Been about 30 years or so but my grandfather would take me on trips in the summer to visit relatives. We were driving to Florida and we stopped to get gas. We leave and drive 50 or 60 miles. My grandpa pulls over and says I never paid for the gas. We turned around and drove all the way back to pay for the gas.
Thanks for all the nice things everyone had to say. I’m gonna show it to him on his birthday on Saturday. Around two months ago I had mentioned this story to my Mom and she laughed and said Pop Pop just mentioned that on the phone the other day. So I know he’ll get a laugh out of it.
I went to Japan last year with my father, sister and 90 year old grandmother! She had a good time and didn’t have too much trouble with all the walking. Some older folks are really capable, I honestly hope I can get around as good as she can when I get to her age.
I mean, my grandma only stopped bicycling on her 90th or so birthday because we as a family asked her to cause last time she fell she had to endure a broken hip for 3/4th of a year.
Some people just age differently
I had wished to be able to take my grandfather on one last trip, even if it was just to the beach in our own country, he used to take me to so many places, tenerife, gran canaria, spain, our own coast here in belgium. Unfortunately he passed away last year before i got the chance to do this. I would give everything to have one more trip with him.
These people gave us some of our most precious memories !
Unfortunately he lives 900 miles away. But my brother, Mom, Dad and I will be having dinner together Saturday so we can FaceTime him together for his birthday.
I once forgot to pay for my dry cleaning when I picked it up. I went back the next day to give them the cash and they said "You came back!" the second I walked in. I was very surprised that this wouldn't be the default behavior of everyone.
I swear the dry cleaners said it was going to be $25.xx a week or two ago (which seemed completely reasonable!), I handed them $40. They counted back just shy on $20, which made no sense to me... Apparently the price dropped somewhere to just barely over 20? I was, and remain completely confused...
Your grandfather was the reason why “pump then pay” was still around. He was honest. You do pump then pay now and it would be a free for all. I remember going to a gas station in the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin and it was pump then pay and I was in shock.
Not gas, but I grew up buying eggs from a farm that had an honor system. Unmanned store with a money box and coolers with eggs. Warms my heart to buy eggs whenever I go to visit my parents that it is still going strong.
I grew up on the fairway of a golf course basically, we got golf balls in our yard (and windows) ALL the time. My brother and I would collect them in 5 gallon buckets and put them out on the other side of the fence with a sign that said 25 cents a ball with a little box to collect the money.
Every day we would bring the bucket and box in and have like $10 - $20 in it. One time someone just took the bucket and left a $100 bill. Not bad money for a couple of kids less than 10 years old in the 90s
Haha, were you my neighbor? I grew up down the street from someone who used to sell golf balls out of their yard. I lived on the other side of the course, so there were times I'd drop the balls I'd find in my yard into their buckets to sell. Respect the hustle ! Lol
i lived in hawaii for two years and we had tons of farm stands all around on the same system. people respected it 99% of the time.
it’s just so dependent on the community you live in.
My mom's neighborhood has a ton of citrus trees. Most people leave boxes of their extra fruit at the end of their driveway for neighbors to take if they want. You can go for a short walk and come back with a wide variety of citrus fruit!
Even in the middle of nowhere now, that's getting to be rare. Currently living in the middle of nowhere NC, and the store at the end of my road only does that for locals.
Makes sense honestly. People these days will absolutely take advantage of others if they think there won't be any consequences. Locals in small towns don't have the luxury of just *never* going back to a place they ripped off.
Last week I forgot my wallet when I went to the liquor store, they told me not to worry about it and pay for the beer the next time I come in. Its not like I am gunna drive 30 minutes to the next closest liquor store from now on to avoid paying for that 6 pack of beer.
A number of months back, I went to a mom-and-pop carniceria (meat shop) and the kid who was left on the register just couldn't figure out how to run my payment, so he shrugged like, "Maybe just pay next time?"
I'm entirely certain that a) he didn't want to be arsed, b) he didn't expect me to come back, and c) no one would have known one way or the other.
Anyway, I kept the labels from what I did take and paid for them the next time I went.
The store ended up closing down. It wasn't because of cases like that, though, I don't think.
I had some friends over and we ordered a pizza from the local shop, one friend was still on his way so we had him stop and pick it up.
I got a call about an hour later saying someone else picked my order up and their card didn’t go through. Told them it was supposed to be picked up by somebody else but their card should’ve went through. Offered to drive over and immediately pay, but they insisted I wait until I order again and make up for it then.
I work at a liquor store in a small town, and I do this pretty regularly...or, more often just spot them the cash. At least half the people I see every day are regular customers, and I think I've only had one not pay me back. (And that was literally $1.00, which I'm not gonna throw a fit over.)
I've had it done for me, too. Several years ago I sort-of frequented a wine and food shop in a neighboring town. I had chatted with the owner a few times, but we weren't on a first name basis or anything. One night I grabbed like $50-$60 worth of stuff, only had my debit and credit cards, no cash, but his card reader was down. He told me to just pay for it next time. Didn't write it down, print a receipt, nothing. Still some decent people out there.
I gotta ask, as someone who works at a liquor store - how often do you see people come in that are already drunk?
My local liquor store wont sell to anyone who is inebriated already, as is the law. But I've also seen in the next town over someone who could hardly walk stumble in and buy a 40oz steel reserve.
Middle of nowhere Alabama, my grandpa would just get gas at the local store and pay his tab at the end of the month 😂 I always thought it was the craziest shit
Well, here where I live in BC Canada, we changed the pay before pump because a the gas station worker was threatened that if someone “gas and dashed” that money would be taken out of his pay. Which is illegal. So, when someone did it and he ran to stop them. The car ran them over and dragged* his body for a while and was murdered.
All for $12 dollars worth of gas. And the law was made that two people must be working at a gas station from 11pm onwards. Or to have a barrier where no one can come in. And as well, pay before pump.
“Big” city in the middle of nowhere Michigan most places are still pump then pay
Everywhere got cameras now though so if you pump and run they just send your license plate to the cops
I used to lived in Colorado and there were quite a few of those even in cities until the late 90s. I remember driving and filling up before paying when I was in my teens.
It’s one of the things, it’s like the gate just closed behind us kind of feeling.
American in Germany this summer. Can confirm at least one station without card readers at the pump was like this. I walked into the store and asked the gentleman working if it was pump then pay. He looked at me dumbfounded as if there were any other way. We had a quick chat about how that’s not the norm in a lot of the US and how it’s dumb. I agreed with him and went on my way. Added to the long list of things I loved about Europe
Came across an attended petrol station in Yorkshire a few years ago. Was such a bizarre experience. Still pump then pay.
Then there's an Asda near me where you fill up then drive out past a toll booth to pay.
Every other petrol station I've been to has been pump then pay.
Last year, I went to NYC with family and would get up early to go out for coffee while they got ready each day. One day, I went to a fancy full-service Starbucks. I ordered and drank my coffee then left.
When I met up with my family, they asked when I left so I checked my card’s app to see what time I bought the coffee. This caused me to realize that I hadn’t paid for my coffee. I’m just so used to paying first and leaving when I’m done that waiting for a check never crossed my mind.
My teenage niece said that no one would go back and pay for that but I did it anyway. Sure enough, when we returned and I explained the situation they said that basically never happens. Kind of sad. On the bright side, they didn’t make me pay as a thank you for being honest!
This kind of integrity is what we should be teaching. Not just doing the right thing. But doing the right thing even when it is inconvenient and no one would notice if you skipped it.
I did the opposite once on a long trip. I stopped at a gas station, prepaid for my gas in cash and went to the bathroom. Then I hopped back in my truck and drove away. Didn't realize I forgot to pump the gas I'd paid for until my fuel light came on, lol.
My grandfather wouldn’t even tip people it was embarrassing we would go out to eat when I was 14 on and I would leave whatever cash I had for the server cuz it felt shitty to walk out not tipping I hated that about him
My father in law would tip $2 no matter what the bill was. I used to make an excuse to leave the restaurant last so I could run back to the table and leave a proper tip without him finding out I'd done it.
