{"id":12598,"date":"2009-06-05T17:23:39","date_gmt":"2009-06-05T17:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2009\/06\/05\/on-tipping-2\/"},"modified":"2009-06-05T17:23:39","modified_gmt":"2009-06-05T17:23:39","slug":"on-tipping-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2009\/06\/05\/on-tipping-2\/","title":{"rendered":"On Tipping"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here, in no particular order, are my maxims concerning the practice of tipping. <\/font><\/p>\n

1. He who is too cheap to leave a tip in a restaurant should cook for himself. That being said, there is no legal obligation to tip, nor should there be. Is there a moral obligation? Perhaps. Rather than argue that there is I will just state that tipping is the morally decent thing to do, ceteris paribus<\/em>. And it doesn't matter whether you will be returning to the restaurant. No doubt a good part of the motivation for tipping is prudential: if one plans on coming back then it is prudent to establish good relations with the people one is likely to encounter again. But given a social arrangement in which waiters and waitresses depend on tips to earn a decent wage, one ought always tip for good service.<\/font><\/p>\n

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2. Tip on the nominal amount of the bill, not the amount less a discount. You got the discount, you skinflint coupon-clipper, don't be so cheap as to demand a discount on the tip as well. <\/font><\/p>\n

3. Tip no less than 15%. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. In Turkey, 5% suffices and more might be perceived as ostentatious. And in some places, a tip is an insult.<\/font><\/p>\n

4. Do not hesitate to leave no tip or a measly tip to punish poor service. The whole point of tipping is to reward good service and to encourage good service in the future. If I have to beg for a second cup of coffee at a breakfast joint, or am reduced to swiping silverware from adjoining tables, then I am not inclined to leave much of a tip.  Lousy service, lousy or nonexistent tip!<\/font><\/p>\n

5. Tip on the entire bill, including alcoholic beverages, unlike a cheapskate I once knew who tipped only on prandials but never on potables.<\/font><\/p>\n

6. At buffets, smorgasbords, and other self-service establishments, one should also leave a tip depending on the services rendered. In such places I tip less than 15%.   Why? Because I do more of the work.<\/font><\/p>\n

7. What about tipping on a take-out order in a sit-down restaurant? My inclination is not to tip there any more than I would tip in a fast food joint.<\/font><\/p>\n

8. Tip the bartender, but if he complains about the size of the tip, tell him to go to hell. <\/font><\/p>\n

9. I always travel light and carry my own luggage. This obviates the tipping of bellboys and other baggage schleppers. But a hard-working maid who has just done up my room may garner a few bucks.<\/font><\/p>\n

10. Tip the barber whose floor is now littered with your long hair. My barber charges $12 just recently up from $10. I give him a $3 tip. I exercise my frugality by having my hair cut only three or four times per year. I've been known to go to barber colleges for cheap haircuts. There I can play the bigshot and leave a 100% tip. If you are ever in Mesa, Arizona, check out <\/font>Earl's Academy of Beauty<\/a>.<\/span> You can get a shampoo and a decent cut for $8, less if you are a senior.<\/font><\/a><\/p>\n

11. Suppose you have just dropped $6 for some frou-frou coffee drink at Starbuck's, a Frappacino Mocha Venti, say. Do you leave a tip? I probably should, but I usually don't. <\/font><\/p>\n

12. Having driven cab, on the mean streets of Boston no less, I always tip taxi drivers unless they are surly pricks in which case they get zilch. I once tipped a taciturn Jamaican two bucks on a twenty dollar fare and the guy had the chutzpah to complain. I told him to shove it. The most I ever tipped a cabbie was 20 <\/font>semolians<\/font><\/a> on a short airport run to McCarran in <\/font>Lost Wages.<\/font><\/a> He was an interesting character and his conversation was scintillating. I asked him to name his tip. He said 'twenty' so I gave it to him. It is worth remembering that there are people out there who actually work for a living.  We can't all be men and women of leisure.<\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here, in no particular order, are my maxims concerning the practice of tipping. 1. He who is too cheap to leave a tip in a restaurant should cook for himself. That being said, there is no legal obligation to tip, nor should there be. Is there a moral obligation? Perhaps. Rather than argue that there … Continue reading “On Tipping”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[216,72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-money-matters","category-sage-advice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12598\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}