Does everyone tip but me?

Question

I recently told some of my friends that I don't tip people like pizza delivery workers, waiters, and the like, and they were shocked. Do they have a right to be? Or am I justified in my belief of not tipping? After all, why should I tip a waiter but not the worker at McDonalds taking my order?

I have seen the particular scene in Resevoir Dogs where Mr. Pink talks about his anti-tipping policy. That was basically my inspiration for not tipping!

Answer 1

I can't begin to describe my feelings about people who do not tip. I will try to remember the "lesson" I learned from a question I read here on answers the other day called "What do y'all think?" It's in "My" Q&A, if you'd like to get an idea of what I'm talking about when I use the word "restraint".
First, let me answer you're question by saying, "Yes, your friends" and everyone else, for that matter, have a right to be shocked. Not necessarily because you don't tip, but, more likely than not, because of your rationalization of the reasons "why" you don't tip.
My Y!Answers id is "Adam in Vegas". As you might imagine, I live in... well, Las Vegas. You may find this surprising, but, I, having lived here all my life, worked in a variety of jobs that were "tipped" jobs. In other words, minimum wage for my eight (or however, many hours I worked) PLUS TIPS (or "tokes", as we say in Vegas). So, despite the obvious. NO ONE CAN EARN A LIVING AND PAY THEIR BILLS AND HAVE ANYTHING WORTHWHILE ON strictly MINIMUM WAGE; people who "EARN" tips, and I do mean EARN, are providing a service. They, are interacting with you, and usually it has to do with "providing" you with something that you want or need, in a personal way. (don't infer anything about "personal way").
Instead of trying to convince you "why" you should tip, which may or may not be an effort in futility, (because, I have "dealt" to and with people like you all my life). Instead, I would like to relate a true "Las Vegas" story, briefly, and I will leave you to your conscience.
This IS a true story. "A guy pulls into the valet parking area at one of the older (now demolished) Casinos "of the day". The "Sands" to be precise. Well, this guy pulls up, gets out of his "very nice car" and the beautiful brunette that is with him is helped out of the other side of the car by another attendant. The incredibly well dressed, dapper fellow hands the keys to the young valet attendant and says "Take care of her, kid". The kid responds, "Of course, Sir, you needn't worry about a thing, I'll put it right up front and have her waiting for you, whenever you're ready to go". The man smiles and asks the kid, "Hey kid, what's the biggest tip you ever got?" The kid responds, "Fifty dollars, Sir!". The man, casually and without a care, slips the kid a hundred dollar bill and says, "Well, kid, you've just doubled your best". As the man starts to walk away, with the beautiful brunette on his arm, he turns back towards the kid and asks, "Hey kid, by the way, who gave you the Fifty?". Without missing a beat, the kid says, "You did, Sir. Last week".
The kid, we'll never know. But, the man was Frank Sinatra. Now, that's class. There's an old expression here in Vegas, there's one thing that no amount of money can buy.... and, that, my friend... is "Class". Tipping, is a gesture of gratitude for a service performed; and, not only is saying "thank you" not enough... if it does not accompany an adequate tip... it's insulting. If you don't tip. Don't ever insult the person who just served you by "saying" thank you. No one likes a hypocrite, either.

Answer 2

They should be shocked. That is a movie. You are in no way justified not tipping. Delivery drivers have a tip added in where I live, and they make more an hour, but I still tip them! At McDonalds they make minimum wage. As a server in a real restaurant, they make less than minimum wage, in NY I make 4.65 an hour. I need those tips to pay my bills.

People who do not think they need to tip are ignorant. I'm sorry, but it's true. Servers work for their tips. If they didn't, and made enough hourly can you imagine the service you would get, and how much more expensive everything in the restaurant would be? They wouldn't care about it being bad or good, because they are making money without the tips.

Answer 3

It's your choice whether or not you tip people. The reason you don't tip the person at McDonalds is because they just stand there, take your order and then grab it out from whatever hot lamp it's underneath and hand it to you. Waiuters actually have some heavy lifting involved and have to avoid things such as bratty kids running around a resteraunt, people not paying attention...etc. The delivery person has to drive and find your home and spend their money to put gas in their car, and they have to try not to get into a wreck on their way to delivering you your pizza. I just tip because of those reasons. If the waiter is louzy, like if they got the order wrong, or were rude I may leave $1 or less. If the delivery person were rude to me, or they took their sweet time getting my pizza to me then I probably would't tip them at all. I worked as a bus boy(or girl if you want to get all PC.)and I barely made Federla minimum wage, but I'd get at least $200 in tips in one week. Most of the time I'd make more in tips than I did in my actually wage.

Answer 4

After I was a waitress and realized that it is hard work I started tipping more, but I have stipulations. If they are really bad they get 0, ok then 10%, and good 15%, awesome 20%. Most people get 10%, I rarely find someone worthy of 20. I never tip in a buffet, and sometimes I don't tip delivery drivers, it depends on the cost of delivery.

Answer 5

Unless the service is horrible, I always tip. A lot of the people you're not tipping are paid a minimal salary and make a good part of their money from tips.

Do you get the same service from a McDonalds worker as you do a waiter or bartender?

Answer 6

Watch the first scene in Reservoir Dogs and wait for Steve Buscemi's character to tell you about tipping.
Really, most of waiters' and delivery people's income IS their tips. If you don't tip your waiters and delivery people, you deserve a nice loogy in your chow.

Answer 7

It depends what country you are in. I am assuming since your friends are shocked that you are in North America somewhere where tipping is the norm. In North America the waiters are paid such a low wage because the tax dept assume that they are getting tips and therefore set their minimum wage quite low. However if you were in Australia for example then you wouldn't tip since wait staff are paid very well and it is not customery to tip there.

Answer 8

If you live in the US, that's pretty cheap, waiters don't get paid that much and they rely on tips. If you live in my country here in Europe then it's considered normal not to tip; some waiters even consider it insulting, as if you think they're poor and need charity. But wages for waiters & waitresses are much higher here!

Answer 9

In Australia it is not customary to tip. However, workers also don't rely on tips to supplement their income, they get paid better rates than their American counterparts.
If I get really good service though, I will tip 10% of the bill. As you can imagine, this happens very rarely.

Answer 10

tipping is a way of rectifying the inapropriate abuse by employers of their underpaid staff. In some places where unions are strong pay scales for service people is sufficiently high that tipping is discouraged, and generally considered unnecessasary. It is a tax on the customer to pay for the underpaid service provided.