I don’t want to oversell this, but Star Magazine has a really funny story in this week’s issue. The story is basically “The biggest celebrity penny-pinchers,” as in, stories about the cheapest celebrities out there. I love when Star compiles/makes up these kinds of stories and this one is fun because I consider myself a cheap person as well. Except that I’m also a pretty great tipper, unlike many of these people. Here are some of my favorites:
Gwyneth Paltrow is a terrible tipper. Goop has a reputation for leaving small tips because she claims she’s “bad at math.”
Jennifer Aniston never tips her psychic. Yes, Jennifer goes to a psychic, Fay Koliai, somewhat regularly. Jennifer pays Fay the flat fee, $150, but never tips. A source says: “Jennifer clearly thinks that Fay does a good job, because she keeps coming back for more – but it’s strange that she won’t leave a thank-you.”
Usher doesn’t even leave a tip. When he goes to dinner, he’ll just leave his autograph on a napkin for the server.
Robert Pattinson refuses to pay for haircuts. On more than one occasion, Rob has skipped out on paying for a haircut because… he didn’t want to pay. “Robert is beyond cheap. If he doesn’t have to spend money, he absolutely won’t. He hates putting his hand in his pocket, especially for grooming services.”
Mick Jagger is a terrible tipper. At a DC pizza joint, he left a $10 tip on a $90 check.
Kristen Bell goes for secondhand goods. She bought a mattress and bed frame second-hand and saved on delivery costs by loading it up herself.
Angelina Jolie makes her kids wear hand-me-downs. Angelina “makes it clear to her kids that they don’t need the nicest clothes. She wants them to realize that they are blessed compared to all the children suffering in the world.”
Katherine Heigl is a terrible person. She’s the person who will send food back multiple times because the meal doesn’t meet her standards, then she’ll leave little to no tip.
Sarah Michelle Gellar is a bargain hunter. She only flies on “cheaper days” and plans her family vacations around off-season destinations.
Jessica Alba won’t give freebies. The Honest Company makes a profit because Alba never sends out freebies to friends or celebrities. She doesn’t even send out samples to beauty editors or journalists writing about the products. A source says: “She was way more generous when she had less money. Now that she’s loaded, she’s holding on to every cent like it’s her last.
[From Star Magazine, print edition]
Some of these are no big deal – a family with six kids should do hand-me-down clothes. There’s nothing wrong with planning vacations around off-seasonal deals. I don’t even think it’s weird or wrong for Alba to refuse to send out freebies. But! I have a hard time forgiving stingy tippers specifically for waitstaff. I think it’s difficult for non-Americans to understand, but waiters and waitresses live on tips in the US. Very few establishments offer a living wage or even minimum wage to wait staff, so tips are all they have. And autographs are not tips. It’s also not acceptable to under-tip just because you’re too posh and elite to do math. Also: am I the only one grossed out by a second-hand mattress?
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.
That little girl looks so much like her father. Wow.
I thought so too.
It’s great that she’s teaching them gratitude — this article mixes up being a cheap bastard with:
being thoughtful about what you teach your kids frugal
liking a bargain / good deal / one-of-a-kind find
etc.
Vintage is often very cool, recycling is great, but not tipping is horrid.
YES. There’s nothing cheap about buying your kids 2nd hand clothes regardless of how much money you have. Kids grow like bamboo, why would you buy new jeans if they’re gonna be too short in 5 months? Also, Jolie is very involved in developing countries women’s lives and buying sweatshop clothes does not go well with that.
Really? I think all three bio kids are a total mixture (in different ways) of both parents! Of course, all six Jolie Pitt kids are pretty darn gorgeous!!
I think they are all a mix, too. When your parents are that gorgeous you pretty much hit the genetic jackpot.
Yes those twins are beautiful! But just because one or both parents is legendary for good looks doesn’t mean all of the kids will hit the genetic lottery. One example that comes to mind is Demi Moore and Bruce Willis’ children. I hate to be mean because no one can help the looks they were born with, but all of the Willis girls are sub-attractive. Christy Brinkley’s daughter with Billy Joel, well she got all of Billy’s looks and none of her supermodel mother.
No, the fashion accessories are hideous.
Vivenne has Brad’s eyes, Angelina’s bones.
Shiloh is Brad and her father.
I think Knox looks like her and her brother.
They all have her lips but Knox’s mouth is the most like her’s.
Doesn’t she have brown eyes in this pic or am I crazy? If so, mom or dad wears blue contact lenses. My money’s on Da.
Ermagherdddddd. Two blue eyed parents does NOT guarantee a blue eyed child! Genetics are very complicated. Look it up!
@Sarah….yep you’re correct. Most people believe the blue and blue equal blue theory. My parents both were blue-eyed and five of us children of them have blue eyes and two have brown….yeah big Irish family!
Viv has Angie’s eye color, green. Green shows up as brown in many pictures.
http://genetics.thetech.org/how-blue-eyed-parents-can-have-brown-eyed-children
That said, I really don’t see that Vivienne’s eyes are clearly brown in this particular photo. She’s squinting a bit and lighting/angles can make a big difference in how your eyes look. My eyes are definitely brown (maybe some slight hazel flecking, but really, brown), but in certain lights they look absolutely green. It actually took a while for my husband to figure out what color my eyes were when we were first dating b/c apparently they kept occasionally looking green to him!
@sarah-
Here is one early headshot- please note no ice blue eyes, new genetic models not withstanding. Google his “Dallas role” photos. Colored contacts.
http://www.celebrity9.com/brad-pitt/biography.html.
@Jenna-
thanks for the Stanford link!! Very interesting!!
I thought this article would be filled with people dishing about the celebrities that they’ve encountered. Halfway down the page and people are discussing how much to tip. Jeez.
What the hell is this article? You’re NOT supposed to tip your psychic! As it is, they charge outrageous fees.
I was wondering that myself. $150 for what? An hour of the psychic’s time? She expects a tip for that? Is there big money in crystal ball maintenance? I’m clearly in the wrong business.
You tip waitstaff because most of the fee you pay for the meal doesn’t go to them. Why would you tip a psychic who likely runs their own business and gets 100% of the fee? It’d make less sense than tipping your dentist.
Yea, somebody who gets $150 per session has no need of a tip. And probably doesn’t expect one. It’s not that kind of a job.
Psychics are fakes. She’s ripping Aniston off as it is
I was shocked by that expectation as well. She charges $150 for her time and then wants a tip on top of that? Insanity.
“You’re not supposed to tip your psychic”, has to be one of the oddest comments I’ve ever seen here. No disrespect to @Hudson Girl.
Not too many people go to a “psychic”.
Johnny Depp is a great tipper by all accounts.
I know everyone hates Ben Affleck these days, but, I’ve heard he is an awesome tipper!
Wahlberg,Damon,Bale,Cooper,Freeman,Crowe are known as good tipper.
Maguire and DiCaprio,JLO,Madonna give nothing
Walhberg, Damon and Affleck are all from Boston. Boston is one of the best tipping cities anywhere. We were voted best tippers and rudest in some poll a few years back. So we like to think that due to our rudeness, we really make you work for a good tip!
I tip 30% always.
Affleck is a generous guy. Lots of stories about him doing some solids for the Chucktown townies around here when they were filming The Town.
(do I get extra points for using “town” three times in a sentence?)
I was friends with a cocktail waitress when I lived in Vegas who waited on Affleck and she said he’d given her the biggest tip she had ever received. He was winning at cards so I’m guessing he enjoyed sharing the wealth. Another Vegas story is that when Ben and Jennifer Lopez rolled into town he would give his usual large tips but J Lo would track down the server and take the money back.
OMG at the JLo story.
Tobey Maguire is pretty famously miserly (in pretty much every sense of the word). I can’t even watch his movies anymore knowing what a jerk he is.
Yeah, I’ve heard that about Ben, he gives out most or all of his Vegas winnings in tips, but do tell, Kitten, what about The Town? (I just got the Blu-ray extended cut, and it’s been in heavy rotation here! And now, for the first time in 15 yrs, I’m truly homesick…)
Hey, Boston Green Eyes, that’s nice to hear about our fair city! This must be where I got it from as my Dad always tipped well, and I waited tables there, so I know what it takes. I also know “how to do the math”, not that hard to move the decimal point and multiply, though if I’m fuzzy, it’s often easier to leave 30% for a good time.
My feeling is that unless food, drinks and service are horrible, there’s no reason to give any less, and I never send anything back just because it’s not quite what I expected. Maybe I’ve been lucky or don’t get out that much anymore, but I can’t recall too many bad experiences in my lifetime.
As far as cheapness goes, if it’s a matter of not having much money to spend, then I have no business going out or getting service at all. To me, tipping well is a great way for me to give back and spread goodwill. If someone’s been good to me, it makes me happy to be good to them.
He is the best tipper by far and very nice. Micheal Jordan and Tiger Woods are the worst, cheap and jerkoffs is no way to go through life. Jennifer Lopez is cheap and nasty so is her mother.
Of course! He’s used to tipping strippers!
Lol, i dont believe any of this, just sounds made up & giving the people what they want to hear. Too easy
When my wife and I first moved in together we had a crap air mattress for a few months and then an old and wretched futon. (This was after Katrina wiped out my entire life so I had been in a FEMA trailer for a bit sleeping on a trailer bed before those things.) I was skeeved by the idea of a used mattress but I was also beyond broke. One day we were walking through an estate sale that we has heard had really great prices on furniture and since we has none we went. They were selling a next to brand new king mattress and bed frame for 60 dollars. I can tell you that after more than a year sleeping on some rough things I slept like a baby on that used mattress!!! lol
Yeah, it all depends on the mattress and the situation. A lot of people have beds in guest rooms that are rarely used, and well kept. I mean, I wouldn’t buy a sketchy super stained mattress – but I’d totally go for one that’s well kept and relatively new.
one time on 20/20 or something similar, they showed how old mattresses were stuffed with dirty towels and then re wrapped and sold as new. it was so gross.
