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Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

adammontecalvo — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:08:57 -0000

Top of the mornin to ya Ray,

The reason why you are so negative about the tipping situation is because you are obviously angry about your current income situation. As stated above. You don't like the tipping rule because you don't have enough to tip that way. You need to understand something. When income is low and times are hard don't take out your frustration on someone else. Mainly a waiter or waitress. To expect everything to be perfect all the time in your dining experince is a bit much. Life is not fair sometimes and people aren't perfect. When God takes you through a season where money is tight he is testing your character. How will you react? Will you trust Him with your currently bleak situtation? God will never leave you in a negative position. You also don't want to keep going through the same test and failing. So Ray here is your word from the Lord "PASS THE TEST"

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

adammontecalvo — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:41:28 -0000

WOW Julie!

I would love to wait on you. You embody Love, Joy, Peace, Paitience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Selfcontrol. I almost thought that Jesus himself wrote this comment. Here is the deal Julie. God has blessed you when you clearly don't deserve it. So be a Blessing to someone else who might not deserve it.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

facebook-573923155 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:59:42 -0000

When i first started serving over a year ago I thought it would be interesting serving the 'after church' crowd. I was wrong. First week of serving I had a lady from a church group walk out and not pay.

If I have to work Sunday morning I am still going to give you great service. It's just that I know the odds of me having to put up with some really nasty stuff is greater.

I have had church people outright stiff me, yell at me, tell me I shouldn't work on Sunday, and steal from me. Very sad witness.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

sphericaltime — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:18:40 -0000

Hey, I'm that gay guy mentioned in one of those posts earlier. I do try to tip at least 20% always, but that's just because my first summer job was busing tables and I know how it feels to get few tips (although since I wasn't a server I never noticed the Sunday pattern).

I just wanted to make a comment on another group: bellmen at hotels. I did it for a couple of months back in the day and remember several encounters.

A lot of hotels don't have bellmen anymore, and so there are people that don't understand that like servers, their main source of income is tips. A dollar per bag is fine for a light load, two is better.

But I remember several large families that would require heavily laden carts filled up to the absolute top of the cart that would give me a dollar or two while asking me if I was a Christian or quoting the Bible to me. Between loading the cart, managing to get everything to the room and avoiding the kids, it seemed like a bit of an insult.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

ImDavidMiller — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:55:09 -0000

I worked in restaurants for years!
I knew as soon as I saw a table bow their heads to pray that my tip would suck.
Sometimes it was insult to injury when their would be a track that looked like a dollar. Like that's a enticing invite to faith.
I don't think most people realize how little servers make. $2.15 in some states! They are counting on the tips and it's frustrating that people don't understand that.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

ImDavidMiller — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:48:24 -0000

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Stacie — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:59:10 -0000

I'm a Christian, and I've worked as a server and in retail. When I began at both jobs, I kind of didn't want to work Sundays just so I could do church and stuff, but I was excited about working after church so I could maybe meet other Christians. I grew to loathe Sundays. Not only are the after-church crowds stingy, they're mean! They expect things that can't be given, and are very unforgiving. I made about half the amount I made on other days when I had to work Sunday.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Christy — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:10:38 -0000

As a server who is also scraping my way through college, I know personally that it is more than true about christian tippers being the worst.

And I'm appalled by the people on here who support not tipping.

Most people on a wait staff make about $2 an hour, and that goes straight to taxes. A paycheck for 2 weeks worth of work for me might have $12 on it. Sometimes nothing.

Pretty much every week I have tables that will tip me a pathetic 5% and then leave a church bulletin or flier for me. As if that is going to make me want to visit their church.

We need, rely, and count on our 15% at LEAST

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Christy — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:10:38 -0000

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Mikes — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:56:06 -0000

Hi Dave

I'm sorry for what had happened but here's one thing I'm so sure about. God has his plans and purposes. about the customers not being loyal. It's them not "christians" perse. I think it's wrong to brand Christians (all) as worst customers.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Mikes — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:54:12 -0000

I think Dave it's not into the amount and for whom. it is for us to be generous. how you define that based on the Bible makes the difference

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Mikes — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:51:58 -0000

One comment out from the server's mouth! May we be examples of generosity as God had demonstrated it by giving His only begotten son Jesus Christ to us.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Mikes — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:49:07 -0000

i really am guilty. I don't tip at all. I'm sorry Lord!

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Amber — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:08:17 -0000

Also, to those of you who think you should tip according to the service you recieve- that's CRAP! Jesus is the Giver of all givers! Jesus welcomed sinners-bad attitude or not- because he believed that God is love and that his ministry was to give human, visible expression to that love. For Jesus, God's love was more concerned with forgiveness and reconciliation and new life, a fresh start, than with condemnation, punishment and retribution.

