Nothing for Something - Tipping in SL and RL

Why is a taxi driver different than a waitress? In both cases, the wages they earn isn't sufficient compensation for the job they do (unlike bus and train drivers). Most of their actual income is from tips. When you stiff them the tip, you're taking their services without due compensation.

The great thing about tipping is that you can refuse, or pay less, when the service is substandard. The intent is not to let some of us take a free ride. But sure, that happens, as I'm sure all service personnel well know!

Well put.

I'll ignore your insulting overgeneralization about Americans and attribute it to cultural insensitivity on your part.

And for special services (like the kind certain really nice animators offer), sometimes the tip is not even L$.

I've also heard the "don't tip the proprieter" rule.

I suspect this applies more to a situation like a restaurant where you're served by the proprieter. To tip them implies that they make their living by serving, rather than by being the business owner. In generations past (at least, in the US), this was probably more stinging than it would be today.

I once made the mistake of tipping a front desk clerk who helped my wife and me to our room in a Parador in Spain. He refused at first, which should have been a clue, but I'm often a bit slow on the uptake. He then very graciously accepted, and later I realized that I should have allowed his refusal. But my hat's off to the guy for not making me feel like a fool! (And if you ever visit Spain, try to book at least a few nights in Paradors: you won't regret it.)

Lesson for me: anyone who refuses a tip is one who doesn't earn his living that way. (doh!) So, only insist in very special cases, and then make sure the it's worth the effort.

Yes, and as much as I loved Australia and NZ, I missed the tipping system. You just couldn't (for example) find a nice inexpensive diner where you could sit and chat with friends and be served coffee, because of the lack of a tipping system. Only the fancy restaurants had waiting staff. Anything inexpensive was self-serve -- which I don't mind in general, but it's nice to have the alternative.

But, that's their choice, and it's an amazing place.

At retaurants, I tend to tip 20% (rounding up at times, so it is often a little more). If service is poor, then I will slide down from there to as low at 10% (rounding down, so it may be a little less) if service wasn't that great. There was only once that service was so terrible that I didn't tip at all.

For pizza delivery or hair cuts I tend to tip about 10% or 15% of the cost, although since some pizza delivery already includes a default gratuity, I may not tip quite as high in those cases. Never really taken taxis, so I don't know what I'd tip in that case, and I hadn't heard of tipping car wash people until reading this thread. I've never seen it done before.

In SL, I don't always tip the first time I visit a place. If I return, though, I tip according to what I can afford. This is mainly for sims, clubs, dj's and hosts.

Right. In the US, minimum wage is considerably less, even after compensating between $US and $AU.

Furthermore, in the US, waiting staff has an even lower minimum wage, with the assumption that they earn the bulk of their income in tips.

Which is why it's rude to refuse to tip in a US restaurant, without good reason.

Way different in Australia, where I'd take about the same road as Tegg.

Yep, I'm not sure how or if it evens out either way but in Australia it is rude for workers to expect a tip.

The reaction on the offering of a tip will be accorcing to the workers income level, minimum wage people will accept the tip easily with thanks of some sort.

People on middle incomes who aren't in common tipping industies may even refuse to recieve a tip unless you can make them feel that they have provided you with service above their normal obligations. It's common & polite to refuse once anyway and rude not to reoffer the tip. This all may not be valid if they realise you are a tourist and it is your custom to tip.

We probably do tend to be more self serve than many countries, but there are places that provide service, most of them without expecting tips. Some places just have a communal tips jar because you pay at the register on the way out so all the staff get an equal share of the nights tips.

Working as an electrician doing house calls at any ridiculous hour, I was proobably only tipped a couple of times over 5 years. It was a great feeling of thanks forom a person because I spent 2 hours of my Chrismas eve getting their power working again, but somethimes it made the paperwork a headache too, if it wasn't in cash.

Here the servers are expected to make their main money off of tips so their pay scale is considerably lower.

Some restaurants you tip the said server but then that tip gets split some goes to the bus boys a bit to the bartender even if drinks werent ordered oh and the hostess.

Dont particularly agree with that cause when I tip I want to tip the server, the one that served me the food might have chatted a bit or even just a smile.

Now with that said if I get what I feel is a sullen server their tip is considerably less.

Edited to add: The Iowa minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, $4.35 per hour for tipped employees.

I usually tip between 0.5$US and 3$US for classes, musical performances, etc.
If it's a live music venue, I tip both the venue/host and the performer.
On rare occasion I have tipped 6000$L or more.

For renting a venue for a party I usually pay about 3$US/hour,
rent a stream, and pay the DJ (if it's not myself) at least 5$US/hour.
Hopefully they get a lot more in tips.
I don't do very many entertainment events in SL.

When I DJ IRL I charge 200$US/hour.
(That's a good price, many people charge more.)

I live in the US, and I tip 15-20% for meals, or if it's just a coffee I tip 1$.
For late-nite workers who give me good service at cheap prices
(thinking midnight breakfast diner here) I often tip as much as 50%.

(If the service someplace is really bad, I tip 0%.
But more likely I walked out before being served.)

Well, in the US, there is a federal minimum wage law. While I don't know exactly what servers make, it can't be any lower than the federal minimum wage (or the state minimum wage, if the state has higher than the federal).

In RL, I always tip the going rate unless the service was so poor that I dont think they earned it.

