*promote

Self promoting this video and sending it back into the queue for one more try; last queued Monday, January 12th, 2015 9:13pm PST - promote requested by original submitter Grimm.

*money

Adding video to channels (Money) - requested by Trancecoach.

...One of the many things I like about living in Thailand now.

is it really that big of an issue?

It's just a stupid custom that should be done away with. Employers should pay their employees what they are worth and leave the customers out of it.

*related=http://videosift.com/video/Reservoir-Dogs-Mr-Pink-doesnt-tip

Reservoir Dogs - Mr Pink doesn't tip has been added as a related post - related requested by Grimm.

and what,in your opinion,would that worth be?
do people really suffer from anxiety in regards to tipping?
i never realized people silently freaked out over tipping,how much and whatnot.
interesting.

I recently learned that in Japan tipping is unacceptable. If you leave a tip they'll chase you down and give it back to you.

My opinion on what's an employee's worth is not important. That (like everyone else with a job) should be between employee and employer.

Most people don't really suffer from anxiety in regards to tipping. If you hadn't noticed this video is using "comedy" to deliver a message. Comedy often employs "exaggeration" for comedic effect.

The message from the video is that tipping should be done away with not because people are silently freaking out about it but because as it's done here in the US it's an outdated custom.

My $0.02:

In NZ, tipping is very uncommon. Restaurants are required to pay their staff minimum wage (and time and a half plus a day in lieu on public holidays). This is great and I fully support it.

but....

As a general rule, service in NZ is awful. Even in relatively expensive restaurants, it's not uncommon for service to be decidedly mediocre. As most people don't tip, there's often little incentive for wait staff to do better.

Contrast that with the US: in my experience, the level of customer service in the US is much higher on average. I think the idea that anyone should depend on tips is awful, but clearly the custom of tipping has created an environment where staff are eager to please.

Surely there's a happy middle ground?

Pay the employees a fair wage and have tipping be customary rather than obligatory. When I get good service in NZ, I will tip. Because I know the wait staff are paid regardless, it's typically 10-15% of the bill, but it's always seen as a genuine thank you for making the experience more pleasant.

Side note: if you can't work out 20% of your bill, you are not fit to function in modern society.

As a Canadian. Tipping is not a custom it's a gratuity.
We don't have to do it, and we do it to show thanks for service. Sometimes we do, and sometimes we don't - but it's always our choice.

The person serving the table however, doesn't get to keep the tips they earn in most restaurants in Canada. The tip money is turned in to a common pile and then evenly distributed between all staff, including kitchen staff.

Being forced to tip, either by pressure or by tips being automatically added to the bill, is offensive. It says to me that the employer doesn't respect their employees and they think I should pay them, which in turn means they don't respect me either.

We Canadians come to the US, shocked at the low prices charged in restaurants, thinking we are getting a great deal, but then get presented with bad service and forced to tip.

(in no way does this mean I don't tip, It means I should have the option and employees should be paid a decent wage.

@Grimm
@ChaosEngine
@Sagemind

thanks guys!
thats exactly what i was looking for.
though i have to admit a particular curiosity in regards to what a "decent" or "living" wage would amount to,which is too specific for most people to actually state.

the reason i am so curious is because since 1978 i have been in the business in one capacity or another.i have been a captain at a few 5 star places.ran two 4 star ballrooms and have bartended at some of the most amazing clubs.

i worked very hard to learn the techniques and particulars of my trade.i learned from the best so i could be the best.started from the bottom,listened intently and learned the trade from some of the most talented people i had ever met.

so what am i worth? what would be considered a "living" wage?
the reason i say this,tongue firmly planted in cheek,is because when people find out how much i made they..and i am not exagerating here..literally lose their mind.

i did very well,but i worked my ass off to get it.
and i was worth every penny.
but i didnt just do it for the money...thats just...soulless and void of any meaning.i did it for the challenge.i did it for pride and knowing that the majority of people out there could not do what i do.
and i happen to enjoy meeting people:bonus!
love what you do and the money follows.

