Tipping Tips...

[SteveK]

Like that Paulie

 

[Choices]

I don't tip someone to catch a line, but helping me tie up the boat is different.

I do agree that if you can't afford to tip you can't afford to boat.

 

[ssobol]

I find it painful to see the card machine pop up options for a tip when I go to pick up take out. Never mind the options start at 12% & up to 22%.
Solution, eat out less and transfer funds to boat buck account.

Got to watch the numbers too. Often it gives a percentage number and the dollar equivalent when applied to the bill. However, sometimes the dollar amount is actually more than the proper percentage. For instance, the tip % might say 22% = X dollars on that bill. But if you actually do the math you may find that the 22% amount is actually more like 27%.

I guess they are figuring in a service charge for doing the math for you.

 

[BandB]

I've never encountered an issue with the numbers and I do check, always.

Now, I think they're trying to encourage maximum tips but do find the high tip numbers that pop up a bit annoying. It's everywhere including grocery delivery. However, there is a huge portion of our population that cannot calculate 15% or 20% or 25%.

Now, let's go the other way. I've always tipped at Sonic. For years, I've used their machine for credit cards. I'm very bothered by the fact you can't add tips to mobile or outdoor machine processed orders. So unfair to the carhops. I've learned to make sure I have cash to tip them.

 

[SteveK]

Tonight I felt the pain again. Went to one of the fav take outs and tipped 15%. Could not help myself, those scrawny girls need to put on some weight. I have to help them to buy their food.

 

[phillippeterson]

Our local small town pizza restaurant is a dive that has decent, not great, pizza. If we dine-in we always, of course, leave a tip. If we order takeout we don't. They give me the evil eye for not leaving a tip when picking up a pizza to take home.

First, we're overpaying for their pizza anyway. Second, they're making a good profit on us when we take home one of their pizzas.

I might - might - consider a tip for takeout if they at least had a frequent flyer card for regular purchases. But they don't even acknowledge repeat loyal customers.

And I hate that tip jars have started showing up everywhere - like on the counter at a convenience store.

I'll say again, tipping is an archaic horrible practice. Different people pay different tips and there's no inherent parity there. Start paying a decent, fair wage for labor. It works in Australia.

 

[draakken]

It works in Australia.

works...ish


most 'service' industries here have much poorer service than I'm used to in the USA.


The bigger problem with high wage, and strict environment rules has setup a situation where manufacturing here is not economically competitive and

much manufacturing here has closed, and moved off shore. The bit that remains produces goods a premium vs overseas made, but there is a strong sense of nationalism here that keeps people buying things with the made in Australia logo on them. If it was a more consumerism driven economy like the USA a lot of these local manufacturing jobs would be lost.



to spin it back to boating... there is such a lack of ship building/ship yards here even RAN (Royal Australian Navy) can't build much bigger than a 100' coastal patrol craft here without it turning into a disaster. read up on the Hobart-class destroyer issues. The navy and the same company are trying again with a new Destroyer, but construction hasn't begun yet, so no idea how its going to turn out. It will be 2-3 years since the shipyard has built a combat vessel, so hopefully not too much knowledge has been lost. But it does take the Australians about 80% longer to build & commission a similar size surface combatant as the US shipyards 2.5-3 years vs 5.



Australian army also has issues in that there is no domestic car/truck manufacturing here any longer (all moved off shore), so there is no ability to build ground vehicles for the defense forces.



Having to import defense articles has served many countries around the world well for decades, but generally most of the 1st world nations have been able to build their own armaments when it came to small ships/trucks/tanks and the like, but not here, not anymore.



High wages, and strict environmental policy look good on paper, but when they force the closure of critical defense related manufacturing, it may prove to be a determent to national priorities in the long term.

 

[O C Diver]

Our local small town pizza restaurant is a dive that has decent, not great, pizza. If we dine-in we always, of course, leave a tip. If we order takeout we don't. They give me the evil eye for not leaving a tip when picking up a pizza to take home.

First, we're overpaying for their pizza anyway. Second, they're making a good profit on us when we take home one of their pizzas.

