Giving tips in Poland

It IS a sign of appreciation. What do you think gratuity means moron? Look it up!

It isn't called a 15% salary supplement fee....or a 15% service charge....it is a TIP or GRATUITY. Are you really that dense?

I also like your classism nonsense. While I am not a roofer I think they work much harder than a server....and to see a server demean a laborer shows your true character.

Why don't you try telling customers that their tip is no longer voluntary and it is a required 15% and see how that goes over. See how people view the isue.

I have totally waisted my time trying to explain to you how it works.

No you have totally wasted your time explaining to me your misunderstanding of how it works.

OK. Admittedly, I am a moron for continuing this, but, forget the fact that I have worked in the service industry for 5 years, from waitress, bartender, to food and beverage manager of a 4 star hotel, and you just "talked" to some people and eat in restauarants... how do you explain the fact that this system allows wait staff to work on salary of one dollar per hour? Or takes taxes on 15% of gross sales?

I don't have to explain it....I simply follow the standards. If you don't like it get a union or something. You have been brainwashed or just decided because it works better for you that a tip is required. It ain't pal. It is optional and good manners to give one if you get good service. It really is that simple.

I hear people like you ranting occasionally like this and you alienate customers. People here you say these things and they don't want to patronize your business because they see you as an entitled tw@t. You give servers a bad name.

Just what I thought. It's bad enough not to know the standard, but acting like your d!ck's going to fall of if you learn something new is another matter.


yup.. a roofer.

You are out of your mind.

Go ask 20 people on the street if they think a tip is voluntary or required. Ask them if a tip is a fee or if it is a reward for good service.

Also..I am not a roofer but why you think that would be an insult is beyond me...it is hard, honest work. But I guess in your world waiters are the elite.

You said all I needed to know about you right here:

10% is a minimum... some people give less then that... in the US... Americans tip well, but not all of them...

in PL tipping is not well executed (people used to eat at home... poor students who prefer to spend it on beer... etc)... Poles are learning...

Do you know what might be the salaries, before tips, of the wait staff in Poland? I would be interested. Are there any minimum wage rules?

how much does a waiter make per hour in PL... ?

Probably because it isn't a good idea to keep highlanders and moutaineers waiting for drinks... or to p155 them off when they've been drinking.


Even once... it's amazing how many dressings resemble human fuids. Anyone read 'Trainspotting'?

Interesting point about fast service and tips; I once told a server to keep the change in a McD's (in UK) and he thanked me but said he wasn't allowed to take tips.

Is that a world-wide McD rule?


So, am I to understand it is basically a tax dodge. A restaurant has to pay tax on sales but not on service, hence the service is added as a kind of 'invisible'?

From what I've heard from Americans, there is no agreement whatsoever - in fact, it's a very powerful tool against poor service staff. I understand that the American culture is that you should always leave a tip - but for Europeans, tips are very much the reward for good service and shouldn't be given freely.


Places in the UK often add on a 15% service charge to the bill - which goes towards the owners pockets. Anyone with any sense deducts that charge immediately - and gives a tip in cash, after clarifying the tipping policy with the individual.

Trying to hold the customer hostage for 15% of the bill is just going to irritate people - simple as.

Here is the problem for me, you're talking about a service fee, we are talking about a bonus for good service. There are restaurants that throw on a service fee now. It's transparent and taxed. Problem solved right? Just post on the door that there is a 15% service fee.

Ok, but why should the customer pay more than the receipt? Why doesn't the proprietor of a cafe or restaurant pay a decent wages and the staf have to rely on tips? It's like spinning a vicious circle some would say.

To be perfectly clear I myself do tip for service, always for good service and I'm actually not very demanding of what a good service is. This discussion about tipping customs arose among my friends and actually both sides had really good arguments...

beelzebub


Exactly, why then not have it on a receipt? - Because you want to tip the person that served your table not necessarily the owner of the place.


Sales people usually work on a commission or basic salary + commission. A tip is not commission.
It is different also because the tip is not included in the receipt and commission is. And whn you use to e.g. real estate agency, the agent is working on a commission that's included in the total amount you pay to the agency, right?


It's a norm in the USofA. We probably shouldn't follow every pattern as this one is especialy ridiculous. 20% is a lot, ther has to be some limit. Spinning the vicious circle again;)


- You said it: GRATUITY. Not remmuneration. Why it became like that the owner of the place pays only half of the decent wages and the rest is pushed on the customer in the name of the TIP?

It's becoming to look like in some countries in the Middle East, tip for everything, a barber, a tour guide, everything. I'm wondering, is that a good direction?


- And I hope it will not reach the point of sillyness


- Exactly, a tip by definition is rather a kind of reward or gratuity for nice service - not a part of salary!


I wouldn't put it better:). But still we're left with the social pressure to give tips not to be jerks, we want to give them actually, and at the same time we happen to be forced sometimes to pay when it was not earned, right?

I explained it few times already. I'm done.

I was hearing a shocking story about some tour company who would 'accidentally' leave your suitcases on the bus when offloading them at the airport - and the bus would drive off, with your bags. Why? Because the people in question didn't tip the tour guide enough money. That's a shocking attitude to have, and even more reason to not tip people unless the service was of a stellar quality.

What happens in America if the servers don't meet the minimum wage for their shift? I presume employers have to make it up anyway - so why bother tipping if they're going to receive minimum wage regardless?

Sorry, but anyone who acts like a tip is their God-given right is always going to receive nothing from me. Unless of course, they're French.