or did.

i recently left the business out of disgust.
maybe i am just getting too old and cranky but corporate eateries have douched the profession i adored for decades.

a corporate trained waiter/waitress is just one notch above useless.
i know i know..thats my experience and does not reflect on ALL servers but fuck that,i am old and i am free to bitch about the younger generation.

no pride.
no discipline.
just whining crying and more whining.
and god forbid you offer advice to these know-it-all wankers...
"well,when i was at olive garden"..oh fuck me....
only been in the biz for 30 plus years..yeah..what would i know..
just let grandpa hump the ten tops because you got double sat and are now in the "weeds".
fucking pussies...

gah..sorry for the ranting,but watching my profession go down the shitter is upsetting.

tipping is not mandatory in the states.
though if you are experiencing the "new wave" of servers,who i have seen openly give stink eye to customers,i can see why you may think otherwise.

i always looked at my profession as a sub-contractor.
my relationship is with my customer.THEY are my business and i treat them accordingly.you should not do this job strictly for the money.might as well go sell your soul and become a crack dealer...same difference.

ok..now i am just rambling.
suffice to say:
tipping is not mandatory.
new generation of servers are a gaggle of whiny non-conrtibuting pussies who think they know everything because they worked day shift at olive garden for a year.

and if ever offered minimum wage to do what i did,i would stab the person in the eye socket with a dirty ball point pen.

/end rant

folks i will be here every tuesday! dont forget to tip your bartenders and wai...oh....nevermind.

@enoch, I got kinda lost in your rant but to address this one specific point, a living wage is enough for someone to provide basic necessities (accommodation, food, heating/power, healthcare, etc) for them and their family.

Obviously it varies from place to place depending on local cost of living. It is not a minimum wage (which is typically lower).

In NZ, a living wage has been set at $18.80 (compared to minimum wage of $14.25), and several companies, government institutions have committed to paying it.

Where in Canada do you live?? That must be a regional thing. In Toronto, tipping is decidedly not optional. It's pretty much the exact same custom as in the States here. I've never not tipped, and I've never heard anybody even contemplate not tipping unless the service is absolutely atrocious.

The forced tipping is USUALLY for larger tables. It isn't unheard of for someone to get 1/2 the tip of a four person table, even after all the extra work of a 12 person table. The larger the table, the worse the tip usually is (from a per person standpoint). People tend (I definitely don't) to think since EVERYONE else is tipping, they really don't have to. I've been out with a bunch of people I didn't really know, and after putting in a $5 tip (on appys and a pop), I went back and discovered the person who said "Just hand me the cash, I'll put it on my card." left a $4 tip. W.T.F. I gave her $10 and went out and publicly shamed the bastard. Turns out he didn't care and his friends were "used to it".

Oh and that tip-goes-in-the-pot thing is a company-enforced rule. Has nothing to do with taxes or the government. The business is probably sticking it's paws into the pot too.

last time i was in usa yeah, its freaking everywhere. I ordered a beer in a bar and the woman wants $4 for the beer and $1 more for... what, opening it ? fuck that.

Outcome was i ended up ordering 5 beers and tipping once, then going to liquor store and getting rest to have back at hotel. ugh.

@ChaosEngine

Is a waiter staff really able to contribute that much to the experience though? I've always felt that food quality, environment, speed of service are far more important. Politeness, being available at the right times are all very routine nowadays.

When you do want more information on a menu item or a recommendation they can be helpful but whether you want that is largely out of their control. Otherwise, I've never really felt one way or another about a waiter, overwhelmingly they all do a satisfactory job.

That's why I reckon the purpose Yelp/TripAdvisor serve in restaurant reviews is far superior to tipping and those exist everywhere. You can be more exact, no single employee is disproportionately affected and arguably the potential for attracting other repeat customers is more beneficial than a one off tip.

I agree with you that wait staff can't rescue a bad meal, but I'm talking about really basic stuff here.

