have gone from eating out about twice per week to eating out maybe twice per month. If prices were any higher, we couldn't justify even that.
Other than just the issue of I would like to be able to keep going out here and there, my big worry is that I know we aren't the only ones cutting how often we go out. My 4 times a week coffee is now once every month or so. That has got to be hurting the businesses. I truly do worry that it will hit a point where there just aren't enough customers to sustain the employees everywhere and now they will lose their jobs. I don't know how to do it, but working on ways to reduce the cost of living might be a bigger benefit to the employees. If ways could be found to get it to where you could live comfortably on a smaller salary, that would be huge.


I was in a hurry the other day:

Hamburger (1/5 pound): $10.09
Fries: $4.59
Iced tea: $4.99 (had to go next door as they only do soda at the burger place)
Tip: 15, 20, or 25% options shown on screen

 

[tyty333]

All these people (and self-checkout machines!) who shouldn't be asking for tips but are will make a lot of people stop tipping period. This will hurt those who need and deserve the tips.

I'm already pretty "trained" as to what/where to tip so it wont make me stop tipping in the traditional tip-expected places. I dont
know about the younger crowds though. I would think that they will tip everywhere a machine with Tip Recommendations on it
gets put in front of them because they don't know what is considered a "typical" place to tip. That's just going to further enforce
everyone wanting/expecting a tip .

 

[MamaBee]

Well I am a minimum wage worker in a bakery and we are not allowed to accept tips. I had a guy come in at 9:00 one night and asked me to write on two cakes, it was the same message so easy peasy. He tried to tip me $5 but I told him I can’t accept tips, he looked shocked lol!

Tipping is definitely out of hand, I just figure when I got to Starbucks once a week for a paradise drink that I have to also figure in $1 tip even going through the drive thru.

I never knew you had to tip in a drive through!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I never knew you had to tip in a drive through!
[/QUOTE

I never knew you had to tip in a drive through!

Well you don’t technically have to, but when they shove the card reader in your hand and say “just choose if you want to tip”, kind of feels like a “have to” in that moment

 

[pearlsngems]

I don't tip for take out. I tap the "skip" button on the display.

 

[TooPatient]

I never knew you had to tip in a drive through!

I never knew you didn't! Around here, it is pretty standard. Espresso stand or food. Whatever it is gets treated same as having walked in to pick up. Which is also standard to tip around here.

 

[Lookinagain]

Maybe if people pay with that outdated thing called "cash" then they don't have to deal with all these requests for tips. Assuming you have something close to the correct amount, you can just leave the change? I don't do drive thru or take out except very, very rarely and it's generally just for an iced coffee maybe once every few months. But I do see the tip added to the restaurant bill with little notice to the customer who doesn't read the small print or something posted on the menu. But that's a different story.

 

[MamaBee]

We do take outs..and tip for that. It never occurred to me to tip during a drive through. Truthfully we don’t drive through. The only place would be Dairy Queen for ice cream on the way to our house in Maryland. Are we supposed to tip for an ice cream cone??? Sheesh!

 

[sledge]

I’m okay with tipping when I get good service. The thing that torques me is it’s expected. Sorry but no. You aren’t entitled to Jack crap for your mere existence.

Food delivery is currently on my crap list. Using services like Door Dash, GrubHub, etc. Often the restaurant up charges their menu items and some of that I get as there is added cost for containers, bags, etc but I’ve seen so much price gouging. Then each place has a delivery fee and sometimes extended delivery fee. Then there is the driver tip which all are designed to assign prior to receiving your food.

I think I’m a good tipper, usually 20-25% if I get good to great service. You’d think tipping well on food delivery apps would entice drivers to be fast, etc but in my experience it matters not. More times than not I am disappointed and feel whatever tip amount I give wasn’t earned.

When dining in restaurant I have some friends I’ve known forever and love like family but they are just horrible tippers. They have 3 kids and when their kids were younger they were bat shit crazy making all sorts of noise, making messes and leaving food in places it shouldn’t be. I get kids are kids but I’m also aware it makes life difficult on the servers. Often they would leave 10% or lower tips. To help offset them I would over tip towards 30-40%.

