Tipping

[jah]

Do you tip the pizza guy?

I never remember what the policy is on this (and yes, I know you can't go wrong with tipping).

If you do tip, does your answer change if there is a delivery charge?

[ScottW]

I always give the pizza guy an extra coupla bucks or three, depending on the size of the order.

How about the carhop at Sonic? If they are on skates?

[jah]

I had a summer job several years ago at the Holiday Inn Select in Cedar Bluff.

About one in five rooms would have tips in them.

I now tip the maid; I guess I should tip the pizza guy. But even if there is a delivery charge?

[~Rumormonger~]

If there's a question in my mind on whether I should tip or not, I give a tip.

I've always gone by the philosophy that, if I'm so poor that I have to worry about sliding somebody a couple a' extra bucks for giving me good service then I probably should cooking/driving/carrying/whatever for my self and not paying somebody else to do it for me.

If, however, you give me bad service, you get 13 cents, 'cause 13 is an unlucky nomber and you deserve to get bad juju with your bad tip for your bad service.

I do give servers a lot of leway on this though, if their slammed, or if the cooks the one that's effing up and the server's really apologetic and shows that they're trying, or if they just look like they're having a bad day or if a delivery person calls and says they're stuck in traffic or slammed or what-ever. I know, I could never deal with the public for a living, so I'm not gonna be a dick unless I'm pretty sure it's warranted.

[he who]

okay so one of my friends got a job delivering pizzas and I asked him what a good tip was---and yes you should always tip them---this is what he told me

$5 is a great tip...if the weather is so awful that you would not go out in it give them $5

otherwise $2-$3 is cool.

if there is a delivery charge or something like that ask on the phone who gets that money and how much they get--then tip accordingly.

But lately I feel like I am cursed never to get my drinks that are supposed to accompany my order...

I waited tables for years so tipping is a big thing to me. I truly believe it says a boatload about who you are.

[ernie]

If there's a question in my mind on whether I should tip or not, I give a tip.

This ex-waiter says "absolutely"!

I am also very careful to tip a little bit more than necessary when I travel. Give the guy who handles your bags at a hotel about a buck more than you should and he will tell everyone that you're a good tipper. Room service, etc. becomes amazingly prompt.

Same thing with the maids. There have been times I have been almost flooded with extra soap, extra shampoo, etc.

Besides, as a friend of mine once said, "Go ahead and tip an extra buck or two. It means very little to you, but it can make the server's day."

[spinetingler]

How about the carhop at Sonic? If they are on skates?
Are you mocking me? :)

[Tess]

I only peeked at this because I thought the topic was "cow tipping"

[Silent K]

har har. Me too!

I am quite the hick.

[Tess]

How come you have so many green cubes, hickster?

[Wombat]

My first job was Pizza Hut in Farragut in the late 80's. Tips in Farragut are/were on average with what HeWho said above. I'd get awesome tips on crappy weather nights. Sad though, tips have not gone up in almost 20 years. I was getting those same amounts back then.

On top of that though, we'd get .50 cents for each house we went to. No delivery fees back then and we also didn't have to claim tips as part of income like the waitresses. I always thought they got the shaft. At least I could cruise around at my own pace and jam out to tunes.

As for tipping now? My family tips that shit out of our pizza guys now. At least $4 on any order. More if it's crappy out. Well, let me back up here a second. We USED to as they have now started charging for delivery. I don't order pizza as much anymore since this has started. It's like an extra $3 on top of everything else. Does that make me cheap?

[Wombat]

How come you have so many green cubes, hickster?
Cause his penis can post too.

[F-Stop]

If I were Emporer, I would institute mandatory service industry work for all high school age kids.

Yes, please. Former pizza delivery driver here. I used to work for Pizza Hut on North Chapman Highway, and would deliver to campus, downtown and Vestel.
Many, many people are poor tippers. Many times, the tip would be a buck, plus whatever coin change was left over.

Oy vey!

[Silent K]

How come you have so many green cubes, hickster?


I dunno. I think Skirob delt me a bunch. I'm sorry I have so many, while others have so few.

[Tess]

At least you are humble in your largessness.

[Silent K]

By the way, I think I like being called a hickster.

[Tess]

Hickster. :) :)

[Silent K]

Cause his penis can post too.


For the record, I have no control over my penis. He is controlled by another dick I know, Hi-Top.

[Apeville]

I like pubs in the UK where tipping is only done in case of emergency.

But, while here in the ole US of A- I try to tip the best I can when I can.

[jah]

I only peeked at this because I thought the topic was "cow tipping"
I was waiting for someone to say that.

For some reason, that didn't occur to me until it'd already been up an hour or more.

[Tess]

Sorry, Jah. I didn't mean to ruin your thread....

[jah]

Besides, as a friend of mine once said, "Go ahead and tip an extra buck or two. It means very little to you, but it can make the server's day."
Well, this is part of the point.

It used to be that you'd tip your server 15%, and now it's more like 20%. Fine. But how much to you tip the bellhop? There's no percentage rule. You said "an extra buck or two," but I'm wondering "on top of what?"

And same for the delivery guy. It's especially weird when they start the delivery charge thing. In my mind, that would be comparable to a restaurant mandating an 18% tip on large groups. But usually the delivery charge is a relatively small amount.

[jah]

Sorry, Jah. I didn't mean to ruin your thread....
I'm sure cow tipping is a more appropriate thread subject for this group....

[kag]

I'm a big tipper. I seriously say tip 'til it hurts. If you can't afford to tip well, you can't afford to eat out or order that pizza.