I've had plenty of meals in NZ where we get dumped at a table, no-one comes to take a drinks order for ages, then you're left even longer waiting to order food, and FSM help you if you'd like to see a dessert menu.

It's gotten better, but it's still a common complaint about NZ.

They could do another video on the proliferation of tipping. You see tip jars at drive up windows, coffee shops, fast food places. I know there's less obligation to the jar, but it's still pretty awkward. Am I an ass for not tipping? What if no one else is tipping, will doing so look like a sad attempt to ingratiate myself to the attractive barista? Is it fine to just throw a bit of loose change in there on a small purchase, or will they see the pennies as an insult?

@ChaosEngine

I dunno, I guess I must have good luck here in Oz then

Yeah, it's certainly better in Oz, but I'd still argue that service staff in the US are generally more helpful and friendly.

*controversy

Adding video to channels (Controversy) - requested by MrFisk.

I've worked the back of the house (dish washer, prep cook, pantry cook, line cook), and the front of the house (bartender, server).

I never got tipped in the back of the house, but I worked harder and utilized more skills. I got paid hourly, and would therefore milk the clock as much as possible to help buy booze and pay the rent.

As a bartender, I've worked at night clubs, dive bars, martini bars, hotel bars, house parties and I was paid a decent hourly, which was essential for those slow and lonely Monday night shifts. But I made good money on the weekends. However, it usually takes time to work your way to those lucrative spots.

As a server, I get paid a little more than $2 an hour plus tips. But the tips are so impossible to calculate because of a myriad of factors -- how many servers are on, how many tables are reserved, how many parties, what's going on at the Arena, what's going on at the Lied, is it snowing, is it raining, is there a sporting event going on, are they splitting the bill, have they worked in the industry, are they from a country unfamiliar with tipping, was the food good, was the food cold, was the drink stiff, was the wine paired well, was the host pretty, was the bathroom out of paper towels, ad nausea -- that budgeting is impossible. I don't auto grat (gratuity of 18 percent of the bill for parties of seven or more) unless it's a sorority party, Mormons, or New Year's Eve, and that's only because I've been burned so badly by these groups.

What most diners don't realize is that it's really a matter of real estate -- and on a busy weekend night one server may be lucky to 'have' four to six tables with a variable of two and four seats. Dinner is generally served between the hours of 5-11. So, this gives the server a set number of data points for the evening (side note, so for the love God don't linger at a table if you're not ordering anything! When a server is forced to refill your water at $2 an hour, it's rude and disrespectful. That's what bars are for). In addition, most servers 'tip out' the host and bartender staff. On a weekend night, I typically tipped out 22 percent, and I never knew if I'd make $30 or $130.

So I know the business fairly well (I even studied hospitality in Vegas for a minute), and as a server I can make your experience remarkable. Ironically, the best tippers are younger college-era students working in the industry.

I think if anything is going to eliminate tipping in the service industry, it'll be some sort of computerized experiment where you sit at a table and punch in what you want. Till then, be conscientious and considerate when you wine and dine.

Tipping while not "mandatory" in the US it is seen as a dick move to not tip even if you think the service was bad. Mainly because in most states servers are paid far less than min. wage. I believe the govt assumes all tips are paid and taxes their income on that assumption.

Also as mentioned most restaurants will automatically charge a min 18% tip to the bill for parties over 6-8 people.

I traveled with a woman from England once. She raved about the low prices in restaurants.

I explained that was because she was expected to tip and that the servers were paid very poorly.

She still refused to tip, and just enjoyed the low prices.

I made a point of going back to the servers after she left and tell them -- hey, she's from England and doesn't tip. That tip is from me.

The servers didn't really care, but I did. I did not want any bad karma attached to me.

I agree with this video. Get rid of tipping and pay for the actual cost of your food.

Related topic -- Walmart needs to pay their workers so the folks who shop at Walmart pay the actual costs of the goods, instead of having the American taxpayers pay for it through food stamps. (I'm not opposed to food stamps AT ALL, I am opposed to people not paying for what they get.)

