While I wait for Whomageddon to finish airing so I can download, here's a poll!

[gogmagog]

[Poll #1218262]

I'm just curious about the art of tipping; I'm well-versed in the art of restaurant tipping (having grown up with "home cooking" being various Kansas City restaurants), but I'm always unsure when it comes to those other kinds of tips how much I should give. (I usually end up going for the high side of what I think is acceptable, because I'd rather err on the generous side, but then I wonder whether I'm tipping TOO highly.)

Note that I ask for "on average"; what I mean by that is, how much would you tip for acceptable to good service in this area? Also, if any of these results don't apply, or you have other thoughts about tipping and such, post them in the comments!

Comments

[braaaiiins.livejournal.com]

AGH GODDAMMIT WHY ISN'T THERE A TORRENT YET??

Although I've heard it's kind of ridiculous.

Also, re: your poll. I only tip at restaurants (15 percent) because I have my hair cut at home, do not use cabs, and am not going to tip a barista for getting me a muffin out of the display case or whatever (I don't really drink coffee).

[yoshitsune.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I usually don't get coffee either, and while I feel fine tipping if I get a strawberries and cream frappucino or whatever, I do always feel vaguely stupid tipping for having them get me a cookie and a bottle of water. That's part of why I did this, so I can get a feel for how tipping usually works with other people.

And I don't use cabs that often either, but I do on rare occasions (like the other day it was storming cats and dogs when a friend and I got out of a Shakespeare play, and since we'd walked I called us a cab), so I figure it's worth figuring out.

[braaaiiins.livejournal.com]

Also, according to the internet, you should totes tip your cab driver fifteen percent. I just put down ten percent or less because if I only ever occasionally use a cab, I don't really care if my stinginess causes poor service or whatever.

[braaaiiins.livejournal.com]

Also, even if I had need of these services, I'd probably still only tip at restaurants (and only because it's hella customary or whatever), because I am really cheap.

Like, really cheap.

[yoshitsune.livejournal.com]

See, I'm not normally particularly cheap, but with restaurants I'm ESPECIALLY not cheap because I worked as a waiter for a couple of months in England and realized just how hard of a job it is to do well (for the record, I did NOT do it very well, since I have very little confidence when dealing with strange people; I got busted from waiter down to part-time waiter/part-time busboy because I sucked so badly at it), and so I appreciate the skill involved and how important tips are, having cursed customers of my own who didn't tip.

(And actually, tips are more important here in the US than they ever were in England; there we were required by law to be paid minimum wage, and got tips on top of that, whereas here waitstaff can be paid much less than minimum wage with the expectation that they'll make it up in tips. I think minimum wage in the US for waitstaff, last I heard, was less than $3/hr.)

[yoshitsune.livejournal.com]

Also I hear your pain re: torrent not being available. WHYYYYYY

And of course it'll be ridiculous, it's Doctor Who! (But for values of "ridiculous" which also have connotations of "ridiculously awesome.") I just hope for some unexpected naked Jack and some Donna and Sarah Jane awesomeness. (Also of course that, um, the cliffhanger from last week will be resolved to my satisfaction...being purposely vague for folks on my flist who may not have seen last week's ep yet.)

[braaaiiins.livejournal.com]

Well, I'll reserve judgment until there are more comments on this episode's TWoP thread and/or a plot summary on wikipedia (or until I see the episode. wevs.).