Tipping Etiquite [Split from the Money & Friends Thread]

[Scrambler]

Originally Posted by Shawnski

I am wondering if blatant BS should now be considered a "Phanuthier".

Three times you have stated as fact that tips are "tax-free".

No, they are not. If you don't report them, and the gov't sees you are a person who is likely to earn tips as part of their wages, expect to be audited.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/nwsrm/fctsh...80121-eng.html

Correct, they currently have a system that makes it easy to audit people in the service industry. Typically, you need to claim at least 7% of your sales at the restaurant as revenue to avoid the alarms going off.

When the 'alarms go off' for one person, usually the entire service staff at the establishment get audited. If they fail that year, they go back as far as 7 years.

[Swarly]

Originally Posted by Shawnski

I am wondering if blatant BS should now be considered a "Phanuthier".

Three times you have stated as fact that tips are "tax-free".

No, they are not. If you don't report them, and the gov't sees you are a person who is likely to earn tips as part of their wages, expect to be audited.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/nwsrm/fctsh...80121-eng.html

well you claim a % of them, if you're making $9wage and $15/hour in tips you claim $5 worth of tips on average, doubt they will question it and if you do get audited what is there to audit? no paper trail

not saying this is right but it's what people do, very easy to get away with

[Weiser Wonder]

Originally Posted by V

Reading issues, I suppose.

I tip. In fact, I believe that there's a very good reason to tip, namely that if I don't decide what the server is worth, the restaurant sure as hell won't. I've already said that in this thread.

My contention is with the insane idea that servers are worth their tips because the work is really really hard, or that the average person that works as a server is some shlub in need of a handout. Neither of those work, I'm sorry. There are harder jobs, and worse off people. And they don't get tipped.

I have worked in the service industry. And I have worked construction. And I have worked in an office. The office is by far the easiest, service second, and my carpet installation days were by far the worst. Sue me if this is so unreasonable.

Pretty much irrelevant. Just because people work harder elsewhere doesn't mean waiters and waitress's don't deserve tips for their hard work. Taking away tipping certainly doesn't change anything.

This tipping thread is turning into a driving thread. A pissing contest.

[pepper24]

I remember Charles Barkley once saying that Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan never tip at a restaurant. I am not sure if he was joking or not.

[Swarly]

Originally Posted by Weiser Wonder

Pretty much irrelevant. Just because people work harder elsewhere doesn't mean waiters and waitress's don't deserve tips for their hard work. Taking away tipping certainly doesn't change anything.

This tipping thread is turning into a driving thread. A pissing contest.

its not irrelevant tho, people here are claiming that you should tip because they work so hard and yet lots of people work hard for min wage and dont get tipped. here in canada anyway servers make min wage which in calgary is over 8 now, and most people start at higher than that. in the US I understand they make much less so tipping is required.

I'm just sick of tipping for the constant flow of less than mediocre service I get so no more. I have absolutly no problem tipping when I occationally get good service.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by Swarly

I'm just sick of tipping for the constant flow of less than mediocre service I get so no more. I have absolutly no problem tipping when I occationally get good service.

I invite everyone here (and especially the participants of this thread) to come check out a great rock show this Friday. Blind Beggar Pub, Macleod & 50th Ave SW.

If the music/sound, atmosphere, and especially service somehow do not kick serious ass, I will send a six-pack to every CPer that vists me at the sound booth and registers a complaint.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

[*]The amount of money expected they make in a night. Again, lets take the pizza example, $25 a pizza. About $5 of ingredients, and the other $20 should be for someone making the damn thing. What do they think the $20 is for? Its for someone making your pizza at their kitchen. (So on a separate issue, I don't see why you should tip a guy for making it for you ontop, take it up with the manager.) So lets say a couple friends, 6 friends, rings up a tab of about $90 - to me, what do you think the waitress should get for bringing out food and drinks and occationally asking "is everything ok?" conviniently when your mouth is full? $10 seems pretty decent to me, but wait, thats a 9% tip which is supposed to suck. (a round $100) What is expected is $20 - for asking you what kind of pizza you want and what you want to drink, and bringing it to your party of 6. We're not talking about $1-2, thats fine, we're talking about $20. Now in a night, a server might work 5 tables, and do 2 rounds. We're now looking at tips in the $180-220 range (depending on restraunt) which works out to some $45-55 an hr...

That actually is a good point; and I agree that the system is flawed.

One place I go to has $3 pints and $6 steak sandwiches for happy hour. So I have 3 beers and a steak and my bill comes out to less than $16. I tip $5 and that is considered a great tip as it's over 30%.

I go to Red Lobster and order a $30 meal and one $9 drink. Now that server did less work than my previous example, but tipping $5 would be considered a crummy tip. Why? How does my choice of entree have any bearing on how much effort the server put in?

[habernac]

Originally Posted by pepper24

I remember Charles Barkley once saying that Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan never tip at a restaurant. I am not sure if he was joking or not.

I read somewhere that Lindros was a good tipper and one of the best was Lyle Odelein of all people.

[Log]

I am completely against tipping. As far as I am concerned, they are merely doing their job in bringing me drinks and food. I could care less that the reason for tipping is to supplement low wages. If you don't like how much you get paid, find a new job. It SHOULD be up to the business owners to pay their staff accordingly.

Despite my views on tipping, I sell my soul and tip whenever I go out to a restaurant. I tip 5% or less for bad service, the don't deserve to lose $ after tipping out staff. I tip 10% for average service and 15% for good service and 20% for exceptional service. I will also tip a minimum of $3. So on a $10 bill, I tip 30%.

