To Tip or not to tip (1 Viewer)

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So i was reading the casino thread and it got me thinking about all the crazy people in every single industry expecting tips. I know the food, bar, even haircut places should get tipped... especially if they give you a head massage and all...

My question and I get put in this position every week, *** did that taxi driver do to deserve a tip? It is like I swipe the card and bam choices 10% 20% 30% on my 50 dollar cab ride. They sit their butts in their cars and drive me from point a to point b... I just don't think everyone asking for tips deserves them or even should be allowed to ask for them.

Tipping is just out of hand, America is broke people, you don't put tip jars in the drive through window ffs and you should not get tipped for doing your job unless you are extraordinary at doing it and the customer wants to leave you a tip.... or of course if your salary includes tipping ala waitressing or bartending...

I know I sound like a cheapo but goodness, why must I get the guilt trip thrown on me every week by the pesky san diego cab drivers...
 
Our social structure accepts the gratuity as part of the compensation for particular professions (including cab drivers). In this case, cab rates go to cover the ownership of the vehicle, licensing fees, insurance, upkeep, gas, franchise fees, profit for the cab company, etc, etc - the tip is the bulk of the money that the cab driver takes home as his pay. In most cases, the driver is (more or less) just an employee operating a business for someone else, and your tip is his wage.

If you are not tipping, you are a cheapo, and ignorant to boot, and you should feel guilty.
 
I somewhat understand where you're coming from. It is an odd custom that we tip anyone who assists us in any way, regardless of if they are paid to do it or not. Obviously for those that work for tips it is one thing, but I dont know enough about how cab drivers make their livings to give a real answer here.

I do know back in high school if someone stiffed me on a tip when I delivered their pizza, or if they gave me say, a quarter, I would be pretty upset. Also, the next time they ordered their order was probably passed over by drivers in favor of better tipping customers.

If your pizza is ever late, there is probably a reason. :p Lol. Tip well and I guarantee you will get good service next time, in any line of work. (once again idk about the cab thing.)
 
Our social structure accepts the gratuity as part of the compensation for particular professions (including cab drivers). In this case, cab rates go to cover the ownership of the vehicle, licensing fees, insurance, upkeep, gas, franchise fees, profit for the cab company, etc, etc - the tip is the bulk of the money that the cab driver takes home as his pay. In most cases, the driver is (more or less) just an employee operating a business for someone else, and your tip is his wage.

If you are not tipping, you are a cheapo, and ignorant to boot, and you should feel guilty.


Boom.
 
well thanks buzd, I guess i am not a cheapo nor ignorant and I sure don't feel guilty. What I felt guilty about was leaving them tips... I guess you kinda cleared it up for me tho.
 
Our social structure accepts the gratuity as part of the compensation for particular professions (including cab drivers). In this case, cab rates go to cover the ownership of the vehicle, licensing fees, insurance, upkeep, gas, franchise fees, profit for the cab company, etc, etc - the tip is the bulk of the money that the cab driver takes home as his pay. In most cases, the driver is (more or less) just an employee operating a business for someone else, and your tip is his wage.

If you are not tipping, you are a cheapo, and ignorant to boot, and you should feel guilty.

So do we tip or not?
 
If you expect to use this person's service again then tip. If not, like when out of town, don't tip. That's the beauty of this strange system, it's optional.
 
So i was reading the casino thread and it got me thinking about all the crazy people in every single industry expecting tips. I know the food, bar, even haircut places should get tipped... especially if they give you a head massage and all...

My question and I get put in this position every week, *** did that taxi driver do to deserve a tip? It is like I swipe the card and bam choices 10% 20% 30% on my 50 dollar cab ride. They sit their butts in their cars and drive me from point a to point b... I just don't think everyone asking for tips deserves them or even should be allowed to ask for them.

Tipping is just out of hand, America is broke people, you don't put tip jars in the drive through window ffs and you should not get tipped for doing your job unless you are extraordinary at doing it and the customer wants to leave you a tip.... or of course if your salary includes tipping ala waitressing or bartending...

I know I sound like a cheapo but goodness, why must I get the guilt trip thrown on me every week by the pesky san diego cab drivers...