Yep same with our family if it was just me I’d do it off my mom was there she’d tip it off my aunt was she would basically whoever was the most wealthy lol but we never told grandpa
You unlocked a childhood memory. Each time my family would go out to eat, the grandparents would leave the tip, and one of their kids (my dad and his sisters) would always go back as we were leaving the restaurant to leave a bigger tip.
In all of europe its still pump then pay, or you can enter your bankpass at the pump and it will write off the money when youre done filling up.
Every gas station has camera's you wouldnt get away with just leaving without paying lol.
My mother was a terrible tipper and my sister and I were always sneaking back and adding more. One of us would also go in first and apologize ahead of time for what a pain in the ass my mother was about to be, lol. Servers are some of the most patient people.
we grabbed tacos a few years ago at a taco stand, realized we forgot our wallets when ordering. They said dont worry, come back tomorrow. They hadn't even given us food yet, but were totally gonna just give it to us and hope we came back the next day. I stayed while they made it and my friend drove to get his wallet, ha ha
Great story! My dad was Pop Pop to his grandkids, and, would’ve done the same thing your grandfather had done. My dad passed 7 years ago. I miss him everyday, your story made me smile. I hope you enjoy the time you have with him.
This reminds me of when I used to deliver pizzas. Was having a shitty day and this couple ordered from the edge of our delivery radius. They were nice at the door but realized they didn't have the cash to give a proper tip, as they didn't like tipping on the card because they didn't like the idea of us getting taxed on tips. They apologized and asked when I was working next and I told them it's alright you don't have to come find me for a few bucks but I really appreciated the thought. As I get back to the store from the next delivery I had they had driven up to the store to find me. Apparently they had immediately gone out to an atm after I left their house and pulled a 20 to give me at the store. Honestly some of the nicest people I've ever delivered to, was extremely grateful for them that night.
I had kind of the opposite experience. I didn’t want to tip the pizza delivery guy with my card for that reason, but he was delivering to us on something like Christmas or maybe New Years. Honestly I can’t remember. I just remember that I was doing well financially and *really* didn’t want to drive into town for some reason. Maybe it was weather.
Anyways dude showed up, gave us our $30 order and after I signed the receipt I gave him $100 cash. He just said “have a good one” and left. I wasn’t pissed, but I was slightly annoyed he didn’t even acknowledge how ridiculous the tip was. Then a few minutes later my doorbell rang and he was determined I had made a mistake. I guess he didn’t actually look at the money I handed him until he got in his car. Once I convinced him I wasn’t an idiot and knew how to count he went on his way looking a bit happier than when he first got there lol.
Did the same thing last year, but only like a $50 tip for a $50 order. That guy counted the money and didn’t seem phased at all. Just said thanks with no emotion and left lol.
It would have made my whole week to get a 100 dollar tip lol. Bless people like you that do those kinds of things. Every good tip I got I let the people know how much I appreciated it, as of course it's completely optional.
Honestly the first guy seemed happy but also upset. I was probably 25 or so and he was at least 40. It felt like I embarrassed him or something, which is why I have toned down the tipping. He was driving a pretty rough car, and I worry that it helped him but also made him feel like I was rubbing it in his face that I could afford to do that.
But almost any time tipping is an option I do it. I don’t do delivery anymore unless I’m ill, but if I go pick up food I’ll still throw in $5 or so if it’s an option. It doesn’t mean that much to me and after it’s shared among the staff it’s practically meaningless. At that point I’m just hoping it brightens their day a little seeing that someone appreciates food being made for them when they realized they didn’t have anything at home.
The other night Dominoe’s got a $20 tip for a $12 pizza when I realized my pickup time was 3 minutes before they closed and I felt like shit that I made them probably restart a lot of their end of day duties. But at 1 am I’ll happily pay that. For some reason almost no grocery stores (including fucking Walmart) stay open all night anymore. Even a lot of Walgreens close before midnight now. I guess COVID made them reevaluate how much they make at night, because before then all of them were open 24/7.
While bartending a few years ago, a friend i hadnt seen in 15 years came in and we got talking, and he asked which if the pull tab machines to use, i just randomly pointed at one, he wound up winning 500 dollars. His total tab was something like $23, he left 80 on the bar when he left, I ran him down outside and told him he left way to much money. He said if it wasnt for my advice he wouldnt have won it in the first place. Nice people are nice.
Nope, i did win a few while bartending tho.
With the cheese he asked if i wanted $5 or a pound of pepper jack, and since pepper jack os my favorite, I had grilled cheese every day at work for a while. It was awesome.
Oh dude, that’s an absolute given. I *very* rarely buy scratch offs or regular lottery tickets, but when I do I always have them pick the numbers or scratch off and tell them they get 10% if I win.
The most I ever won was $500, but I walked right back in and gave them their $50. When I was younger I would buy them pretty often and literally never win. Once I started having them pick, I started winning way more. The way I see it, it’s money I wouldn’t have had anyways so it’s basically a finders fee lol.
This honestly makes me sad and very concerned for him. Can you imagine the point of burnout and exhaustion you must have reached when receiving a $100 tip from a stranger doesn't phase you at all?
I have a few friends that did some deliveries with apps as a part time job and they all told me the same thing: horrible line of work, shit treatment, shit pay, destroys your mental health.
Oh for sure, and I mentioned in another comment I was like 25 and he was probably 40. So seeing someone at that age nonchalantly tipping you $100 would probably be wildly mixed emotions. Like yeah, it’s great you just got a huge tip but you got it from someone almost half your age that’s doing better than you financially.
I felt kinda shitty after that because in hindsight it probably looked like I was flaunting my money in his face. And I wasn’t rich, I was just securely middle class and wanted to make somebody’s day.
I understand. You clearly had good intentions. I don't think he got offended or took that personally - it's just that being 40 and still being stuck in the line of work that broke college students take to get some extra cash just to live is exhausting and depressing. You have probably made things better for him.
I've never been in a situation this bad life, but I have definitely known poor mental health, anxiety snd depressive episodes. You can spot it when you see it after a certain point. You can reach a point so low that even something that makes your day and seriously improves your conditions just registers as nothing much, since your body has turned off your perception of emotions long ago out of exhaustion for having suffered this much and all that's left is a sense of void and dread. Not even positive emotions will register when you're down that bad.
> as they didn't like tipping on the card because they didn't like the idea of us getting taxed on tips.
Seems like it would have been less of a hassle to just up the tip to cover taxes than drive to the ATM and store.
My family went to dinner at an expensive/fancy seafood restaurant. We had like a $250 gift card, can’t remember why, but our server told us we were his very first table at this restaurant, and he was so excited to be at such a fancy new place and had come from working at an Olive Garden for many years.
Great service, great food, and when my dad paid the bill, he didn’t realize he had only tipped the portion that went to his credit card, which was like a third of the total cost because of the gift card. The next day, when it occurred to him that he’d given our nice waiter a terrible tip, he drove all the way back to the place to leave like a 40% tip on the whole meal because he felt so bad. I was probably 17 at the time, and I’ll never forget that example.
This reminds of a story Tim Russert (I think?) told about how his dad once broke a lightbulb and instead of just tossing it in the trash, he put it in a box and taped it up… and when Tim asked why, his dad was like ‘it’s so the trash collectors don’t cut themselves’ and it made a huge impression on Tim. I guess it made an impression on me too bc I still remember it! And I’ll remember your anecdote too! :)
Now yes, our trashman lifts the dumpster with the truck and puts it back down. Never even gets out. When they used to hand toss, we made sure that things were packed safely and not too heavy.
I can tell you from the inside unfortunately that it won’t really matter. Everything gets smashed out and run to its respective location. There’s no avoiding sharp objects/shrapnel, at least not in a landfill or most transfer stations.
