North American Tipping Culture vs the Rest of the World

[4X4]

We need to start a movement when it comes to being solicited for tips at places that should never request it. If you go to a fast food joint and the tip option comes up, rip your card out of the machine and walk away without the food. Go somewhere else.

If you're at a place where the service is already done and you have to pay either way (such as the dentist)(un-fking-real), you pay your bill, give 0% tip, and tell them you wont be back because of that ridiculous request.

What's next? Tipping the car dealership? Revenue Canada? I can't believe a fricken dentist had a tipping option on his machine. I can't decide whether I'd have been too stunned to say anything, or if I'd have blurted out a WTF - EAD.

[calgarygeologist]

I've recently started getting pizza at Domino's lately mostly because the two stores I visit don't have a tip prompt set up on their debit machines. It goes straight from confirming the amount due to entering a pin number. No option for tipping electronically.

[troutman]

Tipped the hotel maid $5 for two nights this morning. Left thinking that was not enough?

When I practiced in the Okanagan, clients would often bring us fresh fruit - cherries, peaches etc. That was much appreciated.

A lawyer I worked with in Vancouver was given a Maserati after winning a huge case for her client.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by troutman

Tipped the hotel maid $5 for two nights this morning. Left thinking that was not enough?.

I guess it depends. I have “do not disturb” glued to my door regardless my length of stay, and my leave my room looking virtually untouched with 1 towel used. I don’t leave a tip for this reason, and I think that’s fair.

[Ducay]

Tipping culture was broken with the old minimum wage. Now with $15 wages plus tips, its absolutely busted.

I'd say the sole people I don't mind tipping are those that are commission/contractors that literally don't get paid unless busy (hairdressers, cabbies). I'll still top 15% on meals/drinks but that's begrudgingly.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I've recently started getting pizza at Domino's lately mostly because the two stores I visit don't have a tip prompt set up on their debit machines. It goes straight from confirming the amount due to entering a pin number. No option for tipping electronically.

The pizza place I pick up from doesn't ask for a tip. I almost want to tip them for not guilt tripping me.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

I guess it depends. I have “do not disturb” glued to my door regardless my length of stay, and my leave my room looking virtually untouched with 1 towel used. I don’t leave a tip for this reason, and I think that’s fair.

Hotel housekeeping is probably one of the groups I tip the most, but I'll be in the same room for weeks at a time and I don't take it easy on them either. Plus a lot of the time if I tip they do something extra for you, there's been numerous times I've come back to find all my laundry done and put away, or all my dishes clean if it's a kitchen room.
That's what tipping should be, incentive to go that extra mile.

Ive been a supporter of tipping servers in the past but now with the new minimum wage I've scaled my tipping back a lot as well. If it's a place where there was no incentive to go the extra mile, like fast food, screw that no tip for you

[SportsJunky]

We ordered a large pizza from Boston Pizza and it was about $50(!) all in. We ordered nothing but the pizza. No drinks. No sides. It was probably an extra $10 or $12 after you factor in Boston Pizza's "delivery charge" and then tip the driver when he arrives. Highway robbery.

Also, the Skip the Dishes tip prompt really bugs me. You have to tip before the order is processed. If you don't, the driver might think he is getting stiffed and you are getting a loogie burger delivered to your hotel room.

[FireGilbert]

Tipping is stupid. Pay your employees a living wage and include those costs in your menu prices. /thread

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Hotel housekeeping is probably one of the groups I tip the most, but I'll be in the same room for weeks at a time and I don't take it easy on them either. Plus a lot of the time if I tip they do something extra for you, there's been numerous times I've come back to find all my laundry done and put away, or all my dishes clean if it's a kitchen room.
That's what tipping should be, incentive to go that extra mile.

Ive been a supporter of tipping servers in the past but now with the new minimum wage I've scaled my tipping back a lot as well. If it's a place where there was no incentive to go the extra mile, like fast food, screw that no tip for you

Dishes done in a room with a kitchen is part of the housekeeping services though... As for the laundry, don't you pay for the laundry to be done? If they're doing it for free, then I'd agree that's above and beyond, otherwise, not sure if that itself is deserving of a tip.

On a related note, most hotels these days give you the option of "going green" where your room isn't cleaned and the sheets are not changed. I'm sure this has effectively reduced the tips that housekeeping receives these days.