Totally! This one was so clean and perfect and I made everyone we were with smell it all over. I am sure the people thought I was nuts. Come to find out their father had bought it with plans to come home to it after a hospital stay that he never actually got to come home from. 🙁
Lisa, I remember that segment! I was on holiday in the US at the time and felt sick at the thought of those mattresses. I’ve always bought store / brand mattresses but still give them a side eye, thinking a wee bit too much about what Im sleeping on haha!
And yet people are perfectly happy to sleep on hotel beds – where literally hundreds, if not thousands, of people have slept before!
Yes, I worked in a major furniture homestore, and every year, they sold the floor sample mattresses to employees.
Because I knew it had been covered by bedding for the 6 mos. it was in the store, and so few people had ever lain on it, also of the kind that’s mold, mildew, mite and bed-bug resistant, I felt totally confident about it. But because it’s against the law to sell these not-new and no-warranty mattresses, we couldn’t offer these to customers.
So I got one otherwise valued at $2,000 for only $200, best deal ever and made working there worth my while!
Happy for you that things went better!
HA! Usher was my favorite.
“These are my confessions… No tip for you. Have an autograph instead, plebian. Bye.”
But on a serious note, that really sucks, if true. For the record, I believe it’s all true simply because of the detail about Goop being a stingy airhead.
I certainly wouldn’t go back to the same restaurant if I left a small or no tip. You could have a very pissed off server handling your food. No thanks
In fairness to all of these people especially the tipping for wait staff, it could have happened one time and someone is blowing it out of proportion. Also, maybe they had another reason for not tipping well. Now Jagger is a good example, at a DC pizza joint he left an 11% tip. Now I live in the area and the going rate for a tips would be 20% or more if you like it, although some people still tip the old 15% for a medium level restaurant. Pizza joint doesn’t sound too fancy. Maybe his service was bad, and if he is still in the 15% mode this was his way of expressing his displeasure. I like to reward good service so I tip 20-25% if it is good, and generally 15-18% if bad because I realize the waiter really doesn’t make much otherwise and this way at least they get paid some. Just because he’s rich doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be allowed to express his level of satisfaction with a tip. I do wish the US would pay wait staff a fair wage. I know a lot of wait staff and if all people called out customers on 11% tips there would be a lot of complaining.
“express his level of satisfaction”
LOL
He can’t get no.
Probably make a fortune if it was sold on eBay.
My husband and I just came back from Palm Beach. He was there for a convention and I tagged along mostly to have the opportunity to stay at the Four Seasons. I couldn’t believe the service! They do everything for you. But that got us talking about tipping. I consider myself a good tipper for wait staff at restaurants but am clueless about how much to tip the valet guys, the people by the pool that set up your towel and bring you water, etc. We were especially confused by the valet guys. There were several of them. One guy opened my door, another guy opened my husband’s door, a third guy loaded bags..ahhh. What to do?!?!?
Typically in that type of situation valets pool their tips, so I usually tip just one of them the amount I think appropriate for all the help I received, usually $5-10
MG I could live in A Four Seasons. We ordered the full on breakfast for room service. Staff push chair in napkin on lap. Finest China. So awesome.
There’s a special place in hell for bad tippers.
ETA, I mean like people (GOOP, apparently) who habitually stiff waiters. But like, MG, I think we’ve all been confused by tipping etiquette at different times. Must be maddening for people from non-tipping cultures to figure out US customs.
It’s right down the hall from the special place in hell for women who don’t support other women. 😉
All jokes aside, bad tippers are gross. Some people depend on tips just to break even.
Yeah, maybe a shared hell bathroom? There’s definitely a tie in since women outnumber men in food service jobs.
Shambles-lol. That room is decorated in straw hats garlanded with dried flowers and everyone toils over simmering pots of rhubarb jam while grimly chanting “Now we’ve got baaaaad blood” over and over again.
I feel bad for staff who don’t get paid well, but s customer shouldn’t be made to feel guilty about that. Why isn’t more being done to make restaurant owners feel guilty about the poor wages they resentfully dole out? Charging to much for mediocre food and then shaming people into paying the staff salary on top of that is really something else. The U.S. needs to get it together with their labour practices. Plenty of other countries in the world are able to pay decent salaries in the restaurant industry. Stop putting the onus on the customer.
What sandy123 said. I will tip until things change, because I do not believe I should be punishing the people who’re working hard to pay their bills, but I do believe this conversation needs to shift from “terrible customers” to “horrible business owners”. Who hires people for peanuts expecting them to live off of tips? What other business can do that? That’s just insane, and the only argument for it seems to be “well, that’s the way it’s always been done”. Considering there’s study after study showing that tipping is very inconsistent and does not always reflect the quality of services, servers are at the mercy of a moody crowd.
ITA about blaming owners, not customers, but I feel like customers would balk at food prices if restaurants started adding 20% to the price of menu items. Places like Olive Garden already have a huge mark up on their crappy mass produced food, so they can afford to pay more, much much more, but small family restaurants would probably lose business if they hiked their prices 20% to pay the wait staff more, even if that meant no tipping. I can already hear people complaining that they should have the “choice” how much to tip the staff rather than paying higher food prices. And, yeah, I know some restaurants are already doing this, but they tend to be up-market places with higher operating budgets to begin with.
We just got back from Italy! Our first overseas vacation, and we kept trying to tip the waiters and they looked at us like we were nuts!!! My husband said he thinks the tip is already in the total of the bill…but I HATE not leaving a tip! I’m bad at math too, so I always go on the “I’d rather over tip, than under”…I guess Goop is the opposite of that!
I did the same last summer! I tipped our cab driver, and she nearly hugged me. That’s when I realized a tip beyond a euro or two was not expected (I tipped more like 20%).
Sometimes a service charge is Already included in the bill. I do tip – including my hairdresser – but as has been pointed out, it’s ridiculous that staff Aren’t paid a decent wage: why the hell should ordinary people subsidise businesses that make huge profits that they don’t invest in staff?
as a non american, can someone explain to me please, how much (excluding tips) does a waiter make monthly? it is hard to believe waiters/ waitress make the lowest salary that they can’t live on the base salary alone? how about cash registers? the standard tip (30%) is so excessive! how do normal people afford to eat out?
In about half the states, waitstaff make something between $2-$4 per hour and make the bulk of their money in tips. However, in about 20 or so states, waitstaff make $5 and up, some (like the west coast states, California/Washington/Oregon) make that state’s minimum wage ($7/8/9) plus tips. You have to research what state you’re in. The waiters out west make a killing.
Monthly wage would depend on how many hours someone worked, but when I waited tables in the early 90s I think I earned $2.10/hour (and that was at a pretty nice place!). And, if you get scheduled during the slow part of the day or the weather is bad, you might get hardly any customers. Even with tips, it’s not a living wage.
Because I’ve been on the other side, I routinely tip 30%. There was one time when I left hardly any tip, but I went and explained to the manager that the waitress was awful and basically threw our plates down on the table, etc. and this was why I was leaving a bad tip.
The last time wait staff got a raise (nationally) was 1989. They make, in New Jersey $2.13 a hour. So yes they cannot live without tips.
30% is not the standard tip; that pretty excessive, actually. Years ago 10% was standard. now that’s creeped up a bit. Now I tip about 15% for average service and closer to 20% for very good service. For truly wonderful service I will add on a bit more.
Yeah I always over tip because I’ve waited tables. I used to waitress 10 years ago and my actual paycheck was sometimes less than 100$ a week I lived completely off of the tips.
Waiters are taxed on their tips, so at $2.13/hour, most servers get a $0 paycheck. Zero, nothing—AND they owe taxes at the end of the year.
I live in Canada, and when I worked as a waitress, my wage – $10.15/HR (called alcohol server minimum wage) was about $1 less than the normal minimum wage for everyone else. So it’s not that bad, but patrons were still encouraged to tip 15-20% because servers have to pay tip-outs to others (bussers, bartenders, hosts, etc), usually a designated amount based on sales. So if a server has a bad tipping night, he/she could end up owning the other staff more tips than they received.
I know it’s a lot worse in the US, where servers usually earn $3 – 8/HR. The servers there also have to pay tip-outs, and a lot of restaurants also take certain operational fees out of servers’ tips, such as credit card transaction fees. So yes, patrons in the US are generally encouraged to tip more. 30% tip is nice, but I wouldn’t say that’s the standard. I don’t think anyone would judge you for a 20 – 25% tip.
You don’t have to tip at cash registers, but it’s always nice to drop a dollar or the change from the transaction for the hardworking staff. They usually go through a lot more customers, so little bits add up.
@Luca76 I also worked in this field. I was a bartender for years. I truly believe people who have worked in a field where you rely on tips for your salary usually are the best tippers. We know what it’s like to depend on tips. I too, usually over tip. I also tip according to the service. If the service is great I tip more, even if the gratuity is already included my party and I will tip extra.
I don’t understand how that (situation in America) is even legal?
The US federal minimum tipped rate is $2.13 an hour, but states and some cities actually decide this just as the minimum wage. Still there are at least 15 states that use $2.13 which is really low.
In my restaurant, and most in my state I think, base pay was $2.65 per hour. And you were taxed on 15% of your total sales for the night. So if someone left zero tip, I helped pay for their meal.
That said – in six years, there were only two times I received no tip, (both of those not my fault but completely understandable) and only a handful of times I remember getting a really shitty tip that I didn’t deserve. The people who overtip tend to make up for the ones that undertip, and it worked out to about 13-17 bucks an hour.
If you treat it like any other career, you can work your way up and make money. From hostess at Dennys to Olive Garden to Flemings – etc. My cousin is a single mom making really good money working at a Ruths Chris. And she’s home with the kids during the day.
TLDR: It’s not a bad gig if you take it seriously. People like being taken care of and generally compensate you for doing a good job.
Haha my husband and I are actually at a tipping crossroads. We normally tip really well. But minimum wage here just went up to $11.20 per hour and servers will be making that soon.
I think we’ll be tipping less soon. More like 10% than 20-30. Our minimum wage is on its way to $15 and then i will not tip at all. It will just be like Europe where we are imo
Anne, I live in Canada too but moved here from Europe. I’ve been here 5 years, and tip 20-25% as standard because it’s the done thing, but I never really understood it because the wages are high here compared to the US. Thank you for explaining!