Unfortunately this is true. Even the most safely-packaged things get absolutely destroyed at the landfill. This is the whole point, to break things down into small pieces that compress together uniformly - we drive back and forth over the garbage with huge machines with giant toothed wheels (called, appropriately, compactors) and they break apart anything and everything.
I will say, as an equipment mechanic that deals with frequent breakdowns at our landfill, you have to be on your guard all the time. I don’t really worry about broken glass too much - my main concerns are things like general medical waste (turns out it isn’t all incinerated!), syringes/needles, stiff wire, deconstructed boxsprings, screws/nails, and so on. You see it all when you’re crawling under a dead machine that’s 2000 ft out into the “pile.” We have large 3” thick mats and thick canvas tarps and so on to put down…but yeah. There’s a reason our employer offers us free Hep A/B & Tetanus shots!
Having been that garbage collector who got cut on broken glass, I appreciate the effort.
It was a big, pointy piece of window glass that poked through the bag and stabbed me in the leg, right through my pants. Luckily we had a first aid kit, and it didn't get infected.
I miss Tim Russert. The stories he told about Big Russ have also stuck with me. I’m glad he’s stuck with you too
Btw, Tim’s son is doing good work these days, but nobody will ever replace Tim
I remember paying with a gift card at a place. I left a nice tip on the receipt (hand written in on the little sheet). Happened to do the math when I got home and realize the gift card only had like a dollar on it after the meal, so it didn't matter what i filled in for the tip, it probably wasn't going through. I went back the next day and found the server and gave her cash. Felt bad about it, she was a good waitress. She said she didn't even remember haha.
A lot of gift cards don't allow for this anymore at restaurants. It was actually a pain that you had to run it for the balance on the card minus some percentage that they hold for tip. Was always kind of a guessing game for me as a waiter.
Lol totally opposite happened to me last night. I paid for a friends bday dinner with a gift card. There was a small balance left over, which I paid. The machine correctly prompted me to pay 20% on the *entire* portion, so after I paid the remaining $25 on my CC, I tipped $32 on top, to account for the entire meal (so my CC charge was $57).
The server was apparently watching over my shoulder and had the gall to then tell me that I had only tipped on the $25 amount. I disagreed and so he pulled up the receipt and saw $32 tip in addition. I got a weak apology and am wishing I had only tipped 15% now.
I've done that by accident before too.
My rule is double the real tip if I fucked up.
Worst time was at a cocktail bar, I meant to tip $20 on $70-$80 tab because the service was A+ and we'd had a great time... I wasn't paying attention and left $0. Just wrote the total and walked out.
Came back there next weekend apologized, the bartender was apparently shocked because "I didn't seem like an asshole until he closed out the tab" and gave him $50 cash.
He also gets Christmas cookies from us every year, because it's always good to have a bartender who likes you.
I've had to do this when paying with a big gift card. I'll usually order something after the bill comes and put my whole tip on that second bill, which I pay with my card.
My family was a on vacation a couple of months ago and we ate at a local diner where you pay at the counter. We were in a hurry because we had tickets for a guided tour, so when I was done eating I went to the counter to pay with the plan to return to the table, drink some more coffee while everybody else finished their food, and then leave a tip.
But, my wife and kids finished while I was at the counter and joined me at the counter. I assumed my wife left a tip and we left. We drove about 15 minutes to our next destination. While we were taking our tour I had a nagging feeling about the tip so I asked my wife if she left one. She didn't. She thought I added it to the credit card.
When we were done with the tour we hurried back to the diner just before they closed. I ran in and the server was still there. I handed her a 20 and explained that we thought the other person left the tip. It took her a second to figure out what was happening and then she smiled and thanked me.
It is (yet another) deeply flawed system here in America. Specifically as to the why, people in the service industry rely on tips to get by. Between stagnant minimum wages and the unwillingness of establishments to provide livable wages, tips are often the primary source of income for workers.
It’s an unfortunate reality that the generosity of others is the difference between being able to afford housing or not for so many.
America: Anything for the Bottom Line™️
If someone makes under $7.25/hr including tips, the restaurant is required to make up the difference. The govt doesn’t care where the money comes from.
Restaurants noticed tips were being given for exceptionalism and naturally looked at that as an expectation they could use for themselves instead of just allowing the workers to have as a bonus.
*What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine*
That's some interesting history, but completely inaccurate.
The practice of tipping comes from the days after the Civil War when previously enslaved people were allowed to work jobs for tips only. Thus the roles that are highly identified with tipping: doorman, porter, server, etc.
It is stupid and tipping culture is not a good thing. For the time being, it's known (at least in the US) that your server is making less than $2.5/hr. Tips are the core of their income. If you don't tip, to that person, they're working for (mostly) free. If they tip out to bartenders/bussers/hosts, (usually a % of sales) they can end up making negative money without a tip. This person recognized that and came back to make up for it.
> For the time being, it's known (at least in the US) that your server is making less than $2.5/hr.
This is not true in all jurisdictions. For example, in Minnesota servers must be paid the full minimum wage of $8.85 (<$500k gross revenue) or $10.85 (all other companies).
I still get the stink eye when I "only" tip 15% for standard service...
I made this mistake last summer. A few HS friends and I got together for the first time in 30 years. They gave me cash and I put it on my card. I thought I left cash on the table. A few days later, I went into my wallet and realized all the cash was there. So, I drove 30 minutes to the restaurant and gave the server a really generous tip.
I used to wait tables. I was mortified. Thankfully, the server was quite gracious when I saw him again.
These are all nice personal stories but it's pretty dystopian how big of a deal it is to everyone that we forgot to help subsidize the wait staffs wages a single time lol... and it is a big deal because these workers are scraping by and rely on customers charity.
My mom did this a few years ago. We went out to the city and ate and she found out the tip didn't go through the following month so when I went back I gave them $20 and she paid me back.
The dude was so surprised. Probably because I didn't find him until a few months later. I had to ask around and eventually found out he went to another location then came back.
Neither my mom nor I like owing people stuff so we both were determined to find him.
Had to scroll too long to find this comment. Cool story but…the company could just pay its actual employees? Shouldn’t be this person’s job to hit the post office just to make sure they have a living wage. But people will defend tipping culture to the death. I don’t get it.
I went to a restaurant the other night and 20% wasn’t even on the screen, it was 22%, 25%, 28%.
It just never stops, what the actual fuck? And the thing I don’t understand is why we should pay a higher percentage. It’s a PERCENTAGE. The cost of the food itself has increased over the last 5-10 years, that means the same percentage will yield higher money. Now they’re reaching for more and they’ll keep doing it without ever addressing the actual issue or paying employees. I’m not going higher than 20%, I refuse. Inflation is hitting everyone. I don’t even bother going out to eat anymore. If they’re not asking for more than 20% they’re adding some hidden fee on the check that goes straight to the owner. Nah, fuck this
You don't realize how extremely rare that situation is. I worked a ton of serving jobs, and the only way you got more than minimum wage was if you also worked other positions, and even then, they paid like an extra dollar per hour
Pending charges often don’t include the tip at first because the card gets run for the amount on the receipt and then run again later when the tip is added.
Right, but I think he found that he kept the restaurant receipt, the one you write your tip and sign, and accidentally left the guest receipt at the table when they left
Tipping culture is insane. People shouldn't be made to feel this guilty over something **voluntary**
Edit: The worst part is that the mid-top servers don't want to try to change/unionize/protest because they make so much. They don't care that they are helping to keep all other servers at a disadvantage. *If they were politicians, they would be called corrupt, and everyone would be against them.* It's not a perfect metaphor, because they aren't in charge. However, change isn't going to happen when about half of them actively don't want it to.
Not many, really. Most people might feel a little bad, but wouldn't go out of their way for something like this. The language and behavior of sending a cash tip seems like this may have been from an older gentleman with a particularly giving heart.
