Tipping for mediocre service

[Deleted]

These questions are inspired by the pedicure I just got. The lady rushed through it and didn't even offer the additional services this place usually offers. I tipped what I always do. On my way home I started to think about my tip. Will this lady ever learn that her pedicures are sub par if people don't tip differently.

So, do you tip less for mediocre service? Do you think they actually take it as a learning lesson?

Bonus points if you are actually in an industry that gets tips. Do you reflect on those transactions where you got tipped less? Or do you just assume that the person was cheap or a bad tipper in general?

I've heard a lot of servers complain about bad tippers but I can't think of any time a server admitted it might have been there fault. So I'm curious.

What are your thoughts?

[Deleted]

I'd probably do 20% but not go back.

Sometimes in cases like that I am fine if it ends up being like 18-19% and I don't worry about adding extra.

[game blouses]

I wouldn't alter my tip because the women at my salon know me and I don't want to get a bad reputation, lol. But I would talk to the manager because she cares a lot about customer satisfaction.

[Deleted]

I get what you guys are saying about talking to management, probably the best solution to improve her performance in the future.

So is the general consensus that tipping isn't at all about the quality of service? Its just something you do. And now I'm thinking more about services like pedicures or haircuts, etc.

This is coming from someone that doesn't like tipping people in general. (Besides servers, I don't hate tipping them because I know they make less then minimum wage) I just struggle with the idea of tipping people that are doing their jobs.

But don't worry I always tip 20%, and I realize this last part is probably flammable.

[game blouses]

It's just something you do. They're working for an hour on your feet; 20% isn't that big of a deal. I do go the other way and tip more if I've had an exceptional pedicure, though,

[sparkythelawyer]

If tipping is supposed to be for service, then the service needs to actually be good for me to tip a lot. If the service sucks, than the payment for service should go down.

[kirra]

If I get exceptionally bad service at a restaurant I tip 15% instead of 20-25%. That's very rare, though.

I tip my hair stylest 35% because she's raised her rates but hasn't raised them for me. It makes me feel better.

[kcr1972]

I have almost always worked as a waitress so it has to be really bad for me to not tip 20%. But I will mention my concerns so they know for future reference. Leaving a crappy tip doesn't tell them anything, and also other factors can cause problems so it may not always be the servers fault.

[tacokick]

I generally tip less. Not to tell them that the service sucked but because I hate spending more money than I have to on something I wasn't happy with. It is still a pretty good or average tip though.

[Jalapeñomel]

I tip based on service. Good service is a good tip. I also waited table for years, and I expected my tips to reflect my service.

[Deleted]

This is probably flameful, but I usually tip 20 regardless of service, but if I have super shitty service and there doesn't seem to be a reason for it, I tip 10-15%. I worked a long time as a waitress and some of my shit tips were my fault and I knew it. I think the only time in my life I have ever just paid the bill and did not leave a tip is when a waitress told my 80 year old grandmother with a speech impediment due to a stroke to "hurry up, I do have other tables."

She made my grandma cry, yo.

[game blouses]

Sept 30, 2013 14:39:43 GMT -5 @birdbird said:

This is probably flameful, but I usually tip 20 regardless of service, but if I have super shitty service and there doesn't seem to be a reason for it, I tip 10-15%. I worked a long time as a waitress and some of my shit tips were my fault and I knew it. I think the only time in my life I have ever just paid the bill and did not leave a tip is when a waitress told my 80 year old grandmother with a speech impediment due to a stroke to "hurry up, I do have other tables."

She made my grandma cry, yo.

Dude, that's awful. I'd leave 0% there as well.

[janegold]

I still usually tip 20%, even for mediocre service. If I have downright BAD service, I will tip 15%. If service is spectacular, I will tip more than 20%.

If I have constructive criticsm that I'd like to share, I try to Yelp or communicate my comments to management some other way.

[kadams767]

Sept 30, 2013 14:39:12 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

I tip based on service. Good service is a good tip. I also waited table for years, and I expected my tips to reflect my service.

Same here. 

I would actually cut servers more slack than someone like the pedicurist or hairstylist.  There are a lot of external factors that could be behind a bad experience in a restaurant that are not all attributed to the server.  If I get a crappy pedicure, that's only one person's fault, and my tip would reflect that.

[Deleted]

I tip 20% or more for good service. I tip less if you fuck up my dining experience with bad or lazy service.