I agree with you.
And 15 to 20% has been the “standard” for a long time; however, with the wage not catching up to the increased cost of living, I always tip higher. If the service is very bad, I will tip 15 to 20. But I’m not talking about petty things. I mean really bad service.
Waiting tables is a thankless job, and one I’m glad to have experienced. I’m thankful that there are others out there still willing to do so (some are just really good at it. I was not.)
Well I am European but I would say the restaurant owners are just using this custom that people have to tip. If everyone would stop tipping immediately the restaurant owners would be forced to start paying the staff properly and including the tip in to the bills if they can not pay probably to the staff with the current prices.
There’s a restaurant called Zazie in San Francisco that did just that. No tipping allowed, it specifies that the servers are paid a fair wage. Love that place– the food is delicious and it feels like a more honest relationship between server and customer.
It’s really good that articles like this remind non-Americans to tip more in the US.
Yes, the food is cheap, but only because the salaries are so low. Tips should be way higher than in Europe.
The Robert Pattinson story must be made up, an assistant must go back and pay. If a average person refused to pay for a haircut and walked out, wouldn’t that be considered stealing? Also what barber is going to do repeat business with Robert if he refuses to pay?
The guy just doesn’t seem like someone who thinks he should get something for nothing because he’s Rob Pattinson. I could see him being too stoned to remember to pay though!
Dee, by George, I think you’ve got it.
although… it WOULD explain some of his haircut’s quality if he went back to the same place he stiffed previously
You are gullible if you believe that celebrities do not think they should not pay based on them blessing you with their presence. They pretend for a living and for the most part are not the sweet people you see them as in the movies or on tv. I live in Las Vegas and I worked in one of the top resorts. I could write a book on how nasty most celebrities treat people.
@Vet: please do 😉
SPILL!
Funny..
I like Kirsten Bell too much to believe she uses second hand matresses hahahaha
Yeah, I was thinking maybe it could be “seconds” as in factory-defect cheapies, which I have bought myself, but not second-hand! Ewwww!
I remember the story from a while ago and there were photos of her waiting and picking it up.
Personally, I wouldn’t buy a used mattress because of the possibility of bed bugs, but I don’t begrudge people buying used furniture.
In NY, it’s illegal to buy or sell used mattresses and you have to seal your old mattress in an airtight bag before putting it out at the curb.
Since there are pics of her doing this, heck, maybe it did happen. But maybe she wanted it for another purpose – for example, maybe in a gym as a surface to land on if someone is studying gymnastics, or as the base mattress in a spare bedroom, or to hang on the back of her garage wall to protect her car bumpers if she pulls in too far. It sounds farfetched but the idea of someone who is financially solvent picking up a used mattress as their main bed is even more farfetched.
I feel bad for wait staff in the US – it’s very different in Australia. We don’t have to tip at all, but I usually round it up to nearest 10. So $10 tip on a $90 meal would be considered reasonable.
It’s illegal here for wait staff not be paid the award wage so I guess tips aren’t as necessary.
I think it’s illegal / or not encouraged to sell second hand mattresses too! That’s just creepy!
In most of the western world tipping shows you enjoyed the meal and service, it is not intended as the majority of an actual income nor is it mandatory.
Most countries in Europe have a tip rule of about 10% or just rounding up, so an €18 lunch is rounded up to €20. Anything beyond that means that either they were amazing or I was too intoxicated to do the 10% maths…
I always feel horrible in the USA because I know it works very different there, and people need tips to survive but at the same time I get fed-up at having to tip everybody for simply doing their job. Just pay a living wage peeps!
I agree that a $10 dollar tip on a $90 meal is perfectly good. That’s over 10%.
I’m British. I tip 10% for bog standard GOOD service (meaning I expect my standard experience to be good quality, I won’t tip if your service was crap), anything over 10% would only be if something was well beyond that.
Certainly not going to tip 20% plus for no reason. Ridiculous!
$10 for a $90 meal?!?!?!
Whaaaaat. That is nowhere near enough in the US.
But I guess that makes sense if they have a good solid wage.
Rae, sorry to say this, but when I waited tables, we all dreaded getting European customers at our tables, especially Brits who were known to leave only 1£ on any bill because that’s how it was done in the UK.
My personal opinion, having traveled quite a bit in my youth, is that wherever one goes in the world, it’s a matter of respect to learn the customs first. And to this day, I feel that if I’m privileged enough to travel abroad, I do so representing all Americans.
The same is true for me being from Boston and living in LA, that guests will judge my beloved homecities based on the friendliness of the people they encounter there or here, and one good experience can make all the difference.
Rea remind me to never eat with you in the US, 10% is what I tip for bad service. Servers have memories like elephants and I would never take the chance under tipping anyone that touches my food.
Kitten –
I only found out that standard minimum wage doesn’t apply to wait staff in the US the last time we discussed it on here a year or so ago!
Here in the UK (and throughout most of Europe) there isn’t a separate minimum wage for serving staff. A restaurant waiter here would earn at least the minimum wage which equates right now to about $10.25 an hour. Also remember here that low wages are supplemented by cash welfare payments and cash rent support* rather than vouchers like your SNAP. So it’s reasonable that tips are lower.
Nobody tips bar staff here. For restaurant meals, tips probably average 10%. I tend to tip on a “keep the change” basis. So I’d leave £20 in payment for a £16 lunch but also £20 in payment for an £18 lunch. Or £100 in payment for a £90 dinner. I think that’s pretty common.
Also, most restaurants pool tips. So an evening’s total will be divided between wait, bar and cook staff.
* Don’t take this as an endorsement of the UK’s low wages or recent cuts to welfare payment levels, however. It isn’t!
I think Japan is not a tipping culture either. Even if you try to tip some workers won’t accept it.
I studied abroad there, and it is considered extremely offensive to tip or attempt to tip in Japan. It implies that you had to pay extra for service. Basically, by trying to tip the customer is saying that the server did not do their job properly and the customer had to bribe the server.
I was in shanghai and tried to tip the lady who gave me a haircut and a pretty great complimentary upper body massage along with it. The lady was so embarrassed my chinese friend said. It was not necessary was the explaination.
Speaking as a non-American, I don’t get why should you be leaving a tip everytime! What if you didn’t like the service or the food?
Because it really is part of their wages. But I am with you, the meals are so expensive anyway, why should I pay the waitresses wages also? At home I tip for good service but certainly never 20 %.
I have an issue with the % rule. I eat breakfast at an ethnic diner that charges $2.50 for breakfast. We leave a $5 tip. Why should the waitress get a tiny tip compared to the waitress at the diner that charges $6.00 for the same eggs, toast and coffee? She does the same amount of work.
That bothers me too aang. The wait staff at my local diner works just as hard serving a $10 meal as the people serving a $30 steak down the street. I always add a little extra when a meal is pretty cheap.
Good point, Aang.
The wait staff didn’t cook your food – why penalize them for something the kitchen did? If service is terrible, then I will lower the tip amount, but service would have to be god-awful and rude for me not to leave a tip of any kind. That’s only happened once or twice
It’s not the wait staff’s fault if you don’t like the food. But I wouldn’t tip for poor service.
I try to leave about a 15% tip. All those years of waitressing and bartending to put myself through college showed me how important tips are to the servers.
+1 I was a bartender/waitress for over 8 years. As I said above I believe people who have worked in this type of service industry makes the best tippers.We know what it’s like to try and earn a decent buck.
I also tip according to service but I will still tip close to the percentage of what I should tip even if the food or service is bad. I can’t blame the server for the food being bad because they didn’t cook it. But I usually tip a bit more due to good service and because some wait staff have to split their tips with others such as the bus boys or bar backs.
Some people are saying what if the service or food is bad. They have a point but what about when wait staff or bartenders have to deal with difficult customers. They don’t pay you enough to deal with some clients. I had a manger who didn’t believe in the saying “the customer is always right.” He said yes they are always right until proven wrong.
It’s the way to force Americans to subsidize the food industry. They pay like $3/hr (less than half the minimum wage) and the bulk of the server’s money comes from tips. So even if they stink you still feel bad to leave them nothing knowing this. I tip 10-15% if I’m really not happy (but that’s rare) and 20-25% otherwise. We tipped 100% once ($35 on a $35 meal) to this poor waitress who’d had a dine and dash. She basically worked the night for free to pay for those assholes.
I follow a similar pattern. I go to a small number of restaurants, and am disappointed at the number of people who appear to leave measly tips (especially when they have run the wait staff all over the place). I feel like saying ‘try fast food or eat at home if you cannot tip fairly in the U.S.’
I tip 20-25 percent (sometimes more) and get fantastic service from the regular wait staff who probably recognize those who tip fairly and consistently. I also try to clean up my mess to the degree I can, which I think they appreciate.
Yeah, DH and I were sort of those people the other day at Outback. We didn’t mean to run the waitress around the way we did; honest! But in our defense we did leave a generous tip.
Oh, I have on occasion unintentionally caused staff to run around as well. The people that bug me are usually groups who leave a dollar or two on the table. Or a couple dining who toss down a dollar. I usually bump my own tip up just to compensate for others.
I totally agree with Kori. I tip 10-15% for bad service then let the manager know why I tipped bad. If I cannot tip at least 20% I need to stay home. Its not the servers fault that they are charged tax on money they may or may not make.
The american system is awful.
We’ve had bad service before. We asked to meet the cook and gave him a cash tip and told him it was for the cooks only.
I hate how entitled waitstaff gets, most see to expect 20% even for bad service and more for good.
We normally tip well but hate going to the U.S. and seeing the entitlement
I don’t know that I’ve run into too many entitled waitstaff. Maybe a handful. And i’ve been eating in restaurants in the US for forty years.