I might - might - consider a tip for takeout if they at least had a frequent flyer card for regular purchases. But they don't even acknowledge repeat loyal customers.

And I hate that tip jars have started showing up everywhere - like on the counter at a convenience store.

I'll say again, tipping is an archaic horrible practice. Different people pay different tips and there's no inherent parity there. Start paying a decent, fair wage for labor. It works in Australia.

Another way to look at your local tipping:

When I was in my early teens I did yard work for neighbors and friends of my parents to earn money during the summer and on weekends during school. Jobs were always negotiated in advanced based on the job, not an hourly wage. Can remember severely under estimating several jobs. Quitting the job or renegotiating the job wasn't an option. Finish the job and learn from my under estimating. My recollection is that on jobs that I way under estimated, additional compensation (a tip) was given by the homeowners. While they obviously wanted to maintain a good relationship with the cheap neighborhood labor, there was also compassion for the local neighborhood kid.

To me, I have compassion for those that work the low paying jobs. I pay to much in taxes to support the lazy who live on the government teet. Having started working in the service sector, I can appreciate (maybe more than others) the need to show appreciation for those working the low paying jobs as opposed to giving up and living on the government teet.

One of the legacies of 2021 is the shortage of labor in the USA from the government handing out too much money during covid. It seems that labor shortages in restaurants are the worst they've ever been. To me, it seems more important than ever to show appreciation (in the way that matters) for those willing to work harder do to the labor shortage.

Ted

 

[koliver]

I find it painful to see the card machine pop up options for a tip when I go to pick up take out. Never mind the options start at 12% & up to 22%.

Since Covid, I am seeing more of that, but always (so far) there is an "ignore" option if you need it.

 

[backinblue]

Since Covid, I am seeing more of that, but always (so far) there is an "ignore" option if you need it.

There is also usually an "other" option so you can tip more or less than whatever upper and lower limits they have.

 

[RLKramer]

I agree that we are viewed as the well-off, boat/yacht owner. The 1% is true in perception.

We tip because our boat is big and we cannot reach dock cleats, pilings, etc. so we need extra help and willing to pay.

We're on our boat full time from Nov to may. Florida and Bahamas. We bring a big stack of 5s and give them out in pairs, triplets, and occasionally 4 at a time.

Don't be cheap at the same time your paying for a slip, buying parts, thousands for fuel, food, etc.

 

[2savage]

To the person who said a tip should be 20% of the ticket, this means when I put 1,000 gallons of diesel aboard I'm tipping the dock boy over $700?

 

[BandB]

To the person who said a tip should be 20% of the ticket, this means when I put 1,000 gallons of diesel aboard I'm tipping the dock boy over $700?

I don't think anyone has said that on dock tipping. That was wait staff in restaurants.

 

[hmason]

104 posts about tipping! I have nothing to add.

 

[BandB]

104 posts about tipping! I have nothing to add.

And you did.

 

[SteveK]

104 posts about tipping! I have nothing to add.

Howard, your post is #104 and it was nothing, well nothing about tipping. Just adding to your your post count, you are a post who__. You should have said 103 posts on tipping, all credibility lost.

 

[BruceK]

104 posts about tipping! I have nothing to add.

No useful tips?

 

[ScottC]

Since our plans will take us to southern Italy this summer, I have been doing a lot of reading online about boating in that region. If I am to believe what I read, it's not that uncommon for small cash to change hands in order to um... "facilitate" things at some harbors. I'm not sure I would call money paid in advance of any service "tipping" ;-) We shall see...

 

[backinblue]

Now, let's go the other way. I've always tipped at Sonic. For years, I've used their machine for credit cards. I'm very bothered by the fact you can't add tips to mobile or outdoor machine processed orders. So unfair to the carhops. I've learned to make sure I have cash to tip them.

I feel the same way about hotel stays. If there was a place to leave a tip for the staff I often would. Instead, assuming I have cash, I try to leave some in the room for houskeeping. I've heard of some rare occasions where the hotel will ask if you want to add a tip to the bill, but I've yet to see it.