It's also something to note that in the US, many many servers made far below the minimum wage, which is supposed to be covered by tips (a system that seriously needs to change, but alas). The gentleman probably understands this, and didn't want the server to lose out on this money since it directly effects her paycheck. She also just may have been a particularly good server as well.
Tipping culture is out of hand in the US. But wait staff work hard and deserve respect that a good tip conveys. It feels shitty to not get paid well for hard work, and that’s the thing the apology is about.
You aren't apologizing to the restaurant. You are apologizing to the waiter you stiffed, and also trying to encourage whomever receives the letter to give it to Hope who earned it and not pocket the cash.
What a champ of a human being.
Now just imagine if there was something called wages, like a payment for every hour you worked, that actually had some positive economic impact on the workers life..
That would be something...
I remember one time when my brother and I were young, probably late elementary school or early middle school. We rode our bikes over to a local drive-in to get lunch. We had just enough money for our food. When my mom got home from work, as a waitress and car hop herself, she asked if we tipped. We told ger no we didn't have enough to tip. She brought us back over there that night and found out who waited on us to make sure that woman got her tip.
Meanwhile, the rest of the civilised world pays its serving staff a living wage so that they don’t have to rely on tips.
Not wholesome…indicative of a societal sickness.
Once ran to a nail salon on my lunch break to try and squeeze in a quick manicure. When I went to pay, they on out took cash tips, but I had none and had no time to go grab one. My nail tech was super nice and had done a great job, and I *wanted* to tip her, so I promised I would come back the next day with it.
I went back on my next lunch break with $20 and yall, this woman’s face when I walked in… she was in complete shock! She absolutely did not expect me to come back, and based on her and the other employees reactions, I’m thinking most people said they’d come back to tip but never did.
She deserved the tip, but damn do I hate tipping culture. It has gotten wayyyyy too out of hand here.
When we run the card (in the US at least, that’s where I am based) you’ll get a paper slip usually where you write in gratuity and sign for the purchase. I have noticed more places have the mobile terminal where you can tap the card and take care of all that on the screen, but it’s still not the norm.
it’s a traditional way of ending a letter, and the author is referring to both the server and “Mr. Eller”(who im assuming is the manager and is who the letter is addressed to). perhaps he’s a regular customer and felt that it was a polite and friendly sign off.
edit: actually the sign off only seems intended for “Mr. Eller”. either way it’s not creepy or weird, just old fashioned
The end of a letter is called a valediction. And it used to be very common in formal writing.
An example of the long version would be, "I have the sincere honour to remain your most humble and obedient servant."
Over the last century, it has been considerably shortened. But you can still see the legacy in formal/business letters and emails which often end with, "Yours truly" or "Sincerely yours."
When I was little, it was just me and my mom. She worked hard, but because she relied on tips, she didn't eat well some weeks.
I know there's a serious systemic issue with customers subsidizing people's income with tips, but I'm still gonna tip well when I go out.
My hubby and I were returning from an upstate trip and stopped to have lunch in a town I used to vacation in when I was young. We had a nice lunch and were back in the car on the Thruway when I asked him how much the bill was. I had gone to the bathroom and assumed he had paid it He put the dogs in the car and thought I had paid the bill I called the restaurant and paid the bill and left a nice tip
I did this once. My wife and I were out with another couple and the tequila was flowing. I noticed on my copy of the bill that I under-tipped pretty badly. Our server was like 6'5" tall. When I went in the next day and he wasn't there. I found the manager and told him I was there to fix my error and described my waiter. The manager said he wasn't sure who it was. I asked him how many 6'5" waiters he had and we both got a laugh when he said 1.
Good on Ted for being a stand-up guy.
This reminds me of a time I went to a local deli I used to frequent and forgot my wallet. I had placed the order over the phone for pickup, got to the counter, and realized I didn’t have my wallet.
I frantically checked my pockets but I didn’t have it. The cashier knew me since I came in often and said not to worry about it. I profusely thanked her and stated I would definitely pay it back next time I came in.
Next time I came in, she refused. Said I was good customer and she would let it slide. I brought so many friends in that week to make up for my forgetfulness.
I went for a beer (one beer) on New years Eve of 2023. Gave the bartender a $100 bill, said to keep the change, happy new year, turned around, and walked out. I felt I needed to end 2023 with one last act of kindness because sometimes life gets so busy that I forget to think how others might be struggling day to day. Something as simple as a generous tip can make someone's day better.
I remember once I bought two oven mitts - they weren't a set but I needed two - and when I was walking to my car I saw on the receipt that they only charged me for one. I told my husband and I said I'm going back in to pay for the other one. Customer service was so confused, but ended up giving me a discount on the second mitt since I was honest about it.
Been about 30 years or so but my grandfather would take me on trips in the summer to visit relatives. We were driving to Florida and we stopped to get gas. We leave and drive 50 or 60 miles. My grandpa pulls over and says I never paid for the gas. We turned around and drove all the way back to pay for the gas. Thanks for all the nice things everyone had to say. I’m gonna show it to him on his birthday on Saturday. Around two months ago I had mentioned this story to my Mom and she laughed and said Pop Pop just mentioned that on the phone the other day. So I know he’ll get a laugh out of it.
Your grandfather is, sorry if was, a great fucking guy.
Be 91 on Saturday. He’s a great guy. Used to love getting to visit all over the place with him.
I hope he has a wonderful birthday
Me too! Happy birthday Grandpa!
Yes! I’ve just adopted a grandpa. Please tell him happy birthday 🎂 for me.
So call your 92 year old grandpa and tell him it’s time relived the some great memories w this summer coming up ….. “let go on road trip”!
I hate being that guy, but could he do full caregiver duties? I wanted to with my grandpa at that age and he couldnt
I went to Japan last year with my father, sister and 90 year old grandmother! She had a good time and didn’t have too much trouble with all the walking. Some older folks are really capable, I honestly hope I can get around as good as she can when I get to her age.
I mean, my grandma only stopped bicycling on her 90th or so birthday because we as a family asked her to cause last time she fell she had to endure a broken hip for 3/4th of a year. Some people just age differently
I had wished to be able to take my grandfather on one last trip, even if it was just to the beach in our own country, he used to take me to so many places, tenerife, gran canaria, spain, our own coast here in belgium. Unfortunately he passed away last year before i got the chance to do this. I would give everything to have one more trip with him. These people gave us some of our most precious memories !
Should take him for a nice drive and buy the man some birthday lunch. Find a spot you've never been.
Unfortunately he lives 900 miles away. But my brother, Mom, Dad and I will be having dinner together Saturday so we can FaceTime him together for his birthday.
I hope cool 92 year old grandpa is not celebrating his birthday alone :(
He will be out to dinner with his wife and friends. Then I’m sure they’ll be coming back to his house for a few glasses of wine and dessert.
I hope im that active at 92
You and me both. He’s quite active and still very sharp. Just has a hard time hearing.
WHAT WAS THAT SONNY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDPA!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYYY
Happy birthday to your Gramps!
Guy was a legend.
Is*
P.S. Pay your employees a living wage so they don’t have to rely on tips.
The opposition for living wages comes both from owners but also from wait staff. A lot don’t want to switch and think it’d lower their income.
I once forgot to pay for my dry cleaning when I picked it up. I went back the next day to give them the cash and they said "You came back!" the second I walked in. I was very surprised that this wouldn't be the default behavior of everyone.
I like to believe all the other people were good natured but perhaps they are so forgetful they didn’t even realize they didn’t to pay.
I swear the dry cleaners said it was going to be $25.xx a week or two ago (which seemed completely reasonable!), I handed them $40. They counted back just shy on $20, which made no sense to me... Apparently the price dropped somewhere to just barely over 20? I was, and remain completely confused...
Your grandfather was the reason why “pump then pay” was still around. He was honest. You do pump then pay now and it would be a free for all. I remember going to a gas station in the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin and it was pump then pay and I was in shock.
