Gratuity on DDP

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Someone also mentioned Rewards visa...This is a credit card...it might be just as easy to use it to back the KTTWC.

I think they were referring to the blue card that has your reward dollars on it. A lot of people cash those rewards out and take them to Disney. It's like a gift card so it should work the same?

 

[Belle4mygrl]

I don't like tipping unless the service is great but yet I am made to feel bad when I say "I don't like to tip." For instance, I know I will get tomatoes thrown at me. We all have our differences.

when we sold our house we had an excellent agent. We tried to tip her but she had to return the $$ because of ethics. she even copied the paper, highlighted the statement, and clipped the cash onto it.

I am a RN. I have never been tipped for standing on my feet all day with no lunch breaks, wiping up your vomit, or running after your cokes or food. I have been to fast food places and they aren't allowed to take tips.

Is tipping for servers a customary thing and no ethics are involved. I am just trying to understand the tipping and why we MUST tip servers. many other jobs are just as demanding and tiring.

 

[Disney8704]

I agree that most other jobs are just as if not more damanding and tiring. From I have heard (from my sister's sister-in-law who is also a RN at a hospital) most Drs and nurses work at least 12 hrs a day. Some even pull double's. Do they get tipped for doing surgerys and taking care of their patients - no. Teachers - do they get tipped for teaching your child, no. Me (Im a wedding a planner), do I get tipped for my services and doing a job well done, no. DH he's in the air force, does he get tipped for going over to the desert for 4 months defending our country which is WAY more tiring and stressful then any waiter job, no. Do we all make decent money - yes. It all boils down to what the servers make. Its all because they only make $2-$3 an hr that we feel that we should tip them. If they made at least minimum wage, we wouldnt be as tempted to tip them. Would they still get tips, probably, but not as many. Dont worry you might get flamed by others for not liking to tip, but you wont get any flames from me. I for one HATE tipping. But I still tip. To me I feel that I shouldnt have to give mine and DHs hard earned money to servers. They should be able to make their money from their employer. Not from the customers.

I don't like tipping unless the service is great but yet I am made to feel bad when I say "I don't like to tip." For instance, I know I will get tomatoes thrown at me. We all have our differences.

when we sold our house we had an excellent agent. We tried to tip her but she had to return the $$ because of ethics. she even copied the paper, highlighted the statement, and clipped the cash onto it.

I am a RN. I have never been tipped for standing on my feet all day with no lunch breaks, wiping up your vomit, or running after your cokes or food. I have been to fast food places and they aren't allowed to take tips.

Is tipping for servers a customary thing and no ethics are involved. I am just trying to understand the tipping and why we MUST tip servers. many other jobs are just as demanding and tiring.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Is tipping for servers a customary thing and no ethics are involved. I am just trying to understand the tipping and why we MUST tip servers. many other jobs are just as demanding and tiring.

In those many other jobs, the employee is paid a wage satisfactory to both the employer and employee. Waiting tables in a restaurant does not.

If teachers and nurses were paid $3 an hour or less, as regulated by the United States government, then, yeah, people availing themselves of those services would be aware of that and could/would be welcome to reward the employee monetarily, based on perceived value.

As a matter of fact, you CAN tip a teacher or nurse - if not with actual dollar bills, then with gift cards, etc.

Is tipping for servers a customary thing and no ethics are involved. I am just trying to understand the tipping and why we MUST tip servers. many other jobs are just as demanding and tiring.

Dining in a restaurant is not a right, it's a privilege/choice. Nobody HAS to tip - being FULLY aware that tipping is PART OF THE COST of dining out, one can simply choose not to spend ANY of one's hard-earned money to sit down in a restaurant and have one or more persons kowtow to you.

 

[DiszyDean]

I hate paying taxes.

I hate paying my electric bill each month.

I hate having to pay almost $4 per gallon for gas.

All that being said, in order to function in society, I still have to do all of these things. I use electricity, gas and public amenities.

It really doesn't matter how hard I work or what job I have or what teachers and firemen make, I still have to pay those bills for services rendered. I think I pay too much for all of it, but at the end of the day, they still need to be paid and unlike tipping, none of it is really discretionary based on the level of service I think I am receiving.