All that to say for me I think tipping is situational and dependent on the service quality I receive. It does seem the culture is shifting to an expectant attitude which I dislike.

 

[SandraLynn]

It’s becoming more and more of a common thing these days. It seems everywhere is offering a tip spot on credit card receipts, even subway. I don’t tip fast food places. If I order take out from a sit down place and pick it up, I’ll tip 10%.

When these jobs were paying their employees minimum wage the tipping expectations were not like this, now that most companies are paying people a little more, They want tips. Weird. I looked it up, the average pay for fast food workers like McDonald’s, Burger King Is $12 an hour. This is why they say these jobs are for kids and young adults building their life skills.

I work for one of the biggest retailers in the county. I’m sure you can guess which one. I started out at minimum wage almost 10 years ago. It took a lot of years, hard work and managing people to get over the $20 an hour mark and in a position with an annual bonus, generous vacation time and good medical. Why should we tip a fast food workers to the point that they are making that much an hour when they did not have to work hard to achieve a higher level. That’s why these kids have no work ethic.

I understand it’s getting tough for people. The dwindling middle class gets hit the hardest. Rent in the US has gotten out of hand. The car buying business is getting out of hand. Apparently even perfect credit buyers are being offered 15% interest rates so a $25,000 car is a $600 payment. That’s insane to me.

 

[tyty333]

@SandraLynn Agree on the rent being/getting out of hand. In my area, which has a lower cost of living, rent is up to $1600-$2000
for a 1 bedroom apt. Used to be in the $900s not too long ago. We've had a big influx of people from northern states so house cost
and apt. rentals have skyrocketed. The problem is that a lot of locals just don't earn enough money. Even with roommates its difficult
for them. My son is currently looking for a 1 bedroom and its about $5k to get into a one-bedroom for first, last, and deposit.
Unfortunately, those making minimum wage (or even more) just dont have that kind of money laying around. I feel really bad for them.
No wonder more and more kids are choosing to live at home. Its just not a good situation for kids starting out these days.

 

[SandraLynn]

The company I work for starts out at $15, for the lowest paid position. It’s easy to work hard and get a higher position making $20 to $30 or more depending on the level. It is possible.

I was lucky that when I was making around $16 an hour my 1 bedroom was $575 a month. Now you’ll need a roommate.

That’s what these kids have to do. When I was starting out I was working as much overtime as I could , I rented a room in a house until I could afford my own place and it was free furniture, then I upgraded to paying for used furniture, used washer and dryer, clothes from good will. Unless you went to college for a job that’s pays well out of the gate, it’s life. You struggle but you can make it but you have to put in the work but you keep elevating and eventually life gets more comfortable.

 

[sledge]

Apparently even perfect credit buyers are being offered 15% interest rates so a $25,000 car is a $600 payment. That’s insane to me.

I don’t think that’s entirely true. Although I try to use cash for vehicle purchases I also check the cost to finance. When I bought my AT4, interest rate was 1.99 through GMAC. Rates as a whole increased and when we bought my wife’s SUV the best offered was around 4.25.

At both rates I can take my cash and invest and turn more profit after deducting the interest cost. But it’s more risky with 4.25.

Several years back we bought new furniture and they offered a teaser 0% up to 18 months. I had cash in pocket to pay for the furniture but they also gave an additional discount for financing. Don’t take me wrong, the model is slimy. But when I save instantly AND I get to keep my cash and invest and make profit on the cash separately I will take that deal every time. Unfortunately few people are disciplined enough to do so.

One I still giggle about is I underpaid a bill in full by a few cents. Instead of using their brain they sent a new bill for the few pennies owed, costing them money to create, print & postage to mail. Best yet they sent a prepaid envelope for me to send payment back. When I saw it I burst out laughing and wife asked what was going on. I explained I needed the checkbook STAT so I could promptly pay those delinquent pennies. I wrote the check and stuffed in the prepaid envelope and walked to the mailbox. She asked why I was mailing it instead of using our bill pay like normal. I explained their ignorance was going to cost them around a buck in postage alone plus whatever resources they used processing. All because no one used any logic. Granted that minuscule amount didn’t crumble them but I felt I won that day, lol.

