Woman Leaves ‘Single Mom Sorry’ Tip on $138 Bill

[Renee750il]

I'd have done it in front of him, Dober.

Hell, I HAVE done that openly, more than once -- but I knew I wasn't ever going to go out with them again. It seems like it's usually the well-to-do guys who do that.

Wealthy women always seem to be the worst though. I've had so many friends who worked in upscale restaurants and the two types who would run them to death and then leave an insultingly low tip -- or none at all -- were wealthy women and fundamental type preachers (or fundamentalist after church groups). One of my friends got so fed up (when one of the male wait staff let her know one group always tipped him really well) that she followed them to the door with the four quarters they'd left on the table for her and gave it back to them. Then she told her manager that she would never, ever wait on them again. Period.

 

[GoingNowhere]

How do you guys feel about tipping at take out places like Little Cesar's (don't know if you have one) where you order at the counter and they hand you a pizza? Or any kind of place where you order at the counter and all they do is bring you the item?

I don't typically tip at places like that. Generally, if I order my food from a counter, I don't tip. If I'm seated and I order at the table, I do. It gets a little fuzzy with the places where you order at a counter, but the servers find you at your table to serve you, but generally in a situation like that, I still don't tip. On the other hand, if I order at the table, but pay at a register, I do tip. Right or wrong, I don't know. But where I order from typically determines the "to tip or not to tip" for me.

 

[yoko]

How do you guys feel about tipping at take out places like Little Cesar's (don't know if you have one) where you order at the counter and they hand you a pizza? Or any kind of place where you order at the counter and all they do is bring you the item? They're taking your order, but only walking about 5 steps to get it to you. They're not coming and asking if you want more water or desert. They're not bringing or removing dishes from a table or bringing you condiments. I tip at espresso stands because it takes them a long time to make the Latte or whatever. But I think it's weird to tip someone whose only job it is, is to hand you something from across a counter and take your money. I think it's weird when they have tip jars for that kind of situation. But I have tipped sporadically at those places anyhow.

I've been really embarrassed when I was dating this jerk back in Idaho. He tipped so badly, it wasn't even funny. And he had a ton of money! I'm not talking about a low tip because of poor service. I'm talking about consistently lousy tipping. One place we went to all the time for karaoke and dinner and everyone knew everyone pretty much. When he'd not be watching, I'd sneak the poor waitress a chunk because I was appalled at the 2 or 3 dollars he'd leave on the table. OMG! It wasn't an expensive dinner (he was too cheap for that) but still....the tip was probably about 8 or 10% max. I didn't want to offend him so I'd tip her on the sly. Maybe I should have just done it right in front of him. LOL.

I don't generally tip there. Might leave a dollar or two if I feel like being nice but really it won't be the person who brought you the food it will be the person who comes to wipe the table down.

I think it's different at those places though. They're paid at least minimum wage.

 

[Danefied]

You know what bugs me beyond not leaving a tip? Its using “single mom†status as an excuse. That really irritates me.

Since when is being a single mom an excuse for anything? Not all single moms are hard up for cash. I know a few single moms who make more than DH and I do combined. Heck look at all the Hollywood starlets who are single moms.

Nor does being a single mom mean you don’t ever get a break. Plenty of single moms live near family and get way more breaks than married mom who maybe live overseas and don’t have free family babysitting on hand. Or maybe their family isn’t able or willing to babysit.

ALL moms have their struggles. Expecting special help or to be excused from adult responsibilities because you are a single mom is annoying to me (can you tell? )

 

[Xandra]

I only tip if I'm sitting down at a table and being waited upon. (also at the hairdresser's, delivery, taxis)

I agree with Dekka that complaining about a tip online seems a bit over the top.

That said, if you come to the US or Canada, yeah you should tip. It's customary and in the US especially minimum wage can be pathetic. If you live here, you should be prepared to tip on your meal. I've never tried it but I'd think you could use the gift card for a tip as well. Agree with Danefied, "single mom, sorry" is pretty lame.

In Europe IME you don't have to tip much. Usually they charge a service fee, in France it's 15% I think? Our first night in Paris my dad tipped the waitress a NA % because I didn't trust him that you didn't have to tip (it seemed wrong). The waitress looked at us, said "MONEY!!" and skedaddled with it.

 

[yoko]

That said, if you come to the US or Canada, yeah you should tip. It's customary and in the US especially minimum wage can be pathetic.

It's not just minimum wage is pathetic but most waiters/waitresses don't even make minimum wage.

At my first job I got minimum wage. It was $5.07-$5.15 at the time. I made about $500 a month and was not allowed to accept tips. If we were given money we had to give it back or put it in the till.

 

[sparks19]

We always tip at the appropriate places (restaurants, hairdressers, delivery, etc). We are good tippers... depending on service.

If you give us crappy service we will give you a crappy tip. If you give us outstandig service it will be reflected in your tip

Our order out nights are usually dominos. We have a reputation now for being good tippers for the delivery guys lol so we always get really good service from them. They know that their effort will be noticed and we will tip accordingly.

There have been a very few times where we received absolutely HORRIBLE service and we've left a .01 cent tip with a little note to the waitress about why she didn't earn a tip. Now that is definitely the exception, REALLY REALLY bad service.

One time we had REALLY bad service (I mean.. the WORST service ever) and we left her a miniscule tip and she went ahead and put it through with a tip for $60 anyway :O like we wouldn't notice. Brian went to the restaurant and talked to he manager and showed him the receipt and the charge to our bank and it turns out this girl was doing it to a lot of people who were leaving her bad tips (because she was a horrible waitress) so she would just take it upon herself to punch in the tip that she wanted. She was fired on the spot.

 

[Fran27]

I don't tip at the counter. I'll tip at the hairdresser, deliveries etc.