Tipping servers is part of the cost of eating at a sit down resteraunt. Don't like it? Thats fine...lots of decent counter service meals to be had where you do not need to worry about it. Going to a resteraunt and not tipping for good service is just socially wrong. People can try to sell the excuses all day long and blame the resteraunts for making us subsidize the servers wages, but that is just the way it is and the way it will continue to be. It is not going away any more than paying taxes is going away.

The good news is, to remain an acceptable member of society who will not tip, you do have choices, stay home or eat fast food.

 

[Belle4mygrl]

Thanks for not throwing tomatoes at me. I really was wanting to understand the reasoning of tipping. If you notice I said "i don't like to tip" not that I don't.

Thanks for those point of views.

 

[Katiebell]

when we sold our house we had an excellent agent. We tried to tip her but she had to return the $$ because of ethics. she even copied the paper, highlighted the statement, and clipped the cash onto it.

I am a RN. I have never been tipped for standing on my feet all day with no lunch breaks, wiping up your vomit, or running after your cokes or food. I have been to fast food places and they aren't allowed to take tips.

Is tipping for servers a customary thing and no ethics are involved. I am just trying to understand the tipping and why we MUST tip servers. many other jobs are just as demanding and tiring.

Real estate agents and RNs, like almost every single job in this country, get paid a fair living wage. Restaurant servers do not. Federal law allows them to be paid $2-$3 per hour for one reason only: they make tips. It is the accepted custom of our society that servers are tipped, and the assumption of the Federal government that they will be tipped enough not only to make a living but also pay taxes on those tips.

Other jobs can definitely be as demanding and tiring, but the workers are paid fairly for their work -- at least minimum wage. Tips are part of a servers wages and they are taxed on them. The only thing really messed up about the system is that the wages of a server are not just dependent on how good they are or how hard they work. They also depend on how generous or how decent the people they are serving are. Some folks may not like this, but now that I've really considered it after all of these tipping threads, I think the main thing really wrong with our system is that tipping is not a mandatory base percent. It's part of their wages, it's not guaranteed, it's at the whim or discretion of the customer, but they are taxed on it. So...a mandatory base tip of 12-15% would be virtually the same thing as a service charge, or a 12-15% increase on the menu price, and would cover the server's legal tax liability. Then if a patron wished to tip over and above based on service, they could do so if they wished.

It all boils down to what the servers make. Its all because they only make $2-$3 an hr that we feel that we should tip them.

Because they make $2-$3 an hour, we are expected to tip them. It is part of their pay. If they were not tipped, they would have to make at least minimum wage and menu prices would be considerably higher. So we would be paying for it either way -- but if menu prices went up, it would no longer be the customer's choice. Unless they just stopped going out to eat.

If they made at least minimum wage, we wouldnt be as tempted to tip them.

If they made only minimum wage, they wouldn't take a job as a server. It's too much work for that kind of pay. Fast food workers get minimum wage, and there is a very low level of service expected there. But at least you don't have to tip them.

 

[Disneyonmymind]

So let me get this right, because we WILL be paying cash for all of our tips. When they take your KTTW card to deduct the credits, they ASK for the tip/cash then???? You don't just leave it like you would when you are finished and stand up to leave? Please only respond if you have done this, not only if you are assuming, btw.

I didn't read the rest of the thread so I apologize if this has been covered. We just returned from a trip using the DDP and here's what I did and worked very well. In each case, the bill was brought in a vinyl folder. The bill shows the total amount less the credits used. The balance will equal any extras like alcohol. At the bottom is the suggested tip of 18% and 20%. The server leaves the folder and says she'll come back for it. I gave the folder back to her with my kid's KTTW card (that has no charging privileges to avoid mistakes) and enough cash to cover the extras and the tip. I told her "here's your tip" or "this includes your tip" so everything was very clear.

Since I gave the suggested tip amount, they always seemed pleased and returned with my card and my receipt. I would never leave the cash on the table at WDW. It can be very chaotic and there are too many unscrupulous people in the world (sorry for negativity ).

 

[carmie3377]

I gave the folder back to her with my kid's KTTW card (that has no charging privileges to avoid mistakes) and enough cash to cover the extras and the tip.