Oddly enough I was sharing this story with a neighbor recently and figured they wouldn’t get it. Then she started laughing and said they found themselves in a similar situation except her husband mailed back coins so the postage cost them extra.

 

[mrs-b]

I fully resent tipping my hair dresser. I go every 8-10 weeks for highlights, cut and blow-dry, gloss and treatment. Comes to around $260+ for 2 hours work. She owns her business, and I am asked to pay via an app on her phone. It automatically gives the option to tip 15/20/25% - or to skip. I tip 20% and resent every single penny. Ends up costing $320 for 2 hours. I now make sure I NEVER have an appt in December so I don't have to do the obligatory $100 at Christmas.

I seriously don't understand why she doesn't give me a free treatment at Christmas. Why should the gift giving only go one way??

I figure she uses, at most, $10 of product when I see her, so basically, I'm paying her $155/hr for labor. I resent that so much I can taste it. I'd go elsewhere, but the prices here are all in that range.

 

[Lookinagain]

seriously don't understand why she doesn't give me a free treatment at Christmas. Why should the gift giving only go one way??

That's a really good question. Many businesses give holiday gifts to their customers. My hairdresser does give out small gifts, usually hair products, so she is acknowledging loyalty. Yours could give something like a free gloss perhaps?

 

[nala]

I pay cash to avoid the whole automatic tipping at fast-food or quick take-out’s. The way I see it, they can get upset at me or realize that without my purchase, they would have no job. Bc I don’t necessarily see lines out the door for the places I frequent of that nature.
I did realize years ago that my younger friends tended to tip at those places. Maybe it’s a generational thing?

 

[sledge]

I fully resent tipping my hair dresser. I go every 8-10 weeks for highlights, cut and blow-dry, gloss and treatment. Comes to around $260+ for 2 hours work. She owns her business, and I am asked to pay via an app on her phone. It automatically gives the option to tip 15/20/25% - or to skip. I tip 20% and resent every single penny. Ends up costing $320 for 2 hours. I now make sure I NEVER have an appt in December so I don't have to do the obligatory $100 at Christmas.

I seriously don't understand why she doesn't give me a free treatment at Christmas. Why should the gift giving only go one way??

I figure she uses, at most, $10 of product when I see her, so basically, I'm paying her $155/hr for labor. I resent that so much I can taste it. I'd go elsewhere, but the prices here are all in that range.

My wife gets her hair done about every 8-10 weeks also. I about choked when I saw a charge come through for $400!

I don’t give her grief about too much but that really got my goat. I feel the hairdresser is price gouging her/us and don’t think too many clients are dropping that kind of coin for hair. Maybe I’m wrong and way off base.

Wife says she trusts her and does a good job but I thought the other girl in the state we moved from did better for less than half.

 

[SandraLynn]

Just for fun

 

[SandraLynn]

I fully resent tipping my hair dresser. I go every 8-10 weeks for highlights, cut and blow-dry, gloss and treatment. Comes to around $260+ for 2 hours work. She owns her business, and I am asked to pay via an app on her phone. It automatically gives the option to tip 15/20/25% - or to skip. I tip 20% and resent every single penny. Ends up costing $320 for 2 hours. I now make sure I NEVER have an appt in December so I don't have to do the obligatory $100 at Christmas.

I seriously don't understand why she doesn't give me a free treatment at Christmas. Why should the gift giving only go one way??

I figure she uses, at most, $10 of product when I see her, so basically, I'm paying her $155/hr for labor. I resent that so much I can taste it. I'd go elsewhere, but the prices here are all in that range.

I think that would be the right thing to do but unfortunately if prices are all the same and you keep going back, she probably feels like she’s the prize.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

OMG I cannot believe how much hair care costs! I go to a really good barber, cut is $40 and I give him $50. I go once every 2-3 months.

 

[SandraLynn]

OMG I cannot believe how much hair care costs! I go to a really good barber, cut is $40 and I give him $50. I go once every 2-3 months

That’s a good tip!! I feel very fortunate, I don’t do anything to my hair. My friend trims it for me, I’m Sicilian and at 34 no gray hair yet.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

That’s a good tip!! I feel very fortunate, I don’t do anything to my hair. My friend trims it for me, I’m Sicilian and at 34 no gray hair yet.