And give money to homeless people who ask if you have any on you. It feels good and puts pennies in your karma bank.

-katie

[Georgia]

I'm a big tipper. I seriously say tip 'til it hurts. If you can't afford to tip well, you can't afford to eat out or order that pizza.

And give money to homeless people who ask if you have any on you. It feels good and puts pennies in your karma bank.

-katie

I believe in big tips but I'm not so sure about giving money to the homeless. I know that sounds really harsh, but it's a difficult decision to make- especially since I'm a softie and a push-over.
The store just went through another attempted break-in a week or so ago- I had just gotten out of the hospital and didn't really need any extra stuff dumped on me- seems the guy who tried to kick-in my door successfully broke into another gift shop, a church, the newspaper and a tax prep place. He's known in the area as being a guy who routinely asks for money with different stories to fit the situation...it all goes towards his drug habit.

If I knew the money I'd give folks would go to food or shelter then it'd be no question...of course I'd give it to them.

I don't mean to sound judgemental but if it's for drugs, then I'm not willing to part with my money.

[ernie]

But how much to you tip the bellhop? There's no percentage rule. You said "an extra buck or two," but I'm wondering "on top of what?"

A buck a bag. $5 minimum.

And always ask them to get the ice.

[ernie]

I believe in big tips but I'm not so sure about giving money to the homeless.

<snip>

If I knew the money I'd give folks would go to food or shelter then it'd be no question...of course I'd give it to them.

I don't mean to sound judgemental but if it's for drugs, then I'm not willing to part with my money.

I, like Katie, usually give money to the homeless UNLESS the individual has come on to me more than once with the same bullshit rap (I don't like being conned) UNLESS it is somebody I have adopted, like my boys Rodney and Rob. Don't know how I ended up with those two, but I kinda feel stuck with 'em now.

As for whether it is drug money or not, I frankly do not think that is my business. If you're gonna give it up, give it up. Don't judge, unless you don't mind being judged on your own "deservedness". (Do you "deserve" that DVD player? Are you morally entiltled to buy it instead of giving that money to alleviate the suffering in Darfur? Have you given anything to support Doctors Without Borders? Amnesty International?)

If there is one phrase I hate, it is "the deserving poor." Who in the hell are these people who think they are so goddam righteous that they are entitled to judge who is deserving or not? Pisses me off.

Sorry for the rant, Georgia. I am sure you are not intentionally judging anybody. You are trying to do the best you can, in good faith.

[kag]

As for whether it is drug money or not, I frankly do not think that is my business. If you're gonna give it up, give it up. Don't judge, unless you don't mind being judged on your own "deservedness". (Do you "deserve" that DVD player? Are you morally entiltled to buy it instead of giving that money to alleviate the suffering in Darfur? Have you given anything to support Doctors Without Borders? Amnesty International?)
Sorry for the rant, Georgia. I am sure you are not intentionally judging anybody. You are trying to do the best you can, in good faith.

Yes, yes and yes (with emphasis on the part about not judging Georgia ;-)

ERnie, you just explained more clearly than I ever can about how I feel about this issue. I mean, if I'm on my way out to drink at a downtown bar and some guy asks for money, who am I to judge whether he mioght spend it on booze?

I don't want to make anyone's addictions worse, but I sincerely doubt my $5 will make that big of a difference. On the other hand, maybe me being kind and giving without judgment will warm that homeless guy's heart just a little and make him more open to considering taking better care of himself.

And if a guy is hungry, I say we should feed him, even if he's a hungry drunk or a hungry drug addict. I would hope that if someone I love ever ends up on the streets that strangers give him some cash to buy food if he's hungry.

[jah]

From this week's MP (http://www.metropulse.com/articles/2006/16_17/street_talk.shtml), for what it's worth:

The homeless people are usually the most entertaining as far as bizarre stuff. There was this homeless guy named Dusty. He was in a wheelchair. He was a very smart guy. He would get enough money to buy a biscuit somewhere and he would wheel his wheelchair over to the TVA credit union. Then he would find a newspaper, or something to wrap the biscuit up in and he would hide it in a trash can. When people walked by he would reach in the trash and dig out the biscuit and eat it in front of them. Not many people could resist that and he made a lot of money. One time he got arrested and they found 200 dollars cash on him, and he said he made that in just a couple of hours one morning.

[jah]

And for the record, I have actually never had a pizza delivered. I've had wings delivered exactly twice and that is the sole extent of my delivery experience.

Why? because I can never figure out what to do with the tip.

and because I can get the food a whole lot faster by picking it up myself.

[Hildegard]

A buck a bag. $5 minimum.

And always ask them to get the ice.

Dude, you are suave.

[Raincrow]

if it's for drugs, then I'm not willing to part with my money.


I bypass this whole moral quandary by buying the drugs myself to give to the homeless. Works with the pizza guy, too.

[Georgia]

I
As for whether it is drug money or not, I frankly do not think that is my business. If you're gonna give it up, give it up. Don't judge, unless you don't mind being judged on your own "deservedness". (Do you "deserve" that DVD player? Are you morally entiltled to buy it instead of giving that money to alleviate the suffering in Darfur? Have you given anything to support Doctors Without Borders? Amnesty International?)

If there is one phrase I hate, it is "the deserving poor." Who in the hell are these people who think they are so goddam righteous that they are entitled to judge who is deserving or not? Pisses me off.

Sorry for the rant, Georgia. I am sure you are not intentionally judging anybody. You are trying to do the best you can, in good faith.

No, you're quite entitled to your rant. I posted in a hurry before going to bed last night and just reread my post.

However, I still stand by it.