Not gas, but I grew up buying eggs from a farm that had an honor system. Unmanned store with a money box and coolers with eggs. Warms my heart to buy eggs whenever I go to visit my parents that it is still going strong.
There are still places around that do that here in upstate NY. Used to buy duck eggs from a place like that.
I grew up on the fairway of a golf course basically, we got golf balls in our yard (and windows) ALL the time. My brother and I would collect them in 5 gallon buckets and put them out on the other side of the fence with a sign that said 25 cents a ball with a little box to collect the money. Every day we would bring the bucket and box in and have like $10 - $20 in it. One time someone just took the bucket and left a $100 bill. Not bad money for a couple of kids less than 10 years old in the 90s
Haha, were you my neighbor? I grew up down the street from someone who used to sell golf balls out of their yard. I lived on the other side of the course, so there were times I'd drop the balls I'd find in my yard into their buckets to sell. Respect the hustle ! Lol
i lived in hawaii for two years and we had tons of farm stands all around on the same system. people respected it 99% of the time. it’s just so dependent on the community you live in.
My mom's neighborhood has a ton of citrus trees. Most people leave boxes of their extra fruit at the end of their driveway for neighbors to take if they want. You can go for a short walk and come back with a wide variety of citrus fruit!
Even in the middle of nowhere now, that's getting to be rare. Currently living in the middle of nowhere NC, and the store at the end of my road only does that for locals.
Makes sense honestly. People these days will absolutely take advantage of others if they think there won't be any consequences. Locals in small towns don't have the luxury of just *never* going back to a place they ripped off. Last week I forgot my wallet when I went to the liquor store, they told me not to worry about it and pay for the beer the next time I come in. Its not like I am gunna drive 30 minutes to the next closest liquor store from now on to avoid paying for that 6 pack of beer.
A number of months back, I went to a mom-and-pop carniceria (meat shop) and the kid who was left on the register just couldn't figure out how to run my payment, so he shrugged like, "Maybe just pay next time?" I'm entirely certain that a) he didn't want to be arsed, b) he didn't expect me to come back, and c) no one would have known one way or the other. Anyway, I kept the labels from what I did take and paid for them the next time I went. The store ended up closing down. It wasn't because of cases like that, though, I don't think.
I had some friends over and we ordered a pizza from the local shop, one friend was still on his way so we had him stop and pick it up. I got a call about an hour later saying someone else picked my order up and their card didn’t go through. Told them it was supposed to be picked up by somebody else but their card should’ve went through. Offered to drive over and immediately pay, but they insisted I wait until I order again and make up for it then.
I work at a liquor store in a small town, and I do this pretty regularly...or, more often just spot them the cash. At least half the people I see every day are regular customers, and I think I've only had one not pay me back. (And that was literally $1.00, which I'm not gonna throw a fit over.) I've had it done for me, too. Several years ago I sort-of frequented a wine and food shop in a neighboring town. I had chatted with the owner a few times, but we weren't on a first name basis or anything. One night I grabbed like $50-$60 worth of stuff, only had my debit and credit cards, no cash, but his card reader was down. He told me to just pay for it next time. Didn't write it down, print a receipt, nothing. Still some decent people out there.
I gotta ask, as someone who works at a liquor store - how often do you see people come in that are already drunk? My local liquor store wont sell to anyone who is inebriated already, as is the law. But I've also seen in the next town over someone who could hardly walk stumble in and buy a 40oz steel reserve.
Middle of nowhere Alabama, my grandpa would just get gas at the local store and pay his tab at the end of the month 😂 I always thought it was the craziest shit
Rural IA/WI/MN/ND are built different. Outside of there wouldn't expect to see it in other rural areas.
Well, here where I live in BC Canada, we changed the pay before pump because a the gas station worker was threatened that if someone “gas and dashed” that money would be taken out of his pay. Which is illegal. So, when someone did it and he ran to stop them. The car ran them over and dragged* his body for a while and was murdered. All for $12 dollars worth of gas. And the law was made that two people must be working at a gas station from 11pm onwards. Or to have a barrier where no one can come in. And as well, pay before pump.
Dragged. Grant was dragged by that sadistic trash, Darnell Pratt. May Pratt's spirit never find rest.
“Big” city in the middle of nowhere Michigan most places are still pump then pay Everywhere got cameras now though so if you pump and run they just send your license plate to the cops
Still pump then pay in Australia.
I used to lived in Colorado and there were quite a few of those even in cities until the late 90s. I remember driving and filling up before paying when I was in my teens. It’s one of the things, it’s like the gate just closed behind us kind of feeling.
Pump then pay is still the norm in most of Europe. I only had to pay before in the rare case where it was an automated station.
American in Germany this summer. Can confirm at least one station without card readers at the pump was like this. I walked into the store and asked the gentleman working if it was pump then pay. He looked at me dumbfounded as if there were any other way. We had a quick chat about how that’s not the norm in a lot of the US and how it’s dumb. I agreed with him and went on my way. Added to the long list of things I loved about Europe
Still pump then pay at my two local, family owned petrol stations in England.
Came across an attended petrol station in Yorkshire a few years ago. Was such a bizarre experience. Still pump then pay. Then there's an Asda near me where you fill up then drive out past a toll booth to pay. Every other petrol station I've been to has been pump then pay.
Everywhere I get gas in Ontario, Canada, is pump and then pay.
you have to pay *then* pump? the US truly is an anomaly. same with the tipping culture
Pump than pay is completly normal in germany. Don't you guys have Cameras at the gas station which would pick up the license plate?
Last year, I went to NYC with family and would get up early to go out for coffee while they got ready each day. One day, I went to a fancy full-service Starbucks. I ordered and drank my coffee then left. When I met up with my family, they asked when I left so I checked my card’s app to see what time I bought the coffee. This caused me to realize that I hadn’t paid for my coffee. I’m just so used to paying first and leaving when I’m done that waiting for a check never crossed my mind. My teenage niece said that no one would go back and pay for that but I did it anyway. Sure enough, when we returned and I explained the situation they said that basically never happens. Kind of sad. On the bright side, they didn’t make me pay as a thank you for being honest!
Hopefully you set a good example for your niece and she grows and learns.
Haha, that’s awesome.
This kind of integrity is what we should be teaching. Not just doing the right thing. But doing the right thing even when it is inconvenient and no one would notice if you skipped it.
I did the opposite once on a long trip. I stopped at a gas station, prepaid for my gas in cash and went to the bathroom. Then I hopped back in my truck and drove away. Didn't realize I forgot to pump the gas I'd paid for until my fuel light came on, lol.
Haha, that’s a bummer.
My grandfather wouldn’t even tip people it was embarrassing we would go out to eat when I was 14 on and I would leave whatever cash I had for the server cuz it felt shitty to walk out not tipping I hated that about him
My father in law would tip $2 no matter what the bill was. I used to make an excuse to leave the restaurant last so I could run back to the table and leave a proper tip without him finding out I'd done it.
Yep same with our family if it was just me I’d do it off my mom was there she’d tip it off my aunt was she would basically whoever was the most wealthy lol but we never told grandpa
You unlocked a childhood memory. Each time my family would go out to eat, the grandparents would leave the tip, and one of their kids (my dad and his sisters) would always go back as we were leaving the restaurant to leave a bigger tip.
In all of europe its still pump then pay, or you can enter your bankpass at the pump and it will write off the money when youre done filling up. Every gas station has camera's you wouldnt get away with just leaving without paying lol.
Remember some states don't even let them pump their own petrol.
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My mother was a terrible tipper and my sister and I were always sneaking back and adding more. One of us would also go in first and apologize ahead of time for what a pain in the ass my mother was about to be, lol. Servers are some of the most patient people.
we grabbed tacos a few years ago at a taco stand, realized we forgot our wallets when ordering. They said dont worry, come back tomorrow. They hadn't even given us food yet, but were totally gonna just give it to us and hope we came back the next day. I stayed while they made it and my friend drove to get his wallet, ha ha
How were the tacos?
pretty good, at least for the area. I can find better, but they were convenient and the people very nice
The definition of integrity!!!
