Tipping at Starbucks?

This thread has been inspired by two things:

1) Mr. Pink's argument against tipping waitresses at the beginning of Reservoir Dogs.

2) My observation of a tip box sitting on the ledge outside of a drive-thru window at a Starbucks.

Mr. Pink's argument, if you're unfamiliar with it, is that he doesn't feel the need to tip waitresses simply because society says we should. They're already get paid to do their job. Fast-food restaurant workers also get paid minimum wage, but we don't feel the need to pay them (these are his arguments, not mine).

Mr. White counters by claiming that the majority of waitresses in the country are single mothers who rely on their tips to make a living.

Here is my argument/observation/question for you:

We tip waitresses who perform a service for us while we eat. We don't tip fast-food employees who serve us from behind a counter. Yet, at places like Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Sandwich shops, Hot dog counters, delicatessen's, where we are being served from behind a counter, tip boxes/jars are prevelant. Why? What extra service are these employees doing that a fast-food employee isn't doing? Who gets these tips? Do they split it among ALL the employees that worked that day?

There was a fast food restaurant in our town that served chicken (sort of like Kentucky Fried Chicken, but it was a local franchise). It closed and was empty for a few months. Starbucks came in, remodeled, and opened a few weeks ago. Starbucks kept the drive-thru service. When my wife and I went through the drive-thru today, we noticed a tip box on the ledge outside the drive-thru window. A few months ago, this was a fast-food chicken restaurant, but there was no tip box. Now it's a Starbucks, and there's a tip box. Why? And to boot, the service was much faster at the chicken place.

I understand the choice to tip is a choice, but how did this trend develop to include certain places of business but exclude others? Will we start seeing tip boxes at our department stores? Hardware stores? Banks?

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Starbuck's uses bovine growth hormone in it's milk. The tips go to help the families of the mutated.

Kong has never jumped on the tipping bandwagon when it comes to coffee bar tenders. It's crazy how tip jars have popped up everywhere. There is a tip jar at the toll booth on the interstate out here. Okay, so that was a lie. At any rate these jobs aren't the same as waiting for restaurants. Waiters and waitresses (at least in most states) are not paid the same minimum wages as other workers because tips are expected. In Virginia the minimum wage for a waiter or waitress is around $2.25. The employer has to make up the difference between that and the federal minimum wage if the tips aren't enough to make up that difference themselves, but it's a hard job that deserves more than the federal minimum wage and Kong always tries to tip generously. Other jobs are another matter though, and Kong is lost as to what to do.

The one thing Kong hates about tipping is that not only are we, the customer, being asked to purchase a product from the business but that we are also being asked to pay the wages of their workers seperate from that products price. Kong wishes that businesses would just pay their workers a decent wage and incorporate that into their pricing schemes so that the costumer isn't left bewildered.

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Kong you are so wise these days. Eaten a lot of fish lately?

Ultimately this kind of tipping is the same as charity - it shouldn't be necessary. If the workers got decent wages (I mean, $2:25 is a ****ing joke) then they wouldn't need the tip.

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Ahhh, all his pits have mutatuted into tips. He's got horns coming out of his ears these days (it probably is the hormonised cow milk - i wouldn't drink it )

Another spot on post above for the kong-a-long crowd to bang gongs about. Totally agree. Altho in britland there's been no fast-food-chain tipping-epidemic turning up - the point is - tiring, menial and under-paid tho their job is: it's easier than standard "waitering" etc (tho, if they're under 18, i'm not sure it's any better paid - but then it's a stand-in/part-time job, which makes it better in some vague way)

Basically - yes - companies should have a bit more consideration for worker welfare and a bit less total-focus on the elusive money-god. There's a place for low paid part-time work in our societies, but some of these chains push the whole thing too far. (See the book "Junk Food Nation" - great recko r3! - very well researched)

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Here's a story that doesn't mean anything. I just felt like typing something before I jump in the shower.

Yesterday I went to dinner with a real live girl! lol. Anyway, after dinner she asked me how much I was going to tip. I said 15% and she said I should give the waitress $5 US because she was really nice. After the tip we were just sitting there finishing off our drinks and I said "I'm not going to tip anymore. Aren't you supposed to tip good so the waitress will remember you and give you good service next time?" "We never get the same waitress. Everytime we go out to eat we get a different waitress." My friend said "You're supposed to tip according to the service you get, not so they'll remember you." I said "Oh." The End.

I haven't seen a tip bowl in any fast food outlets Oh silly me I don't eat fast food thats why.

I don't mind tipping, I really like the idea of the tip jar or bowl, you can put money in if you want to, no pressure.