I don't mean to come across as a judgemental deserving bitch- but, if that's how you see it, in your eyes, then I am.

I have a difficult time creating a written explanation on a subject this broad and with so many variations. Every person that asks for help is a different situation...maybe it shouldn't matter if my money goes to buy drugs (I don't have a hang up with drug use- it's a personal choice, like everything else in life)

I don't really feel like I should even have to say this but, for what it's worth, I am a very philanthropic person and I believe in helping. I was raised that way and it's in every fiber of my being.

I have a difficult time determining a person who is conning me and someone who genuinely needs help.
My heart opens easily to anyone who requests help and more often to those who need help but won't ask for help-
I want to believe everyone and I'm learning that I can't. It's been a very difficult lesson for me to accept.

I'm just not able to explain it well enough through a post as there is so much more to the story and I'm limited by time, space and my own inabilities of expression.

Dum vivimus servimus. While we live, we serve.

[liltimmy]

I have a difficult time determining a person who is conning me and someone who genuinely needs help.
My heart opens easily to anyone who requests help and more often to those who need help but won't ask for help-
I want to believe everyone and I'm learning that I can't. It's been a very difficult lesson for me to accept..

Count me, as well, among the soft-hearted (pinko commie fag, if you will), but I gave up a long time ago worrying about whether I'm being conned or not. I just figure if someone's situation is so bad that they have to ask for money, then whatever story they concoct or means they utilize (short of theft) to get a buck or two out of me is fine. Actually, I tip for creativity. ;-)

I agree with Katie on this. Those were some of the things that Jesus guy got right (before the Conservative Right hijacked his message) ... you should love your neighbor as yourself ... judge not lest ye be judged ... feed the hungry, clothe the naked (especially in my neighborhood).

[jah]

I guess I always figured that's what the homeless shelters and soup kitchens were for. If you give your money to VMC, they will make sure it goes to help someone.

[kag]

and because I can get the food a whole lot faster by picking it up myself.

But mostly because you are cheap

Katie (ducking and running...;-)

(He's an accountant. They're frugal.)

[Lee G]

One of the things I promised myself when I turned 40 was that I was going to learn how to tip like a grown-up. I'm still learning, but yeah, pizza guys get a tip (we always use the same place and they tend to come most ricky-tick most times we order; they know our dog at this point). Also folks who handle your bags and bring your car; sometimes its a little awkward, but they appreciate it. The old Rat Pack-era dudes used to call it "taking care of people," and I like to think of it that way. They're taking care of you, right?

A good rule of thumb: If they are somehow serving your needs and they had to wear some kind of official outfit to work (fast food doesn't count), they deserve a little something for the effort.

[jeffx]

motherfucker doesn't tip the pizza guy deserves a bitchslap to the grill.

and at most places, the delivery guy never sees a cent of the "delivery charge".

[jah]

But mostly because you are cheap

Katie (ducking and running...;-)

(He's an accountant. They're frugal.)
um, how about poor? as in "poor grad student?"

:)

[Lee G]

Also, 20 percent is considered baseline for a decent tip for decent service in a decent restaurant in the Year of Our Lord 2006. I know that a few members of my family haven't gotten that memo yet, so I thought I'd mention it.

[jah]

baseline?

[jeffx]

consider it a "health safety" fee. common sense dictates that it is best not to piss off the people who serve you your food.

[kag]

I think how people treat service workers (and that includes tipping) offers uniquely excellent insight into their overall character.

[Milo Bloom]

and at most places, the delivery guy never sees a cent of the "delivery charge".

So, it's just another slimy way for restaurants to bring in more for their bottom line? That's just wrong.

I will always tip the delivery person, but I won't pay for delivery. Is that strange?

[Hi Top]

I had a summer job several years ago at the Holiday Inn Select in Cedar Bluff.

About one in five rooms would have tips in them.

I now tip the maid; I guess I should tip the pizza guy. But even if there is a delivery charge?
yes because the delivery charge is usually only a buck and that usually goes to the restaurant and not the driver. This in turn screws the driver even more. (I delivered food for a while)

[James]

And please, don't forget the cab driver. (And rounding up the fare to the nearest dollar is cheezy.)

When it comes to beggers, I'm in the kag/liltimmy school on this one. Who am I to judge? I try to keep a five in my wallet at all times for the beggers at intersections. If I get hit on while I'm walking down the street, I give the change in my pocket.

I hate having to listen to a hard luck story first. Why don't beggers just call out "spare change" like they used to? I don't need your life story, man, just hold out your hand!

The last time I gave five bucks to a guy at an intersection, he said, "All right! Now I only need 14 more dollars and I got a place for the night!"

I quickly fished out another 4 bucks and gave it to him as the light turned. Pulling away, I noticed him in the rear-view mirror doing a little victory dance, saying, "Yes! yes!" and pumping his fist like his favorite baseball team just scored a go-ahead run.

I remember thinking, that guy's all excited about a dry place to sleep and I'm worried about having to face city traffic on I-40. TWIFU.






ThisWorldIsFuckedUp.

[jah]

I think how people treat service workers (and that includes tipping) offers uniquely excellent insight into their overall character.
link (http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/archives/2006/04/the_waiter_rule.shtml)

[Pecktacular]

Do you tip the pizza guy?

I never remember what the policy is on this (and yes, I know you can't go wrong with tipping).

If you do tip, does your answer change if there is a delivery charge?

I never give the guy more than a couple of bucks. I mean he gets paid like $13 an hour! I don't follow the normal tipping procedure of 20 or even 15%..

[ernie]

I don't mean to come across as a judgemental deserving bitch- but, if that's how you see it, in your eyes, then I am.