[GullFoss]

Here is an interesting observation I noticed with me and my friends:

We all use to tip cabbies before uber. Since the advent of Uber, none of us tip Uber or cabbies. Uber literally destroyed tipping for rides because it made it anonymous. So basically no one wanted to tip cabbies and as soon as they could do that without feeling bad about it...they did.

Is it only a matter of time before technology does that for another industry?

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by activeStick

Dishes done in a room with a kitchen is part of the housekeeping services though... As for the laundry, don't you pay for the laundry to be done? If they're doing it for free, then I'd agree that's above and beyond, otherwise, not sure if that itself is deserving of a tip.

On a related note, most hotels these days give you the option of "going green" where your room isn't cleaned and the sheets are not changed. I'm sure this has effectively reduced the tips that housekeeping receives these days.

Most kitchen rooms have a surcharge for leaving dirty dishes. And for the laundry service I mean they're either doing it for free/just the tip and/or they do it for me at hotels that don't even have a laundry service. These aren't fancy hotels, usually just a Best Western or something

[Tyler]

Weird. I always tip my housekeeper in Mexico, but have never done it in North America.

Probably because I never carry cash except when I'm at all inclusives and rolling around with 50 $1 bills LOL

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Weird. I always tip my housekeeper in Mexico, but have never done it in North America.

Probably because I never carry cash except when I'm at all inclusives and rolling around with 50 $1 bills LOL

Tyler on vacation:

[oldschoolcalgary]

never heard of tipping at a professional office?

tipping started as a reward for good service; it makes no sense to me to tip at at fast food place as they aren't 'waiting' on you unlike a restaurant or bar...

if someone gives you service above and beyond, then i tip...someone simply doing their job seems a bit weird to tip...for people to ask for a tip seems really presumptuous...

[nfotiu]

Tipping is a weird, broken system. There are a lot of breweries out here that do very high volumes of 16 oz cans out of their tasting rooms. The POS machines are the same as the guys who pour drafts, so it always comes up with a 15-18-20% tip option. Most click no, or custom and leave a couple bucks. But some amount of people will click a percent and walk away realizing they left $20 tip to a guy handing them a case of IPA cans.

A couple months ago, one of the more successful breweries in Boston got caught in a big controversy when it came out that they were paying their to go beer slingers like $7/hour which was min wage for tippeed employees. Which led to a big outcry of all the "give them a living wage and the tips are theirs/you are evil/why should we tip on to go beer/etc" Then it came to light that those beer slingers were often making more than $50/hour in tips, and sometimes a lot more, and were turning down management positions because it would be such a big cut in pay.

Once the genie is out of the bottle, it is tough to figure out how to correct it. They said they talked to the staff about going to a no tip model and paying everyone a min of $15/hour, but of course the staff thought that was a terrible idea. Do they give these guys making $50/hour in tips a $15/hour wage and let them still keep tips? Probably the best thing is to take that tipping option off for to go sales, and pay them all appropriately, but the staff would all quit.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

Here is an interesting observation I noticed with me and my friends:

We all use to tip cabbies before uber. Since the advent of Uber, none of us tip Uber or cabbies. Uber literally destroyed tipping for rides because it made it anonymous. So basically no one wanted to tip cabbies and as soon as they could do that without feeling bad about it...they did.

Is it only a matter of time before technology does that for another industry?

What, you don't tip your Uber driver? Or cabbies? Might just be you and your friends! I still feel obliged to tip both.

[CrispyGriz]

Originally Posted by FireGilbert

Tipping is stupid. Pay your employees a living wage and include those costs in your menu prices. /thread

Sounds like the fastest way to close your restaurant. Every place that has ever done this has closed as far as I am aware. The only way this changes is if it is legislated.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by CrispyGriz

Sounds like the fastest way to close your restaurant. Every place that has ever done this has closed as far as I am aware. The only way this changes is if it is legislated.

Very true.

I'd support such legislation but until then, culturally, it just doesn't work. People see a Burger on your menu for $23 and a comparable burger at your competitor for $17, they're not thinking of the tip

[Nsd1]

I don't mind tipping in general and usually do it wherever but at the dentist office, no thanks. I'm surprised tipping hasn't been introduced at the movie theaters yet.

Has anyone adjusted their tip amounts since minimum wage increase?