In SL, I tip what I can, when I can. Sometimes it's the case of me wanting to tip like at a club or something, but I end up not doing it because I believe in tipping all the staff if they've earned it, I don't tip meager amounts, and many places I go to have like a freaking HUNDRED staff all on the clock at once! I'm not hocking a virtual kidney just so I can tip well and not exclude anyone. I'll make it up on another day when there's not so many to feed.


Edit: In the US, there's minimum wage, and there's a much lower minimum wage for tip jobs.

The Federal law states that tipped employees may be given a lower minimum wage based upon normal tips received -- not sure who defines 'normal' here. However, many states do have a lower value for tipped employees and it is often only about 2/3 of the non-tipped minimum.

Something else to consider, in the US, servers can be taxed on tips even if they don't receive them.

Yep - any state that declares a specific amount is expected in tips and then sets a lower minimum for tipped employees will have this tax issue. In Colorado, the minimum wage is $7.28/hr, but the minimum for tipped employees is $4.26/hr and it is assumed the tipped employee will make the other $3.02 in tips and they will be taxed on that amount regardless.

Yeah, doesn't that suck?

Still, in the US, 95% of tax revenues comes from the top 50% of earners, so half the population is getting nearly a free ride for federal services. Whatever those might be (like protecting us all from Saddam Hussein, OMG, where would your typical waitress be without THAT! )

In the US, the federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour.

An employer may pay a tipped employee not less than $2.13 an hour
in direct wages if
that amount plus the tips received equal at least the federal minimum wage,
the employee retains all tips
and the employee customarily and regularly
receives more than $30 a month in tips.
If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages
of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage,
the employer must make up the difference.

It is a myth that tipped employees do not make the federal minimum wage.
If you are such an employee, I urge you to consult the labor department
and file a complaint, because you have a federal case.

Also, state laws may increase the minimum above the federal minimum.

http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/q-a.htm




Yeah, also it's not true (unless the employer is breaking the law).

I suspect that some employers do break the law, because many
of these kinds of service employees are not educated about the
relevant law. (Either that, or the employees simply don't understand
the accounting that is being done, and actually are making more money
than they think, before correct taxes are applied.) I mean -- I hear this
sob story a lot, and the fact is: it's just not true that it's legal to do this.
And severe remedies are available for free, a mere phone call away.


If you are not receiving the minimum wage ($7.2 from your wages + tips,
then your employer is committing a serious felony. You can probably get
triple damages if you contact your state labor board. The employer is also
going to be in very serious trouble with the federal labor board and the IRS.

If I were you, I would be making phone calls on Monday.

I would bet that this is the case for anyone not actually making enough in tips to cover the wage difference and not doing anything about it -- if they are working here legally that is.

Sorry, I absolutely refuse to accept that last part. We have a minimum wage, and taxi drivers are doing a job for pay. You make it sound like I'm committing an act of fraud the way you say it.

Of course by that reasoning, I shouldn't be tipping anyone. Maybe I should stop entirely? At the moment, the point is moot because I can't afford to do anything where society expects me to tip.

But no one said that. They said the employer does not have to pay them minimum wage. The IRS taxes the server based upon projected tips earned, which combined with their base salary usually equals or is more than, minimum wage.

However I'm a bit worried about servers working in near empty restaurants. I'm sure their bosses will not increase their base pay simply because business is bad, and empty tables do not tip.

When I am driving my own vehicle (and not being ferried around) and I get a gas fill etc., I always tip the gas attendant. Maybe, its something that people would frown on, but I just see it as so sad I sorta think "there but for teh grace of god .." when this poor kids comes out and starts to fill, checks the oil, washes the Jeep's windscreen, in some godforsaken corner of the country. I just tip the kid (or man/woman). What's 5 bucks to me when it could be much for him or her? Some sign the work they did was appreciated. No one treated it as an insult - soem even indicate it was a change to be appreciated.

In terms of tipping - I never tip salon owners; I tip the staff - I use very specific hair stylists but they still appreciate a nod from me they did well.

As to costs of hairstyles - I was amazed about two months ago when I desperately needed a cut and I was in a smallish town and was going out to a dinner. I asked this young girl to cut it and all she charged was 80 bucks. Hair's expensive.
(I should add that she was a really sweet person and I hope her dreams will be realized)

Here in New Jersey, tipping gas pump jockeys is forbidden by law, as is pumping your own gas, or giving away any free gifts with a gas purchase.

wow. Mind you when I drive myself, I am usually in the back of beyond although I may never hav tipped in New Jersey, I wonder what the laws are for Maine or New Hampshire? And I'm often in a place where the only way I'll get any gas is to pump my own. I can be very practical when needs arise.
A tip for those who breakdown in the bush - if you are trapped by a flat tire or by melting ice on an ice road in the far north, take off the tire and set fire to it. The black smoke will be seen for miles and miles. As long as someone is there to actually see it, of course.

Tipping is an obscene practise instituted to let employers off the hook. If they paid a decent wage to start with, they'd get staff who do know how to give good service.

I figure if I go to a restaurant, tipping is like saying "Thanks for bringing me my food" (a job they're employed to do), or "Thanks for cooking my food" (again, a job they're employed to do).

If I wanted to cook it and fetch it myself I'd have stayed home, no?

Pay these people a fair and honest wage and do away with the expectation of tips.

In SL I tip rarely. There are one or two DJs whom I know pay for their music downloads, so I will tip them for their responsiveness and overall enjoyment of their program.

as long as one has that tire off, might just as well put on the spare and be on the way...