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Gareth · 22-03-2008, 10:46

Tipping is an integral part of the US service culture. It is assumed, for tax purposes, that wait staff will get at least 8%, and are taxed accordingly. Most service industry staff make minimum wage and survive off the tips that they receive. It took some time to get used to - particularly for my dad. My best friend used to be a waiter at a high end place in the coastal resort city where we lived and he used to dread Europeans eating, as they could run up a $500 tab pretty easily and leave a $10 tip. With the taxation rules, he would be taxed assuming they left a $40 tip which means he would owe the tax man money out of his minimum wage for those guys. He was also responsible to "hitting up" his bus boys and back waiters - the people that fill your water and clean your plates - from his tip stack.

The Starbucks case was pretty simple. Most service industries like a coffee shop have a tip jar on the counter. My wife has a simple rule - if the barista spells her name on her cup correctly, she will leave a dollar. Company policy is that if you place a tip in the common jar that it should be split between the staff equally based on the hours worked. A California law prohibits supervisory and managerial staff from sharing in the tips when tip sharing occurs. Thats what Starbucks did wrong.

My general experience is that customer service in the US is superior than customer service in the UK, although the UK has significantly improved over the years that I have lived in the US. I think it is due, in large part, to the tipping culture. I typically tip between 15 and 20 percent of my bill if I am eating out.

22-03-2008, 10:46	#5
Gareth Junior Member+ Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 29 Liked: 0 times Rep Power: 0	Re: So who do u tip?? Tipping is an integral part of the US service culture. It is assumed, for tax purposes, that wait staff will get at least 8%, and are taxed accordingly. Most service industry staff make minimum wage and survive off the tips that they receive. It took some time to get used to - particularly for my dad. My best friend used to be a waiter at a high end place in the coastal resort city where we lived and he used to dread Europeans eating, as they could run up a $500 tab pretty easily and leave a $10 tip. With the taxation rules, he would be taxed assuming they left a $40 tip which means he would owe the tax man money out of his minimum wage for those guys. He was also responsible to "hitting up" his bus boys and back waiters - the people that fill your water and clean your plates - from his tip stack. The Starbucks case was pretty simple. Most service industries like a coffee shop have a tip jar on the counter. My wife has a simple rule - if the barista spells her name on her cup correctly, she will leave a dollar. Company policy is that if you place a tip in the common jar that it should be split between the staff equally based on the hours worked. A California law prohibits supervisory and managerial staff from sharing in the tips when tip sharing occurs. Thats what Starbucks did wrong. My general experience is that customer service in the US is superior than customer service in the UK, although the UK has significantly improved over the years that I have lived in the US. I think it is due, in large part, to the tipping culture. I typically tip between 15 and 20 percent of my bill if I am eating out.