Thursday, January 7, 2010

Question About Tipping. West Chester Dunkin Donuts and Beer.




Two questions about tipping*:

When did all donut shops and places with a counter start putting out tip jars? I guess it was within the last five years. Not saying that I wouldn't put one out if I worked at a counter but that's not the point.

If someone is simply handing me a donut and a coffee, why the hell should they be tipped? I refuse to do it. Do you guys do it? If so, is it out of guilt?

The lady at the Dunkin Donuts actually holds the change OVER the tip jar so you have to reach to get your change instead of her reaching to give it to you. I guess she's thinking that it might slip and fall into the tip jar then you'll be too embarrassed to reach in and get it out. Classy. Real classy. Then she gives me the evil eye when I don't tip.

Suck it lady! And when I have a coupon for a free donut and don't want a coffee?...Don't ask me if I'm SURE I don't want a coffee. If you didn't want people coming in for a free donut then you shouldn't have printed the coupon. You ole' bag!

The other tipping question I have is for bartenders. What are the degrees of tips you would give for the following (cheap ass, regular tip and great tip):

Scenario 1: Four $3 Happy Hour priced beers that usually are $4. (Total cost $12)

Scenario 2: Three premium pints at $4.50 each. (Total cost $13.50)

Thanks.

*Did you know that in Italy the cab drivers don't expect tips? And in Peru a customary tip is kicking the dude in the nuts? Not really but the Italy one is true.

36 comments:

Dr Zibbs said...

..and just so you know the image of the cow is for "cow tipping". Get it?

Andrew said...

Re: cow tipping.

When I saw the title on Twitter, I figured this was about Yak Tipping.

Irenelikewhoa said...

At work if someone tips, we slap a chime.. really.. a chime. if its change, its a light ding... if its $1 it gets a slap, $5 or more.. it gets molested. We buy beer & smokes with those tips. Also... tipping soothes the pain of the stupid drunk fuck mumbling random things to us.

ChesterCo_PA said...

I totally got the cow tipping graphic.

No, I DO NOT tip those people. They make minimum wage and are PAID for what they do. No one tips me when I create Web crap. I tip delivery and waitstaff. They make, what, $2.13 an hour? They LIVE off of tips. Corporations like Dunkin Donuts and such should NOT ALLOW those jars. Period. I'm off my soapbox now. Whew!

Andrew said...

Perhaps waitstaff need to just be paid a normal wage so they don't have to worry about tips, or crying when they don't get enough of a tip for poor service.

JMUmonty said...

I usually drop ten bucks in those jars. Dunkn donuts workers are highly skilled, and it takes years of training to become Indian, let alone a Barista and donut dude. They have to off student loans, etc. Feel their pain and tip away!

Dr Zibbs said...

Andrew that's my other pet peeve.

I usually tip 20% for food service. Once in a while if the service was TERRIBLE due to the waiter or waitress I'll try and leave a lower tip and my wife will fight me on it.

Dr Zibbs said...

Hahaha @JMU.

C. Camel said...

The idea behind tipping someone giving you a donut is simply out of respect for the fact they have a shitty job. A nickel or dime from every customer adds up at the end of the day and is nothing to the customer. If you don't want to tip them, that's cool, but if you're feeling nice and have some spare change it would certainly help them. I used to work a fast food job and I remember how shitty it was.

If they give you a dirty look for not tipping than certainly they have their head in the clouds. No one should expect to get a tip for a donut. That's horse shit, but working fast food can be a lot of work with little reward so I can understand why they might put out the jar.

Next time they give you a dirty look, poop in the tip jar.

Gage said...

nah I don't tip people who slide food at me across a counter. If they want more money they should go to school and rack up a hefty student loan that prevents them from ever having any credit or savings in the future like I did. But at least they'll get paid better...

Bitter much? maaaaybeee....

Dr Zibbs said...

C Camel - thanks for stopping by TBY. Comments noted.

Gage - good one.

Darius Whiteplume said...

I tip like a mobster at bars. I leave my change if you are making me some coffee concoction. Fast food, no way.

Peggy said...

I am usually a very good tipper (especially for good looking male bartenders!) Dunkin Donuts though? SUCK IT! No friggin way! I tipped once at a Starbucks drive thru and they didn't even see me drop the $$ in the jar...I was pissed! Tipping, in general, is stupid.

JenJen said...

About 15 years ago while traveling for work (never mind the kind of work)a friend and I went into McDonald's.
The Customer Servi---the twit behind the counter said," how about a tip?"
What the fuck?
My friend launched in, beginning with, "I'll give you a tip..."

no tips. Sorry.

T-Ro said...

throw 'em $15 and be done with it.

so I'm at the local sports arena here in St. Lou to see Illini and Mizzou play, I go up to the counter to purchase a $6.50 soft drink for my son and an $8.00 beer for me. The man says, and I quote "That'll be $15.50 with a $1 tip." I looked at the futhermucker as he passed my change back to me over the counter. I kept looking at him while I slid all the change into my pocket and said, "I don't think so."
Pissed me off, dude.

Kristen said...

The tip jar is the evil twin of the 'take a penny, leave a penny' tray.