No, not at all. In trying to respond to your post, I ended up on my soap box (again). The comments about giving money to Doctors Without Borders instead of buying a DVD player, etc., were really not directed at you as an individual. I was really ranting about our entire society, including me.

I think Americans are extremely judgmental about other people, especially the poor. It is deeply rooted in our history, going back to the earliest settlements in New England. Success was a sign of God's grace, of being one of the Elect. Poverty and failure were therefore signs of Divine condemnation.

It is still an important part of the culture. That's why Mary J. Blige says, “My God is a God who wants me to have things. He wants me to bling. He wants me to be the hottest thing on the block.” In other words, she is one of God's Chosen, one of the Elect.

This attitude makes us very judgmental, especially abut the poor. I do that all the time, but it's wrong, and I know it. Before I judge somebody on what they are doing with their money, I really need to consider what I do with my own money.

Give the guy on the street five bucks? Or go into the BrewPub and buy two beers? Well, hey! I've been working all day! I deserve it! :rolleyes:

I do it all the time and that's bullshit.

I was not accussing you of doing that, but it sounded like I was. I apologize.

[jeffx]

I never give the guy more than a couple of bucks. I mean he gets paid like $13 an hour! I don't follow the normal tipping procedure of 20 or even 15%..

you suck.

[Hi Top]

I never give the guy more than a couple of bucks. I mean he gets paid like $13 an hour! I don't follow the normal tipping procedure of 20 or even 15%..
Delivery drivers do not make 13.00 an hour. Most places pay just above minimum wage. Where do people get these crazy ideas? I'm with ya, jeffx! ANyone that can't afford a decent amount should just get off their fat lazy American asses and go pick their food up. If you can't tip worth a damn at the restaurant, stay at home and cook. People that are shitty tippers have obviously never worked for tips. I guess we've found our Mr. Pink on the board.

[kag]

link (http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/archives/2006/04/the_waiter_rule.shtml)

That's bizarre. I swear I hadn't seen that when I posted!

[James]

.......
Give the guy on the street five bucks? Or go into the BrewPub and buy two beers? Well, hey! I've been working all day! I deserve it! :rolleyes:

I do it all the time and that's bullshit.Cut yourself some slack Ernie. Give the guy a couple of bucks and buy yourself a beer while you reflect on the ironies of life.

[ernie]

Delivery drivers do not make 13.00 an hour. Most places pay just above minimum wage. Where do people get these crazy ideas?

They also have to put up with being hasseled by the cops. My youngest was a pizza delivery driver for a couple of weeks. Then he was stopped by a Highway Patrolman who called in K-9. They tore his car apart, looking for drugs. Back seat taken out, the whole nine yards. They found nothing and left him there on the street, late for a delivery with his car torn apart. Apparently, some pizza guys do some dealing on the side. This is the result.

[kag]

This one time (at band camp....;-) I saw a homeless guy and his dog beggging at an intersection on a really cold day. When we stopped, I gave him a few bucks, and then my daughter then pointed out that in our car, at that very moment, was a fleece dog sweater thing that we had bought for our dog Fiat, but needed to return because it was too big. So she handed the guy the dog sweater and I swear, it was like we had given him a million bucks. He was SO thrilled. He immediately started putting it on his rather mangy looking, shivering dog.

It made Jane and me very happy :-)

[DanceDiva]

I always give the pizza guy an extra coupla bucks or three, depending on the size of the order.

How about the carhop at Sonic? If they are on skates?

I tip at Sonic. I generally overtip in bars and restaurants because I want good service on return trips. I REALLY overtip in hair and nail salons. Sometimes 30-50%.

If I don't want to tip a food delivery person, I go get it. I can't remember the last time I had pizza delivered (because it's faster to drive there than to wait 45 minutes or an hour) but I think it's important to tip the drivers.

I mildly resent tip jars on the counters of some fast-food restaurants.

Finally, on the subject of the previous link, I won't go out with a guy again if he's rude to a server. Have only had experience with this once, though.

[James]

People that are shitty tippers have obviously never worked for tips.This is a very truthy statement. Some more truthiness: the best tippers are people who have worked for tips.;)

[jah]

That's bizarre. I swear I hadn't seen that when I posted!
I believe you. It was a USA Today story, after all.

[Lee G]

Someone once told me that they know a guy who struggled with the reward panhandling/ignore panhandling issue long enough that he came up with a plan. He saved all of his pocket change in a bowl or something and then once a week he put it all in a baggie and took it with him when he left the house. The first person who asked him for money (this was in NYC several years ago) got the baggie--could be a buck-fitty, could be 15 bucks. The panhandler got a decent chunk of change, so to speak, and the guy didn't feel guilty for not giving anyone else any money the rest of the week. I've never tried this, but it seems like a fairly elegant solution, at least for the donor.

[gypsy]

$5 is a great tip...if the weather is so awful that you would not go out in it give them $5

otherwise $2-$3 is cool.

this is the standard i use for food delivery. i also factor in if the place is just around the corner or if the guy's had to walk 10 blocks.

[~Rumormonger~]

I'm definitely a big believer in capitalism and begging on the street is capitalism in its rawest form.

It's a direct sales pitch and I take it as such. If I like a homeless person's pitch I cough up some cash. Or if your Rodney and you've got some pansies fresh picked from the Downtown flower pots I'll buy 'em from you.

I mean, who am I, who happens to be reading and posting to the blab from work right now, to judge someone else just 'cause their "I need money for reason (x)" story might be a lie?