Some professions pay scales are based on the presumption of a tip. Waiters, for instance, generally only make a couple bucks per hour and need tips to fill in the rest of their wage.

Tipping is technically optional in those instances, but should be thought more of being "scalable" and less "optional". The industry is giving you the option to speak with your money about the quality of service, but it is assumed that you will be tipping at least a decent percentage. If enough people simply did not tip, then the industry would just have to go to a flat hourly wage and raise all prices accordingly.

In otherwords, by not tipping a proper percentage, you're participating in a phenomenon known as the tragedy of the commons and potentially destroying the system. Don't you like being able to tip more or less based on quality? Well if so, tip a proper percentage when called for so that said profession can remain on a tip-out basis, and not have to go to an hourly scale.

Automatic gratuity at awful chain restaurants is an example of the consequences of sufficient bad egg customers not tipping properly screwing it up for everyone else. Because they can just slap the automatic gratuity on the tab when they want, service quality decreases, and because you're locked into an automatic gratuity, your ability to control your quality of service is diminished.


As for cabs, there is a lot a cab driver can do to make the cab-system much more pleasant. Most cab drivers rent their vehicles from the cab company. So there's always an overhead associated with each night they work. When you catch a cab in a busy area and then have them drive you to a more isolated location, there is opportunity cost associated with that. They are unlikely to generate much fare while in the not-so-busy area and therefore lose money getting back to a nice area.

Cab drivers can also make a drive much more pleasant through route choices, pulling over at a store or gas station so you can grab smokes or beer or chicken-on-a-stick, meeting you back at a bar later that night so you have a guaranteed ride back home, keeping their car clean, not playing stupid music, and in my case (my preference at least), not trying to ******* talk to me while driving. These all have value. I need to go where I want to go. I will take a cab. But they can make it suck less and I like to encourage that.

But the big thing is the opportunity cost bit, where if you're pulling them away from prime traffic areas to more isolated areas, you are costing them and certainly do owe them. It's the same thing with hair cutting places. I have pretty thick hair and I'm not always timely in my haircuts so I know it's a bigger pain in the *** to cut my hair than it is to just do a 3 on the sides/4 on top on many guys. Yet I still get charged the regular guys cost. It takes longer, is more trouble, why would I not tip bigger to compensate?

What I'm getting at is the tip system gives the buyer more control over their service, which is a good thing. But if *******es don't tip, they'll mess the system up and we'll start going flat-rate. And you won't like the consequences.

So do your part, be mindful of the tragedy of the commons, and don't screw it up for the rest of us.
 
Just curious, but what is everyone's stance on tipping Barista's?

BTW...Barista? Seriously? I prefer coffee maid.

If you get anything that requires actual effort, a tip is appropriate. If you want that double shot of expresso mocha laitte with whipped cream, there are motions involved. It's multiple steps, they have to do it quickly and competently to avoid the line backing up, and they can screw it up if they're new, idiots, or don't care. Spare change for the trouble is probably sufficient, unless they get fancy with it and make a smiley face or something. Which is stupid, but hey at least they care and are trying, and that's usually with an additional buck plus the change.

But if you're just getting coffee then no. At least I don't think so.
 
If you get anything that requires actual effort, a tip is appropriate. If you want that double shot of expresso mocha laitte with whipped cream, there are motions involved. It's multiple steps, they have to do it quickly and competently to avoid the line backing up, and they can screw it up if they're new, idiots, or don't care. Spare change for the trouble is probably sufficient, unless they get fancy with it and make a smiley face or something. Which is stupid, but hey at least they care and are trying, and that's usually with an additional buck plus the change.

But if you're just getting coffee then no. At least I don't think so.


That's the way i feel i suppose. I mean sometimes, i go in hmm and hawing and dont know what to get. And basically say, i want something cold and caramel...i tip for that.

Fixing me a coffee granita that they just pulled the handle on to fill the cup...i have a hard time doing it.

I think all in all, while i consider myself to be one that likes to tip, i just dont want it to be EXPECTED.

And dont get me started on Sonic hoppers.
 

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