I hate the Tip Jar. You know what I'm talking about. The little jar that is on every counter of every retail establishment in this country.
I pride myself on being a good tipper. I waited tables for years, and tended bar for a short while. I fully recognize the importance of tips. They are the majority of income for many in the service industry. But the tip jar is a complete slap in the face. You see, in many states, it's allowed to pay waitstaff less than minimum wage. When I waited tables I made about 40% below the federally set minimum wage. But these people who work at coffee houses, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, and others all make at least the minimum wage. Plus, they do less for you.
A server takes your order, makes part of your meal, personally reviews your service, resolves any issues you may have. They make themselves responsible for your service. They are also generally working class women, who have no other means to make a living wage. The person at Dunkin Donuts is either a kid, the owner, or part of the owner's family. They make more in salary, They get you a donut or coffee, and ship you off without any care if you got what you wanted. You are not getting a meal. They don't come back and check to see if you liked everything. And then they have the audacity to put out a tip jar (or cup) and expect you to drop whatever change you have in there. For doing what????
The other problem is that it only serves to frustrate society. When you are being strong armed into tipping for everything, you eventually start to resent the entire process. Therefore you wind up not tipping people who've actually earned it.
I say enough!
I also am not a fan of Automatic Gratuity's being added to the bill. At least I dislike them when they are not made VERY clear upfront (like the waitstaff should tell you, "Oh, just so you know, we have a policy that parties the size of yours will have a 15% gratuity added). And It should not be mandatory. Meaning, I understand that large parties can sometimes undertip. And that the servers have to work twice as hard, and forgo other tables. So it being on the bill automatically (Again, after being made painstakingly clear to you) is understandable. But it shouldn't be mandatory. If you feel you got poor service, you should be able to tell them manager that you feel the level of service did not warrant 15% (or 10% or 0%). You, of course, can always leave more, if you choose. It should also be highlighted on the bill. Frequently you have a large party, and there are 32 lines of items, and in there, below the food, but above the tax, is the Tip added in already. On more than one occasion did I tip 20% only to find out I had also automatically tipped 18%. I was very aggravated.
There are other jobs that earn tips as well. The pizza delivery guy uses his own car, and fuel and usually gets paid pennies on the dollar for each mile driven. He deserves a tip too. Unless you see a driver delivery fee. Then, I feel, that should be the tip. if the Pizza shop s pocketing it, then the driver should find a new pizza shop. Hair salons, masseuses, casino dealers, valets, and many others should be tipped. But enough is enough with the tip jar. Where will it end? The grocery clerk for ringing you up quickly? The mall security guard for making sure no one keys your car? Really, where will it end?
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