r/tipping

An argument you’d hear in support of tipping is that Service workers aren’t covered by minimum wage therefore we need to support them. Eventhough this is largely BS and most states have minimum wage laws that include service workers, even if we assume what they’re saying is true, these people would advocate against getting minimum wage because they make much more with tipping. Advocating for minimum wage would eradicate tipping culture and reduce their wages

if everyone is paid minimum $16.90 per hour, where is the obligation to tip anymore?

I recently visited Texas and did a 7-hour guided day tour ($120 USD) with hotel pickup/drop-off. The guide was fine, but not particularly engaging — it felt more like he was just driving us between stops rather than actively guiding.

At the end of the tour, I realized I only had $1 cash on me instead of the $20 I thought I had. I told him I wanted to tip but didn’t have cash, and asked if I could PayPal or Venmo him. He said he didn’t know how to use those.

I apologised and explained I didn’t have any other way to tip, thanked him for the tour, and said I’d leave a 5-star review instead. He just stood there staring at me awkwardly, like he was expecting me to pull cash out of thin air. He made the situation really uncomfortable and it sort of put a negative vibe on the end of the afternoon.

For context: I’m Australian and not very familiar with tipping culture in the US. It was booked through a tour company.

Am I in the wrong for not tipping in this situation?

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. TIP-CALC.

DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 BILL-AMOUNT        PIC 9(5)V99.
01 APPROACH-COUNT     PIC 9(3).
01 GOOD-SERVICE-FLAG  PIC A VALUE 'N'.
01 BASE-TIP           PIC 9(5)V99.
01 APPROACH-TIP       PIC 9(5)V99.
01 BONUS-TIP          PIC 9(5)V99.
01 TOTAL-TIP          PIC 9(5)V99.
01 TIP-CAP            PIC 9(5)V99.

PROCEDURE DIVISION.
    COMPUTE BASE-TIP = BILL-AMOUNT * 0.05
    COMPUTE APPROACH-TIP = APPROACH-COUNT * 2
    IF GOOD-SERVICE-FLAG = 'Y'
        COMPUTE BONUS-TIP = BILL-AMOUNT * 0.03 + 2
    ELSE
        MOVE 0 TO BONUS-TIP
    END-IF
    COMPUTE TOTAL-TIP = BASE-TIP + APPROACH-TIP + BONUS-TIP
    COMPUTE TIP-CAP = BILL-AMOUNT * 0.20
    IF TOTAL-TIP > TIP-CAP
        MOVE TIP-CAP TO TOTAL-TIP
    END-IF
    STOP RUN.

1 How are you calculating this when the amount you tip is elective?

2 Where are you sourcing the numbers from for the difference in cost between the two systems?

I was a server for 4 years myself. My mom was a bartender for 20+ years. I eat out a few days a week, visit the occasional bar, gamble some, travel for work a lot, stay in hotels, and such. If you're in America, that's a lot of places tips are expected. I understand and participate in the tipping culture.

Bars

• It's $1 a drink or 15% (whichever is higher)
• If the drink I ordered is complex (blender was pulled out for example), I'll tip a minimum of $3 / 20%
• If the bartender pours my Grand Marnier "single" closer to a double (or more... shout out to the bartenders in Lawrenceburg, IL), it's a $5 tip.

The logic behind this is, they served me a beer. Sometimes that beer is $3.50, sometimes it's $11. The tip shouldn't change that much just because I got charged a lot less at a place.

Restaurants

• 20%
• If I don't get add-ons on my check, I'll throw in a few extra dollars. Add-ons are like having 2 beers then switching to a Diet Coke with the pizza; don't charge me for the soda. If I get extra sour cream, don't charge me for the extra sour cream.
• Extra points if you smuggle extra bread without complaint when I ask for a box.

Gambling

• If I get a blackjack on a $25 bet, the $2.50 change from the $37.50 is now a toke bet the next hand.
• If I make 3 numbers at craps, the dealers get $5 to place for themselves. Four numbers it goes up $5 more to $10. Five, $15. I should usually be up $250ish after making 3 points, so this is reasonable in my mind.
• If I'm down for the night, I'm only tipping the change from weird bets
• If I'm up, I've tipped
• Servers get $1-$2 for a drink brought to me at a table if I'm paying for the drink
• Servers get $2 to $5 for "free" drinks. The logic behind this, is I'd be spending a lot more at a bar for the same thing.

Hotels

• $3 a night for housekeeping
• If I've met housekeeping and they've been pleasant, it's $5 a night
• PRO TIP: In Vegas, hotel clerks can accept tips. When checking in, in a lowered voice ask, "Can I tip at guest check-in $25 or $50? Also, are there upgrades available?" If there are better rooms available, they'll put you in them. Suites get a $50 tip. A slightly nicer room will only garner a $25 tip.
  • The woman at Cosmopolitan got a $100 when the free upgraded room was Fountain View.

Uber/Taxi

• 15% (min $5)

Valets and Bus Drivers

• $2 to $5 if the place charges for valet/bus service
• $5 to $7 if it's free valet/bus

Doormen and Bellhops

• A $2 bill.
  • I get 20 of these before visiting New York or Las Vegas for random tips
• It's $2 a bag for bellhops

Pizza Delivery

• $5

​

And I don't include announcing this intention upfront front.

People have been quite upset about tips in the last few years, with the percentage increasing among some, more places asking for tips, etc. Yet many do not change their own habits. How much would you have to take in order to just be over it?