So, I didn't know where else to say this for maximum effect. Blog it is. I admit that I am not perfect when it comes to tipping people, but honestly, I don't feel as if everyone really deserves to be tipped. But there are a few jobs that I feel really deserve it. Hair stylists, of course, not just because my wife is one, definitely deserve to be tipped for performing such a hands on service; touching the public's sweaty, oily, nappy, flaky mop tops, and turning them into artfully sculpted head decor is not deserving of minimum wage. So you get a haircut and land that new job? How do you think you really got hired? I'm not saying anything... but yea, that's right. Pizza delivery drivers, deserve to be tipped. They waste lots and lots of gas, and they risk being jumped daily by some thugs some where. Yes, I used to deliver pizzas, so I'm biased. Waiters/servers, deserve to be tipped, because they put up with the most ridiculous customers on the planet... the ones who want to get fed. There is nothing worse than dealing with customers who want to eat something, and if it's not cooked just right, or the server isn't constantly around, or sometimes, if they are around too much, then all of a sudden it becomes grounds to not tip. Another good reason to tip servers, frankly, not to threaten the public, is to assure the food to saliva ration on your platter remains leaning heavily towards mostly food.
So, those are a few people who deserve to be tipped, among others. I won't get into who doesn't deserve to be tipped, other than impersonal physicians. Imagine sitting on that stupid paper sheet covering the off white reclining pleather chairs for thirty minutes, Doc walks in, yaps at you, while never breaking eye contact with the outdated computer screen, then finishes and holds out an empty palm, waiting. Yea, that doesn't count, so, the title of this blog is, cash or credit, and here we go.
You can tip with credit, sometimes. Some places are refusing to allow tips on credit because of whatever reasons. I assume it's because of hidden credit card charges from banks and lending institutions, partially, and possibly because extra amounts credited to the company might possibly increase how much they 'make', therefore making it possible that they might have to pay more in taxes... who knows if that is the case, I don't. All I know is, you should tip in CASH.
Why tip in cash? Because it's cleaner. Many times tips don't get credited until you leave a restaurant or store, and sometimes, amounts change here and there... if you know what I mean. Basically, once you pay for meal, or haircut, or whatever it is you have paid for, you will receive a receipt with a spot to add tip to the charge. This written amount will be charged later on, usually at the end of the night. That leaves a window open for shady business. How often do you keep account of whether or not you were charged $3 instead of $5 on your bank or credit card statements? I know most people aren't that incredible. However, when you charge your card, and the receipt returns for a signature, and you decide to leave cash, you leave an instant, 'here's your part, no need to steal' incentive. Cash is quick, and it's easy to not go through the trouble. I recommend paying for the whole meal in cash, personally, when possible, because when you leave cash, you don't leave any valuable bits of economic information about yourself behind to an underpaid employee, but that's another discussion. There are laws, and people do get caught, but not always. So that's one precautionary reason.
The other one is, again, some places won't allow you to tip in credit. If you use that as an excuse to not tip, then you deserve what you get. People keep tabs on who tips or not, and since it's a social norm, you will be widely regarded as a jerk if you don't tip. Don't expect to be treated the same when you go back, regardless of corporate policies and company practice, you can complain to a manager about poor service, but if you don't tip, don't expect to ever be treated like you gave one. It's a social law in American society. The idea is to follow that social law, and paying in cash helps you do that in the safest, most compatible way.
Also, tipping in cash will help you most effectively 'pay it forward'. It's a cliche right now, but the point is, being kind to others and tipping might help them get through medical school, so that this server can, in twenty years, perform bypass surgery on you when your heart gives out for eating out so much. Tipping might help a hair stylist afford her insurance. Tipping might help a pizza delivery driver afford gas to go to film school, so that in the following years, you can watch his incredible movies. :D Point is, tipping is less about the money, and more about the willingness to go beyond the corporate structured pricing before you in an business, and showing good will to the actual people who work there, in our city, in our neighborhood. Tipping is your way of peeling back the layers of big business, and identifying the humanity in front of you, the hair stylist, the server and the humble pizza delivery guy, who might eventually be hiring you for whatever it is you do someday. What goes around comes around, just keep that in mind.
Hi, my is Lisa and I am a christian Fiction writer. I have a spoken word cd that has just been released, "Clown in the Prayer Closet. We started filming in November. Are you open to working on other peoples projects?
Posted by: Lisa Smith-Bryant | March 09, 2009 at 09:05 PM