Tipping Question for US dwellars

[Lamplighter]

/Start RANT

I'm a grumpy old man when it comes to tipping...
I despise it, and yet sometimes I think it's right.
Is a puzzlement.

The breakfast waiter/tress seems OK
The hotel valet or any other employee, not so much.
There's no rhyme or reason as to who or how much.

There are two particular times I hate tipping:

The one I despise most is the independent business person who charges for their service,
and then expects a tip on top of that, such as a fishing guide.
I'd much rather they just raise their price and be done with it.
Then, if I got REALLY SPECIAL, EXTRA ORDINARY, service,
I'd have no problem with a tip in an amount of my choosing.

The other kind is waiter/tress for a dinner meal that probably is already over-priced,
with a bar tab, etc. Grrrrrrrr.
Tipping a % of all that really irritates me.

Sometimes I look at it that if the business is getting a significant sum
from me (e.g., $30+),
then I am not in the mood to tip.
But if the tab just a few $ a tip is not so irritating.

/NOT THE END OF THE RANT, BUT I'LL STOP NOW

Guidance is needed...

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

There are two particular times I hate tipping:

...

The other kind is waiter/tress for a dinner meal that probably is already over-priced,
with a bar tab, etc. Grrrrrrrr.
Tipping a % of all that really irritates me.

You should definitely tip in this situation, and tip well unless the service was bad. Waiters and waitresses are generally paid less than minimum wage, and the tip is how they make their money. Essentially, they are working for you, not the restaurant. You owe them that money.

Look at how many tables they have when you are there, and figure that during a meal, those tables will turn over once, maybe twice, so you can double or possibly triple that number. And then figure out how much you are tipping them, and multiply by the number above. That's what they are making each night.

If they have 5 tables, and you are tipping $5, you can expect that they are making $50 that night. Would you be happy with $50 for a day's work? They earn their money, and you should not be annoyed with them.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yeah, but it's a really good chance to trod on the downtrodden, abuse the abused, why it's better than stomping kittens.