Once while visiting family in Israel the waiter was arguing with a family member about the size of the tip, he felt he deserved more, I thought this was quite rude until I found out that waiters didn't get paid and lived on there tips.

Now, that's an occupation I want!

I always try to base a tip on how the service was. Unfortunately I

always end up feeling bad and tipping quite generously. I always think of

my friends who are servers and I know how much they depend on their

tips.

Many years ago, I went to eat with my parents at the new Cracker Barrel in town, and we gave our waitress the worst tip ever. I can't remember how much, but it was bad.

The next day, my mom and I went to our new dentist and that waitress was one of the ladies who cleans your teeth! It was her second job. First she fed us food, then she cleaned our teeth! It felt like a Seinfeld episode.

here in australia tips are not "expected" so when they are given (no matter what the amount) they are appreciated and the staff usually gives you a thankful smile

i'm only talking about waiters and waitresses...there is no such thing here as tipping hotel staff or anything like that

when i was in greece in a hairdressing salon, i had to tip the girl who washed my hair and tip a different girl who blow dried my hair, then when i was paying the hairdresser at the cash register i was charged extra for the use of mousse!!!!

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At the last resturant I went to the service was horrible but I left a tip because the food was great! I want to eat there all the time now.

I wouldn't tip at a Starbucks. I hate those tip jars at fastfood places.

Just in case you want some more tipping situations to debate, here is a guide that I wrote on tipping: http://www.findalink.net/tippingetiquette.php

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What I do not understand is when you get someone who gives you awful service and yet you know his/her wages depend on tips. Why would they give you terrible service? I mean if you were just a normal customer and not rude at all?

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I always tip at restaurants, unless I am really furious, and I am a big tipper, because Im such a sucker. I know that about myself and I accept it. Back in the day when I bussed tables at your local buffet for minimum wage (note: NOT no strange $2.75 etc.), it was always so endearing when these little old ladies and men would leave you a tip. they did not have to, and you knew it. Made it all the more sweet. They knew it, you knew it, so it was really a "feel good" thing that really worked.

Fast forward to today. I have never waited tables in my life, and hope never to do it, so help me god. Its outrageous that a waiter (dont slam me for not being "pc" nows not the time) only gets paid barely half the federal minium wage, and if I were a legislator, Id rock that law out the water. Its the dumbest thing I ever heard! I have had the misfortune to spend time with some very rude people who I have seen treat staff like dirt and then add insult to injury by refusing to tip - and we allow the wait staff to be at their mercy? If boggles the mind.

I digress.

tips at fast food joints. Pisses me off, big time. It drives me up the wall screaming - I refuse to give a tip to someone who presses a button on a cash register a child could operate. AND they are being paid at least minimum wage. I shouldnt have to tip one of those people to obtain at the bare minimum the PRODUCT I paid for. You are not dealing with "service" in the same way when you're dealing over the register. They are not identical and should not be treated as such.

Now. Having said all that, let me remind you Im a pushover hiding behind all those angry words. When a cash register operator makes me feel good, or is cute, or is extraodinarily charming - I will drop my extra change into the tip jar. For me, its less about "tipping" them for services performed as it is for me to openly acknowledge to them that they charmed me. To me - that is behaviour modification through reward.

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something witty goes here......

this is fascinating, and i like to think about social habits and why we do them, so i'm going to get into this ... *rolls up sleeves*

so it looks like we have to look at 1) the type of service 2) the tipping mechanism and 3) the country of origin.

1 - the fast food franchise

mcdonald's, KFC, burger king, local franchises where a person sits there all day, rings your order, and a WHOLE TEAM puts your meal together. sometimes that team is small (one or two people) sometimes large (five people) but the person who rang up your order has already moved on. i have never seen a tipbox at such an establishment, but if i did, i wouldn't put a tip in.

why? fast food is just that - fast food. it is low effort, low input, low cost preparation. these people are paid to push buttons, fry food, package it, and move on. It's an assembly line. you would not tip an assembly line worker who created your car once you received it, would you? they don't have to smile at you, they're getting paid minimum wage. they don't have to be nice to you, they're fine with or without you being nice because 30 more customers are in line behind you.

"specialized food franchise"

ie, a starbucks or a jamba juice or ice cream parlor. these people believe they've got a specialized product that is unique and requires a special skill. they hope you'll think so, too, so they stick out a tip box.

however, these are pretty much the same as a fast food restaurant. you should feel no obligation unless you're in a generous good mood. i occasionally throw coins in there when i get change because i hate carrying coins, which makes these people thrilled. i do believe they share it all with each other.

