Propina or Con? Got any tips?

[3mptyseat]

Propina? or Con? Any Tips?



When talking with a group of buddies over the dirty and empty plates of a meal this morning at lucky chances in colma, ca, we got to the inevitable issue of the bill... And with that issue, the obligatory bashing of one of our friends who is notorious for leaving pathetically small tips to waitresses around the country... As per usual, the other 3 of us came out of pocket another half of what we were gonna leave, figuring that makes a better than normal tip for the gal... While the other two guys were giving Saul, our non-tipping friend some shit (but not nearly as much as he has undoubtedly eaten at the hands of a malcontent wait staff who had been stiffed by him on an earlier visit), I sat thinking about tipping in general. I especially considered the variant amounts and the reasons that I, and for that matter, society, put behind the gesture.

Part of the thing that had me staring into space, mouth agape, --just 3 hours ago in the cafe there on the side of a hill in Colma, CA, home to 20 times more dead folks than alive folks-- was the fact that I give a different amount to a mid stakes dealer than I do to a low stakes dealer; kinda weird since they preform the same task. Isn't it? Also, I don't give nearly as much to a floorman as I do a dealer over the course of a week, but some floorman I know have called me and let me know when the main game would open and even told me whose name's were on the list; surely worth more than dealing some cards, right?

And why do I give some smug a55h*le a larger tip at a fancy restaurant when the ladies at the local cafe are assuredly supporting children and living at a lower quality of life while working harder and for less? And that got me on to the bartender issue; I have lived with buddies who bar-tended, one of which in college, and I know for many of the student alcoholics, they would tip $1 per round on regularly priced nights. But on cheap nights, and ladies free nights, my old roommate would rake in $2 or more on each transaction, bc the customer was so elated to be getting a deal... I have a running argument with Saul, who hates tipping bartenders also, that bar-tending can be brutal. I compared it to babysitting, but with oft violent, loud, full-grown kids. Well, "Just ask ur wife, we all know what you are like when you drink." I argued.

As is the case with my end-of-session internal dialogue, my head was racing... I have such bad ADHD that its difficult for me to speak sometimes. The words I have picked to formulate the sentence I am speaking are often lost amongst the words I am formulating for the next sentence; and this is especially tru at the end of the day... I am always getting ahead of myself... So as I zoomed back and forth between thoughts on who I tip, and why, I was also juggling that internal dialogue where I speak to myself as a separate person like, "Wow, Dustin, who is that hot new girl dealing blackjack?" and "...should I pre-pay for tomorrows tourney?".

And then it came to me that there is a glaring omission amongst all the people in the service industry that get gratuity's from me. The cabbie gets one, maybe 10% or so. The waitress, 15-20% usually, but in some cases of bad service, nothing at all. The bartender, well, that depends on how busy the place is, and how likely I can buy his love for a later time when the place is packed and I need him to favor me in a crowd of loud and pushy drunks... Security guards at casinos, check, at least 2 bucks to the door man on every final exit, bc u want friends when ur in San Pablo walking out at 3:30 am and u have 82 Ben Franklins in ur pocket... (IMO, u want friends like security guards in San Pablo with 2 ben franklins in ur pocket) The dealers, the floor guys, the chip runners, the cashiers, check, we covered them...

Oh I got it now, I have omitted the CSRs at the online casinos... Some of you are laughing. That was at least part of my initial reaction to this idea. I mean, you lose you lose you lose, some of us complain, and others bonus beg, these csr's def. fall in the degree of difficulty category for tipping, don't they?
Wait, if I am basing my whole set of standards for gratuity on certain criteria, surely they fall well above most service peoples right to be on that list? Right?

"What is my criteria then?" I thought to myself...

By the time I got to this thought, the change had come back and so, it was time to go home... I couldn't stop thinking about this though, so I stayed on topic in my head as we drove home. And I realized that given the private nature of transactions with the casinos online, I may very well not know how anyone else handles tips to casino staff online, if at all...

Before I ask what I came here this morning to ask the CM membership about, I figured I better make a list of the folks I do tip currently, and why they fall into the sub categories that may or may not fall under the 'customary' label....

Well, it occurred to me that there are three main reasons that we tip, and so I listed them below and the jobs that fall under each reason. Maybe I have over thought this bc most of these could fall into a much larger and much more vague reason, which is, "its customary". Well, honestly, that would be enough for me... But coupled with the hardship reasons I detail below, custom clearly does not influence ppl like my buddy Saul to tip all the time, and when it does, he still has trouble with the amounts... Anyway...

-Low minimum wage-they count on tips to survive; waitresses mainly but also the rest of the kitchen staff and people don't always realize, a lot of gratuities trickle down, they are not all pocketed by the cute server girl...

-Difficulty and Professionalism; dealers fall into this category, some talk all friggin night and put out 30 hands an hour and make errors, don't keep the game moving, u know what I mean... Then there are the good ones; they get more tips from me...

