Tip Cups

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Discuss.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Almost always!  It's not like restaurants where a certain percentage is the way to do things, and it's a very simple act of generosity. 

[Franzl]

Alright, I'll be honest here... (almost) never.

[dead0man]

Almost never.  But I rarely see them.  I'm a man, so I don't buy fancy coffees

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Almost never.  But I rarely see them.  I'm a man, so I don't buy fancy coffees

^ Is that a thing in middle America?  A buddy of mine from Alabama labeled me a fruit after I opted for Irish Creme Cappuccino over black w/sugar. 

[dead0man]

Nah, I was just ribbing dudes (in a very non-serious way) that buy them.  There are plenty of men (including friends of mine that I give sh**t to for it) that buy them around here.

[tik 🪀✨]

Rarely. In the states I did it more often, mostly to get rid of change or if someone was doing an outstanding job. I love watching skilled people work hard. The last time I went to the states we had a cancelled flight and were put up in a hotel, all expenses paid - including one meal and free reign at the bar. So I got to see the bartender singlehandedly serve 150 people who were ordering just whatever the hell they could chug down for three hours after he was supposed to have finished for the night. The guy did it like a legend, zipping around keeping track of everything. You bet your ass I gave him some of my own cash after that.

Which makes me an jerk, I know, because people are busting their asses all the time that I don't see, but, you know, I'm.. forgetful and lazy. And a jerk.

[homelycooking]

Nah, I don't tip. I don't believe in it.

[King]

I rarely pay in cash

[MadmanMotley]

Sometimes. I used to pay with cash a lot and any change I knew would just sit in my car forever or would jangle in my pocket I would drop in the jar. Now that I use a debit card, almost never.

[angus]

Sometimes.  Like, if it's held by someone wrapped in a blanket on a park bench who really looks like he could use a meal I donate all my spare change, or if it has a sign on it that says something like "help little Timmy get a surgery that will allow him to play baseball" then I'll leave a bill.  If it's in front of a guitar player on the street, I leave all my spare change or a bill.  If it's just one of those that says "TIPS" in a restaurant where you walk up to the counter and order and they hand you the order, then of course never.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Rarely,  I'm always afraid to drop a dollar or two in because people will think it is "too little" or "two much" depending on the circumstance. I only see them at fast food joints, so I don't even know if the money goes to the server or cashier who I interacted with.

[TDAS04]

Rarely. 

[Goldwater]

Most of the time. Mainly because I don't like holding on to lose change.

[checkers]

What happens to the money once you put it in? Does it get split between the cashiers/servers, or go to the owner of the restaurant? I don't tip here in Australia, but if I was overseas I think I'd prefer to just tip my server directly.

[memphis]

I rarely pay in cash

A small behavioral economics observation for everybody: As I've mentioned before, I have a lot of experience in food service, at several different types of establishments. I've done the bookstore cafe/coffeeshop, Chili's (for about a week in college; such a craphole), fine dining Northern Italian, and pizza delivery. I've seen a lot of how tipping works and doesn't work. Anyhow, as I'm sure most people know, when you order food from a restaurant and pay by credit card, the piece of paper you must sign to get your food includes a line where you add your tip. Cash carryout customers almost never tip. It's fine. It's not really expected. However, when people pay by credit card, they see that tip line and start to feel guilty. Ignoring a tip jar is one thing. Writing a big zero and then signing your name is something else entirely. Plenty of people don't want to have to write that zero and end up tipping a dollar or two even though everybody knows damn well very few people tip when paying by cash. I'm sure Jerry Seinfeld (with the help of Larry David, of course) could do a 20 minute sitcom about the absurdity of it all.

[Bacon King]

What happens to the money once you put it in? Does it get split between the cashiers/servers, or go to the owner of the restaurant? I don't tip here in Australia, but if I was overseas I think I'd prefer to just tip my server directly.

Places with tip jars generally divide them among all hourly employees, either equally or in proportion to how many hours everyone works. It's rare but sometimes the owner of a locally-owned business will furtively take a significant portion of the tips for themselves before dividing it among their employees (the stereotype I've heard is that Indian men are specifically prone to doing this). Restaurants where you are expected to tip your server don't have a tip jar; instead, the company gives a "tip out" to the rest of the staff (hostess, busboy, cook, etc) based on a portion of the days sales or sometimes they force the servers to tip out a portion of the tips they report

[patrick1]

Almost always, I overtip and have probably blown a bunch of money over the years. It makes me feel good to help working people in any way I can.  The Hindi deli that I get my morning coffee everyday doesnt do tip cups but I slip the guy $20 every few months.

[angus]

A small behavioral economics observation for everybody: As I've mentioned before, I have a lot of experience in food service, at several different types of establishments. I've done the bookstore cafe/coffeeshop, Chili's (for about a week in college; such a craphole), fine dining Northern Italian, and pizza delivery. I've seen a lot of how tipping works and doesn't work. Anyhow, as I'm sure most people know, when you order food from a restaurant and pay by credit card, the piece of paper you must sign to get your food includes a line where you add your tip. Cash carryout customers almost never tip. It's fine. It's not really expected. However, when people pay by credit card, they see that tip line and start to feel guilty. Ignoring a tip jar is one thing. Writing a big zero and then signing your name is something else entirely. Plenty of people don't want to have to write that zero and end up tipping a dollar or two even though everybody knows damn well very few people tip when paying by cash. I'm sure Jerry Seinfeld (with the help of Larry David, of course) could do a 20 minute sitcom about the absurdity of it all.

Intriguing observation.  

Actually, there was one episode where George gave the eggplant calzone guy a dollar in a tip jar, but the guy didn't see him, and he thought that if the guy didn't see him it didn't count, so he reached his hand in there to get his dollar out in order to try again when the guy was looking, but the guy noticed him just as he stuck his hand in the tip jar.  Of course the eggplant calzone guy thought he was stealing from the tip jar and refused to sell him any more calzones. 

Not exactly what you were talking about, but the idea is similar:  the tip doesn't arise from altruism or from generosity, but from other, self-centered considerations.

[checkers]

What happens to the money once you put it in? Does it get split between the cashiers/servers, or go to the owner of the restaurant? I don't tip here in Australia, but if I was overseas I think I'd prefer to just tip my server directly.

Places with tip jars generally divide them among all hourly employees, either equally or in proportion to how many hours everyone works. It's rare but sometimes the owner of a locally-owned business will furtively take a significant portion of the tips for themselves before dividing it among their employees (the stereotype I've heard is that Indian men are specifically prone to doing this). Restaurants where you are expected to tip your server don't have a tip jar; instead, the company gives a "tip out" to the rest of the staff (hostess, busboy, cook, etc) based on a portion of the days sales or sometimes they force the servers to tip out a portion of the tips they report

Thanks for the information! Knowing that I probably would put money in the tip jar. It's terrible though that some employers take money from them, since wait staff are generally so poorly paid.