I would say I have a problem with European wait staff, and probably because I am used to American wait staff filling my water and asking if I need anything. In Europe they just aren’t as attentive, and you do really have to get them to get the check. There are travel books about this, so I know I am not the only one who noticed. The European wait staff was good at explaining the menus though. Also, as an American we eat fast, and Europeans linger which for an American makes the meal a bit odd as I am done, and they don’t realize. I don’t really think the US wait staff in general act entitled, but I do admit I get a bit perturbed at the checks that give the suggested tips on the bottom. First I can do Math and Goop along with all the other ninnies should learn. Still that is the restaurant not the wait staff.
Regarding math and people like Goop — How hard is it to take the total and figure ten percent. Then double it (20 percent). Simple.
Goop is a liar.
If she can’t do such basic maths, she should go back to primary school.
There are tip apps, and you can google tip calculator any time. And then add more, if in doubt.
I agree — Goop is a liar, or a woman w no phone.
Hah! Line cooks are paid way more/per hour than waitstaff. And exec and sous chefs in nicer restaurants make a very decent salary. As much as it is a nice sentiment, it would be embarrassing and inappropriate to tip a cook, IMO. It would be better for the Chef/Cook to leave a compliment about the food quality on Yelp/TripAdvisor etc…brag on them a little bit.. they are sweaty and covered in food and would find it cringe-worthy to come out of the kitchen (into a nice, clean restaurant) to accept a few dollars from a guest. It’s just tacky. (I work for a restaurant consulting group in a large city.)
Cheapos drive me crazy. I would imagine a lot of these people started out bussing tables, etc. and know the plight of the financially challenged. I would tip Gwyneth to go away. It makes sense Angelina would be generous as she didn’t have the easiest upbringing. My her kids are growing up. Beautiful.
I could never date a cheapo. It’s such a deal-breaker for me.
In my many years on this earth, I find the people with the least amount of money to be the most generous. Also, it does go along political party lines! I worked for a rabid Democrat who is a very wealthy man and he would be extremely generous to not only me, but my co-workers as well. I currently work for a very wealthy, staunchly Republican who, although a really nice person, is not very generous at tall.
“In my many years on this earth, I find the people with the least amount of money to be the most generous.”
+100
Boston Green Eyes: Ain’t that the truth! I wonder why. You’re so so right. I know people with barely enough to get by and they literally would give you the shirt off their back. Conversely, I know a man who when ordering a pizza, won’t tip the delivery person more than two bucks. Now it’s his car and gas, so I always give him more. I guess that’s how the saying the rich get richer and the poor get poorer got started. But IMO the ones who don’t have padlocks on their wallets have brighter spirits and more understanding of the reason I believe we are meant to be…..helping those who need it most. Amen.
So true, Boston Green Eyes, it’s about empathy.
if you’re really bad at math, there are apps for tip calculation. you don’t even have to know about maths.
if you don’t have a smartphone, they have a wallet laminated card with a tip table with prices and percentages that is easy to figure out.
no excuse for not giving a good tip. ‘they didn’t give me any extra service’ is a flimsy excuse imho. if you’re not serving yourself, you tip. unless the waitstaff is REALLY horrible.
(but when they’re uniformly horrible…. maybe that’s their service–i remember reading a variety news story about how the staff at a London Chinese restaurant was so rude it was their trademark. They were even listed in the Zagat food guide. Then they changed management and became a bit more polite, and people lamented about the fact that they aren’t rude anymore–> don’t know if it’s true. Maybe they just gotten more expensive).
That’s really funny re: super rude staff at a Chinese restaurant. I love that people complained when they started being nicer. They should have gone back to the old ways and changed the name of the restaurant to “Chinese Food for Masochists.”
“I’d like an order of cashew chicken with a side of scathing looks and snide remarks. Yeah, you know how I like it. Really, really mean.”
😉
lol @Shambles You made me spit my tea out hahaha
I’m sure most/all of this is untrue, but there’s no excuse for poor tipping (except extraordinarily poor service). And “bad at math” is definitely not one of them, when everyone has a phone with a calculator on it these days.
Some receipts even have a tipping guide based on the total. Sad that in the days of carry-along technology it has to be listed on a receipt.
I just can’t buy the Goop bad at math excuse. Didn’t she go to a private school in NYC and isn’t she ms. website business guru? How can she not figure out 10% of the bill and then double that amount to 20%.. hello?
I’ve always heard John Travolta is a huge tipper as is Howard Stern. I remember listening to his show one morning years ago and he told a story about how he took a party out to dinner and when the check came, he included the tip in the bill total and paid via credit card. The waitress actually yelled at him that he should know better and always tip via cash so the staff doesn’t have to claim it on their taxes as there is no money trail. That story always stuck with me and I try very hard to remember to have cash on hand to tip so it’s not on the cc.
Figuring out tipping is so easy. Mulitply your bill (I usually round up) by .20 — or whatever percentage you are tipping. THAT’S IT. I can barely add single digits in my head, I’m so math challenged, but I can do that.
There’s no excuse for bad tipping.
Some people say you tip 10 or 15 percent of the bill while others say they double the tax.
Some restaurants in America, well at least NY gives you an option on your bill.
If you want to tip 10, 15 or 20 percent they tell you exactly what that percentage amounts to. It works for math challenged people such as myself.
Why should waiters not have to pay taxes on their income? Everyone else in the world pays income tax, unless they’re paid under the table. Nobody should be exempt. I’ll pay with a credit card, thanks.
I disagree. In California, waiters get
I disagree. The rest of us pay tax on our earnings & waiters should too. I put the tip on the card. In San Francisco, many restaurants add a flat fee to the diners’ bills to cover waitstaff health insurance. If the waiter gets the going rate of $10.50 per hour + paid sick leave/health insurance, he can damned well pay tax on his tips. Starting pay @ TacoBell & Jack in the Box is upward of $10.50 hourly in my ‘hood.
410.50
I can appreciate people who are frugal with their money or want to be sure their kids aren’t too greedy (I made my kids wear hand me downs for the same reason as Angelina – #teamangie!), but I can’t stand bad tippers. I always tip over 20% unless the server was rude and if I were rich I’d be tipping even more (although I also get confused about the hotel tipping). This article just gave me another reason to dislike Gwynnie!
My daughter worked as a waitress at various times so I always tip 20 to 50% depending on the bill.
Agree. Being frugal is not a problem to me, but not tipping or using excuses to avoid doing it fairly is a peeve of mine.
I think some people confuse frugality with cheapness. Not tipping is cheap, not frugal.
Yep, Jess, I don’t think Angie’s being “cheap” but rather teaching her children values, such as sharing, reusing and not wasting, also appreciating what you’ve got. So I was happy to see this, #TeamAngie all the way…
On a more personal note, back when Maddox was a baby and before Brad, Angie gave $100s each to the unpaid actors and crew of my then roommate’s theatre production. No one except for them knew about this, but no matter what else she does in the world, I for one will always remember it!
What was it Brad said quite a few years ago, think it was on Charlie Rose, something about, “Angie works just so she can give money away”. I’ve always remembered that, and he seemed so proud when he said it.
I absolutely believe the story about Katherine Heigl. And Kirsten Bell and Dax Shepherd love to talk about how cheap they are by going on campervan (?) holidays and staying at motels. They are definitely a very cheap couple but second-hand mattresses are a no-no for hygiene reasons.
Tipping is a big deal in the US because the minimum wage is so low. It’s not a given in a lot of other countries.
Just out of curiosity – how big the tip for a $90 meal in America should be?
In Poland where I live it’s perfectly alright to tip around 10% of the bill, but I understand that over the pond the wait stuff tends to be severely underpaid. That really sucks btw:/
When we were in the US in summer, some restaurants would offer the “choice” to tip between 15 and 20 %, 15 being for not-so-great service and 20 for excellent … At home I tip 10% for great service and that’s fine.
A few of the restaurants my fiance and I go to have the tip choice as well. I personally like that I don’t have to guesstimate what the tip will be at the end of dinner. Besides I always give just a little more….last dinner date was $45.00 I think I gave her a $20.00 tip. Seems crazy to some but the service was great and we had a couple great laughs with the waitress. I appreciate great service and honestly being a waiter or waitress can be stressful and not rewarding if you get crappy customers.
15% is considered acceptable, but I usually do 20% – more than that if it’s at one of our usual hangouts or if staff were awesome.
It gets confusing when there’s alcohol involved. In USA, the custom is minimum 15% (unless service was awful) or more on food but 5-10% on alcohol. 2 meals + a bottle of wine, with tax is around $150 but you don’t need to tip 15+ % on the $50 bottle of wine.
I was thinking $10 wasn’t too bad for a $90 bill. It’s a little over 10%. Better than not tipping at all and leaving an autograph, for instance…
But Mick Jagger…no excuse not to be generous! Unless bad service. Some like to pass on their good fortune, others do not.
True. You would think they would be a little more generous in their tipping! I’m pretty poor and I leave 15%.
…I’m sure Mick is is denizen of DC pizza restaurants…..
This article is mostly the BS creation of a writer needing to file a story with a sprinkling of stuff we’ve already heard.
They said Pizza Joint in DC, and not sure what type. I actually tip less than my standard 20%+ if it is one of the places where you order your food at a counter and the waiter just brings the food to you. In the DC area we have a lot of places like that. Plus I call bull on this anyway it might not been Mick paying either, who goes to eat pizza by themselves. Just saying this one and a lot of the others sound stupid and bit bogus for a story.
On a $90 bill, if I got good service, I would leave $18-20.
This. Tip 20%.
We have minimum wage laws in my country too but it’s still customary to tip 20%. Service would have to be horrible to tip less. I don’t consider myself a “good tipper” but I honestly couldn’t imagine tipping less than 20%. I’d be so embarrassed . I think it’s socially recognized as the bare minimum.
I’d probably leave between 14-20 $ depending on the service. If the service is horrid I tip 15%, normal 20%, and if it’s really good I leave a little extra.
Yes, assuming good to excellent service that would be approproate. If the service was acceptable but not good I would go a little closer to 10%. Service would have to be truly abysmal before I would actually stiff a server. I think I’ve only done that once or twice in my life and I’m 50 years old. But if I received service that poor I would leave or have a conversation with the manager.
Yes, $18 – $25 dollars on a $90 check, depending on how good the service was.
For a $90 bill, I would tip $18 if the service was good.
