When do we Tip the Scales back into my favor

I have always abided by the understanding and knowledge that the service industry lives on the generosity of its patrons in regards to tipping and for years there were hard-and-fast rules to follow


When I grew up a tip at restaurants 15-20% was standard

You threw the barber $2 or $3 depending on how quickly he got you out of that chair

And the newspaper guy got a 5 spot during Christmas time,


Some of the tipping rules are still somewhat standard but many of them have lost all sense of balance. When there is an established rule I do really well but I find myself so often torn in less obvious situations pinning my cheap self versus my desperate need to be liked.

The reason I pick up food instead of getting it delivered is because I find the entire food delivery-tipping thing incredibly difficult. For food deliveries I never know what to tip and find it ridiculous that you tip based on a percentage as it is the exact same effort for a Chinese Delivery guy to deliver one wonton soup as it would be to deliver three lo-miens, one fish-head soup, a couple of eggrolls and a Beef with Broccoli.

The uppity do-good NYC community has become a society which now grossly over-tips and the actions of some have now basically given the service industry the impression that this is now standard. Look at a restaurant where even for complete ho-hum service a 20% gratuity is the minimum anybody gives.

Take a cab ride which before credit cards cabs had a very simple unwritten tipping rule that in a ride under $8 you round to the next dollar unless the total was very close to the next dollar in which case you would round up to the dollar and add another one. It wasn't exactly fair but in a world of cash it was simple and more than adequate.

Now with the addition of the credit card machines which offer either 15, 20 or god-forbid 25% as their standards all normal tipping rules are gone to hell. Last week when I got out of a cab from the airport and added $4.80 to a $35.20 ride the guy looked at me like I had kicked a poodle.

So if you tip by percentage, you first have to decide which percentage to use but then also decided at where your ceiling or floor is, if you tip based on service you risk looking like an a-hole when you under-tip the standard.

The worst part is bars where for years you gave the bartender a buck Why somebody deserves $1 for reaching into a fridge and pulling out a Miller Lite is already lunacy especially if you relate it to other service industries where the effort he puts in to deliver 3 beers is substantially less than what a barber does when he gives you a cut.

But it's NOT the dollar for the beer which tips the scale it's what 20% on a $5 beer means.

See if it has been established that a miller-lite warrants 20% so you look like a schmuck when you pay for a fancy chick-drinks (which are $10 or $12) and tip only a dollar.

and this doesn't even take into consideration the bars which charge more for a beer, for example some fance joint that charges you $8 beer probably expects $2 for the exact same beer you bought at the other bar for $4.00?   Not only do you get ripped off on the price of the beer you now also get ripped off by the price of the tip

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry