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Tipping is hard
And should I also say that writing software is sometimes easy? Stephen Dubner lists some of the new iPhone applications:
iTip, from palaware
iTip, from Uncouth Software
BigTipper, from PureBlend Software
TipCalc, from BAMsoft
Tiptap, from Made with Bananas
Tipulator, from tap tap tap
Tip Calc, from Charles Ying
Tip, from Carlos Perez
CheckPlease, from Catamount Software
Tips, from Kudit.com
mTip, from Pascal Mermoz
TipBuddy, from Justin Jeffress
Gratuity, from TapeShow
QuickTip, from Spare Change Software
Tippety Split, from Manta Ray Software
Posted by Tyler Cowen on August 17, 2008 at 06:24 PM in Food and Drink | Permalink
Comments
I just usually tip 20% so I don't have to do as much math.
Posted by: Jonathan Hohensee at Aug 17, 2008 6:32:25 PM
I give gratuities at fifteen percent rounded to the highest dollar, which is easy enough to calculate. When I was younger, I remember that tips were usually ten percent; I cannot recall when they rose to fifteen, but I have elected to hold at that level. Upon considering the increase in the percentage of the gratuity, I am curious as to the history of them. I wonder when they began and what the historical rates were.
My father struggles greatly with calculating gratuities, which is a subject for much amusement whenever the time comes to pay the bill and et cetera. Some years ago my mother gave him a card with the amounts that should be paid for different prices (I believe the amounts for ten, fifteen and twenty percent for prices at ascending five dollar intervals), which has done less to simplify his calculations than it has to increase the comic quality of his attempts. Usually by the time he has the card in his hands, my mother and I have calculated the gratuity mentally. This scene is especially amusing if people other than immediate family members are present.
Posted by: Paludicola at Aug 17, 2008 7:46:22 PM
I pull out a wad of crisp fifties and yank several off the roll with casual
efficiency SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! and then place them into the grateful
hand of whatever person catered to my needs. And then I wake up.
Posted by: Jeff at Aug 17, 2008 8:37:05 PM
One nice thing about living in east Asia: no tipping, ever. I think this way is less stressful for both service workers and patrons. Other incentives must be in place to ensure quality, because I routinely get very good service. The rest of the world should give it a try.
Posted by: JY at Aug 17, 2008 8:42:33 PM
20% on the net. Find the subtotal before the sales tax line item, shift the decimal point one place to the left, and double it. Don't need no fancy addin' machine to do that for me.
Posted by: kofi anon at Aug 17, 2008 9:23:44 PM
I want to know how Tyler and Alex tip.
Posted by: Steven at Aug 17, 2008 10:29:24 PM
One nice thing about living in east Asia: no tipping, ever.
How do you get preferential treatment, without tipping?
Posted by: Rabid Elk at Aug 17, 2008 10:59:15 PM
My thought: Most tips are calculated by someone drunk. This makes math harder.
Posted by: MH at Aug 17, 2008 11:15:51 PM
do any of these have a "select country" option?
Posted by: anon at Aug 17, 2008 11:17:33 PM
Tipping is primarily a signaling mechanism to your fellow diners and has little correlation with service. It's also, of course, a signaling mechanism to ourselves about the type of person (cheap vs generous, successful vs poor, etc) we think we are.
This is why service doesn't suffer without tipping. East Asians replace tipping with other forms of status competition and self-image management.
Posted by: jim at Aug 18, 2008 12:32:40 AM
Ummm try not tipping at a bar, and see how much it is just a signaling mechanism. Same thing (though to a lesser extent) at coffee shops etc. It may still be signaling, but it also directly controls service (and sometimes product quality).
But yes, when you are just passing through and rarely going to hit the same wait staff again, it matters a lot less.
Posted by: yasth at Aug 18, 2008 12:40:13 AM
We've really lost touch with our community when we need to resort to something like this. Or is there no community in the places people might want this?
Posted by: DPirate at Aug 18, 2008 2:19:12 AM
Generally, I leave a negative $5 tip and sign the bill, "Thanks".
Posted by: brainwarped at Aug 18, 2008 2:33:35 AM
Not all application software is equal, so I'm glad there's more rather than fewer entries. I use timer and flashcard shareware and there's a marked difference in capabilities between different free and cheap software.
Posted by: Hopefully Anonymous at Aug 18, 2008 5:23:20 AM
Same thing (though to a lesser extent) at coffee shops etc.
I never tip at the coffee shop (out of principle) and I always get great service at my local shop. Though not tipping at a bar is the kiss of death. I think the big difference is that at a coffee shop, there is a set line and order in which customers get served. In a bar it's, largely, a free for all; those that tip well will get jumped ahead of others in the line. Those that are stingy will wait longer than others. A barista can't give the person behind you your spot.
Posted by: Mo at Aug 18, 2008 10:36:41 AM
How hard is it to double the tax or move the pre-tax decimal point one place and multiply by 1.5 if you're aiming for 15%? Honestly, are we a nation of innumerates?
And I must agree with those who've mentioned that not tipping in a bar is the kiss of death. On the positive end, a well-tipped barman is a friend for life (if you're a regular, anyway).
Posted by: Timothy at Aug 18, 2008 10:40:43 AM
Tipping really is hard! But its not the math thats the tricky part ...
Its relatively easy to tip somewhere where you know what the expectation is. But the vast majority of times you don't have nearly enough information to calculate a good tip.
http://infoclarity.blogspot.com/2008/08/difficulty-and-danger-of-tipping.html
Posted by: David Boyle at Aug 18, 2008 2:41:44 PM
I very rarely tip less than 20% (only in correlation with terrible service), so I was shocked when I wrote out my just-above-20% tip yesterday and the bottom of the receipt stated that 20% tip was less than I had left! Since when did they start suggesting a tip on the Grand Total instead of the Subtotal?
Posted by: Jazzalto at Aug 18, 2008 4:00:37 PM
Causes of a tipping society:
1)i would guess that tax evasion on tips is easier to get away with. And taxes make a very big, but often overlooked difference in the price of final goods and services.
2)the minimum wage for those engaged in certain types of work may be lower ex. waiter, thus increasing dependence on tips. Thus the people who end up working for tips are self selected to encourage higher tips.
Posted by: jonathan k at Aug 19, 2008 7:33:18 AM
And I must agree with those who've mentioned that not tipping in a bar is the kiss of death. On the positive end, a well-tipped barman is a friend for life (if you're a regular, anyway).
I tip well when it's going to be beneficial to me to do so. The entire point of tipping is to get better/quicker service then the other patrons, not to support somebody's substandard wage. I tip well at bars because even if you're not a regular bar tenders are very good at remembering who tipped well so far. At restaurants I don't tip over 15% unless the waiter has done something extraordinary. I reserve good tips for somebody that has gone above and beyond their job or has the power to screw me over at a later time.
Posted by: JordanT at Aug 19, 2008 12:36:16 PM