Why is it that I always believe anything bad about Kathrine Heigl….lol
I think it’s because she has never done anything to prove that she is not a bad or rude person
I see no reason to tip a psychic making $150 for a session, but if I visited one at all, it’s just be for fun.
Yeah, a psychics is setting her own fees to some extent, a completely different animal from a server making $2.35 an hour.
Exactly! How on earth could you ask for a tip on taking $150 from someone for making crap up?
They aren’t necessarily making crap up. Some people do have a psychic gift, so please don’t automatically judge.
You know, I really do believe in psychic ability. I just think most people with a true gift aren’t the ones charging $150 a session for it.
A true psychic could see a bad tipper coming and charge $180.
Here’s one that always confuses me.. if the psychic is the owner, should she be tipped at all? I’ve heard for example at hair salons, if you are a client of the owner then you don’t tip as the owner gets the profit. But if not the owner, then to tip. And, I’ve also heard that you don’t tip off of alcohol costs – so if the dinner total was $100 and the bar tab was $75 you don’t calculate the tip on $175 but just $100 in which case, I’m guessing $20 tip. ?
I wouldn’t tip the psychic at all. I have heard the same thing at hair salons, but I think the owners pretend they don’t know that rule and expect a tip anyway. As far as the alcohol cost…I would definitely include the cost of the alcohol when calculating the tip. The server still has to go the bar, get the drinks (and get the orders correct) and deliver them to the table. I don’t see how it’s any different that getting the orders to and from the kitchen correctly.
You should tip for the alcohol amount, too. I believe it’s typical that waitstaff will share a small percentage of their tips with the bartender at the end of their shifts.
I haven’t heard that about alcohol, but definitely if the person is the owner, or is basically getting all the money for the service you pay for, then a tip is not necessary.
There’s a special place in hell for bad tippers, but tipping is supposed to be for servers.
Why on earth would a self-employed psychic pocketing every last penny of the $150 an hour she’s charging customers even expect a tip??? I don’t tip my lawyer.
Shouldn’t the psychic know that’s she’s not getting a tip?
HA!!
Never buy used mattresses, sofas, pillows…bed bugs, people! BED BUGS.
Yes! You’ll be sorry.
+1…take it from someone who fought an awful bed bug infestation after moving into my first apartment. My job at the time required a lot of travel so I likely picked it up during a hotel stay. I ended up having to throw out most of my furniture, entire bed set, and over half my clothes, and spent hundreds of $$ in treatments to finally get rid of them before they drove me insane…bed bugs ain’t NO joke!
I can’t imagine why wealthy celebs like Kristen Bell would risk such a thing with buying a used mattress…yuck!
No shade here from me about Angelina wanting her kids to share clothes.
same – especially if I had 6 kids, I would want to pass down clothes rather than wasting more money buying new ones
I got scabies from a used mattress, seriously the worst experience of my life. When I bought it, it was in one of their bedrooms. But when I picked it up with a truck, they had moved it to their garage, where it must have become infected. It was horrific beyond words. I will NEVER buy used furniture again (couch, mattress, etc.) I encased the mattress and had it hauled to the dump, sawed the frame into disposable pieces and dumped the metal frame because my panic at leaving any traces was so great. And had the room fumigated. And sent my daughter to her Dad’s for a week.
Waiters are taxed on each order with the assumption they’re being tipped 15%. So if you leave less than 15% tip, they still get taxed as though you left 15% regardless. Something like that… Fortunately I was a waitress long before this went into effect.
As for Jolie, they wear used clothes but she’s always papped taking them to toy stores. Sup with that?
Umm Angelina is pictured going to toy stores whenever she visits a new place and usually only a handful of times a year.
I know people who buy toys for their children monthly basis so I don’t really see the point of your shade.
I also see her visiting art supply stores as often as toy stores when they visit a new place. I think she encourages her kids to be creative, which is admirable too. As for the hand me downs? Kids often grow so fast that the clothes barely look worn before outgrown. Why not pass them down? No to do so would be wasteful and silly, no matter how wealthy you are.
To add to Maya’s comments, the bags they come out with are usually pretty small as well – like 1 new toy or book per kid sized. I don’t see the big deal.
I have no idea but I imagine that they may donate the toys to a local charity when they move on.
OMG…Angelina buys her kids toys!!!!!! What a horrible mother!!!! They should probably only eat bread and water, too! C’mon, I’m certainly not rich and I bought my kids tons of toys when they were young (the spoiled little brats, lol)!!!
Just leaving your autograph is beyond rude. It’s even beyond narcissism. I am APALLED! I feel that this tells me everything I ever needed to know about Usher.
Also, calculating your tip isn’t that hard, and if you are bad at math (like I am!), in case of being not sure, you just give a little more, I’d say. When I’m in the US, I just double the amount I would give in my home country. When I’m not entirely sure, see above.
Megan Fox once said that she always leaves a very generous tip because she very clearly remembers what it was like to bust her ass waiting tables and to depend on the tips. This makes me like her to this day.
so true! I know my boyfriend hates when I over tip, but this is someone clearly trying to get by with the job at hand. Plus if I’m eating out, in my mentality, we should be obligated to leave at minimum at 20% tip unless the server was really really bad
Love that Jolie’s story sounds like a humblebrag among these other stories. That’s not being cheap, that’s attempting to give your insanely priviliged (no shade, statement of fact) kids some kind of reality-based perspective. My four year old already hears from us how lucky he is: stable, loving parents, good, clean home, healthy food and enough toys and and clothes, which is more than many, sadly.
Yep, exactly.
Angelina herself has said that she was so self-destructive in her youth because she lacked perspective of her own privilege. Once she saw what life was like for the majority of the world… well, the rest is history. It makes perfect sense that she’d want to make sure her children knew from Day One. It protects them just as much as it helps others.
Robert, Angelina, Sarah, Kristen and Jessica don’t get any shade from me.
Not surprised about Gwyneth but I am surprised about Jennifer since she is usually known for being generous to her people. This is the woman who paid for her friends to have holidays with her so her not tipping a regular person is surprising.
I don’t see why you would tip your psychic, anyway. They offer a specific service, you pay them, you leave (if you believe in psychics, but that’s a whole other story). I mean, you don’t tip your dentist, either.
Why no shade for Robert? It’s ok to skip out on a haircut? Actually I don’t even believe that one but if it’s trur, it’s not ok.
I was thinking the same thing about Pattinson. However, I doubt much of this is true at all. Like the Jennifer story. I know someone who worked with her and they went out to eat together. Jen paid for everyone’s food and left the waiter $400. If she really doesn’t tip her psychic, I bet it’s because she didn’t know that that’s what she should do. I’m notoriously confused about who to tip and when to do it as well. I try to be very generous to people (I used to work as a waitress), but I honestly don’t know who to tip besides a waiter, a valet, a hairdresser, and any kind of delivery service. Someone tell me more? The last thing I’d ever want to do is stiff someone and make life harder for them. And the story about Jolie? We already know that’s true because we’ve seen photos of her kids in hand-me-downs. Which I don’t think is cheap. It’s rad, and I commend her for doing it. The crap that celebrities buy their kids is embarrassing. If she wants to try and teach them to be a bit more grounded, then I applaud her. And celebrities buying second-hand stuff? Are we shaming them for that? I agree that we shouldn’t. It shows that they’re self-aware and that they’re trying to recycle. It’s good for our planet.
How is it ok for Rpattz to not pay ANYTHING for using a service, let alone a tip? I know this board treats him like some sort of basket case that needs protecting and gives him passes on things they berate others for, but this is just daft.
Someone I know worked at a restaurant in Canada, where Katherine Heigl used to eat. (This was about a decade ago, almost.)
Let’s just say, based on her stories, I completely believe this about Heigl.
She needed to save her change for that Hermes bag. lol.
Her bags prolly fake. Tons of celebs have fake hermes.
I refused to pay for a haircut once. The hairdresser didn’t listen to what I wanted at all; just did her thing and ruined my hair. I was recovering for six months till it grew out a little. If she were just incompetent I would have paid; but she flat out ignored everything so I went out with tears in my eyes and money in my pocket.
Why would you tip your psychic? They charge a small fortune for telling you what you want to hear. Even when what they say comes to fruition…sorry but how is it going to help me to know in advance that my husband’s uncle is going to be in the hospital, or I’m going to have a falling out with a friend? Tip when the hourly wage isn’t enough to live on or someone is going out of their way for you. Charging you $150 for a short chat about your life…well would you tip your therapist?
Jessica Alba may not give freebies to celebs but I volunteered last month at an organization called Baby2baby that helps women’s shelters and women in poverty get supplies for their children. They ask people in Los Angeles to donate gently used clothing, strollers, and other baby equipment to distribute to people in need. Also, they make sure that none of their clients need diapers. I was impressed with the organization and saddened by the need for it. Anyway, I walked into the back room and it was filled floor to ceiling with Honest company diapers and products. I asked if Honest company was a sponsor was told that not only is the company a sponsor but Jessica was very supportive and helps them however she can. It sound like she doesn’t give her products to people that can easily afford to buy them for themselves. She gets a pass from me.
I have no problem with someone who only gives to the persons in need
That is nice to hear about her. I commend her for not giving samples or freebies to those who can afford to buy. It is a turn-off for me to see celebrities posing with products (‘swag’) they did not have to pay for, even if it is for promotion.
I kinda liked her. Hearing this increases my esteem for her.
Absolutely about Jessica Alba! And Baby2Baby is a great organization.
She does give freebies though – there was a repost on her Instagram from one of the Pretty Little Liars actresses thanking her for the Honest Beauty packet!
This is Star though so most of it is clearly made up.
+1 I don’t believe for one second that her company doesn’t do journo and blogger freebies.
Aniston goes to a psychic? Lol
Why is that funny?
Goopy is just like Barbie: tall, impossibly thin, unnaturally blonde, and bad at math. And just like that, I realized to HER that’s probably a compliment, though I didn’t mean it that way….
whoa, barbie was an astronaut so shes obviously good at math.
Im just playing btw
Why would you tip a psychic?