[margotmacomber]

Sept 30, 2013 14:41:27 GMT -5 game blouses said:

Sept 30, 2013 14:39:43 GMT -5 @birdbird said:

This is probably flameful, but I usually tip 20 regardless of service, but if I have super shitty service and there doesn't seem to be a reason for it, I tip 10-15%. I worked a long time as a waitress and some of my shit tips were my fault and I knew it. I think the only time in my life I have ever just paid the bill and did not leave a tip is when a waitress told my 80 year old grandmother with a speech impediment due to a stroke to "hurry up, I do have other tables."

She made my grandma cry, yo.

Dude, that's awful. I'd leave 0% there as well.

Yeah, and I'd have talked to manager the very second it happened.  Fuck that noise.  We'd be leaving.

[Deleted]

I think it was the only time I ever raised my voice at someone in public. I ended up talking to the manager before we left and she pretty much could have cared less. My grandma did not cry at the restaurant, but in the car on the way home.

Just thinking about it pisses me off and it has been a few years since that happened.

[kaybee85]

Sept 30, 2013 15:02:07 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

In case it's not obvious, I was kidding. Just thought I'd see how it felt. lol

I was kind of surprised this was something you felt so passionate about, but ::shrug:: and moved on. lol

[spazzz333]

I work in the industry (hair). Some people are just shitty tippers they will come back to you time after time and you will be lucky to get 10% from them. Unfortunately in this industry there is no real way for a bad tip to mean bad service. In the salon clients either tip $5 or way over tip. (not that I am complaining, it washes out in the end).

I have also served in restaurants and bartended if I got a below 20% I have really thought about what i could have done differently and most of the time the customer was just a cheap ass.

In the end you should complain to a manager/owner if you don't feel like you got your moneys worth. That's going to be the only way to fix the problem.

[mcmel]

I would tell her what you expect instead of altering her tip.

I'm a server and last night I had a party of 22. Their bill was a little more than $230. I gave them perfect service, they received drinks within 7-8 minutes of sitting down and their food was delivered within 20 minutes. I remember because I was proud that I had them all completely served and was ringing up their check after they had only been there for 30 minutes. I cleared all their plates and got everything they wanted.

A woman was trying to show off and paid the entire ticket herself. She left me 6.5% tip. I was seeing red when they left.

Sorry, I'm still livid about that and needed to vent.

[pedanticwench]

Sept 30, 2013 15:32:33 GMT -5 mcmel said:

I would tell her what you expect instead of altering her tip.

I'm a server and last night I had a party of 22. Their bill was a little more than $230. I gave them perfect service, they received drinks within 7-8 minutes of sitting down and their food was delivered within 20 minutes. I remember because I was proud that I had them all completely served and was ringing up their check after they had only been there for 30 minutes. I cleared all their plates and got everything they wanted.

A woman was trying to show off and paid the entire ticket herself. She left me 6.5% tip. I was seeing red when they left.

Sorry, I'm still livid about that and needed to vent.

This is really awful, I'm sorry that woman was such an ass.

[mcmel]

Sept 30, 2013 15:34:38 GMT -5 pedanticwench said:

Sept 30, 2013 15:32:33 GMT -5 mcmel said:

I would tell her what you expect instead of altering her tip.

I'm a server and last night I had a party of 22. Their bill was a little more than $230. I gave them perfect service, they received drinks within 7-8 minutes of sitting down and their food was delivered within 20 minutes. I remember because I was proud that I had them all completely served and was ringing up their check after they had only been there for 30 minutes. I cleared all their plates and got everything they wanted.

A woman was trying to show off and paid the entire ticket herself. She left me 6.5% tip. I was seeing red when they left.

Sorry, I'm still livid about that and needed to vent.

This is really awful, I'm sorry that woman was such an ass.

Thank you. Ugh about a month ago I had an older woman who insisted that she would take care of the entire check for her family. Her daughter asked how much she left me and she said that gratuity was included on the check. I hear this as they are walking out the door. I don't want to bust in their conversation in case I heard wrong so I run to their ticket. Big ole $0. 15 people. Just kill me.

[pedanticwench]

Sept 30, 2013 15:47:12 GMT -5 mcmel said:

Sept 30, 2013 15:34:38 GMT -5 pedanticwench said:

This is really awful, I'm sorry that woman was such an ass.

