NudeDiver
Contributor
First of all, although I am not a particularly cheap bastard, I will admit I that I hate the whole concept of "tipping" in all instances. As far as I am concerned, someone's wages are between them and their employer and employees should not be taking money directly from the customers. If servers want to make 15% (or whatever) more, then the damned restaurant should just increase its prices by 15% and give it to the servers. That would be FINE with me. If taxi drivers want more money, then just raise the prices. If boat crews want more money, then the prices should just be increased and the difference passed on to the boat crew. Again, fine with me! I'm not necessarily adverse to paying more money, I just want it built in.
Then there is the whole issue of WHO gets tips and who doesn't? Anyone who performs a service? A restaurant server? The bellboy? The maid? The door man? The paper boy? The garbage man? Where does it end? Should I tip the paramedic that performed CPR on me? That's quite the service ya know. I don't mind paying more, I just hate trying to figure it out. I just want the "more" built into the damned price! I HATE trying to figure out who gets a tip and how much should they get. It's excessively complicated and there is no good reason for it, considering employers can just raise the prices, pass it on to the employees, and make life much more simple for the consumer, without added expense. But nooooooo, we're stuck with the stupid crappy system that we have now.
I don't buy the "reward the for extra service" bit because these days, everyone has their hand out for a tip and it is expected. It's a given. If you don't tip, for any reason, then you're considered a cheap bastard. These days, you're supposed to tip the server practically no matter what. It has lost its purpose of a reward for extra special service. Now it's, "they don't make much hourly wage, they depend on tips, so you have to tip." So much for a reward for better service. It's a lot like the standing ovation. It's supposed to be for absolutely outrageously awesome performance. However, I don't think I have ever been to a performance at the local performing arts center where the people don't give a standing ovation. Everyone gets one!! So where is the significance? If every performer really that great?? Is there really no distinction? Hell, even my local video store has a tip jar on the counter for cryin' out loud!
Last but not least - why is a tip so often based on the price of something, rather than a flat rate? So I bought a $100 meal instead of a $50 meal. Did the server really work twice as hard? Why should they get twice the tip (15% of 100 rather than 15% of 50), just because I ordered the expensive meal rather than the cheap one? What does the price of the meal possibly have to do with the level of service provided? Again - I don't get it.
Finally - if you don't tip enough, you look like a cheap bastard. If you tip too much, you look like a pompous *******. Sometimes, it seems like you just can't win - especially since the rules seem to change. It used to be that 15% was considered the standard for servers. Now it's usually considered 20%, even for basic service. When did that happen? And don't tell me it is because prices have gone up, but cause that 15% share goes up right along with the price of whatever the 15% is based on. It's all just ridiculous.
So there. With that said....recently someone mentioned to me that she tipped her SCUBA instructor. I was blown away. It never would have occurred to me that anyone would ever tip any teacher of anything under any circumstances. I was shocked. But hey, wanting to play the game and not be a cheap bastard, I figured I had better tip up you know? So, then I asked her how much does she tip? And she says, "well, whatever you think it's worth". Great. What the hell does that mean? So, I asked the same question a different way. Got the same answer. So then I said, "so, you're not going to help me out with this are you?" She says "nope". *** is that? Why does this whole tipping thing have to be some big complicated mystery? How does that possibly help ANYONE? I just don't get it.
So guys - help out a brother here. Assuming local, non-resort service - what do you tip for:
a). OW class
b). Advanced class
c). Rescue Diver class
d). Specialty class
Is it based on price, or number of hours of instruction, or days of instruction, number of OW dives involved, the position of the moon and stars, or what? Does it matter if you take the class locally or off in some destination while you're on vacation? Or do you tip instructors at all?
God I hate tipping. I just wish everything was built into the damned advertised price and you could be done with it. BY the same token, I think it should be completely illegal to advertise a price that does not include all taxes and fees - but that's a different issue
Cheers!
nd
Then there is the whole issue of WHO gets tips and who doesn't? Anyone who performs a service? A restaurant server? The bellboy? The maid? The door man? The paper boy? The garbage man? Where does it end? Should I tip the paramedic that performed CPR on me? That's quite the service ya know. I don't mind paying more, I just hate trying to figure it out. I just want the "more" built into the damned price! I HATE trying to figure out who gets a tip and how much should they get. It's excessively complicated and there is no good reason for it, considering employers can just raise the prices, pass it on to the employees, and make life much more simple for the consumer, without added expense. But nooooooo, we're stuck with the stupid crappy system that we have now.
I don't buy the "reward the for extra service" bit because these days, everyone has their hand out for a tip and it is expected. It's a given. If you don't tip, for any reason, then you're considered a cheap bastard. These days, you're supposed to tip the server practically no matter what. It has lost its purpose of a reward for extra special service. Now it's, "they don't make much hourly wage, they depend on tips, so you have to tip." So much for a reward for better service. It's a lot like the standing ovation. It's supposed to be for absolutely outrageously awesome performance. However, I don't think I have ever been to a performance at the local performing arts center where the people don't give a standing ovation. Everyone gets one!! So where is the significance? If every performer really that great?? Is there really no distinction? Hell, even my local video store has a tip jar on the counter for cryin' out loud!
Last but not least - why is a tip so often based on the price of something, rather than a flat rate? So I bought a $100 meal instead of a $50 meal. Did the server really work twice as hard? Why should they get twice the tip (15% of 100 rather than 15% of 50), just because I ordered the expensive meal rather than the cheap one? What does the price of the meal possibly have to do with the level of service provided? Again - I don't get it.
Finally - if you don't tip enough, you look like a cheap bastard. If you tip too much, you look like a pompous *******. Sometimes, it seems like you just can't win - especially since the rules seem to change. It used to be that 15% was considered the standard for servers. Now it's usually considered 20%, even for basic service. When did that happen? And don't tell me it is because prices have gone up, but cause that 15% share goes up right along with the price of whatever the 15% is based on. It's all just ridiculous.
So there. With that said....recently someone mentioned to me that she tipped her SCUBA instructor. I was blown away. It never would have occurred to me that anyone would ever tip any teacher of anything under any circumstances. I was shocked. But hey, wanting to play the game and not be a cheap bastard, I figured I had better tip up you know? So, then I asked her how much does she tip? And she says, "well, whatever you think it's worth". Great. What the hell does that mean? So, I asked the same question a different way. Got the same answer. So then I said, "so, you're not going to help me out with this are you?" She says "nope". *** is that? Why does this whole tipping thing have to be some big complicated mystery? How does that possibly help ANYONE? I just don't get it.
So guys - help out a brother here. Assuming local, non-resort service - what do you tip for:
a). OW class
b). Advanced class
c). Rescue Diver class
d). Specialty class
Is it based on price, or number of hours of instruction, or days of instruction, number of OW dives involved, the position of the moon and stars, or what? Does it matter if you take the class locally or off in some destination while you're on vacation? Or do you tip instructors at all?
God I hate tipping. I just wish everything was built into the damned advertised price and you could be done with it. BY the same token, I think it should be completely illegal to advertise a price that does not include all taxes and fees - but that's a different issue
Cheers!
nd
Last edited:
I wonder what the tip would be for first IV on a dehydrated person then....man that'd be like a 100 buck tip!