That's a great idea. I've been worried that they might charge the meal to my card instead of using credits and then it would be a real pain to get it straight. But this would definitely keep that from happening. Thanks for passing the tip on!

 

[Disney8704]

Why wouldnt they? Minimum wage here in delaware is over $7 an hr. Thats pretty good if they work full time. Thats $280 a week for 40 hours. Not including if they worked over time. I used to be a cashier and customer service rep. and I only got paid $6.50 a hr and that was it. Was my job easy? I WISH IT WAS EASY. I to had to wait on customers, got yelled at by customers even though it wasnt my fault. The only difference between me at the time and a waitress was I made more and I wasnt serving them food but ringing up their merchandise, doing lawaway (which at times I had to lift 50 or more lbs BY MYSELF), and doing returns. I dont see waitresses lifting 50 lbs or more. But I was on my feet all day just like a waitress. So are you gonna try to tell me that a waitress works even harder then I did? My feet felt like they wanted to fall off everyday. There were days I had to bounce back and forth between cashier and customer service all day AND pulled a 13 hr shift on top of it. I was working the equivelent (sp?) of a manager around that store. But did that make me more money? No it didnt. I did the job though because it did bring home money to pay bills and put food on the table. And then once I met DH and we got engaged, I quit my job because he couldnt bare to see me come home everyday in pain and crying and I was also part of a lawsuit and won a lot of money. So therefor I knew I was covered until I graduated from college and get my wedding planning degree. Point is, is that if a waitress is making a minimum wage and they needed a job bad enough, they will take it. There would still be times they would also get tips and they would also get a yearly raise.

If they made only minimum wage, they wouldn't take a job as a server. It's too much work for that kind of pay. Fast food workers get minimum wage, and there is a very low level of service expected there. But at least you don't have to tip them.

 

[mom2my3kids]

I don't like tipping unless the service is great but yet I am made to feel bad when I say "I don't like to tip." For instance, I know I will get tomatoes thrown at me. We all have our differences.

when we sold our house we had an excellent agent. We tried to tip her but she had to return the $$ because of ethics. she even copied the paper, highlighted the statement, and clipped the cash onto it.

I am a RN. I have never been tipped for standing on my feet all day with no lunch breaks, wiping up your vomit, or running after your cokes or food. I have been to fast food places and they aren't allowed to take tips.

Is tipping for servers a customary thing and no ethics are involved. I am just trying to understand the tipping and why we MUST tip servers. many other jobs are just as demanding and tiring.

That is the way the system is set up, we make 2.13 a hour and the rest comes from tipping with good service. I don't know who ever made it up years and years ago but its the way it works. You get good service you tip, you get bad service you don't tip. I guess it insures good service, but some people get good service and don't tip and that is another story..

 

[mom2my3kids]

I agree that most other jobs are just as if not more damanding and tiring. From I have heard (from my sister's sister-in-law who is also a RN at a hospital) most Drs and nurses work at least 12 hrs a day. Some even pull double's. Do they get tipped for doing surgerys and taking care of their patients - no. Teachers - do they get tipped for teaching your child, no. Me (Im a wedding a planner), do I get tipped for my services and doing a job well done, no. DH he's in the air force, does he get tipped for going over to the desert for 4 months defending our country which is WAY more tiring and stressful then any waiter job, no. Do we all make decent money - yes. It all boils down to what the servers make. Its all because they only make $2-$3 an hr that we feel that we should tip them. If they made at least minimum wage, we wouldnt be as tempted to tip them. Would they still get tips, probably, but not as many. Dont worry you might get flamed by others for not liking to tip, but you wont get any flames from me. I for one HATE tipping. But I still tip. To me I feel that I shouldnt have to give mine and DHs hard earned money to servers. They should be able to make their money from their employer. Not from the customers.

