Do You Tip The Same As Before Inflation?

[hollydolly]

The problem with tipping as some see it is the fact that not all lower paid employees get to receive a tip. Take for instance a cashier in a non union grocery store, They are on their feet all day, they sometimes lift things that are heavy such as big bags of dog food, they put up now with customer complaints about the high cost of groceries and NO tip.

Likely other examples too.

..but why should they get a tip ?.. they should be getting paid a living wage. You wouldn't tip the worker who made your fridge.. you wouldn't tip the guy who sold you the fridge.. why would you tip someone who is employed to lift bags of groceries ( sorry lee I don't know what a non-union grocery store is )

 

[Alligatorob]

Take for instance a cashier in a non union grocery store, They are on their feet all day, they sometimes lift things that are heavy such as big bags of dog food, they put up now with customer complaints about the high cost of groceries and NO tip.

Cashiers and the like are not allowed to accept tips here. I rarely try but when someone follows me out and helps with loading, and sometimes securing things like lumber I often try to tip. It always gets refused, even though I am usually offering unreported cash.

 

[Lee]

And the argument goes like this from store owners who say that if they have to pay a living wage they will have to close down as they cannot afford it.

Holly, larger stores here are mostly unionized and the unions are able to bargain for higher wages and benefits for employees.

 

[hollydolly]

And the argument goes like this from store owners who say that if they have to pay a living wage they will have to close down as they cannot afford it.

Holly, larger stores here are mostly unionized and the unions are able to bargain for higher wages and benefits for employees.

no-one should be owning a business if they expect someone else to pay for their employees that's just ridiculous !!

If that were the case, we'd all be able to own businesses.. get rich on the proceeds while not having to pay for anyone to work for us... let the public do that on top of already paying for the goods.. or services.. just beyond belief!!

 

[Magna-Carta]

Are your waitstaff better paid than ours? Do you know? I suspect they are.

Big part of the problem, $7.25 ain't much... I believe waitstaff should be paid what they are worth, tips ignored.

As far as I'm aware, the minimum wage in the UK covers everyone. If anyone in the UK thinks different, please share.

UK minimum wage at the moment is £10.42, According to today’s exchange rate, that is ($12.91). Obviously you have to be careful though when trying to compare like for like when using the exchange rate, as I can remember around 2005, or there abouts, when the exchange rate was two US dollars per UK Pounds. Which would mean that a minimum of £10.42 would be $20.84



The UK minimum wage is based on an age scale:

Age 23 or over £10.42

Age 21 to 22 £10.18

Age 18 to 20 £7.49

Under 18 £5.28

Apprentice £5.28

 

[Magna-Carta]

And the argument goes like this from store owners who say that if they have to pay a living wage they will have to close down as they cannot afford it.

Holly, larger stores here are mostly unionized and the unions are able to bargain for higher wages and benefits for employees.

I struggle to understand this, as I generally get the sense that food in the UK is cheaper than in the US. If that’s so, why can supermarkets here make a profit whilst paying a living wage, but in the US, it seems, they can’t?

I don’t know how accurate this comparison is:

 

[oldaunt]

I struggle to understand this, as I generally get the sense that food in the UK is cheaper than in the US. If that’s so, why can supermarkets here make a profit whilst paying a living wage, but in the US, it seems, they can’t?

I don’t know how accurate this comparison is:

Not even watching the vid; just looking at the onion price its BS. I pay $2.49 for a 3 pound bag. And that has been a bit higher than usual. And looking at the mostly useless employees in our local supermarket, they are paid about what they are actually worth.

 

[Dave03]

Well, my wife and I have never been big on dining out, but when we do, I always over tip. Sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot.

I mean, inflation isn't the server's fault. Why should they be penalized?

 

[againstthegrain]

no-one should be owning a business if they expect someone else to pay for their employees that's just ridiculous !!

If that were the case, we'd all be able to own businesses.. get rich on the proceeds while not having to pay for anyone to work for us... let the public do that on top of already paying for the goods.. or services.. just beyond belief!!

That's how restaurants operate in the US. There have been a few attempts at high end places to raise prices and eliminate tips, but the wait staff preferred tipping so they reverted back to the tipped model.

The tips over all were probably better than what they ended up with and tips allow the server to not report or under report their wages so it's not income taxed.

 

[Knight]

Understanding that the cost to eat out has risen, it's no surprise tipping the same as before will be higher. We tip like before because the waiters & waitresses are experiencing that same increase in what they buy as we do. It would be unfair to them to get less.

Maybe it our choice of where to eat that makes a difference. We haven't experienced poor service.

 

[fuzzybuddy]

I thought most US restaurant waiter expected a tip on top of the Bill ?

In the US, tipping is "optional", but if you're a known non-tipper, I wouldn't eat in restaurant that knew you. Staff does not take kindly to those who don't tip.
BTW, I would dump the tipping nonsense for decent staff wages.

 

[Rich29]

I will tip 20% at restaurants. My son worked in a restaurant in college and reminded me how hard restaurant
staff work with very little actual salary.

 

[hollydolly]

In the US, tipping is "optional", but if you're a known non-tipper, I wouldn't eat in restaurant that knew you. Staff does not take kindly to those who don't tip.
BTW, I would dump the tipping nonsense for decent staff wages.