[~Rumormonger~]

I never give the guy more than a couple of bucks. I mean he gets paid like $13 an hour! I don't follow the normal tipping procedure of 20 or even 15%..

I see where you get your screen name.

[Pecktacular]

I see where you get your screen name.

Where's that?? Lemme know so I can tell myself.

[swann]

I've always wondered about hairdressers. Should you follow the 15-20% rule with them, too? If you're getting something major done, you can end up with an $80+ bill depending on where you go.

[DanceDiva]

I've always wondered about hairdressers. Should you follow the 15-20% rule with them, too? If you're getting something major done, you can end up with an $80+ bill depending on where you go.

I start with 20-25% if (s)he did a good job. If not, 15%.

[~Rumormonger~]

Where's that?? Lemme know so I can tell myself.

Judging from your post you're a "Pecktacular" tipper

[jack frost]

Having delivered pizza, one thing I wish people would get into their heads is that, if your pizza is late, it is almost never the pizza guy's fault. On busy nights, it's not uncommon for pizzas to sit on the heating rack for up to 15 minutes before even being delegated to someone to deliver them. Consider that a pizza takes a minimum of 15 minutes to make and cook, and you really have to wonder how the Hell Domino's used to be able to do the "30 minutes or less" thing back in the 80s.

[jah]

Papa Johns is starting a new 10 minutes or less thing for the lunch crowd, but it only counts for walk-ins.

And one of the times that I did order delivery, from the Wing Zone, the guy took forever to get here because he just decided that Maplehurst was in the Fort.

[zulu]

I guess I always figured that's what the homeless shelters and soup kitchens were for. If you give your money to VMC, they will make sure it goes to help someone.

Don't give money to panhandlers, and here's why...

1. There is simply no reason for anyone on the street to be hungry in this town. VMC, KARM, churches, et al, do an ample job making food available for the poor and homeless. I'm serious. There are overweight homeless people here. Food supply is not the problem.

2. The food served by those agencies is given, in part, as an enticemnt to engage the folks being served in various programs to hopefully get them off the streets, in treatment, counseling, or employed.

3. When somebody panhandles you, you have no way of judging if their sob story is real or rehearsed. Remember, though, that it's not hard to get food from those agencies. They also can help with gas for stranded travellers, if their story actually checks out.

4. When you hand over some change or a few bucks anyway, there's a good likelihod that you're making it easier for that person to panhandle rather than accept help from an organization that's also going to try to help that person address the root causes of their homelessness or indigence. "Enabling" they call it.

5. Also, when you make it easier to make a living panhandling, you get more panhandlers. When there are more panhandlers, other people get upset that they can't go downtown without getting repeatedly hit up for money. When people are upset about that, they often end up blaming the agencies that serve the homeless for attracting the homeless. (Mind you, not all panhandlers are homeless; quite a few aren't.) That makes it harder for those agencies to get the support they need in order to actually help people.

6. If you need the rush you get for yourself when you help someone, consider contributing or volunteering for an agency that helps the homeless, or the elderly, or the animal shelter, or whatever works for you. Everybody should do that sometime, anyway.

7. The ideal situation in Knoxville would be one where people who really need help can get it, in a way that constructively addresses the cause of their troubles. For those who just want to hang out and shake people down for free money, this should be a hard place to live. One part of making that happen is not giving money to panhandlers.

[kag]

But what if the person would rather take my $5 and go to Taco Bell than go to a shelter cafeteria? I know I'd rather go to Taco Bell than a shelter cafeteria.

[Gray]

The lowdown on delivery drivers:

Pecktacular is obviously referring to signs that he's seen around town that say "Now hiring delivery drivers! Make $11-$15/hour!" or something like that. That figure is a guesstimate that INCLUDES expected tips. Pizza guys make minimum wage (still, sadly, $5.15 per hour), generally 75 cents to one dollar per run (for gas), plus their tips. On a good night (a rainy Friday night, or, even better, during the Super Bowl), a delivery driver can actually make $20/hour or more, but it's quite possibly the worst thing you can do to your car, short of driving it off a cliff.

Pizza chains started instituting delivery charges for two reasons: first, it's a marketing ploy (pricing amongst the big chains is ultra-competitive: you can still get that large 2-topping for $9.99, plus tax, but you'll pay the dollar delivery charge if you don't go pick it up yourself), and secondly, because they finally had to cave to driver complaints about increased gas prices and gradually bumped their pay "per run" from $.50-$.75 to the $.75-$1.00 range. The drivers are still getting the short end of the stick here, as gas prices have essentially doubled over the last 5-7 years.

He Who is pretty much right on the, er, money: $2-$3, perhaps a fiver if it's nasty out, is an appropriate tip. There is also incentive for you, as well: if you're a regular customer and known as a generous tipper, you WILL get your pizza much quicker, on average, than people who don't tip or tip poorly. Pizza guys take care of those who take care of them.

Finally, the bottom line: if you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to order the pizza in the first place. There are no exceptions to this rule.

(end rant)

[jack frost]

I don't give money to people who are both:

1. Able-bodied, thus able to find work.

2. Appear to be an addict or alcoholic.

I do sometimes give money to:

1. Nice old men who don't appear to be fully mentally or physically functional.

2. Cute girls in Sonic Youth t-shirts.

3. Travelers.

The other day, outside Java, a couple travelers were sitting around, one playing guitar. He said "Nice Bauhaus shirt" as I walked in. When I came out briefly to buy some papers from the Cigar store, he said he'd play me a Bauhaus song for some change. I gave him the change I'd just gotten and he did a passable rendition of a Bauhaus song. We got to talking, and he said they'd just come from Florida.

