Posted 12/07/2004 05:27:00 PM by Douglas

The blog has hit bottom. How do I know? I'm about to link to a Dear Abby letter. I don't want to, but damn if the ubiquitous tip jar doesn't piss me off.

I first noticed the phenomenon about 15 years ago, at a wine-and-cheese fund-raiser for an organization to which I belonged. I was flabbergasted to see that the people pouring the wine had a tip jar on the bar. I assumed that we had hired these people as part of the contract, and certainly never expected to see them blatantly soliciting tips. However, I couldn't convince the event organizers to do anything about it.

Since then, I have seen tip jars on the open bars at weddings. Only once have I seen the father of the bride have the good sense and righteous indignation to order them removed immediately.

There is no reason to tolerate paid help hustling one's invited guests for tips. You wouldn't put up with this at a catered event at your home.

It would be different if tips jars weren't everywhere. Restaurants, coffee shops, stromboli carts (you know who you are). The concept of "a tip" is totally abrogated when you stick the jar out there. That's just begging. Now for a really absurd example:

A friend of mine went to this office to have a procedure done. It was not performed by the doctor, but by a technician. When she went to pay at the reception desk, she was asked if she would like to "tip" the technician.

I have no problem tipping in establishments where I know the employees are not receiving minimum wage and depend on tips to supplement their incomes. However, I have no doubt that technician was earning more than minimum wage, and I don't think it was appropriate to ask a patient for a tip.

Ok, this is ridiculous. Does anyone deserve a tip for going above and beyond their typical duties they're already being paid for? Probably, but restaurant owners are the only ones that have been successful in convincing the rest of society that they should pay their employees 70¢ an hour while expecting you to cough up your waiter's rent money this month. Without trying to sound like a rant from Reservoir Dogs, this automatic tipping shit is for the birds. Giving your server the obligatory 15% at a restaurant does nothing but keep the server ambivalent, and the restaurant owner complacent.