And tips aside, not paying for a haircut is stealing – if Robert left without paying I assume the business would either try to stop him, follow up with him or his assistant or something… You don’t just walk out without paying, yikes!
Good on Angie for having the kids wearing hand me downs. Yes they can certainly afford couture clothes for the kids but she is teaching them a good lesson.
Finally, I buy antique furniture since I like a mix of modern and older pieces… Never had a problem, in fact I have also sold a lot of stuff including mattresses when my parents downsized. They had a perfectly good bedroom set from the guest room and the buyers were new immigrants and were glad to get a good deal. No bugs or other issues, I promise:-) I guess you consider what you are getting and the house you are getting it from?
I don’t buy the story on Angie whereas one of her kids wears a Balenciaga bag
I don’t understand… what’s not to buy? We’ve seen the younger kids out and about in clothes that their older siblings wore. I doubt she’s buying replicas to maintain the illusion…?
Given her past and her evolution as a humanitarian, it’s not a stretch to suggest the hand-me-downs are a deliberate attempt to ground them. In the same vein, she usually takes one or two kids to a toy store or bookstore when they’re traveling with her. It seems to be about quality time more than anything else.
If you’re talking about Zahara, she’s always been a fashionista… she gets designer duds, Shiloh gets a backyard skate park, etc. They take advantage of their opportunity to “treat” their kids to the things they really want, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
I’ve never seen any of Angie’s kids carrying a Balenciaga bag but Valentino did make a bag for her once and a little mini version for Zahara. It was adorable.
http://celebritybabies.people.com/2007/09/07/angelina-joli-2-12/
The company sent her daughter that bag. She didn’t pay for it.
Hand me downs?? Say it isn’t so!!
I only tip for exceptional service.
Why?
Because here in my part of Canada, waitstaff make (at minimum) 10.30 an hour, which is the same thing I make as a cashier. I know there are differences, but none that make me feel like they deserve more pay then I do.
I do tip when I’m in the states, because I feel those people also deserve a living wage.
Always thought Usher was a tool and this confirms it. What a jacka**, egomaniac. Hate to tell you tool, but you are not that big a star. I listen to a lot of music but I couldn’t tell you one Usher song if you paid me. Server should have wiped his butt with his autograph and stuck it in Usher’s mouth.
I’m always confused about who you tip and who you don’t.
I tip my hairdresser, servers at restaurants, delivery people.
I don’t tip babysitters, pet sitters or yard people, people who clean my house unless it’s a one time deal, just pay them whatever they charge.
Am I doing this wrong?
I’d say you tip babysitters,pet sitters, and housecleaners at the holidays a percentage of what you’ve paid them all year. Yard cleaners would be a tip at the end of the season.
The general rule of thumb I use is, does this person only get a tiny cut of what I am paying? If so then I tip.
Pet sitters and housekeepers are people I hire through an agency, so they only get a percentage of what I pay – so those people get tips every time. Same with taxi/Uber drivers.
Our yard guy, on the other hand, has his own business – we pay his invoices but do not tip him since he pockets the entire fee. I would say that psychics charging $150/hour fall into this same category – they are self-employed businesspeople, not folks working for an hourly wage in the service industry.
R-pattz story is only partially true though, he said in an interview he never pays for his haircuts, he just lets his hair grow out until he has to clean up for a red carpet appearance and then his styling crew does it for free… Nothing criminal actually
except that’s not what Star says – they said he skipped out on paying and refuses to spend money in general
I wouldn’t tip a psychic, like why the fuck would I give someone an additional $30 bucks after they charged $150 for bullshit I’ve tricked my into believing? I actually lost respect for that lady for even bothering to pay a psychic. Jennifer, your next movie is going to have mixed reviews and a mixed box office and it’s going to do okay on demand, and you just have to hold on to Justin Theroux until Angelina Jolie kicks Brad out.
Non-American here. What’s the reasoning behind waiters living off tips? Tips are essentially awards and therefore voluntary. Plus, these people are signing a contract. They are employees of an employer, so why are the latter excempt from the obligation of paying them at least minimum wage for working in their establishment? Isn’t that illegal?
Just curious. Over here waiters are paid at least the minimum, and the tips are 10% of what was consumed. Most countries I’ve been to work similarly and that sounds about right to me.
They are basically a different class of wage earner by federal and state law. The tips are considered income and technically you report and are taxed on it. Whenever the minimum wage is raised its always for traditional wage earners and the other category never gets their wages lifted mostly due to the lobbying of the hospitality industry.
It would be rare that one is signing a contract to be a waiter in the US.
There are very few jobs in the US where you sign a contract to work (they do exist, but only in specific circumstances). Most waiters and most employees are working “at will”, which means although you agree to work at a certain wage at the time you are hired, there is no contract holding the employer to those terms.
It’s really rigged to the employer, I think. You can be fired at any time, for any reason. Your wage can change at any time. You can be put on “mandatory” overtime at any time.
The only positive to the employee is that you can also quit at any time.
Woah, that’s crazy! Are syndicates and workers actively protesting about it or is it just accepted as a part of the industry?
Other tipping fun, I used to waitress in Cincinnati in a restaurant attached to a hotel a lot of celebrities stayed at when they were passing through town:
Ashley Tisdale: horrible tipper
Pharrell: phenomenal tipper and a delight to wait on
Cheech Marin: wonderful
Niecy Nash: wonderful
MLB players: generally good
So nice to hear about the good tippers and generous people. 🙂
I don’t mind tipping well when going out to eat but tipping your hairdresser, nail artist, cabbie, shuttle guy, concierge etc is too much.
Sorry but with the exception of the shuttle driver you are being cheap. Of course you have to tip the hairdresser and manicurist. It’s not really about what you would prefer it’s that the cost of the service doesn’t include a living wage.
There was a whole expose on manicurists in the NY Times, they aren’t making a living wage and in some cases they are basically slave labor that don’t get their tips. Thats mostly in NYC but I wouldn’t be surprised if the same is true elsewhere. I haven’t gotten a professional manicure since I heard about this 😟
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/nyregion/at-nail-salons-in-nyc-manicurists-are-underpaid-and-unprotected.html
Cab drivers you should tip also but not 15% more like 10% as for the concierge if they are doing services beyond the basic then you bet you a** you should.
Keep in mind that servers are paid less then 3$ per hour so not tipping is making that person work for free.
In Europe the severs get paid a better rate, so you really only tip extra when the service is great.
I can tell you that is the excuse Shakira probably used here in Miami a long time ago when I worked at a restaraunt a long time ago. She left no tip on a 120$ check.
no!!!!! *gasp*
WTH! That would irritate me for sure
If a server doesn’t make at least minimum wage, once their tips are added in, the restaurant has to cover the difference.
I think it’s smart to save money when it makes sense, like hand-me-down clothes that are still in good condition and booking cheap flights.
I don’t understand Goop’s excuse. It’s not like she’s incapable of using the calculator on her phone or asking one of her fellow dining mates or assistants to figure it out for her. There are also Tip apps that can do the math for you.
Usher, Pattison, Paltrow, and Heigl, d!*ks.
Jagger, I’m torn – him raised a C20th Brit, his 10% was the standard. Even now, 10-12% or a round up to nearest unit of £5/10 is typical. I get into trouble from family and friends as a general “over tipper” (15-20% Brit).
Aniston, not sure I’d tip a psychic, especially on an agreed regular fixed rate. It’s not like with hair or nails when treatments change and non-fixed points of odd amounts where you tip round-up. Also, maybe she does an annual (Christmas) bonus/nice gift. I just think psychic (if you believe) is quite an intimate service; afterall, you wouldn’t tip a shrink.
Hand me downs make sense, so no shame. Likewise best holiday deals. Bedframe, yes; mattress, presumably unnecessary for her financially, so a bit cheap for cheap sake.
Alba, her business, so her business.
Tipping is a minefield. Whenever I’m travelling to a new country it’s one of the first protocols I check. Best to familiarise rather than, unwittingly, cause offense; tipping being viewed as offensive or disrepectful in some places.
I always tip about 20% for standard service. If it’s exceptional or terrible, I adjust accordingly and talk to the manager to compliment/complain.
I wonder if people have a harder time tipping if the bill is in the hundreds? If you go out for a fancy meal and it’s $500, you should leave a tip of about $100. I think some people have a hard time doing that, and it doesn’t make sense to me. You still need to tip! If you don’t like the idea of leaving a $100 tip, then go somewhere else.
20% is my baseline, 25% is my good, 30% is my excellent, and I have been known to go higher. I once had ATROCIOUS service where the girl barely came to our table – not because she was slammed, but because she was goofing off at the service station ten feet away, literally making fun of my friend’s thick Ukrainian accent so loudly that we could hear her. We kept getting up from our table and ordering from the bar. My exact words were, “I’m so angry, I’m leaving 15%. That’s how mad I am.”
I think I’d literally need to watch you spit in my food for me to just plain not tip you. Everyone should have to wait tables just once in their lives. If you wait tables at least once, you’ll be a good tipper for life.
I’ve had a server disappear on me, too. I always try to tell the manager, though, especially if I otherwise like the place. The way I look at it is, if I were a manager, I’d want to know if my staff is unfriendly or inattentive. Leaving a smaller-than-standard tip without an explanation doesn’t convey that message.
Hmmm, I just ran today’s exchange on that thinking of that bill in Brit terms: $500 = £328.92. My instinct on UK terms would be round up to no less than £380 (an awkward $577.87) but only go £400 ($608.22) for very good.
Not that different but service wages and tax structures are Transatlantically very different.
Quick Brit survey of other three people (1 at £350/$533 round up unashamedly; 1 hemming and hawing with a lot of “it depends” refusing to commit; 1 roughly same as me).
It definitely has national variants.
My spouse grew up in New Zealand, where tipping (at the time) was considered a bit insulting, like treating people like servants/social inferiors instead of professionals/social equals. It took 2-3 rejections before this really set in in my mind. When he came over to the US, I gave him one of those credit card sized tip cards that show the tip for different amounts at different % and told him to just give the 15-20% amount each time. He kept it in his wallet. He felt self-conscious, but followed it. I understand the “bad at math” excuse occasionally (i.e., you made a mistake), but there are tip cards, apps, your phone’s calculator, and just plain rounding up. If you know you are prone to mistakes, take precautions and double check. Or have your assistant double check.