Lets see Dr's get paid DARN GOOD MONEY, teachers made GOOD MONEY.. My doctor makes millions of dollars a year not 2.13 a hour. Please find something else to compare to then a server. Rn's around here in my home town make at least 18-30 dollars a hour not to shabby compared to my 8-10 dollar a hour average I make and I live in a small town. Do I complain they make to much money for what they do, NO to me it does not matter what people make as long as they are doing their job well. You can not like tipping all you want, but its the way our society works. And the money I make is hard earned money, maybe you should take on a server job and maybe you would know what its like to be server and people trashing you saying you don't do a thing.. Also I don't understand why people need a wedding planner, just do it yourself and save money. Heck I am sure you don't make a fraction of what wedding planners make in New York and California where they can make hundreds of thousands of dollars off one wedding, but does that make you any less of a wedding planner. Think about it!!!

 

[nicolemomof4cuties]

Apparently two concessions were made by Disney when they removed the tip from the plan: DDE members and parties of 6 or more (used to be 8) got an automatic 18%.

I hate to say this but we are a family of 6 and if we got bad service ( like we did at Mrakesh on the DDP 1 1/2 yrs ago) I would talk to a manager and get out of the automatic gratuity. I refuse to pay for bad service..... free or not. We love Marakesh but this guy was a real ...... turd. BTY, we are usually 20% tippers.

 

[nicolemomof4cuties]

Lets see Dr's get paid DARN GOOD MONEY, teachers made GOOD MONEY.. My doctor makes millions of dollars a year not 2.13 a hour. Please find something else to compare to then a server. Rn's around here in my home town make at least 18-30 dollars a hour not to shabby compared to my 8-10 dollar a hour average I make and I live in a small town. Do I complain they make to much money for what they do, NO to me it does not matter what people make as long as they are doing their job well. You can not like tipping all you want, but its the way our society works. And the money I make is hard earned money, maybe you should take on a server job and maybe you would know what its like to be server and people trashing you saying you don't do a thing.. Also I don't understand why people need a wedding planner, just do it yourself and save money. Heck I am sure you don't make a fraction of what wedding planners make in New York and California where they can make hundreds of thousands of dollars off one wedding, but does that make you any less of a wedding planner. Think about it!!!

Thank you!! My DH waits tables as his 2nd job and it is alot harder than people think. He works 8 hour days at a desk job and then goes straight to TGI's at 6 pm and works until 12 am or 1:30 am Mon- Fri. He also works Saturdays 4 pm- 12am/1:30 am. It is very hard to find a good paying job in our area even though he has a degree . So he is working his hiney off. People write in or call in commendations about how nice and attentive he is at least once a week though- . You know what he has noticed though? The people that don't think that they should tip are almost always the people that run the servers ragged and have crazy orders. He is always super nice to them anyway but the other servers basically have the scarlet letter painted on certain customers.....

 

[nicolemomof4cuties]

I am a RN. I have never been tipped for standing on my feet all day with no lunch breaks, wiping up your vomit, or running after your cokes or food. I have been to fast food places and they aren't allowed to take tips.

:

We have always left thank you cards for our fave RN's and small Thank you gift bags..... especially in OB. I had the same nurse with all 4 kids because she INSISTED , She is great... She even remembered all of my children's names when they visited their new siblings...

 

[nicolemomof4cuties]

ok,just my 2 cents.
Do I feel bad, absolutely not, A job well done deserves extra, a job done poorly, deserves the $3.00 an hour they are making.

My DH and I agree with this TOTALLY and we both have waited tables in the past and right now he does because of finances for awhile...

 

[mom2my3kids]

We have always left thank you cards for our fave RN's and small Thank you gift bags..... especially in OB. I had the same nurse with all 4 kids because she INSISTED , She is great... She even remembered all of my children's names when they visited their new siblings...

I also gave a gift card to my OB Nurse to show my appreciation..

