02 Sep 04
Originally posted by AcolyteI work in a McDonald's (four more days!), and it is fairly common for the people working at the counter to be tipped, although this is frowned upon.
Tipping in bars is strange. Do Americans tip at McDonald's, or at the supermarket? Tending a bar isn't the same as waiting on a table. I worry that if the tipping culture spreads too far, people will start paying tips for business deals (as is traditional elsewhere in the world), and then you're heading into the shady world of corruption.
I had a so ...[text shortened]... o be reused, they were given a few pfennigs 'Pfand' (lit. 'pledge' in the sense of deposit).
On another note, the practice of tipping seems to reflect very generally sexist attitudes. For example, on all of the shifts I've worked, those in charge of making food are almost universally male and those in charge of selling it are almost universally female. Similarly, in all of the restaurants where my sister has waited table, the waitstaff has been almost completely female.
There are a lot of variations on the 'German pub' phenomenon. For example, my town charges a nontrivial fee for garbage collection. (But you mustn't tip the garbage collector. See, I almost wrote 'garbage man'...)
02 Sep 04
I believe that the different laws in different countries is impacting this conversation. If memory serves, in the U.S. service staff can potentially be on the hook for paying taxes on tips, so if they don't get any it hurts them more than most.
In Canada, tips aren't taxed unless they're claimed (yeah, right) so, for example my cousin, who is a bartender, makes almost as much as I do after taxes (trust me, he shouldn't)... and I certainly wouldn't call his job the toughest in the world and neither would he.
As for tipping, I almost always give 20% unless the server has be REALLY rude. If I have a problem, rather than docking the tip, I usually just call over the manager and give him an earful.
03 Sep 04
Originally posted by VargYou were had, my friend...😞
A few years ago, I'd never heard of tipping in the UK (OK, I don't go to London much where I suspect it's more common).
Now, it's starting to creep in.
But what's with the tipping for beers in bars in the US and Canada?
I'm in there trying to get drunk and having to remain compus mentis enough to think about providing a reasonable tip. It just puts a ...[text shortened]... story about how they need at least 50c tip because they have to rent the glasses, or something.
03 Sep 04
1) you tip based on service. it is NOT the servicepersons fault if the food is not good (unless they took down or ordered you the wrong thing).Yeah, this can be a problem. I worked in a pub that did food, our cook (now happily fired) was so bad that on several occasions I refused to deliver the food to the table... It was just too embaressing, when I put a plate of crap in front of some one I look like a total jerk and it's not my fault.
05 Sep 04
Originally posted by royalchickencurrently, i work in a restaurant. generally my work involves cleaning dishes. woo... we have 2 weekend dishwashers, and 1 weekday (due to a mass exodus-we usually have 5 weekenders and 2 very good or 3 okay weekday ones...). and i'm about to leave. so that leaves us with two dishwashers in total.
On another note, the practice of tipping seems to reflect very generally sexist attitudes. For example, on all of the shifts I've worked, those in charge of making food are almost universally male and those in charge of selling it are almost universally female. Similarly, in all of the restaurants where my sister has waited table, the waitstaff has been almost completely female.
so this week, for the first time since i started there in february, there were girls washing dishes. girls. female. they were taken off for the next day they were in cause it's "so hard". i do it every frikkin' day!
but not for long-i'm off to uni. and i've got a job-i'm a waiter! for a 4-star restaurant 😉 which is actually quite intresting as it seems to me that it's only the -erm- posher places that employ males out front...
05 Sep 04
Originally posted by genius<Hijack>You're off to St. Andrews, right? While I could probably use the money, Imperial won't allow me to work during term, although that may actually be for the best.</Hijack><Apologies>!</Apologies>
currently, i work in a restaurant. generally my work involves cleaning dishes. woo... we have 2 weekend dishwashers, and 1 weekday (due to a mass exodus-we usually have 5 weekenders and 2 very good or 3 okay weekday ones...). and i'm about to leave. so that leaves us with two dishwashers in total.
so this week, for the first time since i started there in ...[text shortened]... resting as it seems to me that it's only the -erm- posher places that employ males out front...
05 Sep 04
Originally posted by royalchickenyeah-cambridge once rejected one student cause she wold not be able to afford to study there without working to fund this...😕
<Hijack>You're off to St. Andrews, right? While I could probably use the money, Imperial won't allow me to work during term, although that may actually be for the best.</Hijack><Apologies>!</Apologies>
06 Sep 04
Originally posted by royalchickenSimilar thing here in New Zealand with New World Supermarkets. Their policy [so I have been told by many ex-employees] is to have only males push the shopping trolleys back into the bays, and stocking shelves, while the girls serve the customers. If the tips were to go out (in a supermarket 😕), where would they go?
On another note, the practice of tipping seems to reflect very generally sexist attitudes. For example, on all of the shifts I've worked, those in charge of making food are almost universally male and those in charge of selling it are almost universally female. Similarly, in all of the restaurants where my sister has waited table, the waitstaff has been almost completely female.