Please add that garbage person Iyanla to this list, Star Magazine. She gave me “advice” as a tip when I was waiting tables at a fancy lunch place in Chicago. I mean, she condescendingly asked me questions throughout the meal as if I was some at-risk person she needed saving – I was a senior in college and this was my part-time job – and advice on how to “move on” from waitressing. Um… I know how to “move on” from waitressing. I was on my final few months there before starting my first post-grad job in my field. And yes, she actually said, “I am giving you the most valuable tip ever. I am teaching you how to help yourself.” As if I was some f***ing drug addict on her garbage show. I will forever tell this story and am pretty sure I have mentioned it in the comments here like three times, LOL.
Does anyone else have any personal stories?
I worked in a small restaurant in Akron, Ohio where Tiger Woods came in to pick up a pie one afternoon. He was in town for a golf tournament. He had given a bogus name when he called to place his to-go order and when he came in to pick it up, he gave me a $20.00 tip.
He smiled and walked out without a word. Three of us just stood there scratching our heads and going, “Was that…? I’m pretty sure that was Tiger Woods.” It was. And he apparently likes lemon pie.
I don’t understand living so cheaply if you can afford not to. If I had that money, I’d spend it… and enjoy every minute of it. But then I guess that’s why I will never be wealthy. Perhaps they are putting it all in savings and investments. But that’s just no fun to me. 🙂 Which again… goes a long way toward explaining why I’m nowhere near wealthy.
What about Barbra Streisand? Is she still alive? I thot she was the stingiest. I busted up at the image of Chinnifer at the Psychic, does the psyc wave a wand over her, or do mumbo jumbo? As for me, I tip a flat 10 %, if the service is really good, more. Once had a very snippy waitress, left her a quarter. I don’t like the ungrateful Robt Patt- if I was a barber, and he douched me like that the cops would bee on him.
I am European and indeed, I’m always struggling when tipping in New York.
It’s hard for me to accept that I need to pay 20% tip for average service, or for a meal that was already expensive, and even when ordering a drink at the bar!!
In England, 10% is standard, and a bit more for stellar service.
In France, tipping is optional.
But I do tip in NYC. Sometimes not well enough and I feel super guilty. It’s cultural.
Bar and restaurant owners must really make good money in New York because the food and drink are not cheap, and they get to hardly pay their staff!
You don’t have to leave 20% if the service isn’t good. It’s alright to leave 15% if you don’t think the service was adequate or 0% if it was awful.
Agreed. For a country that likes to think they are the best it is absolutely baffling that they can’t increase the minimum wage. Employers should be ensuring staff can live day-to-day, not customers who also have to work to live day-to-day.
Please. Psychics are scammers by nature. $150 for a “reading” is tip enough.
I don’t get why SMG was brought up at all. She and Freddie tend to keep the kids and their relationship quiet and it seems to work for them. So I can see why she would want to go places when it is not peak tourism season.
Yeah, this isn’t cheap, it’s just smart! We tend to think that everyone on this list has tens of millions to spend, but perhaps some know that what they have today won’t last forever, especially in the entertainment business. Now, if this article had said she also doesn’t tip well or acts rudely while on those vacations, then that’s another thing…
I’m sorry but why should Jennifer Aniston tip her psychic?
150$ sounds like a lot of money for a reading. She paid for the service, no tip needed and only because she’s rich doesn’t mean she has to dish out the cash as a thank you note to every single person she meets.
And so what if Angelina Jolie gets hand-me-down or second hand clothes for her kids? It would hypocritical of her to dress her kids with expensive designer clothes when she, more than anybody else, knows how kids in unfortunate countries dress, supposing that they do have rags to put on as clothes.
Regarding Jessica Alba, freebies are very expensive to produce and no one involved in that kind of industry is happy to give them away as if they were free, especially to people who are not interested in buying (but they love the freebies and all the free stuff they can get) or those who could afford to buy the product itself.
In Italy you get freebies only when you buy something, then you can ask to have a sample of a product you’d like to try and the sales people are very happy to give them to you. But if you get into a shop and ask for freebies the answer is always no.
Imo waiters should be paid a decent salary and not be put in the position to rely on tips to make a living. Period.
I agree with you 100%. But until that happens,… I’m going to be as generous a tipper as my wallet and the service of my server allows me.
I have to say as an Australian, I don’t understand this tipping ‘thing’. It is never done in Australia. In fact, there was once a pizza ad here where the delivery guy asked for a tip and the guy paying for the pizza said “be good to your mum, and do well in school”. That, was the ‘tip’. But the minimum wage here is around $18.00. I’d like to visit America one day (though I worry about guns and getting shot) but I am positively terrible at maths and the though of working out 15% or 20% leaves me sweating and my brain melting. I just don’t understand. Tipping should only be occasionally and for exceptional service, and never expected. I just can’t get my head around being expected to tip 3 or 4 times a day (meal/services on average). I just can’t deal with that. It just seems so incredibly bizarre.
You never tip in Australia? Really? I bet restaurants love you. Generally it’s not expected to tip for as many services here as in the U.S. but any restaurant it is expected, unless the service was actively awful. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t tip in restaurants here.
I’m not sure what restaurants you’ve been to, maybe the most expensive ones that only rich people go to. But I have never been to one where it is expected to tip.
Yep an Aussie here – tipping is not in our culture. I’ll leave the change or round up but would only officially tip a certain percentage at a fancy restaurant. It is not required or expected here. The staff are making good salaries, even more so on the weekends with loading rates.
I now live in Canada and am SO annoyed by the tipping culture. Staff here make more than they do in the USA (min wage 10+ bux), meal prices are expensive ($30+ for dinner and drinks at a normal place) and then I am expected to tip 15% ?!?!! It’s a joke! At least in USA the meals are cheap and gigantic so tipping isn’t a problem.
Not tipping someone who gave you a service is not the same thing as being frugal with your family. Hand-me-downs, vacations in off-season spots, flying on cheaper days – those are all frugal and they take nothing away from anyone else. Leaving your autograph for your server instead of a tip is oblivious and arrogant.
Tipping your psychic sounds like it would fall into the category of whether or not you tip the owner of a business. Tradition has it that you do not tip the owner of a salon.
I think it’s crazy to go to a psychic and I think it’s even crazier to go to a psychic who blabs to a global publication about your stinginess.
They put that Angie part in to get it noticed. otherwise why. and of course it is Angie that makes the kids wear hand me downs.. because you know..they have 2 parents but it is always her that is the bad guy.
They have 6 kids.. that’s a lot of clothes. So yes at time kids will be wearing something of their siblings. And nothing wrong with it either. I like that their kids look and dress like every child you see on a playground or going to school. Not like they are on a runway. They have a fortunate life. Their parents seem to be trying to make it as normal as they can. And just judging by pictures of all of them together; it looks to be working. They look like good and well behaved kids. And in today’s society that is a big thing.
A celebrity secondhand mattress was probably just used a few times in an already furnished house. If it’s space foam, you can clean them pretty well, and they’re antimicrobial anyway. Not that I have one, or ever will have access to one.
If you can’t afford to leave a good tip, you should not dine in a restaurant. Get fast food or cook it yourself at home. When you eat out, you are paying for the service of someone waiting on you.
Similar to what I wrote above, I agree 100%!
How much it is correct to tip in the US?
Because for example Mick Jagger’s one would have been appropiate in my country. Here in Mexico the tip is usually around 10 – 15% or 20% for an excellent service, or even not tip at all if you had a terrible service (althought this is very rare).
I’m one those people obsessed with Rob Pattinson, and he’s always talking about how cheap he is. He buys as much as he can through Craig’s List, and always bargains. I think the article is taking liberties, and drawing the wrong conclusions.
As for tipping, I always feel badly for diner waitstaff. They bust their asses as much as anyone working in a more expensive restaurant, but their tips are calculated on much smaller bills. It’s unfair they get 20% on a $15 bill, while another person gets 20% on a $100 bill.
Not sure this is completely accurate. I always see photos of Alba bringing Honest products as a gift to celeb baby showers. Actually I always think its kind of cheap & tacky if thats all she’s bringing cause its probably free for her and its free advertising for her. And Honest as a company is always offering try it free for the first month ( can cancel after receiving the freebie).
If I was Aniston I would dump that psychic, badmouthing her publicly, while she pays her $150 for an hour or so of made up stuff. Is it that easy to find other clients willing to pay that much???
Unpopular opinion, I absolutely hate the American Tipping Culture. Unless the service is exceptional, I should not have to reward you for doing your job. I used to be more understanding because I had always heard that servers and such make so little hourly. I recently learned that if a server does not make at least minimum wage with their tips, the employer is required to cover the difference. They can never actually make less than minimum wage.
That supposes that the minimum wage is enough to live on, it isn’t. It also supposes management actually follow labour laws. Even in Australia, which is much more policed on that level, the hospitality industry is notorious for underpaying.
I know plenty of people who’ve worked for less than minimum wage here and way more who’ve waited tables in the U.S. who barely get by even with tips. Your bill is low because they can pay sweet f all. It’s essentially like you’re getting your meal for 20% less than it should be and you get a choice about paying the rest. If you choose not to, it’s the workers who get stiffed, not the owners. I’m in the U.S. a couple of times a year and even with shit service I’ve never tipped less than 15%. Anything fair to middling is 20% and great service gets more. If you can afford to eat out you can afford to tip.
I doubt that any of these stories are accurate. It’s also possible someone can tip poorly one day and well the next. We don’t really have tipping in the UK. It’s either added to the bill or completely voluntary. When I was a student/traveling/unemployed, I couldn’t afford to tip. But I realize that it is a bigger deal in America.
The difference in Australia is that the wait staff are paid very well. When I was 20 (more than 10 years ago) I was working at Sizzler, and you can hardly call that even a proper restaurant. I would get $18/hr on weekdays, $22/hr on Saturdays and $25 on Sundays. Public holidays were $50 an hour.
