I've received various replies to my actions from Saturday night, where the only tip I left my waiter was the money he stole from me.
One person posited that all I did was perpetuate the myth that white women (that's what I am) are bad tippers (that's what I am not). To that I say that the myth is a self-fulfilling situation. Somewhere along the way the waiters and waitresses (servers) decided that white women tip poorly, so they give lack-luster service in expectation of receiving a bad tip, and the poor service received results in a bad tip. If the servers would simply give everyone good service, without trying to pre-judge their tip, and the level of service they plan to provide, based on the size, shape, sex, skin color, nationality, or clothing of their customers, I think they would find a marked increase in their tips.
I received a couple of comments suggesting that I was being ridiculous to leave a tip that was less than $1.
Let me remind everyone that a tip is never required. Ever. It's a gratuity paid to your server for waiting on you. It represents your level of appreciation for their service. That's it. If you got bad service from that server, you can tip them nothing, and you should not be ridiculed for doing so. However, if you are withholding a tip from your server for reasons other than the level of service that person provided, well, that's a whole different discussion, and you're likely wrong for doing so. For example, if your steak was over-cooked, that's not the server's fault.
If you are employed as a server, you shouldn't automatically assume a patron is being cheap when they leave no tip. Perhaps you didn't do the best job possible. Think about that before you run to social media to proclaim your customers to be penny-pinching tightwads.
But I digress from the issue of stealing.
Why is it ever suggested that it is acceptable for restaurant servers to steal from their customers?
If you were employed as a bank teller, would you be allowed to pocket the coins portion of a customer's paycheck they were cashing? You ARE providing them a service by cashing their check, after all. Of course not! You'd be fired for stealing.
If you were employed as a cashier at any non-restaurant retail establishment, would you be allowed to pocket the coins portion of a customer's change for their cash payment? You ARE providing them a service by ringing up their purchase. Of course not! You'd be fired for stealing.
If you were employed as a cashier at a fast-food restaurant, would you be allowed to pocket the coins portion of a customer's change for their cash payment? Of course not! You'd be fired for stealing.
Again, I ask why we are as expected to look the other way when a restaurant server steals our money?
Stealing is stealing.
As I mentioned, I think it's left over from the time (which you and I remember, but not all might) when waitstaff made change from their apron pockets. In those times, it was traditional to round, since they couldn't be expected to have large amounts of change on them. That said, since that's almost never the case anymore, there's no reason for it still to be happening.
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