A long while ago, I had to vent a bit about the recent trend of retail tipping. Long story short, I pondered why fast food restaurants employees were putting out tip jars and why we would tip people simply for doing the job that they are paid a full wage for. Over the last few days, I’ve been in Redmond, Washington and have discovered that the trend has been going on around here, with one key difference – it isn’t the politeness of the workers, though… that seems to be a side effect of just living out here.
Explain this to me, first. When I left CT it was 58 degrees and deluging; the last two days in WA have been sunny and 85-91 degrees. Forget it – I’ll explain it to myself: Emerald City denizens are taught to lie about the weather to keep east coast people away! As well they should too, because the majority of Seattle/Bellevue/Redmond people seem to be thrilled to be alive. I know that might sound like a stereotype, but I’ve had at least a couple of dozen random people say Hello to me – one Japanese woman taking the time to make sure that I knew my Jlist T-Shirt said Dirty American Devil – and it’s sorta warped me into being friendly to strangers. This is a very dangerous trend that I’ll need to purge on the way from Chicago to Hartford because we don’t do “friendly” well in the wasteland between NYC and Boston.
Anyway, I went to dinner Tuesday night with the a number of friends that I’ve meet out here over the years – mischief makers and Sirens and stuffs! – and get this: the waitress was chatty and didn’t mess up one thing on the order. Went out to a pizza house type place and had good and friendly service. OK fine – can happen on the east coast (in theory) and in this situation, tipping would be normal, right?
Today I was out and about in the outdoor mall that is sprawled out across the blocks that surround my hotel. As I’m walking around there, I keep seeing these random umbrellas in umbrella stands… there seems to be one on each block corner. By the third one, I noticed a sign that reads “Feel free to borrow an umbrella – just return it when you’re done.” Um, OK. NYC metro area would have the entire stand stolen, much less the umbrellas, within minutes of deployment and I mean most of New England and the Mid-Atlantic states too! But whatever… Part of the allure of NYC is the right to ignore people and support mob-like behavior – I still believe it’s not a bad thing either – and this “honor-system” niceness is part of the allure of the northwest US.
I stopped in a place for a slice of pizza for lunch and noticed the good ol’ tip jar. Well it’s OK – I only got back 20 cents or so and the pizza looked good – so I plunked the change into the jar. The cashier goes “whoop!” and starts to ring one of those “ring bell for [hotel] service” bells – the kitchen staff cheers. Pavlov’s Dog type response? Maybe, but I thought it was funny. I mean at least it gives the illusion that they appreciate the spare change, right?
On to the ever-therapeutic ice cream at Cold Stone later that night. While I was trying to figure out what the hell I was going to get – Cold Stone gives you a chance to mix up to a dozen different toppings and with at least a dozen different ice cream flavors together (one of which was cake batter) so it’s no easy decision – my cell rings. I tell Steve where I was and he tells me that if I tip them a dollar, the staff will sing for me. Um. … He wasn’t kidding!
What does this mean, in the long run? Retail tipping is better when the staff does some sorta trick for ya? Maybe, but I think it’s more about feeling that the tip was appreciated. After all, the same thing applies here: the staff gets paid a full wage, regardless of the tip jar. It’s not like being a waiter/waitress where you get a lesser wage because tipping is expected. What I have noticed is that the east coast places seem to screw up your order and the west coast places get your order right, regardless of tipping – maybe that’s what’s making me think tipping is OK out here.
Another thing I found amusing was finding out that most of the people I know out here read my blog while the majority of the people I know back home don’t… I some how find that ironic even if I can’t explain why…
I do know that coffee and cheesecake flavored ice cream makes a good mix, though.
Dang those are tip jars? I was pretty sure they were “give a dolla, take a dolla” type jars.
That explains the cold coffee I get at Starbucks now.
*smirk* Now I know why they started putting locks and covers on the jars in Manhattan!
you syink
Cold Stone ice cream is pitiful!
First, who wants to “mix” their own flavor? I prefer something scientifically formulated; Cherries Garcia (Ben & Jerry’s) or Baseball Nut (Baskin Robbins) are infinitely better flavors that mixing a bunch of junk into ice cream.
And the ice cream? Gummy chemical loaded junk; so many emulsifiers that I feel like I’m eating lard.
Then we beat it up, knocking out all the air and fluffyness, and shove this now-melting glop into a cup or YUCK waffle.
And now you can get SALMONNELA with your “cake batter” ice cream. Cake batter? That’s what they culture bacteria in; it’s no wonder people are getting sick!
Most of the Cold Stone’s are doing poorly financially; high rents, high labor costs, and a faddish product will guarantee most of them will be out of business in a year or two. It looks mostly like an investment fraud to me.
