I work in a grocery store, and we are not even allowed to accept tips for anything, even if we thought we deserve one for anything. As for carrying groceries or heavy items out for customers, none of think we should be tipped for that (no one that I know of thinks so, anyway). We don't really *offer* the service, like we don't ask every customer that we check through "Would you like assistance to your car?", but our regular customers know that if they ask, we will certainly get someone to help them. Personally, I will ask my customer if they need help if it's pretty clear to me that they do (i.e. when one person who has come in the store on their own has bought two carts worth of stuff - she can't very well push both carts out to her car at the same time, right?) We have someone on staff during the busier times (i.e. afternoons and evenings during the week, after 9 a.m. on weekends), who has as part of his job description to assist any customers who need it with carryout to their cars. But, if he's busy doing something else (since it's also his job to clean spills and bring carts in from the parking lot), then it's never a problem to grab someone to walk the customers out to their cars.

However, I agree with what was said somewhere above with a lot of older people who expect above and beyond service, simply because they're older. I don't mind doing extra things for customers, if they're being pleasant to me, but here's one in recent memory... When I work in the accountant's office at the store, I am in a box-like office in the corner behind the cash registers. It is designed so that you can't see into it, except for the little window through which we pass bags of cash, the change floats, etc. Sometimes customers who realize we are in there might poke their heads in the window to ask a quick question, usually "Where can I find such-and-such", rather than going to the other end of the store to the courtesy desk. Anyway, this older man steps up to the window one day, and barks at me: "I need (a certain brand, can't remember which) pickles, and you have to get them for me because I'm 90 years old". Those were actually the words he said.

I also work in a grocery store. It wouldn't occur to me to try and tip people. I don't see a reason. We know the duties when we get the job. I agree that everyone should spend a few years in food service, I think that everyone would treat people better.

Quote:

---

we tip the baggers at the commissary as they only work for tips.

---

Wow, BurgGirl, I hadn't thought of that in forever! The baggers at military commissaries were paid in the same way 30 years ago! I always tipped "per bag." That is, the larger number of bags I had, the more I tipped.

Now, when I go to the grocery store, it is all I can do to NOT let them take out my groceries, and we're told by the baggers that they are not allowed to accept tips. That means to me that they must be getting paid more than minimum wage. But that's just a guess.

As for restaurants, I'll give an average 15% to the waitstaff for average service. For less than average service, I tip accordingly less. For good service, I tip accordingly more.

For example, I had dinner out two night ago. I ordered a margarita, on the rocks, no salt. My spouse ordered half a glass of water, no ice, no fruit. What we got was a margarita WITH salt, and a whole pitcher of water WITH ice (and no straw). Let me say, all the non-alcoholic drinks were served in pitchers. So I'm not complaining about that, but that while everyone else got a straw, my husband had to drink from the pitcher. Euwww. Then, instead of getting the pulled beef I ordered, I received pulled chicken. Then, when I finally got the order correct, the waitress didn't include the rolls on the plate.

All of the above are not the fault of the kitchen, in my opinion. The waitress new I ordered a drink without salt. See it, she should never have brought it to me. She should have had the bartender do it right. Also, she could see it was chicken, not beef. Once again it was her duty to see I got the correct order. In this instance I tipped less than 15%.

That being said, if I were to complain about bad tasting food, I would certainly not blame that on the waitress. I would, and have spoken with managers owing to bad food. Her tip would be given as normal. I have, in fact, given over a 20% tip, even with yucky food because the waitress was that good.

I must relate another experience. I was in a restaurant with friends for lunch. For 15 minutes no one even came to our table to take our drink orders to say hello! I picked up my cell phone, called the restaurant and asked to speak to the manager. I simply asked him if he could actually send someone to our table to take our order. He was stunned that I was calling from inside his own restaurant. He was quite apologetic, and we wound up getting lunch "on the house." Guess no one ever called him to ask for service! Needless to say, no one got a tip....

Yes, Rayven, I agree wholeheartedly with you, that anyone who has spent any time at all working in the food service industry, would surely treat people with a newfound respect.
My Grocery store staff do not expect a tip, and would likely be shocked if given one.
They earn $2 - $3 per hour above the minimum wage, but I know they really earn their wages.
I don't think that anyone in the food service industry works only for tips, at least, not in Canada. Acutally, how can that be legal?
I am left wondering, why do we feel "obligated" to tip a waiter/waitress, should we not expect top-notch service at all times, as that is their job?
I do leave a 15% tip for good service, but only because it is a "custom"

I appreciate everyone's comments about their experiences, and also their opinions.
If all workers were paid a fair and equitable wage, then, tipping would not be necessary.

Funny story, Jar - I love the idea of calling the restaurant on the phone to ask for service.

You can have no doubt that I will be using that one - along with my stopwatch. 15 minutes is way too long to wait to even be acknowledged, let alone take your drink order. Most places fall over themselves to get you to order drinks.

I don't know what actually constitutes 'above and beyond', or top-notch service. I certainly expect order to be filled as per my order - in other words, if I order beef, then I expect beef, not chicken, and if I order a margarita without salt then I expect no salt - I don't expect having to ask for that twice. This is bad service for me - as previously stated, the wait staff could see the order wasn't correct, is it really too much trouble to make it right before the customer has to point it out? If the cook/chef made a mistake then the customer should not be lumped into the 'whiny complainer' category when the error was not theirs. I know that they have a job to be courteous, get your order right, and not put their fingers in your food. This is what I expect when I go to a restaurant - everybody has bad days and good days. I reserve the right to tip accordingly to how much more that these basic things I received in addition to what I expect.

I also agree, Trigger, that if people were paid a fair and equitable wage then there would be no need to tip. Having said that - people are amazed when I tell them my hourly rate. What chaps my butt about this is the following:
The starting salary for a Paramedic (admittedly a trainee) is approx $36k per annum. This goes up over time to about $42k-$45k per annum (after about 7-10 years). The starting salary for a Bus Driver (still a trainee - before shift penalties and overtime) is approximately $62,500k. They (apparently) have a high-stress job, and need to be paid accordingly. Who does the bus-driver call if someone has a heart-attack on their bus? I can tell you it ain't another bus driver. You can actually more per hour stacking shelves in a supermarket than saving lives - and another thing I can tell you, if you put the Corn Flakes next to the Coco-Pops instead of the Rice Bubbles, chances are someone isn't going to die. *sigh* climbing down from the soapbox now.

I've thought about the elderly in a different light - well, not excusing the poor behaviour as experienced by guitargoddess - but as I would like these applied to my Grandma.

When I go shopping with my Grandma, I carry her groceries. I should - goodness knows I carry people about for a living (some days little ones, some days big ones - just ask my back), so I can manage a bag or more of groceries. With the arthritis in her shoulder, she can't carry all that she buys if she does her fortnightly shop. Like many of us, she spends more money if she shops more often, so as a pensioner she shops only once per fortnight and saves money.

I would hope that no able-bodied person would stand by and watch my Grandma struggle with her groceries, and that they would be prepared to do this out of the goodness of their hearts. If someone carried my groceries out for me, I'd consider giving them a tip - it depends, I suppose, on their motive for doing so.

I would cheerfully carry your groceries for you, Sue, and certainly would not expect a tip.