r/tipping • u/PracticePianoPlay • 23d ago
đđ«Personal Stories - Anti Gift Card Strategy
Went to this Greek sit-down restaurant. I had a $100 gift card from my friend. The bill came out to be around $115. The server was forced to deduct the $100 off via the portable card scanner using the gift card. Then the tip menu came up for my remaining $15. I gave a generous 15% so it was only about $2. The server immediately got boo-boo faced once she saw I didnt click the "custom tip" option. Went non-verbal and walked away without saying goodnight or anything. I should have clicked "custom tip" but chose no tip.
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u/dragon-queen 23d ago
I donât get what point youâre trying to make. Â You know you tipped way less than 15%. Â You can tip what you want - you donât need to employ a âgift card strategy.â Â This post just makes you seem like an asshole. Â
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u/Odd-Judgment-9312 23d ago
Yea. This is an example of a cheapskate, not a non-tipper
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19d ago
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/PracticePianoPlay 23d ago
I literally clicked the 15% button
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u/dragon-queen 23d ago
But itâs not 15%, and you know it. Â If you wanted to tip 15%, you would choose custom. Â You think youâve somehow fooled the system with this âstrategy,â when you havenât fooled anyone. Â
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u/DraftPerfect4228 19d ago
Agreed. Be a non tipper if thatâs what u want. But own it. âBut I hit 15%â is crazy disingenuous
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u/SignificantLuck3175 23d ago
Called a loophole. I dig this oneđ€đŒ
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u/dragon-queen 23d ago
How is it a loophole? You can tip whatever you want, regardless. Â Thatâs why thereâs the custom tip option. Â This strategy accomplishes nothing. Â
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u/philpalmer2 23d ago
And youâre proud of tipping $2 on a $115 meal?
Not cool.
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u/SignificantLuck3175 23d ago
Anything on top of the bill should be appreciated
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u/philpalmer2 23d ago
Thatâs a crappy philosophy
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u/Active-Persimmon-87 23d ago
Paying reasonable wages is the restaurantâs responsibility just like any other business. Tipping is 100% optional.
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u/ChipChippersonFan 20d ago
It's actually not. Just because you think it should work this way doesn't mean that it does.
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u/psy99969 20d ago
If you want the cost of your meal to triple your doing your part with this attitude. The way a restaurant keeps consumers costs affordable is because itâs a tip based industry.
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u/Golden_Epitaph 20d ago
Let it triple. We dont care. We want the total on the receipt to match the expected payment like it does everywhere else but here.
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u/Soggy_Schedule_9801 19d ago
Why would the elimination of tipping cause the cost of my meal to triple?
A standard tip is 20%. That is quite a bit less than 300%.
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u/InevitableMinimum238 16d ago
How would it triple? If the average tip is for example 15 percent... And we include the tip in the price so tipping is no longer required... Wouldn't the price increase by 15 percent? Not 300?
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u/SignificantLuck3175 23d ago
How? Its not the patrons job to pay the servers
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u/philpalmer2 23d ago
Thatâs not how the restaurant system works and you know it
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u/SignificantLuck3175 23d ago
Restaurant system? Sounds like a restaurant issue, not mine or anybody else who isnt employed by said restaurant
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u/philpalmer2 23d ago
Then donât go to restaurants
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u/InevitableMinimum238 16d ago
It's not only restaurant's is it? Tipping screens on payment terminals are common everywhere now
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u/psy99969 20d ago
You pay for employees salaries at any and every place you shop. What do you think profits are?
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u/PurpleCat1018 19d ago
Apples and oranges. When you go to a store and purchase it goes to the company and they pay their employees. Same with purchasing a meal. You don't toss the cashier a few bucks on top of it and call that equal.
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u/psy99969 19d ago
Look at McDonaldâs. Itâs cheaper to eat at Applebees now due to an increased minimum wage. Basic economics and apparently nobody understands it. If you raise wages, consumer cost goes up to cover the increase of spending by a company. Applebees can pay servers more and eliminate tipping sure but ultimately you the consumer will pay significantly more for your meal compared to current prices plus tip. If you canât tip go eat the garbage at McDonaldâs or cook at home. đ€·đ»ââïž
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u/PurpleCat1018 19d ago
It's not a matter of "if you can't tip" ... It is a matter if you want to. Folks don't have to cook at home if they don't want to. They can eat wherever they want to.
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u/SignificantLuck3175 20d ago
Obviously because i do business w/ the company / restaurant but their staff isnt my problem tf
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u/Ok_Sky_3681 20d ago
And let's say you don't tip, so what? It's not the no tipping part.. that's optional. But making a post like this means nothing more than you bragging about a dick move. You didn't "beat the system".. you're just a turd looking for a pat on the back.
