Carwash guy scoffs at tip....
 

Was at one of those large carwash places where they vacuum, drive through the wash, and hand dry the cars. This place is very politically correct in its hiring of minorities (well, not really a minority in SoCal, but thats a PARF thread)

Paid by CC, only had $2 (4 quarters, 1 bill) cash and gave that to the guy when he was drying my car.

I get a total WTF look and a grunt from the guy when he sees the two bucks.

Lets figure he's making minimum wage at 8.00/hr. I basically gave him a 25% increase in pay. I would be more than stoked to get another 25% of my wage.

Part of me is totally fed up tipping every time a camel farts in the Middle East.

I do not mind tipping for service, but the entitlement is wearing me thin.

Flame on...

-Brad

Dang. Good point. I was using government math.

That would make it at least 100%

If anyone scoffs at a tip I offer I stick it in my pocket and consider it more money for me and they can KMA.

I don't tip unless it's deserved, anywhere. I insist that the person working in a job that pays tips understands that it is a tip, not part of their salary, and it is dependent on their performance. Don't like it? Find another line of work.

Having said that, I have routinely given obscene tips for service that I thought deserved it. If I feel like the person providing me service actually gives a damn about my satisfaction, I believe that a good tip will promote more of the same attitude for their next customers. I also don't hold the waitress accountable for what comes out of the kitchen. I gave a $50 tip for a $28 dollar meal for two after returning a dish that the waitress recommended, and turned out to taste horrible. She was so accommodating and disappointed that her recommendation had fallen flat. It was good to see her smile when she saw the tip.

I'm so over being stressed about who/when/how much to tip people.

Yeah or nay?

Coffee - not latte, etc. Just coffee.
AAA guy for giving you a jump start
Carpet cleaner
Motorcycle transport driver
The shuttle van driver at the airport who rips your carry-on out of your arms
Hotel maid
Flight instructor

I normally tip 20% for decent service at a restaurant, and feel bad when leaving 15% for not so good service. Recently in SoBe, I was shocked to see every restaurant automatically add 18% to the bill, no matter how large or small the party. Just crazy.

+1. People tip even if they got poor service :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

On occasion, I left 1 penny on the table with a note why this was more then they deserve.

I also told the rest of the waiter staffs that "useless tits" (no matter what gender) cost them their share of the tips distribution.

Tipping expectation is getting out of hand in North America. 15% for doing a poor job... "go pull your self in the corner" Rant over

Do not tip a flight instructor. That would be like tipping a teacher, doctor, or lawyer. He should not accept a tip, as he should consider himself a professional.

+1, But not as much as the government as the dishonest owners.

I tip $2 at the car wash (it's $8, so I give them a $10) and they always thank me and seem appreciative... Find a different car wash...

Not surprising Brad. He wouldn't be washing cars if he understood the math.

Don't hold it against others who do understand math. Many do. Like my barber. He gets a $3.00 tip for a $9.00 haircut. If all clients gave him this tip amount - it would be an additional $12-$15/hour. For an 8 hour day that's an additional $96.00 - $140.00 per day. For a 5 day week that comes to an additional $480.00 - $700.00 per week. That's $1,920.00 - $2,800.00 per month.

This all based on 4-5 haircuts per hour. But whether or not that pace is maintained....the point is it all adds up. You have to do the math, as you said Brad.

I've said it before on PPOT and it still rings true. There is absolutely, 100%, no reason what-so-ever for tipping, ever. I tip just like every one else only because its a social convention, but people in the service industry don't understand tipping and it slowly becomes what it currently is, expected every time and rarely appreciated.

How about we remove tipping all together? If someone wants more money at their job, how about go ask for a raise from the owner instead of having me supplement it?? It's what I do, and teachers, and firefighters, police, etc, etc, etc. I believe the "service" those examples provide are much more important that the guy who slaps some food on a plate and wants me to give him 20% of whatever price his boss decided to charge for it.

I'm in the car wash business. I terminated an employee for disrespecting a customer who said, "he had no change and would catch him next time". The customer brought it to my attention , I terminated employee. About 20-30% of customers tip and my employees better be grateful for anything they may get. I would let management know...Tim

Janss Mall?

Bingo!

They are always happy to get my $2 on a basic wash. I often give it to both guys if there are two working my car. For waxing and other large jobs, I often make it $5 if it is a single guy. They always are very grateful.

Note that everyone will tell how great they tip at restaurants. However, averages are below 15% according to studies cited on wikipedia:

Tip (gratuity) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I always tip 15% for decent service and have many times gotten profuse thank yous on the way out of the joint for a standard 15% tip. This clearly tells me that the surveys above are probably pretty accurate. I wonder what the recent economic times - since 07 - have done to tipping. A new survey from this time frame would be interesting.

Note that the wikipedia page above also mentions that the 18% automatically added is not considered enforcable by law and that one can negotiate a different number with management if one is dissatisfied with the service. Personally I understand why they add this for large parties, but it rubs me the wrong way that it is 3% above what is commonly considered a normal tip and apparently more than 3% above the average tip given in the US.

G

Another reason I'm so glad I dont live in Conejo Valley anymore. The sense of entitlement there ruined an once amazing community with a nice western feel and lots of nature. Thousand Oaks is (now) a snooty rich mans town. Miguel at the car wash is just used to the $10 tip.

NP aint much better.

At least Akrey's is still there. The prototypical dive bar to end all dive bars.

Like it or not, most people that we tip would have a much harder time getting through life if no one tipped them.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all ?