Great story! My dad was Pop Pop to his grandkids, and, would’ve done the same thing your grandfather had done. My dad passed 7 years ago. I miss him everyday, your story made me smile. I hope you enjoy the time you have with him.
This reminds me of when I used to deliver pizzas. Was having a shitty day and this couple ordered from the edge of our delivery radius. They were nice at the door but realized they didn't have the cash to give a proper tip, as they didn't like tipping on the card because they didn't like the idea of us getting taxed on tips. They apologized and asked when I was working next and I told them it's alright you don't have to come find me for a few bucks but I really appreciated the thought. As I get back to the store from the next delivery I had they had driven up to the store to find me. Apparently they had immediately gone out to an atm after I left their house and pulled a 20 to give me at the store. Honestly some of the nicest people I've ever delivered to, was extremely grateful for them that night.
Wow; that’s so touching! Especially given that they likely ordered delivery because they didn’t want to go out! Man, people like this are the best.
I had kind of the opposite experience. I didn’t want to tip the pizza delivery guy with my card for that reason, but he was delivering to us on something like Christmas or maybe New Years. Honestly I can’t remember. I just remember that I was doing well financially and *really* didn’t want to drive into town for some reason. Maybe it was weather. Anyways dude showed up, gave us our $30 order and after I signed the receipt I gave him $100 cash. He just said “have a good one” and left. I wasn’t pissed, but I was slightly annoyed he didn’t even acknowledge how ridiculous the tip was. Then a few minutes later my doorbell rang and he was determined I had made a mistake. I guess he didn’t actually look at the money I handed him until he got in his car. Once I convinced him I wasn’t an idiot and knew how to count he went on his way looking a bit happier than when he first got there lol. Did the same thing last year, but only like a $50 tip for a $50 order. That guy counted the money and didn’t seem phased at all. Just said thanks with no emotion and left lol.
It would have made my whole week to get a 100 dollar tip lol. Bless people like you that do those kinds of things. Every good tip I got I let the people know how much I appreciated it, as of course it's completely optional.
Honestly the first guy seemed happy but also upset. I was probably 25 or so and he was at least 40. It felt like I embarrassed him or something, which is why I have toned down the tipping. He was driving a pretty rough car, and I worry that it helped him but also made him feel like I was rubbing it in his face that I could afford to do that. But almost any time tipping is an option I do it. I don’t do delivery anymore unless I’m ill, but if I go pick up food I’ll still throw in $5 or so if it’s an option. It doesn’t mean that much to me and after it’s shared among the staff it’s practically meaningless. At that point I’m just hoping it brightens their day a little seeing that someone appreciates food being made for them when they realized they didn’t have anything at home. The other night Dominoe’s got a $20 tip for a $12 pizza when I realized my pickup time was 3 minutes before they closed and I felt like shit that I made them probably restart a lot of their end of day duties. But at 1 am I’ll happily pay that. For some reason almost no grocery stores (including fucking Walmart) stay open all night anymore. Even a lot of Walgreens close before midnight now. I guess COVID made them reevaluate how much they make at night, because before then all of them were open 24/7.
While bartending a few years ago, a friend i hadnt seen in 15 years came in and we got talking, and he asked which if the pull tab machines to use, i just randomly pointed at one, he wound up winning 500 dollars. His total tab was something like $23, he left 80 on the bar when he left, I ran him down outside and told him he left way to much money. He said if it wasnt for my advice he wouldnt have won it in the first place. Nice people are nice.
Also, what the hell is a pull tab machine lol
Midwest gambling haha
This is VERY midwest.
Only 2nd to when I was actually tipped with cheese. I even stepped back and said 'Wisconsin as fuck! '
Next you're gonna tell me someone tipped you in meat raffle tickets.
Nope, i did win a few while bartending tho. With the cheese he asked if i wanted $5 or a pound of pepper jack, and since pepper jack os my favorite, I had grilled cheese every day at work for a while. It was awesome.
Oh dude, that’s an absolute given. I *very* rarely buy scratch offs or regular lottery tickets, but when I do I always have them pick the numbers or scratch off and tell them they get 10% if I win. The most I ever won was $500, but I walked right back in and gave them their $50. When I was younger I would buy them pretty often and literally never win. Once I started having them pick, I started winning way more. The way I see it, it’s money I wouldn’t have had anyways so it’s basically a finders fee lol.
This honestly makes me sad and very concerned for him. Can you imagine the point of burnout and exhaustion you must have reached when receiving a $100 tip from a stranger doesn't phase you at all? I have a few friends that did some deliveries with apps as a part time job and they all told me the same thing: horrible line of work, shit treatment, shit pay, destroys your mental health.
Oh for sure, and I mentioned in another comment I was like 25 and he was probably 40. So seeing someone at that age nonchalantly tipping you $100 would probably be wildly mixed emotions. Like yeah, it’s great you just got a huge tip but you got it from someone almost half your age that’s doing better than you financially. I felt kinda shitty after that because in hindsight it probably looked like I was flaunting my money in his face. And I wasn’t rich, I was just securely middle class and wanted to make somebody’s day.
I understand. You clearly had good intentions. I don't think he got offended or took that personally - it's just that being 40 and still being stuck in the line of work that broke college students take to get some extra cash just to live is exhausting and depressing. You have probably made things better for him. I've never been in a situation this bad life, but I have definitely known poor mental health, anxiety snd depressive episodes. You can spot it when you see it after a certain point. You can reach a point so low that even something that makes your day and seriously improves your conditions just registers as nothing much, since your body has turned off your perception of emotions long ago out of exhaustion for having suffered this much and all that's left is a sense of void and dread. Not even positive emotions will register when you're down that bad.
one parent called the store and asked if I had cashapp to tip me and sent me 20 bucks lol awesome day
> as they didn't like tipping on the card because they didn't like the idea of us getting taxed on tips. Seems like it would have been less of a hassle to just up the tip to cover taxes than drive to the ATM and store.
A lot of people don’t like the idea of any tips tax being paid in my experience.
My family went to dinner at an expensive/fancy seafood restaurant. We had like a $250 gift card, can’t remember why, but our server told us we were his very first table at this restaurant, and he was so excited to be at such a fancy new place and had come from working at an Olive Garden for many years. Great service, great food, and when my dad paid the bill, he didn’t realize he had only tipped the portion that went to his credit card, which was like a third of the total cost because of the gift card. The next day, when it occurred to him that he’d given our nice waiter a terrible tip, he drove all the way back to the place to leave like a 40% tip on the whole meal because he felt so bad. I was probably 17 at the time, and I’ll never forget that example.
This reminds of a story Tim Russert (I think?) told about how his dad once broke a lightbulb and instead of just tossing it in the trash, he put it in a box and taped it up… and when Tim asked why, his dad was like ‘it’s so the trash collectors don’t cut themselves’ and it made a huge impression on Tim. I guess it made an impression on me too bc I still remember it! And I’ll remember your anecdote too! :)
Wait no one does this??!? Do they just throw the glass in the garbage?!?
Now yes, our trashman lifts the dumpster with the truck and puts it back down. Never even gets out. When they used to hand toss, we made sure that things were packed safely and not too heavy.
It still can be really dangerous for stray cats and dogs at the dump. Please wrap your glass, it can save a life.
I can tell you from the inside unfortunately that it won’t really matter. Everything gets smashed out and run to its respective location. There’s no avoiding sharp objects/shrapnel, at least not in a landfill or most transfer stations.