Long story short, it turned out that he lived in the same town I went to highschool, during the same time I did, and was the primary supplier of LSD to all my friends, to the point that he mentioned many of them by name.

Fucking small world.

[jah]

But what if the person would rather take my $5 and go to Taco Bell than go to a shelter cafeteria? I know I'd rather go to Taco Bell than a shelter cafeteria.
Then why do they lie and tell you that all of the shelters have kicked them out because of the lies that other people told about them?

I get that one a lot, and it rankles me. No shelter in town will permanently kick people out, and they certainly won't for those reasons.

[jack frost]

Pizza guys make minimum wage (still, sadly, $5.15 per hour)

Actually, when I delivered for Papa John's, they paid around $6.50 an hour.

If you have a good car, it's a good way to make very good money while driving around listening to music.

But anything less than a $2 tip is ridiculous.

[market square district]

mr. zulu you are a wise wise man

[Hildegard]

Then why do they lie and tell you that all of the shelters have kicked them out because of the lies that other people told about them?

I get that one a lot, and it rankles me. No shelter in town will permanently kick people out, and they certainly won't for those reasons.

Yeah, you get kicked out for using or for fighting. Or for showing up drunk or high. These people aren't in shelters because they have their shit together, remember. But the shelters have reasonable limits, and while it is perhaps justly the street for those who cross those limits, I still give a buck or two when I've got it and they ask. (Segue to my thoughts on panhandlers.)

If it ever got as obnoxious as New York or LA, well, I'd probably never hand out money. But since the opportunity presents itself so rarely to me in Knoxville, there's a little more time and room for reflection on "why not?" I've never really looked at it from the perspective of what they're doing with "my" money or whether they deserve it. For me, it's an exercise in gratitude for my being able to give it.

Oh, and here's something I saw recently and thought I needed to rinse my eyeballs: a fratty looking boy in a big late model SUV with Bush/Cheney stickers on the back was stopped ahead of my car at a stoplight. There was a homeless guy panhandling. Fratty dude leaned out and handed the guy some bills. It just didn't compute, for some reason. But I guess I learned something about my own assumptions about people.

[Georgia]

I was not accussing you of doing that, but it sounded like I was. I apologize.

No apology necessary- and, you made some good points.

[Deanna's Daydreamer]

I tip them a couple of bucks, but nothing really great.

The only time I'll tip them well is if it is freaking FREEZING cold, or cold and raining.

Then I figure it will help with the medical bills from the pneumonia.

Very few pizza drivers seem to have much social skills, though. Some do not even say thank you.

[jah]

Oh, and here's something I saw recently and thought I needed to rinse my eyeballs: a fratty looking boy in a big late model SUV with Bush/Cheney stickers on the back was stopped ahead of my car at a stoplight. There was a homeless guy panhandling. Fratty dude leaned out and handed the guy some bills. It just didn't compute, for some reason. But I guess I learned something about my own assumptions about people.
True. You never see me leaning out the window of my Subaru to give them money.

But then I apparently need to work on my cynicism regarding begging.

[jah]

'nother post on homeless people:

if you've never seen it, check out this guy's blog (http://thehomelessguy.blogspot.com/).

[shady lane]

But then I apparently need to work on my cynicism regarding begging.

get some schooling from a refugee (http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2006/04/the_fugees_pras_lives_homeless_on_day_for_document ary/).

[Gray]

I tip them a couple of bucks, but nothing really great.

The only time I'll tip them well is if it is freaking FREEZING cold, or cold and raining.

Then I figure it will help with the medical bills from the pneumonia.

Very few pizza drivers seem to have much social skills, though. Some do not even say thank you.

Awww. How kind. Yet another reason to love you, Triple J.

[Hank IV]

But what if the person would rather take my $5 and go to Taco Bell than go to a shelter cafeteria? I know I'd rather go to Taco Bell than a shelter cafeteria.

Fooey! I have a friend who was the head cook at SA here in town for several years and let me tell you, those folks can eat a well-balanced meal every day. Taco Bell's ass.

[Hank IV]

I
Very few ... seem to have much social skills, though.

Something you seem to be well acquainted with.

[jack frost]

Oh, and I always give Smiley some change or a bill. I don't know why. Part of it is that I believe the alleged facts of his history, and part of it is that I've seen him every now and then the entire time I've lived in this town, and part of it is that he's a nice guy, isn't obnoxious or pathetic about it, and apparently really does use the change for coffee or phone calls and gets his food and bed at a shelter.

Other than that, I get panhandled so often, at least four times a day downtown, I'm just over it. Glad I got a new apartment and day job that aren't downtown.

[ernie]

get some schooling from a refugee (http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2006/04/the_fugees_pras_lives_homeless_on_day_for_document ary/).

Good for Pras! I want to see that film. Probably bring back some of the old days for me.

No, I did not panhandle. But I was a street person for over a year. I strongly recommend the experience. Makes you see things quite differently.

[James]

Everybody needs to live as a hobo (old term for homeless) at least once. I did in 1976 for about nine months. Pras is right, it's a whole different world.

[ernie]

Everybody needs to live as a hobo (old term for homeless) at least once. I did in 1976 for about nine months. Pras is right, it's a whole different world.

My experience was about the same time as yours and lasted longer. I called myself a vagabound. Wonderful old term. Some folks used terms like "hobo" or "gypsy." I don't think the term "homeless" came into use until later.

[jack frost]

I was a vagabond for about six months when I was 19. I had a car, some food, and a traveling partner, and that's about it. We never panhandled, except once, when we really were out of gas.