At a bar I will tip a quarter or two for a drink.... I mean how hard is it to open a beer bottle or mix some rye and coke? I would tip a buck or so if the drink was brought out to me.

The only other place I would tip is the hairdresser.... But I don't tip the hairdresser anymore, much to the wife's chagrin.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by troutman

Missing documentation
If an individual is unable to provide reliable documents to support the income they have declared, the CRA will determine income using other available information. For example, if a restaurant server has neglected to maintain a record of the income he or she received from tips, the CRA will look at credit card and cash receipts or sales to determine the employee's income for a determined period of time. It is the responsibility of the employee to maintain documents supporting their income.

Industry and regional averages
Through the use of sophisticated tools, the CRA may look at the average salary in a specific trade in a designated area. When an individual's salary falls well below the average, or if the individual's expenses are significantly above the average, the CRA may request more information and supporting documents.

Interesting, but I doubt people report more than a small percentage of their actual tips, and I doubt CRA has the resources to audit millions of people.

Exactly, the girl I dated reported 5% of her tips (common reason being you tip out to your runners as well where she worked, so a cut of the standard 10% that is expected when you get audited) and kept the rest in a money jar so there's no paper trail. In fact, I know alot of servers do that and alot of her friends did that. Granted they all work part time hours so its less blatent, but where she worked, they all did this. So, the majority of your tips arn't being taxed, thus, its pretty much tax free.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Smoldering_Puckster

I used to tip really well, then I dated a waitress for about 6 months and now I tip less than I used to.

It always pissed me off that this girl made more $$$ than I did and sometimes I was suprised that she could spell her own name. She had no skills to be payed for other than her ability to wear a mini skirt and a low cut shirt. It always irked me that she could make $250 in 6 hrs while I was working 40 hrs a week for $16/hour.

To tell you the truth, I probably tip "hot" waitresses less than I tip the 55 yr old portly woman at Denny's.

Why didn't you quit your job and become a waiter?

[wittynickname]

Originally Posted by Swarly

much different here in canada, well calgary at least. No excuse to not tip if thats all they make. Is it like that all over the US or does it vary from state to state?

I think it depends on the state, I worked with a girl who had moved to PA from California, and server wage there was about $5 (minimum wage in CA at the time was $7 or so)--but in California the cost of her $500 apartment in PA was over $1000. Now I'm seeing $2.13, and again, I was making $2.83--so I think it depends on the state, based on cost of living and all of that.

[troutman]

What do you tip for a food delivery, when the restaurant adds a $6.00 delivery charge?

[Swarly]

Originally Posted by troutman

What do you tip for a food delivery, when the restaurant adds a $6.00 delivery charge?

0

i used to tip but if they are charging me for delivery already too bad, plus I've never had them come sooner than expected and think oh that was fast, if they made me do that I'd tip

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Log

Despite my views on tipping, I sell my soul and tip whenever I go out to a restaurant.

That is exactly how I feel. Kills me to do it but for whatever reason I just keep on doing it.

Now here's the annoying thing. I tried to tip the young fellas at the Co-Op gas station one day because basically I wanted to and felt that IMO they deserved it. They provide me with more of a luxury (fill up and oil check in sub zero temps) than someone handing me a dinner or beer I've already paid for.

Looked sheepishly at each other then refused it saying they ran the risk of being sacked if caught accepting tips. Why is it not my perogative in this case to tip?

[Dion]

There's a standard joke in Arizona about tipping. What's the difference between a Canadian and a canoe? A canoe tips. Sadly the joke was in reference to the snowbirds that head there every winter. People in the service industry there say snowbirds don't tip.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Bagor

That is exactly how I feel. Kills me to do it but for whatever reason I just keep on doing it.

Now here's the annoying thing. I tried to tip the young fellas at the Co-Op gas station one day because basically I wanted to and felt that IMO they deserved it. They provide me with more of a luxury (fill up and oil check in sub zero temps) than someone handing me a dinner or beer I've already paid for.

Looked sheepishly at each other then refused it saying they ran the risk of being sacked if caught accepting tips. Why is it not my perogative in this case to tip?

Because their job is to pump gas for you. Mind seem a little weird; when I worked at the Saddledome as a usher about 6 years ago, it was the same - we weren't allowed to accept tip.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

Because their job is to pump gas for you. Mind seem a little weird; when I worked at the Saddledome as a usher about 6 years ago, it was the same - we weren't allowed to accept tip.

I get that part. A waitresses' job is to serve me my food. A bartender to give me beer .....

The part I don't get is it's my perogative, it's my money. I'm not buying favours. There's no possible way (IMO, but I'm open to being proved wrong) that by me tipping them I'm asking for preferential treatment. As an usher (I'm assuming) you might be leaving yourself open to that.

If I feel some kid that's IMO is working harder, under more extreme climatic conditions, and actually doing me a favour without patronizing the **** out of me deserves a bit of my money then why would management threaten to fire them for accepting a financial recognition (on top of their hourly work) of good work?

[ken0042]

Co-op used to advertize that they still have full service stations, and no tipping required.

If no tipping was part of their ad campaign, I can see why they don't allow it.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Co-op used to advertize that they still have full service stations, and no tipping required.

If no tipping was part of their ad campaign, I can see why they don't allow it.

To be honest I never seen the ad. My experience was basically the 2 young lads had been working hard all winter and I thought a bit of financial recognition was worthy. TBQH was a bit disappointed that they couldn't accept it for fear of termination. Talk about rewarding hard work.

I'm living in Ottawa now. If you want someone to fill your car up with gas be prepared to pay 4-7 cents extra (2 different pump lines). Forget about an oil dip or screen/mirror clean.