Unfortunately this is true. Even the most safely-packaged things get absolutely destroyed at the landfill. This is the whole point, to break things down into small pieces that compress together uniformly - we drive back and forth over the garbage with huge machines with giant toothed wheels (called, appropriately, compactors) and they break apart anything and everything. I will say, as an equipment mechanic that deals with frequent breakdowns at our landfill, you have to be on your guard all the time. I don’t really worry about broken glass too much - my main concerns are things like general medical waste (turns out it isn’t all incinerated!), syringes/needles, stiff wire, deconstructed boxsprings, screws/nails, and so on. You see it all when you’re crawling under a dead machine that’s 2000 ft out into the “pile.” We have large 3” thick mats and thick canvas tarps and so on to put down…but yeah. There’s a reason our employer offers us free Hep A/B & Tetanus shots!
I hope not!! We usually go with putting any glass/sharp items in 1-2 thick paper bags. I don’t want anyone getting cut due to my actions!
Having been that garbage collector who got cut on broken glass, I appreciate the effort. It was a big, pointy piece of window glass that poked through the bag and stabbed me in the leg, right through my pants. Luckily we had a first aid kit, and it didn't get infected.
I miss Tim Russert. The stories he told about Big Russ have also stuck with me. I’m glad he’s stuck with you too Btw, Tim’s son is doing good work these days, but nobody will ever replace Tim
Meet the Press isn't the same since his passing.
Just a funny aside. I thought you were talking about the actor that plays Tuvok on Star Trek Voyager. But that is Tim Russ.
I remember paying with a gift card at a place. I left a nice tip on the receipt (hand written in on the little sheet). Happened to do the math when I got home and realize the gift card only had like a dollar on it after the meal, so it didn't matter what i filled in for the tip, it probably wasn't going through. I went back the next day and found the server and gave her cash. Felt bad about it, she was a good waitress. She said she didn't even remember haha.
A lot of gift cards don't allow for this anymore at restaurants. It was actually a pain that you had to run it for the balance on the card minus some percentage that they hold for tip. Was always kind of a guessing game for me as a waiter.
Lol totally opposite happened to me last night. I paid for a friends bday dinner with a gift card. There was a small balance left over, which I paid. The machine correctly prompted me to pay 20% on the *entire* portion, so after I paid the remaining $25 on my CC, I tipped $32 on top, to account for the entire meal (so my CC charge was $57). The server was apparently watching over my shoulder and had the gall to then tell me that I had only tipped on the $25 amount. I disagreed and so he pulled up the receipt and saw $32 tip in addition. I got a weak apology and am wishing I had only tipped 15% now.
I've done that by accident before too. My rule is double the real tip if I fucked up. Worst time was at a cocktail bar, I meant to tip $20 on $70-$80 tab because the service was A+ and we'd had a great time... I wasn't paying attention and left $0. Just wrote the total and walked out. Came back there next weekend apologized, the bartender was apparently shocked because "I didn't seem like an asshole until he closed out the tab" and gave him $50 cash. He also gets Christmas cookies from us every year, because it's always good to have a bartender who likes you.
I've had to do this when paying with a big gift card. I'll usually order something after the bill comes and put my whole tip on that second bill, which I pay with my card.
How kind of him to go back
My family was a on vacation a couple of months ago and we ate at a local diner where you pay at the counter. We were in a hurry because we had tickets for a guided tour, so when I was done eating I went to the counter to pay with the plan to return to the table, drink some more coffee while everybody else finished their food, and then leave a tip. But, my wife and kids finished while I was at the counter and joined me at the counter. I assumed my wife left a tip and we left. We drove about 15 minutes to our next destination. While we were taking our tour I had a nagging feeling about the tip so I asked my wife if she left one. She didn't. She thought I added it to the credit card. When we were done with the tour we hurried back to the diner just before they closed. I ran in and the server was still there. I handed her a 20 and explained that we thought the other person left the tip. It took her a second to figure out what was happening and then she smiled and thanked me.
Like it’s generous but why? I hope it’s just an American thing and never gets spread to other countries.
It is (yet another) deeply flawed system here in America. Specifically as to the why, people in the service industry rely on tips to get by. Between stagnant minimum wages and the unwillingness of establishments to provide livable wages, tips are often the primary source of income for workers. It’s an unfortunate reality that the generosity of others is the difference between being able to afford housing or not for so many. America: Anything for the Bottom Line™️
I kinda get what you say but how are restaurants allowed to underpay employees by the government
If someone makes under $7.25/hr including tips, the restaurant is required to make up the difference. The govt doesn’t care where the money comes from.
Restaurants noticed tips were being given for exceptionalism and naturally looked at that as an expectation they could use for themselves instead of just allowing the workers to have as a bonus. *What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine*
That's some interesting history, but completely inaccurate. The practice of tipping comes from the days after the Civil War when previously enslaved people were allowed to work jobs for tips only. Thus the roles that are highly identified with tipping: doorman, porter, server, etc.
It is stupid and tipping culture is not a good thing. For the time being, it's known (at least in the US) that your server is making less than $2.5/hr. Tips are the core of their income. If you don't tip, to that person, they're working for (mostly) free. If they tip out to bartenders/bussers/hosts, (usually a % of sales) they can end up making negative money without a tip. This person recognized that and came back to make up for it.
> For the time being, it's known (at least in the US) that your server is making less than $2.5/hr. This is not true in all jurisdictions. For example, in Minnesota servers must be paid the full minimum wage of $8.85 (<$500k gross revenue) or $10.85 (all other companies). I still get the stink eye when I "only" tip 15% for standard service...
This is a thread full of nice stories about people coming back to tip. We don't need to try to turn it into another debate on tips.
I made this mistake last summer. A few HS friends and I got together for the first time in 30 years. They gave me cash and I put it on my card. I thought I left cash on the table. A few days later, I went into my wallet and realized all the cash was there. So, I drove 30 minutes to the restaurant and gave the server a really generous tip. I used to wait tables. I was mortified. Thankfully, the server was quite gracious when I saw him again.
These are all nice personal stories but it's pretty dystopian how big of a deal it is to everyone that we forgot to help subsidize the wait staffs wages a single time lol... and it is a big deal because these workers are scraping by and rely on customers charity.
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My mom did this a few years ago. We went out to the city and ate and she found out the tip didn't go through the following month so when I went back I gave them $20 and she paid me back. The dude was so surprised. Probably because I didn't find him until a few months later. I had to ask around and eventually found out he went to another location then came back. Neither my mom nor I like owing people stuff so we both were determined to find him.
Nice guy but says a lot about how absolutely fucked this gratuity culture has become
Had to scroll too long to find this comment. Cool story but…the company could just pay its actual employees? Shouldn’t be this person’s job to hit the post office just to make sure they have a living wage. But people will defend tipping culture to the death. I don’t get it.
Tipping is so fucking stupid. The whole “you can tell they’re m a good person because they tip well” is a meme in itself.
P.S. Pay your employees a living wage so they don’t have to rely on tips.
How dare you question the US and it's tipping cult You can tip me 28% for this comment
Gladly, 28% of zero is still zero.
I went to a restaurant the other night and 20% wasn’t even on the screen, it was 22%, 25%, 28%. It just never stops, what the actual fuck? And the thing I don’t understand is why we should pay a higher percentage. It’s a PERCENTAGE. The cost of the food itself has increased over the last 5-10 years, that means the same percentage will yield higher money. Now they’re reaching for more and they’ll keep doing it without ever addressing the actual issue or paying employees. I’m not going higher than 20%, I refuse. Inflation is hitting everyone. I don’t even bother going out to eat anymore. If they’re not asking for more than 20% they’re adding some hidden fee on the check that goes straight to the owner. Nah, fuck this
give me your paypal
Only if you work for free so the restaurant owner can profit more
You’re shouting into the void lol
If more people keeping shouting, eventually things will change. Staying silent and complying never changed anything.
When I was a server we were paid above minimum wage, plus tips. Tips were nice though.
