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'Ramblings' Category
Tips are not expected!
Tips are not expected
I saw this sign at Diary Queen one day and thought it was awesome enough to take a picture of. It mirrors my sentiment completely when it comes to gratuity.
I believe that tipping is only meant for rewarding excellent service, not to be an expected wage augmentation. Tipping makes sense in service industries such as bars and restaurants in order to motivate employees to offer superior service… I get it… but it doesn’t have to be EVERY restaurant or EVERY business.
For instance, does it make any sense that there is sometimes a tip jar at Subway? Granted, there are some employees that may do better or worse at assembling your favorite veggie delight, however, Subway is similar to McDonald’s in that consistent quality is supposed to come standard.
What about the clothing store that doesn’t take tips? Some employees at clothing stores go out of their way to help you try on the latest fashions and make sure you walk out with a properly coordinated outfit. Does that mean that there should be a tip jar on the desk? Certainly that would be a little odd… but allowing a customer to provide some sort of positive reward for a job well done would certainly be an interesting addition that might motivate.
But these are just what-ifs. I don’t see department stores encouraging gratuity any time soon, and fast food joints that pay their employees below what it takes to pay their rent every month will certainly always see their employees ‘hustling’ to make a little extra cash (full disclosure here, I used to work at Subway, and yes, we had a tip jar).
I just feel like it has gotten a little out of hand. The truth is, many businesses depend on the customer to help their employees make ends meet. I suppose that’s why there’s high turnover in service industries (would there be less turnover if employees felt more rewarded for their work?).
It’s unfortunate because if food workers, waitstaff, and other service oriented employees were compensated better, they might not come to expect gratuity as much, and really feel excited and rewarded when someone offered them a token for an above-and-beyond job well done. I’ve worked service jobs doing anything from assembling sandwiches to delivering groceries. The truth is, when you’re paid below minimum wage, and you don’t get reimbursed for gas, you really ARE at the mercy of every customer’s generosity…
Do you agree? Disagree? Tell me in the comments below if you have an opinion.