[ernie]

We never panhandled, except once, when we really were out of gas.

But you were still able to get over giving money to panhandlers, huh?

[jack frost]

But you were still able to get over giving money to panhandlers, huh?

Most of them, yes. Especially the ones who could get a job.

You do not have to have a home address to get a job. You can just make one up. McDonald's isn't going to care. Seriously.

I was homeless last year and I found a job and an apartment within like, two weeks.

[Pecktacular]

The lowdown on delivery drivers:

Pecktacular is obviously referring to signs that he's seen around town that say "Now hiring delivery drivers! Make $11-$15/hour!" or something like that. That figure is a guesstimate that INCLUDES expected tips. Pizza guys make minimum wage (still, sadly, $5.15 per hour), generally 75 cents to one dollar per run (for gas), plus their tips. On a good night (a rainy Friday night, or, even better, during the Super Bowl), a delivery driver can actually make $20/hour or more, but it's quite possibly the worst thing you can do to your car, short of driving it off a cliff.


You read minds. Thanks for clearing that up for me. I guess I'll just start picking up my pizzas from now on. I was using the $11-15 an hour as an excuse not to tip well because I am indeed a poor lil' fella.

[kag]

Fooey! I have a friend who was the head cook at SA here in town for several years and let me tell you, those folks can eat a well-balanced meal every day. Taco Bell's ass.

I think that's a great name for a band:

"Taco Bell's Ass"

But I don't like cafeteria style eating. And I HATE sitting at tables with people I don't know unless I've been drinking.

Oh, wait....

[ernie]

Most of them, yes. Especially the ones who could get a job.

You do not have to have a home address to get a job. You can just make one up. McDonald's isn't going to care. Seriously.

I was homeless last year and I found a job and an apartment within like, two weeks.

I must agree that you have a point. I was a vagabound for a long time, but I never panhandled. I was able to find work almost every day that I wanted to work. I don't think I ever had to go without food for more than 2 or 3 days.

But you and I were not handicapped. A lot of the homeless are, usually mentally or emotionally. Zulu made some good points about enabling pan handlers by giving them money, but the issue of the habdicapped remains.

I once spent a pleasant afternoon with the guy who used to run Lakeshore. Can't remember his name now. Anyway, he told me that he could walk through any homeless shelter in Knoxville and identify the people that were there because their mental and emotional problems were not being adequately treated. He said this was at least 30% of the homeless population on any given night. The biggest problem is the patient's failure to take prescribed medication and show up for outpatient treatment.

He seemed very sincere when he said that those folks would do so much better and be so much happier if he could take them into Lakeshore. But the government is not willing to spend the money.

[jack frost]

But you and I were not handicapped. A lot of the homeless are, usually mentally or emotionally.

Which is why I usually give money to those, especially war vets.

[~Rumormonger~]

The Journal on tipping (http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115412384886020823-1GMStWks_4Dt2t7iUobmh1ZMeq4_20060804.html?mod=mktw ).

[me]

$5 minimum to the pizza guy. Hell, I wouldn't go pick it up myself for $5.

[fclake]

I, like Katie, usually give money to the homeless UNLESS the individual has come on to me more than once with the same bullshit rap (I don't like being conned) UNLESS it is somebody I have adopted, like my boys Rodney and Rob. Don't know how I ended up with those two, but I kinda feel stuck with 'em now.

As for whether it is drug money or not, I frankly do not think that is my business. If you're gonna give it up, give it up. Don't judge, unless you don't mind being judged on your own "deservedness". (Do you "deserve" that DVD player? Are you morally entiltled to buy it instead of giving that money to alleviate the suffering in Darfur? Have you given anything to support Doctors Without Borders? Amnesty International?)

If there is one phrase I hate, it is "the deserving poor." Who in the hell are these people who think they are so goddam righteous that they are entitled to judge who is deserving or not? Pisses me off.

Sorry for the rant, Georgia. I am sure you are not intentionally judging anybody. You are trying to do the best you can, in good faith.

Rodney bothers a lot of people and steales flowers from the grave yard to sell them he is also fairly smart and able bodied because he is walking his beat 24-7 if he chose to get a ligit job he could. If you want to help the homeless give food/money/clothes directly to the shelters/goodwill ect.
I'll buy a bum a sandwitch and coke, I have many times, before I'll hand him cash that he will NOT buy food with

[Steven Crime]

I work at a pizza place, you should definetely tip them even if there is a delivery charge. That delivery charge dosen't go a long way with the gas prices the way they are. I'm pretty sure they only get a portion of the delivery charge anyway.

[flypony]

I drove pizzas for Stefano's for several years (is Stefano's even around anymore?), so I ALWAYS tip. We kind of live out in the boonies, but are miraculously at the very edge of the delivery zone for two pizza places, so I generally tip well no matter what the weather. The $5 is well worth it to me not to have to drive into town to pick it up.

As far as giving $$ to the homeless, I much prefer to donate to charitable organizations that work to help the less fortunate. My dad was very passionate about helping those folks, so on his birthday, father's day, Christmas, etc, I always make a reasonable-sized donation in his memory.

[JohnT]

Do you tip the pizza guy?

I never remember what the policy is on this (and yes, I know you can't go wrong with tipping).

If you do tip, does your answer change if there is a delivery charge?

Yes, 15%.

No. The delivery charge is meant to adjust the price of delivery for such variable exigencies such as gas, etc. It allows the pizza company to adjust their wage/reimbursement cost structure to changing conditions without having to change the price of the pizzas.

[JohnT]

And same for the delivery guy. It's especially weird when they start the delivery charge thing. In my mind, that would be comparable to a restaurant mandating an 18% tip on large groups. But usually the delivery charge is a relatively small amount.