A bad attitude is the sign of a person who is hurting. Have you ever stopped to ask you server how their day is going and then tried to cheer them up? Or instead, do you just open yourself up to the same sin they were dealing with by, in return, having a "poor attitude" and not give them a tip? Which, in truth, only gives your server an even worse day..

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Amber — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:07:52 -0000

Okay, seriously.. could all of you just stop trying to make an excuse for why we "Christians" don't tip very well?

The servers obviously have been burnt by Christian tippers in the past enough times that it has given them a "poor attitude." The poor attitude isn't the result of a bad Christian tipper. Think about it.. if Christians were good tippers- or even an average tipper!- there would be no reason for servers to have this bad image of us. And I can assure you that image wouldn't exist if we did our job.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Vy — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:59:32 -0000

I had no idea this stereotype existed before reading this post, although I can see why it's true. I reckon most church-going families feel like they've given enough after tithing every couple of weeks (or whenever they get paid).

My mom worked as a waitress when I was younger, so she really put the value of being a good tipper in me (although she doesn't advocate over-tipping, either). I used to tip 15%, but now it's usually around 20% since it's easier to calculate tan 17%.

I'm always so embarrassed when I go out to eat with people who are bad tippers. Servers remember bad tippers just as well as they do the good ones.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Alex D — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:03:50 -0000

I agree with Darlene. Tipping is just a societal norm for some countries. Although the idea of giving a little extra for someone that puts in extra effort can be nice, it is a pretty arbitrary idea in its current form. In this country, you tip those that provide services in some forms of transportation, food delivery in some types of restaurants, room cleaning, and some other services, but not for the vast majority of them. Like Darlene said, the choice of industries to tip is partly arbitrary. Do you tip a computer tech support agent? A barber? A doctor? A plumber? A pizza delivery person, vs one that delivers mail, packages, or flowers? Do you tip a car mechanic, a receptionist, or a teacher for their good job? Tipping in its current form is largely (not completely, in my opinion) a societal norm that only makes things unnecessarily more complicated.
Right now, a bit reason for that is that tips are established in those areas, which results in the companies giving those workers a smaller wage, and not tipping is highly frowned upon by society. Maybe companies should just pay their workers more instead of having customers tip them... or give them a raise if they are doing an exceptional job. Customer evaluation cards maybe?
I tip the standard 15% of course, but I feel that tipping is an arbitrary custom that is done in only certain parts of the world.
Anyways, my take on tipping.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Lee Williams — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:36:53 -0000

So... as a career waiter, I want to weigh in on this.

If you don't think it's proper to tip, you should NOT eat out. It IS the 'norm', is IS expected, and it's a known dynamic the moment you sit down.

Don't be a jerk; don't eat in a restaurant if you 'don't believe' it's right.

Don't play 'the game', either- "Oh, you didn't get back here with my third refill in time, so I'm not tipping!" You're STILL being a jerk.

If you arrive at a restaurant wthin the last 30 minutes they are open, you are preventing at least three people (cook, server, manager) and possibly more (bartender, busser, etc) from going home after wlaking and putting up all day with cranky people, and more than likely working a double shift where they are there for at least 12 hours. You ARE imposing at that point, and you NEED to be gracious, and you NEED to tip WELL.

Don't like it? PLEASE stay home. If you don't you contribute to an atmosphere where servers don't WANT to work because they make no money; with no experienced or motivated people, restaurants WILL have to pay a LOT more for labor, and your food will suddenly cost 2 to 3 times as much. Trust me, it's bad for everyone.

Finally... my worst 'Christian' experience- I'm waiting on a Sunday, and we get a call from a local Baptist Church. They have a a special event today and need to get 30 people in and out in an hour- can we do it? I use my entire 5 table station, set them up, and rock them- all in and out in 1 hour, and the thank you's are flying left and right. Then the pastor pays, again with more thank you's.

The bill was $339.57. He handed me $340, and told me it was the best service he ever had.

I made 43 cents. I lost two hours of income because no other tables could sit in my station. I had to claim aprroximately $25 in tip income because you don't want to get flagged for audit by the IRS-they lookat your sales and assume you made a minimum of 8% after tipping the bartenders and bussers and food runners that work for you. Since I paid taxes on that imaginary $8, I PAID $8 to wait on the church.

And THAT is why, after 20 years of being very good at waiting tables, I got out. The 'verbal tip' doesn't pay the rent.

-Denver, CO

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

steve — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:04:28 -0000

Dave,

That is unfortunate to say the least, my friend. I would think (sadly) it was more of a convenience issue than anything, but who knows. I tip my hair stylist because she is a wonderful person who does a fantastic job and goes the extra mile!

