Are you a good tipper?

There seems to have been two issues discussed here. One is "commissioned salary."

Generally, here in the U.S. people who work "for commission" usually get something called a "draw" against the commission, based upon minimum wages prescribed by wage laws. That "draw" is deducted from your commission when you earn it. Because of minimum wage laws, you're supposed to be guaranteed at least the draw, but if your earnings in a commission paying job doesn't exceed that after several checks, you won't be employed there for long.

About tipping, I read where the standard is 15% to 20% so I always leave something between those two numbers (higher for better, lower for so-so). I've been averaging closer to 20% simply because it's easier to figure out. (Hey, did you know there's a tip calculator on your cell phone?)

Some of the froufrou restaurants include it in the tab (best to be aware of that when you get it). And yes, here in the U.S., waitresses get paid less than the minimum wage because their employer has already calculated the average tip into their salaries. (Yeah...sucks big time...)


If service is absolutely lousy I won't even complain (too many chances of getting some "extra ingredient" in your food on a good day). I'll get up and walk out.

Iceland is the place to be!

When I worked as a waiter you made about $2.25 an hour as pay from the employer. You don't get that because it is taken out for taxes.

The government taxes you on 8% of your sales. If you sell $1000 worth of food and drinks for the night and get tipped an average of 15% that is $150. You have to claim that you made $80 that night.

Where I worked you tipped the busboy, food runner, and bartender. Not at your discretion, you have to hand over 5% of your sales or $50.

If you do not tip you are stealing from the waiter. If you get rude service it is understandable. But if not, 5% of what you should have tipped may have to be paid by the server to busboys, etc. The stiffed waiter will have to claim that you left him 8%.

The easiest way to be fired as a waiter is to tell the customer that the tip was bad.

the point is: If you can not afford to leave at least 15% for decent service, stay home or eat at McDonalds.

i try to be but really, deep inside, i'm cheap.

from my point of view, businesses are getting away with murder, and the government seem more than happy to let them do it - they should bump up the minimum wage.

the businesses aren't paying much at all for employees (at least not front of house) so the only overheads are for premises and utilities. i realise americans must be accustomed to paying tips, but don't you feel that you're paying over the odds for meals, taxis and other services, just because the businesses don't want to pay a half decent wage?

tipping is optional, but they shouldn't make the consumer feel pressured into paying it (as everyone seems to be). the "don't eat if you can't afford to tip" attitude seems silly.

America was built on cheap labor. We wanted free labor and introduced slavery here. We want cheap products and sent all of our work to China. Bosses want to make you think you are paying a cheap price, that is why they do not include the tip because it makes the price higher.

Places where there is sales tax do not list it in the price of an item. Places have the price listed at $9.99 instead of $10.

Gasoline is sold as $2.99 and 9/10. That way you say you paid $2.99 a gallon instead of $3.

America cares more about corporations than people. That is why failing bosses are asked to resign they are given a $25 million severance package for fucking up.

Most bosses do not care if employees make a living wage. If a car service charges $100 for a ride, they don't want to put off the customer by telling him that it is $115 with the tip.

I agree up to a point, but as has been repeated often in this thread the financial model around this scenario in the US is very different to that in the UK. Wait staff in the UK are generally not well paid, I'd agree but they all get at least minimum wage.

Also as far as restaurants go the mark up on food and alcohol in incredible. You can buy a boneless chicken breast in the Supermarket on sale for $1.99 a pound. That makes a half pound breast cost $1. They buy wholesale and bulk so it is cheaper. They add a potato and a veggie and charge $10.

Alcohol is cheap too. You can get about 30 drinks from an Absolute bottle that costs $15 retail and charge $5 per drink.

$5 for a call drink? Are you trippin'? That was 15 years ago!

I usually trip fairly well - mainly because the difference between an okay tip and a good tip is negligible in absolute dollars.

I used to think that restaurants should be required to pay waitstaff a living wage and that tipping should be abolished following that - because it's stupid to make people to rely on the capriciousness of strangers for their income. However, lately I've come to believe that this might not be a good idea - most waitstaff don't declare their tips as income, so paying them a better salary would net out to less $$ in their pockets at the end of the day. And it's also possible that service might degrade a bit if they were salaried.