See above in re: to delivery charges.

The restaurant minimum-tip is a different creature - in the places where I've worked, all that money comes back to the servers/staff. Not necessarily so of pizza company delivery charges.

[Sewell]

I'll buy a bum a sandwitch and coke, I have many times, before I'll hand him cash that he will NOT buy food with"

I give homeless guys cash, knowing good and well they're gonna spend it on a hit or some booze. Believe me, those guys are in AGONY. Why buy them a sandwich they'll puke up when a drink will stave off the horrors for a while?

If you want to immediately alleviate suffering, give cash. Sure, it's a quick fix that doesn't address the real problem. But a sandwich isn't even a quick fix, and it's gonna get puked up anyway.

And I'm not real crazy about your calling homeless people "bums." Quit your moralizing and stuff your pie-hole with a "sandwitch." (Us Edukated peeps no their called Sammiches, ya bum.)

[JohnT]

"And I'm not real crazy about your calling homeless people "bums." Quit your moralizing and stuff your pie-hole with a "sandwitch." (Us Edukated peeps no their called Sammiches, ya bum.)"

Yeah, whatever happened to the fine, proud, Hobo (http://www.boxcarwillie.com/) tradition?

[jah]

Wait, what? they're going to puke it up anyway? wtf? Talk about an assumption!

[jmac]

somebody's keepin track:

www.bitterwaitress.com/std/

[Sewell]

"Wait, what? they're going to puke it up anyway? wtf? Talk about an assumption!"

Yeah, you're right. Most panhandlers are saving their quarters for IRA contributions.

[TallGirl]

Do you tip the pizza guy?

I never remember what the policy is on this (and yes, I know you can't go wrong with tipping).

If you do tip, does your answer change if there is a delivery charge?

The delivery charge does NOT go to the driver (not at Domino's or Pizza Hut or Papa John's). I did this back in 1999 before moving to LA and again this spring. $2 is a fair tip. Especially now with gas prices. Which is why I quit. I might make $30 a night in tips on maybe 15-20 runs. Then I'd have to buy gas, even driving a VW Bug, and there would go most of the money.

That's important because YOU wanted the ease of having food delivered to you.

[lynnmc]

As for tipping now? My family tips that shit out of our pizza guys now. At least $4 on any order. More if it's crappy out.


I'd almost bet that if any pizza delivery driver asked their regular customers that are consistently great tippers if they or a family member had ever delivered pizza before, 8-9 out of 10 answers would be yep. I delivered for a while in college, and ever since my mother has been a famously fabulous pizza tipper. I don't do pizza much, but probably tend to overtip when I do. I'd go with $3-4 generally, $5 in bad weather on deliverables.

Restaurants - from my understanding anything under 20% these days is considered tacky (except in the case of bad service issues, of course). But I've always tipped 20% or better anyway, even when 15% was the basic national norm.

If I'm somewhere cheapish and the bill's in the $10-25 range (like most of the places I'll grab a bite when traveling by myself) and I've gotten exceptional service, and have the cash on me, I've been known to tip pretty huge. A waitress in Athens, AL got a 100% tip from me a couple of years ago after a particularly yucky and tiring drive. Super, super service.

I have been harboring some guilt in recent years about my hometown Sonic. I grew up in a small town, and when I was in high school, most of the carhops were classmates of mine. I am pretty sure those girls never got tips unless it just happened to be someone from out of town or someone that had been away and knew better. At 16 or 17, I'd never have dared leave any restaurant without leaving a tip but it never ever occurred to me - or 99% of anyone else I know back home - to tip at Sonic, back then ('80s). I should ask one of those girls next time I see them why on earth did they never, ever just SAY something to somebody.

[jack frost]

Which is why I quit. I might make $30 a night in tips on maybe 15-20 runs. Then I'd have to buy gas, even driving a VW Bug, and there would go most of the money.

When I delivered I drove a Celica, which gets pretty decent gas mileage I guess, and on an average night would make at least $45 in tips when you factor in that, depending on the place, you get $1 for every order you take. Add to that the fact that Papa John's was paying me $6 an hour, and that on good nights I'd make upwards of $70 in tips, and that my average mileage for a night was 60 miles, max - roughly 3 gallons of gas - and the shifts were around 5 hours - and you're looking at an average of about $80 a night, less $6-$8 for gas, $72 for 5 hours work - that's $14 an hour.

If you have a good car, pizza delivery is great money, considering you're getting paid to drive around listening to music.

If you were only making $30 a night in tips, you must have been delivering in a really, really bad area or something.

[Hi Top]

TheI can't use the "why should I give them money? They're just going to spend it on alcohol and drugs." excuse. Because that's what I'm gonna spend it on. Who am I to judge this poor bastard? (stolen from Lazyboy)

[DanceDiva]

www.bitterwaitress.com/std/


from the site:
a shitty tip is, by my definition, any gratuity under 17% for service which one's peers would judge as adequate or better (eg. orders are correct, on time, special requests are honored, etc.)


I've been known to tip EXACTLY-TO-THE-PENNY 15% when the service was shitty. At least they allow people to "apologize" on the site. (Or as I would hope the case would occasionally be, to set the record straight.)

[Hank IV]

"Wait, what? they're going to puke it up anyway? wtf? Talk about an assumption!"

Yeah, you're right. Most panhandlers are saving their quarters for IRA contributions.

BWAhahaha! Me thinks someone has lived a sheltered life (and it ain't Sewell).

Tipping for good service is good Karma (or whatever).