So the other day I got take out from a local diner, The Dining Car (featured on Food Networks Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) and after I paid the bill, I asked the cashier to give a few bucks to the waitress who took my order and bagged it.
This raised an interesting thought to me, “Are you a tipper or non-tipper when you get take out from your local restaurant?”
What does this have to do with anything? One of my sources of income is from Real Estate (I am licensed in PA and hold my license at Long and Foster Real Estate) and a common complaint from realtors is how they do all this work for a seller or buyer and never get paid because the seller/buyer calls another realtor or does it all themselves after their education session.
Are we right to say someone should be compensated for their work regardless of how much time it takes? Do you judge tips based on the time it takes to do something or the time given to you?
Let’s look at some other professions:
- Attorneys – last time I checked if you asked an attorney to draft you up a letter to be used for whatever reason, he/she will be asking for a retainer or check for their time. I know I have been billed for even 15min phone calls.
- Doctors – When you go to the doctor’s for that same yearly cold which you always get xyz antibiotic, you still paying your co-pay or out of pocket (in case you are one of many who are uninsured)
- Mechanic – Oil changes. We know they only take a few minutes but if you told them “this is a freebie right?” they just might look at you as if you have two heads.
So if you answered “no” to my original question, I would be safe to assume you are not in a commission based income situation. What makes it cool to not compensate someone for a service they provided you?
I live my life as if I am in more than just my own shoes. As they say to listen more instead of always talking, I do the same and imagine being in someone else’s shoes. When times are tough, others have it worse. When you feel like you are on top of the world and unstoppable, I think of those who have achieved far more. Adds perspective to life and keeps you grounded.
My parents frequently order from a Chinese takeout place near their place in Audubon, PA. My mom has been inside when the staff were preparing up a to-go order and seen the amount of work that goes into assembling the food into takeout containers, packing up the bags, adding sauces and plasticware and such, and she says it looks like just as much work as waiting tables. She always tips, and every time she gets an exuberant thank you from the woman at the pickup window.
I don’t tip everywhere. For instance at self-service buffets where the customer gathers all their own food and only visits the register to pay, I find it a little vulgar for the cashier to be seeking tips. I realize it takes work to stock the buffet, but in my mind that’s work being done for the restaurant, not for the customer (I know, dangerous line to draw, but I draw it) and so the payment should come from the restaurant. Any time a staff person goes out of the way to serve me, though, I make sure to acknowledge it with at least a small tip. And when it’s table service, unless I feel that I’ve been overtly disrespected somehow, I always give 20% or more.
I agree with the buffet situation. I only tip where someone is providing me a service. It seems all too many times do people put tip jars everywhere they can. Starts to get ridiculous.
Nice to see the 20% rule. Having friends who wait tables, I hear the horror stories where they wait on large tables and get $4 despite the bill being like $200.
I almost always tip for takeout, if it is a place that does not have a designated cashier that also takes the orders. In other words if it is a waitress or bartender taking the order I always tip because I know they are working at the tipped employee wage which is usually around $ 3.00 an hour. If they are a cashier they are making the normal minimum or slightly above wage.