You, YOU, are fairest BY FAR...

Merry Christmas. Buy yourself a present yet ? Of course you did...

It would be much better if service industry employees were paid a fair & decent wage and no tipping was allowed. Obviously the prices would go up, but one would know what to expect to have to pay.Cruise ship lines have to be the worst employers in the western world-the employment conditions and lack of wages for the servers are really a scandal.

I tip at restaurants. Normally 20%. I never tip when I have to stand in a line for counter service, like at Starbucks. Thats just plain stupid.

At a recent lunch I went to one of my regular places. The waitress was busy flirting with the manager. It took over an hour to get finished with the slow service. I walked up to the waitress in front of the manager and told them that I had received HORRIBLE service and I was not happy about it. There would be no tip at all. She had not yet brought me my bill so I told them I did not appreciate being held hostage waiting for the bill.

I normally tip 20 to 25% for meals with good service. I don't go by a set percentage. If I go to a place that has a cheap breakfast I and not going to tip just $1. If we have a prime rib for dinner I am not going to tip 25$ just for someone to bring out my plate.

Anyplace that adds an automatic tip will get nothing extra from me.

My tipping habits are all over the chart. Bad service = no tip. Small town, hard working waitress, I might drop a $10 tip on a $6.00 hamburger and fries. My mom was a waitress in a local grill and many the morning I sat with her when she came home and helped her roll up the change she got in tips. We lived off of those tips. Yeah service help should get paid more, but they aren't and I'm not going to punish them for that.

Go visit countries where this is the case. :eek: You will quickly change your mind.

G

Spent many a night shooting pool and drinking beer at Akrey's. George Akrey was a good dude.

That he was.

At the St Elmo's steak house in Indy, (the best), many of their waiters make over $100,000 per year. Most have been there almost their entire life. But the service is the best. This is wages plus tips.

Back during the late 70s and one of the oil booms I dated a chick that was a cocktail waitress at one of the local trendy oily hangouts. She regularly got $100 tips. On several Friday nights she came home with a grand cash. She just bought new clothes and threw dirty clothes away.

Then the boom went bust and the place closed and she was back to the real world. She was totally broke.

Was this car wash in Beverly Hills? :)

Years ago, I watched a cool, weird movie called "Prehistoric Forest", I believe... One the wall of the restaurant there was a sign that said "Keep your Change, Tipping in UnAmerican" and I truly believe that!

Oops, it was "Petrified Forest"...

i waited tables for beer money in college. horrible job. it was brutal. i hated it. growing up in El Paso texas, the kind folks there felt that tipping was an option.

lessoned learned. knowing the job, i tend to tip well. i tip when some poor sap has to put my to-go order together. that is like the worst thing to have to do at a restaurant. i tip, and the person is always grateful.

things get confusing for me at places like hunting camps. how to tip a hunting guide or fishing guide is a mystery. last fishing trip..i gave the guide all my clothing and TEVAs..he looked like he was going to cry. this was in Mexico. he looked kickass in my TEVAs..he had six toes on each foot.

my last carwash experience..i didnt tip. someone cleaned out my coin box. i had about 10 bucks in quarters. the guy held the door open for me and i saw the coin box partially opened. i told the guy to get his share of the tip from the thief that cleaned me out. my fault for leaving the money there. i forgot.

I know what you mean vash, had the same thing happen. I had just, as in the night before, opened up a roll of quarters and dumped them in my change drawer once then took it to a car wash. They of course stole them all and I probably wouldn't have noticed except every one was gone and I knew there should be a lot more.

The manager said there was nothing he could do and offered a free car wash. I made sure I made a scene in front of 2 dozen customers that if he thought I was ever coming back he was out of his mind.

It works both ways I guess. i will not tip a lot or at all at dinner if the service is subpar. If the food is subpar, i usually tip the server but throw a fit for the manager.

I rarely go to a car wash, usually do it myself. i took my dad's truck to get washed at the local carwash and decided to tip if the guy drying it got all of the dripos off of it and really hit the rims to get the brake dust off. He did. Five bucks tip. The next day I took my new truck there. The same guy looks at me and says "two trucks?". He remembered me, cleaned the hell out of it, and got another five dollar tip. Total cost, $20. Anyone want to wash, vacuum, dry, put the black stuff on the tires, and clean the inside of my windows for $20?

A good tip at St. Elmo's is probably a bribe so the waiter does not bring them another shrimp cocktail. I love, love, love spicy foods and thought "Damn!" when I ate one of those!

Not sure about Indy, but in Fl it's not required for servers to claim 100% of their tips to the IRS. Or at least, that was the case when I worked in restaurants in college.

100k a year and you don't have to report all your earnings. Not too shabby.

I Miss that place I have never had a slight off evening there.

You will not find many places like it i have not.

Tips are earned good experience 20% Fair 15% Bad 0%

Go elsewhere or talk to their management. Don't they usually have a tip jar?

I wash my own car.
I tip myself.

Besides, I could use the exercise. Too many people sitting on their fat asses these days.

You guys are daring, no way I'm paying some minimum wage illegal to wash my car.

Some of the things that people tip for are insane. Pouring me an overpriced cup of coffee? Seriously? I consider myself to be a very generous tipper at restaurants, minimum 20% if the server does a good job. Right or wrong, I tend to be more prone to tip when I know the person that I'm tipping probably needs the money. My son and I had an excellent fly fishing guide when in CO, I gave him a big tip when we were done. Nice young guy, just married, just starting out in life and trying hard, he was very appreciative.