My hair is very short and I love it so I do have to spend some to maintain it. I have tons if gray but let it be or color it myself with fun colors! I do take my kids to a cheaper place for cuts, they only charge $16 and I give them $20. I will say that for real service things like hair, nails, etc, I do usually tip more than 20% especially if it's my regular person.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I had no idea I wasn't "supposed" to top owners of the salon. I do and I know my sister does also. (although secretly I wish I didn't "have to" LOL)

cheers--Sharon

 

[SparklieBug]

I sometimes tip at take-out places, if I particularly like the service/server. Most often I do not tip where it's self-serve. For good restaurants (with excellent service), I tip generously. We also tip trades—excellent work on landscaping? We brought them coffee/snacks at lunch time, and gave the actual workers a tip when they were finished.

Haircare...you're paying for expertise, not just the cost of products. There's also overhead of rent, hydro, water, phones, Interac/Visa machines, continuing education, etc.

When I think of the times I've had crazy-bad cuts, and then the times where the stylist was excellent...no contest. I prefer to have an excellent cut. The prices may be the same but ongoing training, communication, technical skills all make a difference, IMO.

We always have the freedom to choose—no one is forcing us to have our hair cut, colored, highlighted, etc. It's personal choice.

Peace!

 

[Austina]

I haven’t had my hair cut since November, when I went back to the UK. I’m flabbergasted at the cost of hair dressing here in the US. I used to go every week for a blow dry in the UK, cost me 15 GBP including tip, and a cut and colour every 5 weeks, which cost me 55 GBP including tip.

I’m colouring my own hair now because I’m just not prepared to spend $250 dollars every 5 weeks. I’m going to have to bite the bullet soon and find somewhere to get it cut because my fringe is down to the tip of my nose

 

[seaurchin]

I

I haven’t had my hair cut since November, when I went back to the UK. I’m flabbergasted at the cost of hair dressing here in the US. I used to go every week for a blow dry in the UK, cost me 15 GBP including tip, and a cut and colour every 5 weeks, which cost me 55 GBP including tip.

I’m colouring my own hair now because I’m just not prepared to spend $250 dollars every 5 weeks. I’m going to have to bite the bullet soon and find somewhere to get it cut because my fringe is down to the tip of my nose

Me too. I do the color myself then a cheapo Supercuts cut every couple of months.

I also find it interesting what I and others will or won’t spend on, where we get our ideas on it. I have a longstanding habit of getting the cheap store brand and economy sized basics at the grocery store, for ex. But a couple thousand for a new bauble, no problem! Lol

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Price of living is a whole different can of worms. Areas vary wildly as to what it costs to live. Not sure how to go about that as a one size fits all isn't practical.

The price increase would definitely be there. One thing that I think would happen would be a drop in how many people go to restaurants or buy coffee or whatever else. Things around here are already high enough that a hamburger and fries plus glass of iced tea for two comes in at around $50 once you add in tip. We have gone from eating out about twice per week to eating out maybe twice per month. If prices were any higher, we couldn't justify even that.
Other than just the issue of I would like to be able to keep going out here and there, my big worry is that I know we aren't the only ones cutting how often we go out. My 4 times a week coffee is now once every month or so. That has got to be hurting the businesses. I truly do worry that it will hit a point where there just aren't enough customers to sustain the employees everywhere and now they will lose their jobs. I don't know how to do it, but working on ways to reduce the cost of living might be a bigger benefit to the employees. If ways could be found to get it to where you could live comfortably on a smaller salary, that would be huge.


I was in a hurry the other day:

Hamburger (1/5 pound): $10.09
Fries: $4.59
Iced tea: $4.99 (had to go next door as they only do soda at the burger place)
Tip: 15, 20, or 25% options shown on screen

we went to macdonalds first time in at least 18 months
just for breakfast before work
had to order from a machine
i got an extra hash brown because i really like them
$3
for one hash brown
three dollars for one hash brown
you can almost buy a whole packet for that much - or you could six months ago
i mean they are good but not that good

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Just for fun

my friend is a cop
she used to do traffic
at police college they told them if you want to save lives go into traffic
anyway she is a wee short lady with dreadlocks
drivers used to thank her after she gave them their ticket