On tipping
February 3rd, 2012 Posted in Uncategorized
Taking back all the change in the vinyl folder with the receipt, leaving only coins that can include 10-peso units, is somehow construed by those, mostly from North America or Europe as a form of apathy, if not outright disdain for service providers. Not leaving a meaningful tip for the waiter is classified by these folks as a serious social breach.
The practice of tipping varies.
Fast-food places where one lines up, picks up his order, and pays the cashier allows one to get back all the change and leave nothing behind as tip, even if there is a transparent box at the end of the line for that purpose.
Is waiting first for you to make up your mind on what to order (Sir, the grilled tuna will take 30 minutes) and then for you to wait for the delivery of your order why servers are called “waiters?” It seems that waiting applies to both servers and customers.
Specialized coffee shops (defined as those that don’t serve rice) require the customer to state his preference to the cashier and then pay up. He is asked his name so he can vigilantly wait for it to be called to collect his cafe latté with skimmed milk: Mr. Fenis! The name is called out loudly to inform everyone how to address the customer should they want to make his acquaintance. This collection model too does not require tipping.
However, when the cashier gives a number the size of a bingo card to display prominently on the table for the latté to be delivered with the bill, the loose change is expected to be left behind as tip — watch out for stores that empty their coin drawers.
Waiters inWestern EuropeandNorth Americaconsider themselves entrepreneurs in disguise entitled to revenue sharing with the restaurant, courtesy of customers’ tipping.Manhattanwaiters seem permitted by law to give free rein to strident remarks aimed at inadequate tippers or, heaven forbid, non-tippers. They are practiced in the art of declaiming in a loud voice — Madam was there a cockroach in the soup I served you? The cheeky ones run after the small tipper retrieving his bag in the coat area to hand back with undisguised contempt the meager offering — sir, you may need this for your subway fare.
There are developed countries, notablyJapanand to some extentSingapore, that have eliminated tipping to servers like bellboys, taxi drivers, and waiters, maybe considering this practice a subtle insult, implying a master-servant relationship. While this practice entails higher prices as the server’s share is already imputed in the price instead of added on as a tip, it saves the tourist from figuring out the system as the bill presented covers everything.
The word “tip” is an acronym for “to insure promptness.” Since it is given or withheld after the service has already been provided, it often applies mostly to repeat customers who intend to come back to a particular restaurant.
The culture of tipping in the public service sector for routine requirements like licenses and permits is the door to petty, and then not-so-petty, corruption. Getting extra payment for a routine task may first only ensure jumping the queue and then progressing to exemption from rules all the way to getting special deals. The tip is the second cousin of graft.
Membership clubs understand the adverse effects of tipping and therefore disallow it, except maybe for banquet functions. Otherwise, service quality tends to be influenced by the generosity of tippers. Maybe, restaurants where waiters consider a generous tip their due, often regardless of the promptness of their service, also intimidate customers. If you already gave business to the restaurant with a hefty bill, are you still required to add another 15% for the waiter?
How come shoe salesmen who help you with varying selections and sizes don’t expect tips after the purchase? Maybe they get a commission instead? Thus a service charge works more fairly as it is distributed to all the service staff, not just given to the last person who happens to pick up the change folder.
An efficient server who politely refuses a tip (there’s no need, sir) is a rarity, except in really first class resorts. Such a server considers himself in the ranks of a professional — do you tip your doctor? Establishments who provide good service without the need for tipping create good branding by making the provision of amenities hassle-free. Not accepting tips says: I’m just doing my job and I’m paid well enough to give you great service. This is certainly a comforting thought for the tightwad customer.
Source: http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Opinion&title=On-tipping&id=45803
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