-Convenience or Service: The valet gets one bc it fosters trust, and maybe, a more careful approach. The cabbie gets one because he sped when I needed him to, he runs lights when I need him to, he talks about what I wanna talk about, lol... The floorman provides info, the security guard, muscle, and back to the big picture; the CSR's I deal with quite often deal with a whole raft of stuff that makes them tip worthy; bitching, moaning, busy periods when the clients are in a fury, slow hours and periods when the clock just won't move... Also, they handle my payouts, surely they deserve something?


Any additions I am leaving out?

Any opinions on the reasons I defined? And other reasons?

I know its different all around the world, can we get some feedback on how its different?
I know that the standards vary so very much from country to country and in places there is a custom against the practise. And I realize that there are customary amounts in many of the individual situations. Please feel free to comment on these differences.

OK, now that you have thought about that...
When I am playing NLHE, I tip from $1 to $3 dollars on most every pot I scoop, save for chop situations with blinds only, or very few chips... And when playing live blackjack, depending on the limit I a playing, I generally tip $1 or $5 per winning hand, and after great sessions, a lump sum as I leave... In the poker casinos of northern California, we have chip runners, floor people, the cashiers, and of course, the restaurant wait staff, that any reasonable poker player 'takes care of' after a transaction or a winning hand... And many of these people I have just met, and rather, just laid eyes upon for the first time in my life. But given the lower-than-living-wage wage that most brick n mortar casino employees work for, its an etiquette that I think most people who visit casinos regularly abide by.

And so I get to the real question... Do any of you tip the CSR's or managers at the online places u play? One bulk amount around the holidays maybe? Or maybe not?

Given all of the losing that we read about, its perfectly acceptable to not even consider it... But when ur the type who gets to blaming and yelling, well, maybe some of the abuse deserves a tip? IDK, I was just thinking and wondering what ur policies are...

[De Beuker]

Maybe a dumb question, but how can you possibly tip an online CSR agent?
Not that I plan to do that, just curious.
Ask them for their bankaccountnumber?

[Mousey]

If I'd ever encountered any CSR online that had truly helped me and who actually READ all those emails and/or chat... then this might be worth discussing. As it is...

(Side note: I personally think it should be illegal to pay anyone less than minimum wage.

And just for the record, I worked as a waitress for years, made decent money at it -- some weeks. Years ago... my wages were $2 per hour... we used to have to pay income taxes on 10% of food sold. And if we were hit with a week of big family tables, and/or under/no tippers, well there ya go... we paid taxes on money we never made. Things may be different now -- I hope.)

[petro]

Personally I do not think that online casino staff deserve to be tipped.
The casinos make gross amounts of money somewhere between 10-100 million/year. They should be able to support their own staff.

Here in Australia we do not tip. (Thank God.)
I would 'tip' a Taxi driver every now and then by saying keep the change but only if it is a small amount like 50c.

Funny Tipping Story
Once I said to a young girl working in a corner store; 'Keep the change.' I had bought something that was 3.95 and gave her $4.
She did not immediatly know that it was 5c and got excited about it.
She said thanks and it was her first tip ever! She yelled out to her mother in the back of the store that she had just got her first tip.
I got out of there quickly before she realised it was only 5c. lol

[colly]

Here in Australia we do not tip. (Thank God.)

SOme AUstralians do tip!! but it is not a mandatory requirement like the USA but volunary for service rather than to make up pay - our wages are better and the mnimum wage much better. It has become common place to tip reaturant and hospitality staff and I often tip taxidrivers.

I also tip the cashiers at the casino.

I won't tip for poor or barely average service though. I do tip overseas where is is is the custom

[3mptyseat]

@colly: u tip the online cashiers?

[oldtrvlagt]

Let's put it this way....the last time I cashed out ($250 from a $50 birthday chip at Slotastic) Slotastic took $30 for their processing fee, their processor took $40 and my bank charges $10.40 for an incoming wire which left me with $169.60...I'm pretty sure enough people got their "tip"

[SlotMonster]

OMG, withdraw 250 and get 169

[Jasminebed]

Where there is live blackjack, I believe there is a method to tip. Think we also had a dealer a number of years ago say they didn't really get them. Some other dealer, they were pooled. I guess it depends where you work.

I recall reading where a member "tipped" Palace of Fat Chance to get her withdrawal in a more timely manner.

3Dice's gifting feature can be used to tip the CSRs. I've never have myself, but another member posted he did. I have exemplary service without tipping, and I don't think it's customary.

I always tip cabbies, unless they are rude or fail to pull into my driveway.

Don't forget to tip your hairdresser either.

[chayton]

I tip like crazy if I get really good service anywhere. I tip the guy who brings my chinese food, I tip the chick who serves me my Starbucks, I tip at the hairdresser or if I go for a manicure or out for dinner. Even if the service isn't exemplary I tip - a lesser amount, but still. I tip at the casinos for a hand pay or the drinkie girl or whoever has their hand out.

Actually I remember asking one online CSR if they'd take a tip and they said they weren't allowed to accept one - I can't remember which casino it was, I thought it was at 3Dice, but I'm probably mistaken.