You kidding? If you get no customers, you're going home with 8 bucks for the day.

And that was your choice to take such a job. I am not surprised you are so enraged about this...with your attitude you probably got horrible tips. Self perpetuating anger.

But why doesn't the waiter/ess put him/herself in my shoes? Do you think I get paid for sitting on my arse? Nobody is giving me 15% extra to my salary, even though I do my best!

Because of what i do often I work in the night and it sucks, but this is MY choice and why should the waiter care? I can get rid of the problem by changing my job. Similarly, if a waiter thinks he is being paid below his expectations why should I care? Will he pay 15% more for his laundry machine so that I could earn more? I doubt it.

If that is how the service looks like in the USofA than I prefer the Canadian way.

And adding 15% to my bill without my knowladge is called STEALING in my book!

No kidding! According to f-stop they "deserve" it because they get a low hourly rate. So how about everyone that eats brings in a record of their finances...and if you are in a worse financial state than your waiter you get 15% OFF?


And that's why people should refuse automatic gratuities when they see them on the receipt...they depend on people not noticing or being afraid to comment for fear of getting hassled. They commonly do that for groups of over 4 or 6 in the US. Most people I know cross this out on the ticket and write in "tip left with server" or "tip left on table" The customer decides the tip not the restaurant.

Isn't the US Federally-mandated minimum wage set at $7.25 an hour?

dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm

I'm really not getting it. There's a minimum wage, mandated at $7.25 an hour. Why should I tip in this case?

Sorry, but your attitude really comes across as terrible, especially if employees are guaranteed to go home with minimum wage. Plenty of other people earning the minimum wage aren't getting the chance of tips, so why should you get them as a right?

I can't help but think that this is more about servers thinking that they deserve good tips as a right and not as a privilege - and if so, maybe it's time they were taken down a peg or two.

I'd give a small tip for lousy service, and give a handsome tip for really good service.

:)

Yeah, I can visualize the uproar as we speak. :)


It seems that what started as an act of good will became taken for granted. I think it's becoming the same here in Pl too and it gets on my nerves. I mean every job has it's pros and cons. If the cons outweight the pros than either it's time for a change or you just "clench your teeth" as we say in Poland and get on with it.

Its the same thing with the shop cleric and national holidays here in Pl. How is it that it is unthinkable for a shop cleric to work on a national holiday and it is ok for me or for a police officer to do it? I mean, why is it that hes free time with his family is more important than mine? Every job comes with some adantages and disadvantages, and if you donb't like it, than change the job.

The cultures where tipping wasn't normal are starting to do it because they see it as more money in their pocket...but they don't grasp often that it is "earned" not automatic. Poles generally want the extra tip but still give the same cr@p service that is normal there. It is the "entitlement" attitude. It's ironic too because servers don't understand that they could make a TON more if they were just nice and gave good service. People will tip much more if they feel taken care of than if you act like F-Stop.

And something that Americans fail to understand is that Europeans, by and far, will not reward over familiar service. In fact, anyone trying too hard to earn a tip will instantly find themselves without one with me - I don't want someone to pretend that they're my best friend, because they're not.

If anyone expects a tip from me, then they get none. It's that simple.

Thats true.


I think that it has more to do with fear of being branded as a cheapskate.

Sorry I meant it's why the businesses are expecting tips now....but I agree with you that the customers likely do it even in places it's not the standard for the reason you listed.

Personally I do not like the tip culture...first of all it's not around in all businesses and how is that fair? Secondly it breeds a mentality where you don't get good quality unless you pay the "bribe"...F-Stop has made it clear that he and his colleagues would "remember" someone who didn't bribe them appropriately. They accepted a low paying job and then blame the customer for their poor wages.

I think it would be far better to have salaries to be reasonable than to expect tips. Some people make out very well with tips however especially since they don't report some or all on taxes.

Even more reason to never tip them - if they're malicious with their service because they didn't get a tip last time, then they're not professionals and even more should be left on minimum wage.

One thing I actually dislike is the way that many places will share the tips among everyone - why on earth should I, if I've just tipped the big breasted blonde waitress $50, see her share it among everyone? I've heard the justification that the bartender and the chef should be rewarded too - but to me, this is complete nonsense.

But if you don't they do something nasty like spit in your food or some other form of "punishment". I find it despicable that people do such things and it is a crime in many places to tamper with foods. They could infect someone with a disease. I hope they get caught when doing so and are jailed for it. Suddenly their 15% entitlement will not be so important.

It's a good reason never to return to a restaurant where you didn't leave a tip - there was obviously a reason for not leaving one, and you should use this as a reason not to return for at least 6 months.

There's an interesting blog post here - it's a bit out of date in terms of minimum wage, but it's still relevant in terms of "I DESERVE"

Is this an uniquely American thing, where servers feel and demand that they should get 15-20% as standard? The funny thing is that many of these servers appear to be making very good money - no doubt because of their carefully cultivated demand that they should always be tipped regardless of how they do.

Blimey - look at this - findalink.net/tippingetiquette.php

The list of tips are just...!!

The strangest thing to me is the way that American-operated things like cruise ships and tours will give you envelopes with "suggested tips" - which is all but demanding that you give them what they say. And they wonder why Europeans will blow them off?

f stop - you'll probably be able to give a better insight into this than most. What's the idea behind making restaurants (and thus servers) pay tax on income that they're assumed to get? I get the idea that Americans are big tippers - but if you have a large party that comes in and spends upwards of $1000, are you really liable to pay tax on that, even if they don't leave a tip? And if so - literally - WTF?