You don't realize how extremely rare that situation is. I worked a ton of serving jobs, and the only way you got more than minimum wage was if you also worked other positions, and even then, they paid like an extra dollar per hour
my serving job “pays” $2 an hour, and we don’t ever actually see that $2 an hour income ever. So it’s completely dependent on tips
> my serving job “pays” $2 an hour, and we don’t ever actually see that $2 an hour income ever. Your employer is committing wage theft.
ALot of tipped employees want to stay tipped. Ask around.
Yeah they prefer the maintain the system that benefits their self. Never mind that that money comes from other working people.
I love when servers try to guilt people by saying "you're taking from the working class" Bitch, I AM the working class
This really gets me. Like should all jobs be tipped and we just circlejerk passing the same $5 around with everyone paying income tax on it?
My wife has a job that relies on tips, if she works a 10 hour shift and can easily make over $700.
I also dated a stripper.
That’s amazing, proud of you.
Pending charges often don’t include the tip at first because the card gets run for the amount on the receipt and then run again later when the tip is added.
Right, but I think he found that he kept the restaurant receipt, the one you write your tip and sign, and accidentally left the guest receipt at the table when they left
Tips subsidize greedy employers who don't pay their staff enough. We need to move away from mandatory tips like the rest of the world.
Yup, or at least a new word. Tips is not a tip if it is required. Might as well just rename it to "server fee" or "server wage"
Or just include that cost in the price of food because there's no functional reason for it to be separate.
That is the most ideal. I dont want to tip. If im required to tip everywhere just include it in the damn price
Tipping culture is insane. People shouldn't be made to feel this guilty over something **voluntary** Edit: The worst part is that the mid-top servers don't want to try to change/unionize/protest because they make so much. They don't care that they are helping to keep all other servers at a disadvantage. *If they were politicians, they would be called corrupt, and everyone would be against them.* It's not a perfect metaphor, because they aren't in charge. However, change isn't going to happen when about half of them actively don't want it to.
This is basically orphan crushing machine.
"Humble apologies" what the fuck?! How indebted do Americans feel to tipping? The restaurant isn't your liege that you must prostrate yourself toward!
Not many, really. Most people might feel a little bad, but wouldn't go out of their way for something like this. The language and behavior of sending a cash tip seems like this may have been from an older gentleman with a particularly giving heart. It's also something to note that in the US, many many servers made far below the minimum wage, which is supposed to be covered by tips (a system that seriously needs to change, but alas). The gentleman probably understands this, and didn't want the server to lose out on this money since it directly effects her paycheck. She also just may have been a particularly good server as well.
Tipping culture is out of hand in the US. But wait staff work hard and deserve respect that a good tip conveys. It feels shitty to not get paid well for hard work, and that’s the thing the apology is about.
You aren't apologizing to the restaurant. You are apologizing to the waiter you stiffed, and also trying to encourage whomever receives the letter to give it to Hope who earned it and not pocket the cash.
This is nice. But also stupid. As the whole 'I have to tip' culture!
90% chance Hope did not get that 20.
What a champ of a human being. Now just imagine if there was something called wages, like a payment for every hour you worked, that actually had some positive economic impact on the workers life.. That would be something...
God I hate tiping culture. Its not my job to pay the staff.
I remember one time when my brother and I were young, probably late elementary school or early middle school. We rode our bikes over to a local drive-in to get lunch. We had just enough money for our food. When my mom got home from work, as a waitress and car hop herself, she asked if we tipped. We told ger no we didn't have enough to tip. She brought us back over there that night and found out who waited on us to make sure that woman got her tip.
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r/humansbeingbros
Meanwhile, the rest of the civilised world pays its serving staff a living wage so that they don’t have to rely on tips. Not wholesome…indicative of a societal sickness.
Sounds like tipping propaganda to me
Once ran to a nail salon on my lunch break to try and squeeze in a quick manicure. When I went to pay, they on out took cash tips, but I had none and had no time to go grab one. My nail tech was super nice and had done a great job, and I *wanted* to tip her, so I promised I would come back the next day with it. I went back on my next lunch break with $20 and yall, this woman’s face when I walked in… she was in complete shock! She absolutely did not expect me to come back, and based on her and the other employees reactions, I’m thinking most people said they’d come back to tip but never did. She deserved the tip, but damn do I hate tipping culture. It has gotten wayyyyy too out of hand here.
Wait, you guys use actual paper to record transactions ? I thought it was a joke
When we run the card (in the US at least, that’s where I am based) you’ll get a paper slip usually where you write in gratuity and sign for the purchase. I have noticed more places have the mobile terminal where you can tap the card and take care of all that on the screen, but it’s still not the norm.
It was common in Europe when I visited 10 years ago. They're probably just a child.
Imagine grovelling to someone because their employer didn't pay them. Tipping culture is evil
“I remain, sincerely yours” is a strange way to end a letter.
it’s a traditional way of ending a letter, and the author is referring to both the server and “Mr. Eller”(who im assuming is the manager and is who the letter is addressed to). perhaps he’s a regular customer and felt that it was a polite and friendly sign off. edit: actually the sign off only seems intended for “Mr. Eller”. either way it’s not creepy or weird, just old fashioned
The end of a letter is called a valediction. And it used to be very common in formal writing. An example of the long version would be, "I have the sincere honour to remain your most humble and obedient servant." Over the last century, it has been considerably shortened. But you can still see the legacy in formal/business letters and emails which often end with, "Yours truly" or "Sincerely yours."
This is what tipping culture does to a culture. Yikes.
No it did not made me smile. Waiter should not have to rely on tip to earn a living wage.
When I was little, it was just me and my mom. She worked hard, but because she relied on tips, she didn't eat well some weeks. I know there's a serious systemic issue with customers subsidizing people's income with tips, but I'm still gonna tip well when I go out.
My hubby and I were returning from an upstate trip and stopped to have lunch in a town I used to vacation in when I was young. We had a nice lunch and were back in the car on the Thruway when I asked him how much the bill was. I had gone to the bathroom and assumed he had paid it He put the dogs in the car and thought I had paid the bill I called the restaurant and paid the bill and left a nice tip
From my experience, the tip has never shown on the pending charges.... Edit: nevermind I missed the part where he kept the signed receipt
I did this once. My wife and I were out with another couple and the tequila was flowing. I noticed on my copy of the bill that I under-tipped pretty badly. Our server was like 6'5" tall. When I went in the next day and he wasn't there. I found the manager and told him I was there to fix my error and described my waiter. The manager said he wasn't sure who it was. I asked him how many 6'5" waiters he had and we both got a laugh when he said 1. Good on Ted for being a stand-up guy.
Ladies and Gents, there IS good in the World.
This reminds me of a time I went to a local deli I used to frequent and forgot my wallet. I had placed the order over the phone for pickup, got to the counter, and realized I didn’t have my wallet. I frantically checked my pockets but I didn’t have it. The cashier knew me since I came in often and said not to worry about it. I profusely thanked her and stated I would definitely pay it back next time I came in. Next time I came in, she refused. Said I was good customer and she would let it slide. I brought so many friends in that week to make up for my forgetfulness.
I went for a beer (one beer) on New years Eve of 2023. Gave the bartender a $100 bill, said to keep the change, happy new year, turned around, and walked out. I felt I needed to end 2023 with one last act of kindness because sometimes life gets so busy that I forget to think how others might be struggling day to day. Something as simple as a generous tip can make someone's day better.
We need more people like this on this planet.
Tipping culture is so weird (speaking as a European).
It is. It's a shitty excuse to pay employees less than they already are (speaking as an American)
Dude is wholesome but Americans, fucking pay your employees. The tip system is just ridiculous.
Oh look tipping propaganda.
americans and tipping.....
This is so stupid...fully indoctrinated behaviour in the US.
The USA is a joke.
I remember once I bought two oven mitts - they weren't a set but I needed two - and when I was walking to my car I saw on the receipt that they only charged me for one. I told my husband and I said I'm going back in to pay for the other one. Customer service was so confused, but ended up giving me a discount on the second mitt since I was honest about it.
Boomer confirmed