I think that not only is it important to tip but also to interact with love and humility to someone providing you a service. I've tried really hard to implement this in my life because $$ is great but if you can follow that up with some positive interaction...well, then you've doubled your tip for sure.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Justin Wise — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:25:13 -0000

VERY interesting point on the Sabbath/Patronage angle. If they "shouldn't be working" on the Sabbath, should you be "dining out" on the Sabbath? Good grief.

Good to hear life is good in Scandinavia. What part, specifically?

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Marcus — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:47:26 -0000

I recently saw a story on several blogs (I think it came from an actual news story of some kind) about Christians who come to restaurants on Sundays and don't tip, giving the excuse "You shouldn't be working on the Sabbath, so you're not getting a tip!" Now, that's probably just an easy excuse to be cheap, but still... If you don't think that they should be working, why are you employing their services?
There were also people talking about getting fake $20-bills with bible verses and stuff on them as a "tip".

I'm so happy that I'm living in Scandinavia though. Here people generally don't tip at all, because that's not the custom here. Serving staff is paid a living wage and any tips are just unexpected bonuses. A serving charge is included in the bill. It's just so much easier. And if the service or food is bad you complain to the manager/chef/owner instead of not leaving a tip; thus bringing the problem to light, maybe helping to make things better for future customers, instead of always blaming it on the serving staff and robbing them of their income.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Alex Pinigis — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:49:34 -0000

Darlene, something you need to understand is that your food is only as cheap as it is because waiters are paid less than minimum wage. Restaurants are a very difficult business to run and generally have razor-thin profit margins, so by paying their servers less, restaurant owners are making your food cheaper. If you don't tip, then these people don't make their rent. However, if you do tip, you are basically making up for the cheapness of the food in the first place. So either you pay it in the tip, or if the societal norm changes and waiters are no longer tipped. then restaurants have to start paying their servers more and you start have to paying more for your food.

In general, unless you are riding in a taxi or having someone bring something to wherever you are seated, you don't have to worry about tipping (I'm assuming you don't stay at ritzy hotels with bellhops). Just about any other person in the service industry is making at least minimum wage, but waiters and cab drivers absolutely depend on tips to even make ends meet. Just keep that in mind.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Darlene — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:28:23 -0000

Ok, there's been a BIG misunderstanding here.

1. I do always tip unless I've been treated very badly, but I usually tip about 15%.
2. My issue is not with whether the person deserves the tip or not, it's that certain industries decide that they can underpay their staff and have me pick up the tab. I don't like being "forced" to tip because the restaurant owner is cheap.
3. My issue with "do I tip or don't I" is not with restaurants, but with life: Do I tip the person who opens my car door? The lady who cuts my hair? The cashier at the grocery store? The receptionist who books an appointment? I am often very uncomfortable when I travel, trying to figure out who gets tipped and who doesn't. I don't want to not tip out of ignorance and insult someone unknowingly, or tip when it's not called for and make someone uncomfortable.

My challenge to myself was to increase my tip to 20%.

Hope that clears things up. I'm really not that disgusting - I promise you. I just think
business owners should pay their staff according to the work they require - like most do - and that tips should be saved as a "thank you" to exceptional service. In an ideal world. I realize that this is not where we live right now.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

kmoe — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:52:27 -0000

I have many many problems with what you said, some of which kaz already beautifully worded.

The very fact that it's a struggle with tipping is pathetic. Right now it appears you only tip because it's the social norm.

You say you are ashamed and sad that Christians are the worst tippers and you will take the "challenge". It makes me very sad (and mildly frustrated) that you had to be challenged to properly tip someone.

How can you possibly not know when to tip? did someone take your drink order and bring your food to you? then you should probably tip. did you just order a cheesy double beef burrito? then I think refraining from tipping will be okay.

I think you need to sit down and think about why it's so hard for you to tip. If you've read any of the other responses down there you would learn about how important tips are in the food industry.

You truly disgust me and people like you is what drove me away from church and away from believing in god.

If tipping bugs you and you reluctantly give - your heart is not in the right place.

Re: “Christians Are the Worst Tippers Ever.”

Tom — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:31:49 -0000

I worked as a pizza delivery dude for awhile, and I noticed this about Christians. I delivered to churches on several occasions, and each time, without fail, I'd get a "tip" of the bill rounded up to the nearest dollar (e.g. if the bill was $42.46 I'd get $43) if they paid in cash, or a check written out to the penny.

One of the "round up to the nearest dollar" folks actually wanted coin back for his 43 cents or whatever it was on that occasion. I had to shortchange myself and give a single back because I didn't carry coin (it's heavy and a pain in the ass).

Odd, really.