I took that as a hint. Would you?
Like an idiot, instead of crossing out the word TIP, signing the receipt, and handing it back to him I stood there for a second completely frozen in confusion.
In a restaurant, I usually tip about 20%. (Just kidding, I never tip, Roberto is the one picking up the check.)
Seriously, I think about 20% is good, sometimes a little more, because I tend to be high maintenance (you know the drill: I need a glass of water without ice and a piece of lemon on the side... and a separate glass of just ice...a paper napkin instead of "this,"...blah blah blah).
But what about at a fish counter? I ordered one thing, it cost $11. The guy cut the fish, he wrapped it up, and he handed it to me. What am I tipping him for, not spitting on it first?
20% would be $2.20, right? Then, you round it up or down depending on whether you liked the person – whether they really seemed like they wanted to help you, right? If you put aside the fact that you’re standing at a fish counter where you shouldn’t even be debating this issue for a split second because it’s ridiculous to tip at a fish counter, a $2 tip seems really cheap, especially if you're using a credit card, right? And, since the guy was pretty much demanding it, I certainly didn’t want to be cheap because the store is only a mile and a half away from my house and what if he remembers me. Right?
If I gave him $3 for doing this, and everyone behind me did about the same, and then you add that to what he might be paid by his employer, could he be making about $46 per hour for slicing a piece of fish and wrapping it up? The guy could not have been more than 18 years old.
So, what if I figured the fair thing to do would be to tip him based on the time it took him to serve me, versus tipping on the value of my purchase? The entire transaction was finished in less than 5 minutes. Let’s say he makes about $9 per hour – so that would be the value of his time, correct? If he helped me for less than 5 minutes, that means I could probably fairly tip him about 75 cents and I bet I would hear him calling me an asshole under his breath as I walked away.
Hello? Why am I tipping the guy at the fish counter?
As I walked out the door I remembered I had to stop at the bank on the way home and then I had this terrible thought. What if I had to tip the bank teller? If I was depositing my paycheck, cashing a rebate, and making a mortgage payment, would I have to tip the teller on the amount of the entire transaction?
Where does this end?
I’ll tell you what, on Monday when I’m finished work, I’m marching into my boss’ office and I am demanding a tip.
7 comments:
Yes you are an Idiot.....absolutely not, you should not have tipped him. Do you tip the guy at Hannafords for slicing your bologna? absolutely not.
yup, idiot..I don't think he was asking for it. Tinkers is a restraunt and they have the credit card machine just set up that way for the servers.
Lesson learned.
Oh, funny, your word verification was 'beast' so I think this is a BEAST of a lesson learned.)
I think he might have identified me as an idiot, because he circled the word as he put it on the counter. But I know tons of people who tip at Dunkin' Donuts for a cup of coffee - is there a difference?
Yes idiot fits. You should have been outraged! I wonder if his boss knows about this scam. 20% at a restaraunt is right as long as the service and food is worth it. That is part of what is wrong with America, people want something for nothing.
Stop calling my girlfriend an idiot, she is a dumbass. Personally, I think it's important to tip. At Dunkin' Donuts, when I buy a medium regular for $1.89, I roll up the window and drive away as quick as I can before they can throw the 11 cents they owe me in the window.
No, no, no. It isn't called a tip when you ask your boss for it. It is called a bonus. And besides- you don't ask your boss for those anymore. You ask the federal government. In which case, it is called a bailout.
I am surprised you made it out of the fish shop, what with all the decision making going on. I would probably still be there reeking of old salmon.
SMC - tips are so immediate - bonuses and bailouts so rare -- one lucky, one...not so much. Perhaps I should switch careers. And you are so right about all the thinking...it is absolutely fatiguing to endure these internal struggles. Instead of a tip, I'll just ask for extra time off. Maybe enough time to visit my friends who are so lucky to be IN FLORIDA.
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