Thank you. Ugh about a month ago I had an older woman who insisted that she would take care of the entire check for her family. Her daughter asked how much she left me and she said that gratuity was included on the check. I hear this as they are walking out the door. I don't want to bust in their conversation in case I heard wrong so I run to their ticket. Big ole $0. 15 people. Just kill me.

People are dicks. Ugh.

[snickers]

Sept 30, 2013 14:41:27 GMT -5 game blouses said:

Sept 30, 2013 14:39:43 GMT -5 @birdbird said:

This is probably flameful, but I usually tip 20 regardless of service, but if I have super shitty service and there doesn't seem to be a reason for it, I tip 10-15%. I worked a long time as a waitress and some of my shit tips were my fault and I knew it. I think the only time in my life I have ever just paid the bill and did not leave a tip is when a waitress told my 80 year old grandmother with a speech impediment due to a stroke to "hurry up, I do have other tables."

She made my grandma cry, yo.

Dude, that's awful. I'd leave 0% there as well.

That is awful!

[snakeoiltanker]

As a food server, I always know when I give bad service. I work in a dinner house so we hold the service standards pretty high, but sometimes we get hit with a volume of customers our restaurant was never meant to serve.
I hate that everyone is not getting the service that they deserve, and when I see that a patron left 20%+ anyway. I know I diddnt really earn it, and I am really grateful. I don't expect it though.

[kadams767]

Sept 30, 2013 15:32:33 GMT -5 mcmel said:

I would tell her what you expect instead of altering her tip.

I'm a server and last night I had a party of 22. Their bill was a little more than $230. I gave them perfect service, they received drinks within 7-8 minutes of sitting down and their food was delivered within 20 minutes. I remember because I was proud that I had them all completely served and was ringing up their check after they had only been there for 30 minutes. I cleared all their plates and got everything they wanted.

A woman was trying to show off and paid the entire ticket herself. She left me 6.5% tip. I was seeing red when they left.

Sorry, I'm still livid about that and needed to vent.

This is terrible, but I am shocked that your restaurant didn't include at least a 15% gratuity for a party that size.  Here, a party more than 7 or 8 would include a minimum gratuity charge. 

[mcmel]

Sept 30, 2013 16:18:32 GMT -5 kadams767 said:

Sept 30, 2013 15:32:33 GMT -5 mcmel said:

I would tell her what you expect instead of altering her tip.

I'm a server and last night I had a party of 22. Their bill was a little more than $230. I gave them perfect service, they received drinks within 7-8 minutes of sitting down and their food was delivered within 20 minutes. I remember because I was proud that I had them all completely served and was ringing up their check after they had only been there for 30 minutes. I cleared all their plates and got everything they wanted.

A woman was trying to show off and paid the entire ticket herself. She left me 6.5% tip. I was seeing red when they left.

Sorry, I'm still livid about that and needed to vent.

This is terrible, but I am shocked that your restaurant didn't include at least a 15% gratuity for a party that size.  Here, a party more than 7 or 8 would include a minimum gratuity charge. 

We have the option to include it, but our managers frown upon it since it isn't mentioned anywhere. We usually get a better tip when we don't add grat so we always try to give the benefit of the doubt. The only time I've added it is with large parties of teenagers.

I would have never expected her to tip so little or I absolutely would have. I wanted so badly to out her to everyone else in her party.

[RoxMonster]

I tip based on service. I don't think a tip should be considered a given; if it should be a given part of their wage, then I think their wage should be higher to include that amount.

I worked as a server for many years. I knew I was earning my tips by how well I served the table. Going out to eat now, my baseline is 20% for ordinary, fine, service. If it's exceptional, I give more. If you are rude to me, I give less. I do not deduct tips based on how busy it is or how slow the kitchen is--that is out of the server's control. If it is busy and I don't get drink refills right away, same thing. I won't deduct.

But if I see you shooting the shit with a co-worker and ignoring our refills for 20 min? Tip goes down. Totally in your control and that's crappy service. If you are rude to me for no reason (I am being totally polite to you)? Tip goes down. I have had some asshole customers before and was nothing but polite. So being rude to a nice customer is just unacceptable in a service industry. Sorry but it is, and I think the tip should reflect that.

ETA: Read most of the replies before posting, but not Booby's. I should have just said ditto Booby lol.