Amen on your wal-mart comment. Corporate welfare at its finest.

My parents are pretty bad tippers and I used to add a little to the pot on the sly because I felt bad for the waitstaff.

My thoughts on tipping...
I'll start off by saying that these come from a U.S. person.
It seems like older generations tip less or maybe it's as you get older you realize you need to hang onto your money more.
A piece of advice passed onto me that I believe in is that if you can't afford to tip then you shouldn't be going out.
I tend to tip 10% for fair / poor service, 15% for normal / expected, and 20% or more for good. Tip jar places, I'll give a buck most of the time and not a percentage and this is also true for pick up orders.
I'm not sure why, but even if I get shitty service, I still tip. I don't go back, but the message is that even without giving decent service you still get a tip and I don't agree with that so I need to stop tipping crap service.
The places I go to a lot, I tend to tip more because you get to know the people that work there and they are more apt to know what I want almost without asking.
I believe in tipping as an incentive system and don't think they should get rid of it.
Individual places set up how tips are distributed. I think it's old school places where the waitress (waiter) tips out the busboy and cook and whoever else helps them provide better service. This makes sense to me as incentive. Another method is the pooling of tips and splitting them out evenly. This doesn't make sense since someone may not carry their own weight and be rewarded for that. There are other methods to curb that behavior. Full Metal Jacket comes to mind. I think the business itself can take a cut of the tips which to me seems pretty lame unless the owners are actively providing service.
In Oregon, service people get minimum wage (no waiter wage) so with tips, you can actually make a really solid living.
I always thought the smartest people in this trade are the ones that work at high class joints. 20% of a 10$ tab is 2$, but 20% of a 100$ tab is 20$ and that's some payola for likely a comparable amount of service.
For the math challenged, an easy way to figure out ~20% is to take the first two digit of the tab, multiply by 2, and then move the decimal one to the left. So for a 56.78 bill... 56 * 2 = 112... 11.2 or 11.20 tip.

One of the ugly side-effects of tipping that I didn't see mentioned above (though I didn't read all the comments), is that the waiter/waitress get pegged for anything that's wrong.

Meal cooked wrong? Bad food? It comes out of the tip. The chef still gets his/her full check even though they're at fault.

to be honest, i've never noticed that. i used to live in the uk, and now in nz. It's been better here for me, if anything.

People say "if you cant afford the tip don't go out", but I should prolly have said that last time i was in usa was on business. I didn't really want to go out dining but the hotel had no restaurant. That tip would come out my own pocket (as far as i know, anyhow). This is every meal, every night for a week or more. It really adds up if you're tipping $15 each time.

Anyone with that hairdo should be rounded up and lead to the death camps. That will solve more issues than banning tipping.

Is there a story here where you were chased down by angry Japanese assassins who demanded you take your tip back or die? I'm just trying to determine how unacceptable they find tipping

I didn't want to get into it because I'm in the middle of a lawsuit, but suffice it to say your running away stops pretty quickly once a ninja star punctures a hamstring.

Oh come on, that's totally not believable.

Ninjas would gladly take the tip. Samurai, OTOH, would have to commit seppuku from the shame of taking something as base as a tip.

Okay, you got me.

I just didn't want to tell you the truth because whenever I say what really happened... well... no one ever believes me. It was actually a hadoken that knocked me down.

It's not about anxiety over tipping. It's about servers being paid a liveable wage.

My personal opinion is this is a cultural thing rather than a tipping thing. The times when I've interacted with customer-facing Americans, from memory, it's always been a pleasant experience, even though there's no tipping involved.

On the flip-side customers in NZ restaurants are often just as unfriendly as the staff which doesn't make it particularly rewarding to serve them. I think just having a table of people who really appreciate the effort you're putting in to serve them by being very friendly back and joking with you can go a longer way than a generic tip which, as the video pointed out, seldom changes based on the quality of service.

Kiwis are just grumpy. :-)