I have known Many Brits who've holidayed in the states, and going by our rules, haven't tipped because the service wasn't good.. and have been chased for the tip..

 

[Jules]

If there’s a “Service Charge” added to the bill, I’d ask. It probably is optional and removed if anyone questions it.

 

[Timewise 60+]

In restaurants or bars, I almost always tip. If the service is very bad, I may 'stiff' the waiter, but I have to feel that the service problem was primarily the waiter's fault (e.g., talking on cell phone over in the corner, flirting with a boy or girl, etc.) If the food is bad, I talk with the owner or manager, even if they are the cook. My tips run from 15% - 25%. When I tip 25% the service was exceptional and i write a note to the manager on the ticket/ bill! Most shift managers or owners go through the tickets at the end of the night; accordingly, you know they will see the message and the tip.

 

[ElCastor]

Waiters have a hard job and probably aren’t well paid, so 20%, and in cash.

 

[Magna-Carta]

Not even watching the vid; just looking at the onion price its BS. I pay $2.49 for a 3 pound bag. And that has been a bit higher than usual. And looking at the mostly useless employees in our local supermarket, they are paid about what they are actually worth.

Or looking at it a different way, the level of pay attracts a particular type of person. Employers get what they pay for? And in turn perhaps, employers employ what they feel their customers deserve. Maybe little respect for their employees nor customers?

As for the video, it’s made by an American bloke based on his own experience from where he lived in the US & later the UK

 

[oldaunt]

Or looking at it a different way, the level of pay attracts a particular type of person. Employers get what they pay for? And in turn perhaps, employers employ what the feel their customers deserve. Maybe little respect for their employees nor customers?

As for the video, it’s made by an American bloke based on his own experience from where he lived in the US & later the UK

I hazard to guess where that dude shops in the US. As for employees, the older ones get after it, the younger ones can't put the phone down long enough to answer a question, and no, they don't last long enough for the first raise.

 

[Amelia B]

Yes I do, but we rarely go out to eat since our money doesn't go as far as it did a few years ago.

That’s exactly what I do also. Tip the same but go out less often.

 

[Amelia B]

There’s one place that I go to fairly regularly and they never ask for tips or even have a tip cup on the counter so I was thinking that they must pay them well so I looked online and here’s what I found. It’s mostly teenagers and college age kids working there, so I think this is a good wage in this part of the country. And they charge a reasonable prices for the food! I’m very pleased with this place. If you’re ever in the Milwaukee area, you must try Kopp’s

 

[CallMeKate]

BTW, I would dump the tipping nonsense for decent staff wages.

Yes, that would be great. I was thinking about this recently and I realized how flawed the tipping system is. Okay, so two servers working at the same place. Two separate customers come in... servers do exactly the same amount of work and treat both customers well. One customer's meal is $20 so the server gets a $4 tip. Other customer gets a huge $60 meal from soup to dessert and tip is $12. I guess it just bothers me because the person getting $4 worked just as hard.

 

[Rose65]

Some restaurants are adding an automatic gratuity to the bill and I suppose those that don't notice the extra fee will be tipping double.

I tend to still stay in the 20 % range.

And do you still tip for lousy service?

I tip minimally. If service is bad I don't.

 

[hollydolly]

Yes, that would be great. I was thinking about this recently and I realized how flawed the tipping system is. Okay, so two servers working at the same place. Two separate customers come in... servers do exactly the same amount of work and treat both customers well. One customer's meal is $20 so the server gets a $4 tip. Other customer gets a huge $60 meal from soup to dessert and tip is $12. I guess it just bothers me because the person getting $4 worked just as hard.

...and vice versa... how is it fair if someone serving a table of 8 with a three course meal and many added extras.. get a similar tip to the waiter who served 6 people with drinks...

Also we've been told that the table there have a certain turn around time in most restaurants.. ie... Book a table for 8pm you have to be gone by 9.30-10pm to free the table up for the next diners..

 

[Tommy]

it's not up to the public to pay the wages for an employer !!! Employers everywhere should be paying a minimum living wage.. as they do here...

In the private sector, the consumer always pays the wages of employees, at least indirectly. When you buy a pair of shoes, the money you pay funds the wages of the sales clerk and every other employee back up the line right back the the person who grew the grain to feed the cattle from which the leather for the shoes was obtained.

In a free market economy, supply and demand set prices. That includes the cost of labor. When there is more supply than demand, competition forces costs (including hourly wages) down. When demand is greater than supply, competition forces costs (including hourly wages) up. In my area the supply of qualified hourly labor is currently far smaller than the demand and restaurant owners who can/will not pay relatively high wages have to go out of business for want of help. I'm seeing this happen a lot around here lately.

A person who I know well has been a waitress for her entire working life. On a typical day she brings home roughly six times her hourly wages in tips. This isn't a highly skilled position. There have been a lot of other career options available to her and she wouldn't continue in this job if she felt her compensation was "unfair".

 

[hollydolly]

In the private sector, the consumer always pays the wages of employees, at least indirectly. When you buy a pair of shoes, the money you pay funds the wages of the sales clerk and every other employee back up the line right back the the person who grew the grain to feed the cattle from which the leather for the shoes was obtained.

yes but you shouldn't be paying twice. I don't buy the shoes, which pays for the person who made them, then the drivers who transported them, then the salesman who sold them....AND then also pay a tip to these people on top of that.. because they get a LIVING wage!