 

[Disney8704]

Obviously you didnt read the post I was replying to. The poster I was replying to is a RN and she was asking why should she have to tip when she worked just as hard as a server (IMHO she works even harder then a server). I never said servers dont do a thing. But they dont so much that their job is harder then a professional job. You dont understand why people need a wedding planner? I'll tell you why people need a wedding planner. Couple reasons, 1 - because they dont no the 1st thing about planning a wedding, 2 - because they dont have the TIME to plan a wedding and 3 - even though they might have the time and may know how, they want someone to take care of any problems that may rise up before and during the wedding. No bride wants to be stressed during her wedding reception taking care of problems when she can be off having a good time. You wouldnt believe what kind of issues I have had to deal with. And every single time something happens, no one knows except for me and for the people Im working with. Sorta like a behind the scenes issue. Just because I dont live in NY doesnt mean I dont make good money. In my 1st year of doing weddings which was 2 yrs ago, I made $50,000. And it was a combination of military weddings and civilan weddings. Now that word has gotten around about my services, just last year I made $70,000 which is the national average how much wedding planners do make. You dont know how much wedding planners do make. Your not a wedding planner. No wedding planner makes hundreds of thousands of dollars off 1 wedding. At most a wedding planner might make $10,000 off 1 wedding, regardless where they live. And then it also all depends how many weddings they do. A lot of wedding planners do 1 wedding a time. Once they are done with 1 wedding, then they move onto the next. So at most they could have just a couple weddings a yr. However, with me, Im constantly doing weddings. I dont focus just on 1 wedding at a time. Infact currently right now Im doing 5 weddings and Im sure I will get more as the yr rolls on.

Lets see Dr's get paid DARN GOOD MONEY, teachers made GOOD MONEY.. My doctor makes millions of dollars a year not 2.13 a hour. Please find something else to compare to then a server. Rn's around here in my home town make at least 18-30 dollars a hour not to shabby compared to my 8-10 dollar a hour average I make and I live in a small town. Do I complain they make to much money for what they do, NO to me it does not matter what people make as long as they are doing their job well. You can not like tipping all you want, but its the way our society works. And the money I make is hard earned money, maybe you should take on a server job and maybe you would know what its like to be server and people trashing you saying you don't do a thing.. Also I don't understand why people need a wedding planner, just do it yourself and save money. Heck I am sure you don't make a fraction of what wedding planners make in New York and California where they can make hundreds of thousands of dollars off one wedding, but does that make you any less of a wedding planner. Think about it!!!

 

[Belle4mygrl]

We have always left thank you cards for our fave RN's and small Thank you gift bags..... especially in OB. I had the same nurse with all 4 kids because she INSISTED , She is great... She even remembered all of my children's names when they visited their new siblings...

You are a one in a million , I believe.

I just have a hard time of wondering why servers MUST be tipped and why it is expected. I guess I am mad at the restaurants for not paying their workers and the servers are expected to get their income from the patrons.

Like I said, I don't like to tip but I do. I tip very generously when I have great service and that I don't mind. It is the mentality that "they work hard, they stand on their feet all day, they clean up after you". Is that their job just like anyone else's? Just saying.

 

[carmie3377]

Lets see Dr's get paid DARN GOOD MONEY, teachers made GOOD MONEY.. My doctor makes millions of dollars a year not 2.13 a hour.

No Doctors DO NOT make millions of dollars a year. Yes, a few of the cosmetic doctors do, but most doctors get paid MUCH less than 1M a year. Some of them don't even pull in six digits. Yes, it is still good money, but it's not what a lot people think. Figure in the six figure debt they incur, the amount of time of lost income (in med school it's very hard to work), the countless sleepless nights, the lives that they save, they lives that they improve. You CAN NOT compare a doctor to a waitress in terms of income. Yes, doctors make much better money, but think of the education and responsibility involved.

As far as teachers, again, they shouldn't be compared. If you ask me, teachers don't make enough money. Maybe if they did, that would encourage people to pursue a career in education that otherwise wouldn't due to the money.

EDUCATION and RESPONSIBILITY! Those play a big factor in pay. I know many servers are educated because they can make more money waiting tables than what their degree is in. I'm not saying that servers aren't smart or responsible. What I am saying is "Are servers required to have 8 years of education and AT LEAST 4 additional years of training?" NO. "Do servers have someone's life in their hand?" NO. "Do servers have to have 4 years of education like teachers?" NO. Do servers have the future of our children in their hands?" NO.

We do tip. I feel the servers deserve it - at least most of them. Personally I would rather tip than to have a 15-18% automatic "surcharge" added to my bill or have higher menu items. That encourages a server to do their job well. I just don't understand why people must bring in unrelated careers such as doctors and teachers.