Um, part of the coolness at Cold Stone is that you get to pick your own. And for people without any imagination, they have over 40 “suggestions”.
The mixing actually makes it creamier and they ask if you want it done.
And guess what? Cookie Dough ice cream – a la B&J – has the same risk, since both have raw egg in them. In fact, I remember a scare from B&J in New England from years ago.
So, basically, you’re just acting like a troll. :)
Jim, Who are you anyway? Do you have any facts to back up your baseless claims or are you another upset investor who was turned away because you could not handle it or too late to get in on a store?
Get real
Tip jars are being instituted for two reasons. One is because business have lobbied our federal government to allow them to pay workers who receive tips $2.13 an hour and the other reason is to mislead the public into beleiving that they do not have a right to determine who will be the recipient of their tip. You see, TIPS have actually been defined by our federal government.
The IRS states:
To constitute a `tip’ in the commonly accepted meaning of the term, it is inherent in the nature thereof that certain fundamental characteristics be present. It must be presented by the customer free from compulsion; he must have the unrestricted right to determine the amount thereof; and such amount should not be the subject of negotiation or dictated by employer policy. Generally, the customer has the right to determine precisely who shall be the recipient of his generosity. The absence of any of these factors creates a serious doubt as to whether the payment is really a tip and indicates that it is in fact a service charge for the use of certain facilities.
Federal regulations, CFR 531.55 clearly explains that service charges are the property of the employer.
You see, business owners know that if they prevent customers from determining who will be the recipient of their tip, then they can legally claim it as their own.
These so called “tip” jars which blatantly deny the customer’s their right to determine who should receive their tip cannot contain tips for the customer’s right to determine who should receive such moneys is blatantly being denied the customer. The moneys placed into tip jars are legally the business’s property. Tip jars are nothing more than fraud. Tip jars are simply an attempt to mislead the public into beleiving that they do not have a legal right to determine for themeselves who will be the recipient of their tip.
This is not the first attempt by business owners to defraud the public. Automatic gratuities, employer required tip pooling and the tip credit are all schemes business owners have come up with to defraud the public out of their tip. The public is tipping billions of dollars every year and business owners want it. They will go to great length to obtain this kind of money including paying off judges to allow business owners an ability to force their employees to share their tips with other workers and paying off our politicians to pass laws which allow them to pay workers who receive tips less in hourly wages.
The tip credit has allowed business owners an ability to financially benefit from the tips our public graciously gives workers in the service industry. Our federal government was somehow persuaded to pass a law which gives over the financial benefits of the public’s tips to the businesses of this nation irregardless of whether or not the public is consenting to such or not.
The tip credit allows business to pay tipped employees wages lower than the minimum wage requirement of this country. Because of the tip credit a customer can give an employee a tip only to find out that the tip finacially benefitted the employer by allowing the employer to pay his employees lower wages thus saving the business money and increasing the business’s profits.
Employer required tip pooling has allowed business owners an ability to take tips away from those whom the public actually tips so that other workers can be considered tipped employees and the employer can take a tip credit on them thus only having to pay these other employees $2.12 an hour.
When business are errantly allowed to both determine who will receive the customer’s tip and determine who should fiancially benefit from the customer’s tip it is only common sense that business will benefit themselves to the tips presented by our public. The tip credit must be repealed and the judges who have ruled that employers can steal their employee’s tips and give them to other employees must be removed from the jucicial system. Our nation’s judges and politicians are aiding and abetting in the biggest fraud ever perpetuated against the American public and the workers of this nation.
The fact that our federal government is allowing business owners an ability to legally violate our laws and constitution should be a wake up call to America that their government is becoming a liablity to this country. When our government becomes so corrupt that they will pass laws allowing certain individuals to violate both the laws of this antion and the constitutional rights of others simply for profit, our nation is certainly headed down a path of self destruction.
The tip credit that was passed back in the late 1960’s is nothing more than legislation passed to circumvent our laws and to allow business owners an ability to steal the financial benefits of their employee’s tips. There is no reason for allowing businesses an ability to steal their employees tips when businesses have every ability and right to simply charge more for their services if they truly need more income. What the tip credit has done is allowed business owners an ability to avoid making profits in the traditional way and allowed them to make their profits through criminal means. Instead of raising their prices with the cost of living like other businesses do when they need more income, restaurant owners have been allowed to steal the finacial benefits of the tips their employees receive through a bill called the tip credit.
The tip credit is nothing more than fraud. It has turned the customer’s tip which is unediably intended for the financial benefit of the worker into unjust profits for business owners. The tip credit must be repealed. Customers are not tipping so that businesses can pay their employees lower wages and fraudulently benefit themselves to the consumer’s tip. There is no reason whatsoever for our government to allow business owners an ability to financially benefit themselves to the tips our pulbic presents workers in the service industry.