 

[BigDogBuford]

I'm a great tipper because I've worked in the service industry (pizza delivery in high school and then as a hair dresser). I generally tip when I'm being served at a sit down restaurant but not for counter pick up, $1 per drink at a bar or coffee place, $1 per bag at a hotel and at least 20% for my stylist. If I get horribly crappy service at a restaurant then I don't leave anything but good service gets 20%.

I have our pizza delivery guy trained to call me right before he gets there so I can meet him outside and I don't have to deal with excited barking dogs. He gets $5.

 

[Renee750il]

One time we had REALLY bad service (I mean.. the WORST service ever) and we left her a miniscule tip and she went ahead and put it through with a tip for $60 anyway :O like we wouldn't notice. Brian went to the restaurant and talked to he manager and showed him the receipt and the charge to our bank and it turns out this girl was doing it to a lot of people who were leaving her bad tips (because she was a horrible waitress) so she would just take it upon herself to punch in the tip that she wanted. She was fired on the spot.

That's nothing more than out and out theft. She really should have been prosecuted.

If my change is going to include actual change, not just bills, and a server brings my change MINUS the coinage . . . that might be all the tip they get. I consider that stealing as well. And I WILL leave a note on the receipt.

 

[BigDogBuford]

One time we had REALLY bad service (I mean.. the WORST service ever) and we left her a miniscule tip and she went ahead and put it through with a tip for $60 anyway :O like we wouldn't notice. Brian went to the restaurant and talked to he manager and showed him the receipt and the charge to our bank and it turns out this girl was doing it to a lot of people who were leaving her bad tips (because she was a horrible waitress) so she would just take it upon herself to punch in the tip that she wanted. She was fired on the spot.

Yeah, that's credit card fraud. If I were her employer I would have had her arrested on the spot.

 

[JessLough]

Yah... It may just be because I work at a bar, but if you're going out to a restaurant, you tip.

Last night I had a party for a group where 95 percent were visiting from England... They all seemed to know to tip, and to tip well.

Luckily here, there's not a huge difference between minimum wage and servers minimum wage. It cent difference, I believe.

 

[yoko]

One time we had REALLY bad service (I mean.. the WORST service ever) and we left her a miniscule tip and she went ahead and put it through with a tip for $60 anyway :O like we wouldn't notice. Brian went to the restaurant and talked to he manager and showed him the receipt and the charge to our bank and it turns out this girl was doing it to a lot of people who were leaving her bad tips (because she was a horrible waitress) so she would just take it upon herself to punch in the tip that she wanted. She was fired on the spot.

This reminded me of something going on here.

There was a HORRIBLE Chinese food restaurant. Their food sucked, the owner was a jerk, and the delivery could take hours.

They shut down the shop and charged people $30-$120 on their debit cards.

That wasn't people who were there recently either. A couple of my friends hadn't been there for a half a year/year and they ended up with those charges last month.

I don't pay with any card when I go out to eat now. It's cash or I don't go :/

 

[Renee750il]

There was a group here that tried that. It was a Chinese restaurant, and they cycled their personnel back and forth from New York.

 

[JessLough]

This reminded me of something going on here.

There was a HORRIBLE Chinese food restaurant. Their food sucked, the owner was a jerk, and the delivery could take hours.

They shut down the shop and charged people $30-$120 on their debit cards.

That wasn't people who were there recently either. A couple of my friends hadn't been there for a half a year/year and they ended up with those charges last month.

I don't pay with any card when I go out to eat now. It's cash or I don't go :/

The pizza store a few doors down from me what shut down with many weapons and tons of stolen credit card numbers. The guys out on bail :-/

 

[crazedACD]

How do you guys feel about tipping at take out places like Little Cesar's (don't know if you have one) where you order at the counter and they hand you a pizza? Or any kind of place where you order at the counter and all they do is bring you the item? They're taking your order, but only walking about 5 steps to get it to you. They're not coming and asking if you want more water or desert. They're not bringing or removing dishes from a table or bringing you condiments. I tip at espresso stands because it takes them a long time to make the Latte or whatever. But I think it's weird to tip someone whose only job it is, is to hand you something from across a counter and take your money. I think it's weird when they have tip jars for that kind of situation. But I have tipped sporadically at those places anyhow.

We frequent a little mom and pop Italian/pizza restaurant that does take out...one of us orders from there once a week or so, and most of the time I tip two bucks per order, whether its one sub or several pizzas and dishes. They are always good to us and I just like to do that since we know them all pretty well. I don't tip at Subway, Dunkin Donuts, and so forth..I rarely see the same people, it's usually a $5 order.

I worked delivering pizza for Domino's for three years...although a tip when picking up an order is appreciated, it is not at all expected, nor did it bother anyone that they weren't tipped.

I will say that from a pizza driver's point of view...I will go out of my way for the tippers/nice people. If I knew one house was a good tipper and the other a bad tipper (or rude person), I would go to the good one first. If I took your order on the phone, I'd put in deals for the order. I would never ever mess with someone's food, and I don't know anyone who would either, but it definitely pays to be nice to your delivery driver . Actually I could even overlook tipping if you weren't outright rude to me.

One time we had REALLY bad service (I mean.. the WORST service ever) and we left her a miniscule tip and she went ahead and put it through with a tip for $60 anyway :O like we wouldn't notice. Brian went to the restaurant and talked to he manager and showed him the receipt and the charge to our bank and it turns out this girl was doing it to a lot of people who were leaving her bad tips (because she was a horrible waitress) so she would just take it upon herself to punch in the tip that she wanted. She was fired on the spot.

We had people do that at the pizza place too, they were promptly fired/charges filed too. Always always fill out the tip line..write a big 0 with a line through it if it's nothing, always total everything out on the receipt. Never leave it blank.