Food is also more expensive in Australia than the US and always has been, prices are factored in more to cater for the fact they need to pay the higher wages. Tipping is not necessary, but appreciated. IMO the culture of tipping has spread from the US to other countries that pay their staff properly and it increased pressure and prices on the consumer. People from other countries aren’t always stingy, they just don’t understand the system.
I now live in Norway, where the wait staff earn very good wages, the food is the most expensive in the world (and questionable quality), yet the service is some of the worst I’ve ever experienced. It’s common to be flabbergasted when you get ‘average’ service. Don’t get me wrong I love it here, but I am realistic about it.
I just went to Canada for work and was so pleasantly surprised about how good the service was, I know how much they’re paid there, so I’m happy to tip.
Wow what a hot topic this is! I also was a former waitress back in the EARLY 80s and at that time, tipped employees got paid 1.84 an hour on their checks. And “tip” is an acronym that means “to insure promptness”. If the cooks aren’t getting the food out quick enough, the wait staff suffer. But I believe most of this article. Celebs are not gods. They are some of them good and some awful. We need to take them (and politicians and sports people) off their damn pedestals and quit paying them so much. It seems the more you get the worse you tip. I always try to give at least 20% cause I know how that life is. There were times back in the day that I lived on ramen for days at a time because I was so broke. Aw memories…
Can I just interject something on the tipping issue? The more I read comments from posters saying you must tip ‘because they are on minimum wage’, the more incredulous it seems. You could use that about any occupation. If you follow that line of thought, you should tip anyone on minimum wage, you should not argue with police officers over a ticket because ‘they have a hard enough job as it is’, don’t question a teacher about their methods or doubt them ever, because ‘they have a hard enough job as it is, and are not paid much’. Etc, etc. Why are people expected to subsidise people’s employment choices? If it is that bad for wait staff in America – find a new job! It is not my or your, nor should it be, job to prop up waiters. It’s sad they’re on minimum wage. But that isn’t your fault nor your responsibility. I simply cannot believe people are saying that you SHOULD tip, JUST because they are minimum wage. Sorry, but that is not my responsibility.
And this feeds into my next point, that the passive acceptance of the minimum wage, leads to as I said, an acceptance, that it’s ‘the way things are’. Well, it shouldn’t be, and of course, nothing will change unless the attitude changes. Don’t waiters over there have unions? Don’t they go on strike etc? If waiters here (average wage is $18) were paid so low, ACOSS (Australian Council of Social Services), and various unions would be blocking the Industrial relations tribunal up and causing chaos. In fact, paying someone as low as $3 an hour would cause nation-wide outrage and severe business disruption. If these waiters don’t mobilise, have advocacy/unions/associations marching in the streets, striking etc to force increase in wages, well, nothing will ever change. Ever. I am shocked and saddened by what I am reading. Not just the propping up of and casual acceptance of such low wages which would never be accepted anywhere else in a first world developed country, but the fact that there seems to be no unions? Back in the early 90s, one of the conservative opposition leaders wanted to introduce (or rather, reduce) $3 an hour rates for children(teens). The country went berserk at the slavery and abuse. The mere idea of teens being forced to work for only $3 an hour. He lost the 18-21 vote massively. As well as others. Needless to say, he lost the next election. Soundly. It sounds like America need to have a thing called unions. It is not compulsory to be in any union here, but every workplace/organisation etc has one. And here, the unions would be causing mass chaos and disruption and social welfare agencies, ACOSS would be absolutely destroying the govt. By saying you need to tip, because of the fact they are poorly paid, simply entrenches that practice. All wait staff should be striking on mass. I cannot believe what I am reading here. I just can’t. Nothing will change, unless waiters and others FORCE that change through sheer power of the people and enterprise bargaining. An interesting link on American vs Australian wages from an American perspective. http://salvatorebabones.com/fair-work-fair-pay-lessons-from-australia/ Also http://www.actu.org.au/ and http://www.acoss.org.au/ and some say the starting point of fixing employee/business wage relations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prices_and_Incomes_Accord
@Tarsha + 1000 for what you said above. As a European I also cannot understand why Americans don’t get more indignant about the fact that waiters and waitresses are paid so little that they are completely reliant on the tips they receive from customers to make a living. WHY??? What are the logical reasons for that? I am honestly flabbergasted, can somebody explain to me? Is waiting tables an inferior kind of work that employers do not need to pay a proper wage for? If that were logical , it should apply to other kinds of jobs that you don’t need much education for. Though I have been a waitress on and off for about 10 years here, while completing my education, and I can vouch for the fact that it is NOT easy at all. Also, if it is possible for employers to pay a decent wage to waiters and waitresses in other parts of the world, why wouldn’t it be possible in the U.S.?
I would like to add that when I visited the U.S., I tipped much more than I do here in restaurants, but it did feel strange.
Oops, I just now realized that I’m a day late responding to this post!
Not only that… our fast-food and retail workers make so little, they depend on welfare. Wal-Mart and McDonalds are basically subsidized by taxpayers because they pay their workers so little that more than half of them still qualify for welfare. When people point the finger at “welfare queens” for burdening the public, I’m always flabbergasted. It’s the multi-billionaires who benefit the most from public aid.
It’s not even that they’re on minimum wage, though. In my state, minimum wage is $7.25. My friends who are servers? They make $2.15 per hour. The rest is tips. On slow days, you don’t even make the equivalent of minimum wage WITH good tips.
Also, that “to insure promptness” thing is just an expression — and a misspelled expression, at that. It would be “ensure” if it was spelled correctly, so “tep”… unless you’re insuring the state of promptness against future damages? Nope. It doesn’t make sense anyway… you tip AFTER the service is rendered.
As a rule when eating out, I always try to tip at least 20%, and better (30%+) or worse (10%) depending on level of service.
I understand it’s part of U.S. culture to supplement the wages of service providers through tips but I wish we had a better federal minimum wage in place so more people could have a better chance of decent living wage. Then people could tip more honestly without guilt/obligation possibly playing role in the process.
I’m glad this topic sparked a lot of discussion on here because it’s something that needs more attention. Congress needs to step up and do something better for service workers instead of passing that responsibility onto consumers. Perhaps Bernie Sanders could draft new legislation on this issue if he gets elected, since he supports unions. Something’s got to give.
They don’t even get minimum wage in most states… more like a third of it.
Wow, I had no idea. Pretty sad.
There is a HUGE difference between not tipping or refusing to pay for something versus buying items secondhand or having your children wear hand me down clothes. The first is being cheap and obnoxious. It also affects *others* salaries. The second is being thrifty, kind to the environment and putting forth an effort not to create entitled, spoiled brats. BIG DIFFERENCE!!
I waited tables in a posh Hollywood neighborhood for years & years and cannot stand those celebrities who tip poorly or worse, don’t tip. My crew and I were always beyond pissed when certain celebs would leave 10% or nothing at all, especially for the $ they have. We weren’t asking or expecting some rich tip, just the standard. A particular LA Lakers player would get his meal comped every time he came and still left nothing for the server. A former super model would leave 10%. One actress from one of the biggest nighttime, hit shows that ran in the70’s and 80’s thought leaving some (about a 1/2 glass) expensive wine in the bottle for the server was generous enough to be considered a tip. Doesn’t pay the bills folks. All of these stars’ names got to be well known around town by word-of-mouth amongst wait staff so when they would go anywhere, servers would beg not to get them in their station.
No matter where you live, if you can’t afford to tip then don’t go out to eat. Servers work hard for their money just like you and do live off of tips.
And for foreigners who don’t understand or like the tipping customs in the U.S….
I consider that when I travel to another country, I look up and become familiar with what the tipping and other customs are in that country and follow them. I don’t bring my country’s customs with me and force them on you when I’m a guest in your country because that’s how we do it back home. Yes, it would be great if servers made a livable annual salary instead of next to nothing hourly and have to live off of tips. But since that’s not the case, tip them properly. It’s just how it is here.
Haha that’s a good joke… Americans are the biggest culture pushers ever! “Where’s the McDonald’s?” – overheard in countries all across Europe said by Americans who want “familiar food”. Sheesh.
Ive seen them having bizarre conversations with servers all over the world when they’ve been told tipping is not customary and to please not force it. It’s actually offensive in France. Yet there’s always some white knight American who thinks they’re doing the ‘right’ thing by forcing their custom on others.
Yes, I’ve seen that too. Cringe worthy. Not all Americans are alike. Just as all foreigners aren’t alike. I’ve seen several ‘ugly Americans’ when traveling who make me want to crawl under a table. I wouldn’t spend the time or money to travel to Barcelona to eat at McDonalds & am perplexed at those that do.
I wouldn’t say the Americans who tip when it’s not necessary in most countries overseas, you mentioned France, think they are white knights. Because of the tipping custom they grew up with here, they think a server is just being polite in saying it isn’t necessary but are afraid they won’t get paid if they don’t tip. I’ve been with several who do that and it’s not from a place of arrogance just abundant caution of not wanting to screw someone over.
My husband and I, when going out to supper, tip. Always. 20 %. If the service was outstanding..more. And we have had some outstanding service. I feel if we are going to drop a couple hundy, we can be generous too.
When traveling..we ALWAYS tip the maid. ALWAYS everyday, and not at the end of our stay, as it could be a different person everyday. I feel they dont get recognition for the shit work they do.
I tip my nail lady and hairdresser too.
I also shop at thrift stores and love a good bargin.
But as for the used mattress…
A long long time ago, I had barely any money. I worked my ass off for my kids. I slept on the floor for two years, as my ex got the bed. My kids had beds. When I got ahead a bit, i bought a used mattress. What a blessing.
Later, years later, my boyfriend, now husband, bought me a brand new beautiful bedroom set. Sleigh bed. Omg. I wont change it. I love him for it.
Second hand mattress, not really. Depends on how you got it and you can’t tell from the article. Have a friend that bought the whole bedroom set on craigslist or a similar site. Turns out the guy had just bought it and in less that two months was offered a better job position in a different country, catch, no relocation costs. So he sold his stuff.