To not want to leave a tip ?

[cookieswirls]

Went for a meal tonight nothing fancy just pizza and my friend seemed mortified that I didn't leave a tip. I was paying for our meal and I generally don't leave tips. Ive never left a tip for anyone actually not taxi drivers, hairdressers, waiters is that mean of me ?

Did you know that employers can count tips as part of your wages and are therefore within their rights to pay less than the minimum wage as it's then made up by tips? It's hardly ever done that way TBH but in reality it could be. Also tips are taxable along with their wages. I have worked as a waitress while doing an adult college course and there are times when customers would treat something they've stepped in on the street better than they treat waiting staff. If I've had a good service I tip. It's a centuries old tradition and it tops up the wages to a "living wage" not minimum wage

Not really. Some posters have managed to keep on point without repeatedly calling other posters 'scrooges' and 'stingy' and myriad other insults. It's an interesting debate when it doesn't get personal

You said someone was pompous, that you were cringing for her because she said if someone she was with didn't tip, or they undertipped, she made up for it by tipping more.

Yet here you are now saying it's an interesting debate when it doesn't get personal.

dawn

Why shouldnt tips be taxed

A chain of restarurants recently got told off for taking the staffs tips

Makes me want to not go there anymore

dawn the gov.uk website says that employers can't use tips to bring pay up to NMW, they have to pay NMW to start with. But yes, they are taxable.

In the UK, the purpose of a tip is to reward a server for exceptional service.

Nope.

Tip definition: to give someone who has provided you with a service an extra amount of money to thank them

That's it. The rest is heresay based on personal values, opinions, stories or excuses.

So to answer Op definitively...

You never tip, you have never tipped, and you want to know if that is mean. Yes that is mean. Not mean as in unkind but mean as in stingy. You have never considered going over and above on your side of the bargain (payment) and I'd hazard a guess that in your whole life you have received service that goes over and above their side of the bargain.

There is a real misconception here about what is good service and what is the bare minimum.

Good service is everything running smoothly, or issues being resolved gracefully and promptly. That's enough to warrant a gratuity.

As to the convention of tipping - actually a red herring here. You asked if a blanket policy of not tipping is mean (stingy), implying that you can afford to tip (as you didn't mention otherwise) and the answer is yes.

MrsPeelyWally, I did and they were. I didn't though keep on banging on about it on every single post that I made subsequently as other posters have done.

The other subtle (or not so subtle) difference is that nobody has derided posters who tip for an already-paid for service. It's their choice to do so. The people who don't want to tip or who do so for exceptional service only, have been called 'misers', 'stingy', 'cheap' etc.

I was wrong about this subject being interesting though, it's really not. It's an excuse for 'sides' and insults and it's just repetitive now with an undercurrent of nastiness and I find that boring.

The nastiness suited you fine when you used the expression empty kettles.

You aren't the only one who has had a go for what I assume is because I don't speak properly in your perception, but I'm so proud I stood up for myself instead of letting you scare me away because we disagree.

That has been a helpful experience for me. In all sincerity, thank you for that. I can't make that sound like it isn't snide, but it isn't. I'm grateful for this experience.

Fame, I've never wanted or intended to 'scare you away from the thread' (yet more hyperbole from you), in fact, I've ignored your posts for most of this thread because they were nonsensical. Your reasoning is nothing more than opinion and conjecture about what other people do and their reasoning for that. You're not the definitive voice of the hospitality and service industry however much you might believe it.

You've frequently quoted my posts and still I haven't responded so please, let's not have any delusions of you being stilted by me. I have no idea who you are and, really couldn't care less how you speak, the words you use, punctuation, spelling, whatever. In fact, I stand up for posters when these things are criticised.

What I don't like about your posts is your condescension and your absolute believe that your view is definitive. It isn't. It's largely opinion and other people have different ones. Personally, I don't care for your views but they affect me not a jot as I will do what I think is right, not kowtow to somebody who wants to harangue people into something else. As I've said on the thread, all that has been achieved is that rather than mindlessly adding extra money to a lacklustre service, I will no longer do that so... thank you for that.

I haven't agreed or liked you on this thread but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't wholeheartedly agree with you on another. I've said my piece on this one now I think.

In my defence I've never once said that anyone has to tip - simply said that if you dont you are stingy.
I stand by that, which was the answer to the original question.
I am sorry you felt harangued, I think that has been misinterpreted. I was trying to stand up for myself and the face of you speaking about me to other people but not addressing me - e.g. implying that I was an empty kettle was a totally personal attack.

Another poster who I will not name but I see them on regularly told everyone to ignore me! That post was thankfully deleted.

I hope you can see why I felt I had to stand up for myself. You can't start personally attacking people just because you're frustrated that they won't agree with your opinion.

Please don't feel bad, it didn't affect me negatively ( like I said before it has actually been quite a positive experience) but it was something I refused to let happen without challenging.

Some of this behaviour on here has undoubtedly been much worse than a poster coming on and answering the OPs question with an honest answer - stating someone's behaviour is defined as stingy.

I didn't ask the question I simply answered it.

Believe me Fame when I say to you that if I'd wanted to address your posts I would have done so directly, I have never needed the 'cover' of another poster to say anything. I myself stopped engaging with you after your 'list of complaints' about working in the waiting service, which I challenged you on you refused to answer. All fine but that is the point at which your posts were skimmed past.

There have been other posters on this thread and just because you think my points were directed to you, doesn't make them so. They weren't.

I don't feel harangued by you or any other poster but the tone is that because of the obdurate stance that some posters have about tipping and their manner of communicating that. Endlessly repeating the same old name-calling isn't acceptable - to me at any rate.

I hope that's cleared things up.

The rest is heresay based on personal values, opinions, stories or excuses.

Like this:

Good service is everything running smoothly, or issues being resolved gracefully and promptly. That's enough to warrant a gratuity.

Richard I understand your post, but that is the generally accepted description of good service.

All of this is definition territory. I can refuse to be generous and you can choose to be stingy. That is the definition. I'm not even sure I have a problem with stingy - some of my friends are. I personally like being generous I enjoy it. You can't take it with you when you lie down for the last snooze.

You can refuse that should say.

Although maybe I should say 'one' so it's not taken personally

I like being generous too. I've been having a blast Christmas shopping, finding presents people will enjoy. Sooo much more gratifying than receiving presents!

That's a really interesting context. Can we be generous in one area of our lives and stingy in another? And I suppose the answer is of course yes.

Nice point.

Well of course - we all choose where to spend our money and where not to.

I'm sure in some threads you are reasonable, and in this one you've chosen to be goady and rude. It doesn't define you as a person.

That was a little bit predictable, but you can have it.

So generous!

I was brought up to only tip in restaurants, sometimes I let the local Chinese delivery guy keep the change if im not skint .. lol

What's the name of the game Richard! Give give give !