"restaurant"

if these people are paid less than someone at a fast food restaurant, and we are paying to eat their food, we should not be responsible for making up the difference in their wages with tips. period.

however, i do it because i understand that they may spit on my food when i return, and it's a standard procedure. otherwise i wouldn't do it at all. i don't tip more than 15%, which is generally around twice the tax (so i avoid having to do math).

"specialized service franchise"

aka, salon, spa, valet, some type of service like this.

many of these jobs split the income made on a service with the proprietor. ie, when you get your hair done and it costs you $65, the person who cut your hair does not get the $65. They are renting the spot/equipment they used to cut your hair, and on top of that owe the owner of the salon a % of the money they get from you.

my mother being a hairdresser never educated past the 8th grade US equivalent, i always tip in salons (hair, nails, waxing, that sorta stuff) but never tip more than 15% unless i am too lazy to calculate or they were so fabulous i rounded up. also, think about it - these people are being paid to touch your body, which is germ ridden, for your gatification, not theirs. that's why people in the health care and physical service business are saints. they clean your dirty toes and change your dirty diapers.

if you go to a fufu enough place they'll add on 18% against your will so be aware before you go.

2

the tipping mechanism - i like boxes. those make me feel unpressured, so i can ignore them if i feel tipping at the establishment is unwarranted (ie, starbucks). i can also recognize them if, in a rare case at such a place, someone is exceptionally well behaved, pleasant, and helpful, above and beyond what their job generally requires.

the service establishments (salons, etc) are unspoken. often people don't tip and people are used to it, though unhappy. they are grateful when you do tip. if you do, don't bother being cheap about it, they'll be madder if you're stingy than if you don't tip at all.

restaurants - writing in your own tip is also good.so if someone is crap, i just put a big fat line through it - a very obvious one - it's not worth it to just leave someone a dime. i have also on occasion left a harsh note so they know exactly why they're in trouble and why i'm pissed and never coming back.

3 - country of origin

tipping seems to be big in some countries more than others. here it's tied to the above, plus the porter who carries your bag at curbside check in at the airport. also for valet, and the bellman who brings your luggage up to your room, and the maids who've cleaned your room during a hotel stay (1$ per person per night left in the envelope or card they leave for you during your stay to place the money in).

tipping is a show of a more financially sharing person's "generosity" and encourages service workers to bend rules or favor the bigger tipper over others they are serving. in a hotel you will get faster, better, and more pleasant service if you tip everyone along the way, than if you didn't. there's just no bones about it, people will go out of their way for the extra money. the bigger your tips, the more willing they are to go out of their way (even if it's part of their job, ie, they will bring your car up first for valet before someone else, even if that someone else called first).

it also helps with networking - clubs, VIP service, etc. if you tip the event person, they will get you in more often than not (and in while others are standing outside wishing they were in). if you keep tipping, and keep tipping them well, they will get you better seats than everyone else for events (tables at clubs, etc.) if you tip a hostess, they will also get you in ahead of others waiting on a list. if you tip the bartender, they will pay attention when you want your drinks and ignore others.

tipping is exceedingly important in the US south, and people will be rude or visibly upset with you if you don't give them what they believe is their DUE. which ticks me off. if you did your job sloppily and weren't particularly pleasant about it AND expect a tip AND get mad if i feel you were rude about it, the point is you were rude you don't get the tip. but they still feel they do.

fascinating stuff. anyone else have country-specific customs or venue-specific customs for tipping to share?

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I haven't really seen many tip jars... but I do notice sometimes that if I order fast food somewhere and use my card, it will say TOTAL and TIP with a line for me to enter a tip. Like hell! A two second service isn't worth a tip. I can't remember which places do this, but it always surprises me.

I ordered pizza from Papa John's online once and it was a real b!tch. I tried to get something cheap - $12 or $13 total. I ended up spending $20 because of tax and because the computer kept trying to force me to add on like $5 worth of tip. I finally gave in and paid the minimum because I was afraid the driver would do something nasty to my pizza on the way over if he already knew what kind of tip he was getting. I think there's an option where you can pay the tip with cash once he gets there, but I didn't have any cash on me. Not even a dollar... which, I think is what I tried to tip him before the Papa John's website fainted and fell down to my Windows taskbar.

I HATE having to tip and i think its rude. My best is a waitress in pizza hut and I work in a retail store - english mofos will know it, i work in Primark. I bust my buns running around primark for customers and i probably spend more time with them than a waitress does, especially when im working on the tills.

My friend says people should tip because they're providing good service. Well i provide good service but i dont piss and moan about getting a tip or not coz im already getting freakin paid!

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