I may have thrown some money in at first out of guilt or b/c I didn't feel like putting my change away, but I got over it.

Chesterco_Pa summed it up best with waitstaff wage compared to minimum wage at DD and other places with tip jars.

CrotchPains said...

Got Christmas cards from the newspaper delivery and the garbage guys--a subtle way to ask for a tip. I pay decent money every month for both of these services. I pay for the service, they provide it. How does a tip factor in here. Bah-Humbug. No soup for you....

Verdant Earl said...

I'm a big tipper at the bars, so don't ask me. I'm also a big drinker at the bars, so I expect plenty of buy-backs. Tipping heavily increases the frequency of the buy-backs. It all works out in the wash.

Anonymous said...

YESSSSSSS!! Great minds DO think alike, but don't get me started. I detest having to feel like I have to tip someone when it's their job to do what it is they are getting paid for already(Service folks excluded of course - in that case, I always overtip if the service is great).

http://www.madtexter.com/2009/05/and-you-want-tip.html

lbluca77 said...

Do you ever notice those kinds of tip jars always only have pennies in them?

BeckEye said...

Tipping has gotten out of control. I actually have this whole article I was going to write about it and try to get it published somewhere, but I'm too damn lazy. But I will say to you, "tipping has gotten out of control."

shrink on the couch said...

With bartenders, I usually stick $1 in the jar and go from there. Might or might not tip on the next couple of drinks. I don't actually keep track of what percentage, although I intend to. You know how that goes.

Dr Zibbs said...

Beckeye - why don't you just use "tipping has gotten out of control" for the whole article?

Dr Zibbs said...

...I don't know.

Anonymous said...
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Son of a Thomas said...

I will be the total asshole here. If it wasn't for my wife there wouldn't be a tip left by my family anywhere ever.

Someday I hope to have a business with several flocks of employees who are willing to work in hopes that the customer pays me and them too!

words...words...words... said...

Tip jars piss me off. The whole reason a jar is needed for them is that they do not work a job that traditionally gets tipped...maybe that should be a hint. Tips are for full service waitstaff and delivery people. I admit I do leave a tip at Starbucks or the like every now and then, but I don't like myself after.

Dr Zibbs said...

Son of A - you would NEVER tip? Not even in a restaurant?

WWW - well said.

Gwen said...

I refuse to leave money in those stupid jars. I had to walk my happy ass up here to get what I want, I'm not leaving you anything. Now, if you want to walk YOUR happy ass to my table and hand it to me? Sure.

Also, I am a fantastic tipper in bars. The better the drink, the better the tip. But that probably has more to do with my blood alcohol level than gratuity.

Unknown said...

I only tip those jars if it's like a place with all teenagers working or something. They need the money for important things like condoms and beer. Anywhere else I usually stick to a 20% policy, depending.

In Ireland, tipping isn't customary and we were constantly stressing b/c somepeople were embarassed when we tipped them and others seemed pissed when we didn't. :/ eek.

ChesterCo_PA said...

I've decided I'm going to travel with a tip jar. If I see one, I will pull mine out and and place it on the counter after the transaction and look blankly, into the eye of the cashier. And wait.

Son of a Thomas said...

Sorry I'm so late.

NEVER!

Dr Zibbs said...

Hahha Son of a T you cheapass bastard.

Anonymous said...

I bartend. One dollar per drink we make you ladies and gentlemen or 20%. Can you imagine if we called your work and said we were unhappy with your service so we weren't going to pay you. We make $2.13 and it ALL gets taken for taxes. Meaning our checks say "non-negotiable" they don't have money on them. I can't pay my electric bill with that, how about you?
Tipping at coffee places is your decision. They make at or above minimum wage and don't claim tips like servers and bartenders. Those tips do not off-set their paychecks in any way. Remember though, what goes around comes around.

Jen said...

RIGHT ON!
fuck them
pouring coffee is not tip worthy

luvlibutterfli07 said...

I understand that is doesn't seem like "pouring coffee" is tip worthy, but it is a lot more than that. I'm a shift leader at a Dunkin' Donuts and it's not as easy as it is played out to be. Try working an 8 hour shift with you and one other person. When people come through drive through and order 5 sandwiches because they're too friggan lazy to make a home cooked meal. Or people that don't know what the hell they want while your expected to complete an order within 2 1/2 minutes or your manager yells are you for your time going down. And no I hate offering things off the menu and asking "would you like a coffee with that" because I assume people want to get their shit and get out. But it's all corporate and that's how they want it done. And while I get so frustrated with customers at time I have to be patient and put a smile on my face because that's "customer service." I think it's rude for employees to expect tips, I certainly don't. But I do appreciate it, no matter what the amount, when a customer can appreciate me going the extra mile. Now corporate is taking away our right to even keep tips. Like we made hardly anyways. But that 5 bucks from tips a day went to gas or lunch. The week before they informed us, they took the tips out of our paychecks. That's 25 bucks that they didn't fucking earn. And for all the B.S. we have to put up with there, we don't get paid enough. Minimum wage and what a reminder of how shitty the job is when you have unappreciative people. And especially when you have ignorant closeminded people that bitch about putting some change in a fucking cup, are you kidding me?