[shaw8700@outlook.com]

I have a housekeeper and I don’t tip them anything. Nor did I give them anything for Christmas. Hmmm, maybe I should have but I honestly didn’t even think about it.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by RedChariot

Oh how I wish that was how things are. Tipping has gotten out of hand. Everyone has their hand out. Newspaper delivery and even mail people mail cards to our home. They include pictures of their children . Really??

Agree totally. Trolling for tips is beyond the pale. I have never spoken to the person (people, actually, as the faces seem to change regularly) who does our mail, nor with the person who delivers our newspaper.

[Velvet]

I think tipping is basically unfair to the employees, it’s an excuse to keep their wages down and make them dependent on the goodwill of some people, and expose them to the bad will of others. Appreciation of customized service is appropriate but not for simply doing their job. Their wages should do that. I would consider restaurant service as customized but cleaning your house? Unless you have special request, then it is warranted.

I know a lady who demands absolute perfection, eg. that her sofa pillows need to be put a certain number of inches from the arm, etc. okay, from her I’d expect double pay - and she does pay very well….

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Velvet

I think tipping is basically unfair to the employees, it’s an excuse to keep their wages down and make them dependent on the goodwill of some people, and expose them to the bad will of others. Appreciation of customized service is appropriate but not for simply doing their job. Their wages should do that. I would consider restaurant service as customized but cleaning your house? Unless you have special request, then it is warranted.

I know a lady who demands absolute perfection, eg. that her sofa pillows need to be put a certain number of inches from the arm, etc. okay, from her I’d expect double pay - and she does pay very well….

I mostly agree, but I don't consider restaurant service as customized.

[coralway]

Yes. I tip myself quite generously

[Gpsma]

If u need tips to make a living…you are a loser

[Bjeanj]

Originally Posted by Gpsma

If u need tips to make a living…you are a loser

That seems pretty harsh. Are you saying wait staff are losers?

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by Velvet

I think tipping is basically unfair to the employees, it’s an excuse to keep their wages down and make them dependent on the goodwill of some people, and expose them to the bad will of others. Appreciation of customized service is appropriate but not for simply doing their job. Their wages should do that. I would consider restaurant service as customized but cleaning your house? Unless you have special request, then it is warranted.

I know a lady who demands absolute perfection, eg. that her sofa pillows need to be put a certain number of inches from the arm, etc. okay, from her I’d expect double pay - and she does pay very well….

Agree to a point. It does seem unfair if the employee in question has no, or very limited contact with the public (as in the case of newspaper delivery people)s, but in the case of waitstaff especially, I think it is eminently fair. If your job is to please the public, especially if the place where you work is in direct competition with other places offering the same thing (such as restaurants) then earning above and beyond your wage by how well you please the public seems pretty reasonable.

I've never experienced it yet myself, but I've heard stories about service in places where a "living wage" is paid to the waitstaff and no tipping is the order of the day. Service, if you can believe the stories, seems to go downhill pretty fast in such environments. The reason seems pretty simple. Why should a worker go above and beyond, if at the end of the day he or she gets paid precisely the same as the slackers?

[Velvet]

Why should a worker go “above and beyond”? If they’ve come to fix my AC they don’t need to clean my sinks too. They shouldn’t in my opinion, they should simply do their job. It is this ambiguous idea that people should do more, that is part of the problem. The terms of the job/contract should be as clearly defined as possible and both parties accepting them. Then a job review occasionally to determine pay raises. Not every good worker is good at “people pleasing” and some of the best charmers are known as psychopaths.

[shaw8700@outlook.com]

Then there’s the problem with everybody else deserves a tip. Like if someone rings you up, and they haven’t done anything else for you, does it make sense to give them a tip?