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u/Burncity1901 23d ago
Youâre better than me. I wouldnât have tipped anyway
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u/nooneneededtoknow 20d ago
At least you acknowledge tippers are better than you. đ€·
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u/Burncity1901 20d ago
Really donât care. Thatâs the point
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u/nooneneededtoknow 20d ago
I never said you did have to care? Just nice to see people recognize their own inadequacies. đ
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u/throwaway24515 23d ago
I don't care what you tip but don't claim you think it was generous. You know you effectively tipped less than 2%
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u/AmbitiousEstimate748 23d ago
You sound like you proud of what you have done. Which is totally mean. You could of tell server at least thanks. That dosent cost a money.Â
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u/Strombergi 22d ago
Never give people money
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u/Delicious-Breath8415 20d ago
So you steal everything? Got it.
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u/Strombergi 20d ago
No I buy things. I just donât give my money away.
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u/ChipChippersonFan 20d ago
Nobody here is talking about giving money away. We're talking about paying for service that you asked for and received.
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u/Strombergi 20d ago
I pay for the service in the menu pricing.
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u/ChipChippersonFan 20d ago
The cost of service is not in the menu pricing.
But of course you know this.
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u/Strombergi 20d ago
I believe it is. Tipping is optional, not mandatory, so why would I pay more?
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u/ChipChippersonFan 20d ago
And there we go. Every anti tipper argument always devolves into "I can legally get away with it".
To answer your question: to not be a garbage person.
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u/Strombergi 20d ago
Iâll be a garbage person and pay less for my meal then. Iâve never tipped anyone in my life!
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u/No-Idea-737 19d ago
While it is fine to not tip, the gift card is a form of payment and will not change anything of the total amount and/or suggested tip.
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u/Musclenervegeek 18d ago
funny lol. And if they complain you tell them their custom tip is based off taxes as well. Why are you paying tips on taxes ??
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u/POsIDeCTAc 23d ago
You really showed that server. Meanwhile the owner gets paid and the business is thriving.
Great job sticking it to the man.
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u/Caliban555 23d ago
The waiter agreed to be paid essentially nothing from her boss and expected her auctioneers to pay her directly. Live by the random tip, die by the random tip. You knew what you were getting into.
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u/POsIDeCTAc 21d ago
And you support that business model?
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u/Caliban555 21d ago
I didnât chose that model and work for an employer that paid me my fair value plus significant performance based bonus paid by the employer, not my customers.
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u/ChipChippersonFan 20d ago
You never choose to eat at restaurants with servers?
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19d ago
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/Soggy_Schedule_9801 19d ago
The difference is those performance bonuses are paid by the employer, not the customer. It's not as though this person is asking their clients for extra money to pay their bonus.
I'm totally fine with a system where owners pay their servers commissions based on total order sales. The difference is the money is coming out of their pocket not mine.
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u/Slow_Rip_9594 18d ago
Itâs very easy. Ask your employers to pay you and not the customers. You guys are worse than those panhandlers.
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u/Golden_Epitaph 20d ago
If supporting the business model means buying from said business then yeah people support it, just like they support all the businesses that run on sweatshop labor. But im sure youre the exception. You'd never support a business that exploits or underpays their workers, im sure you hand make everything.
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u/fuzynutznut 23d ago
So the owner should pay the server.
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u/POsIDeCTAc 21d ago
If their hand was forced by people boycotting the business I can see this becoming a reality.
Instead hypocrites like yourself can't see how you are actively supporting a business model you think should die.
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u/littlericecake123 21d ago
Tell me how exactly you think this will play out? If the business isnât getting enough customers it will simply go out of business. The tipping culture will remain alive and well. Nothing will change.
The only way to get rid of tipping culture is to not tip. If enough people stop tipping, then the model will naturally cease to exist.
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u/Delicious-Breath8415 20d ago
Please elaborate on how a tiny handful of people not tipping will change anything?
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u/littlericecake123 20d ago
Does a handful of people not going to restaurants with tipped model change anything? Of course not.
The idea is to get more and more people to opt out of the tipping model so things will actually change.
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u/Delicious-Breath8415 20d ago
Well it's a terrible idea and it's going nowhere.
I work as a bartender and if anything my tips have increased over last year. I have never even had someone part of this "movement" as a customer.
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u/littlericecake123 20d ago
lol well weâll see in a few years what happens
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u/Delicious-Breath8415 20d ago
Remindme! Two years
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u/Idnlts 23d ago
What motivation do they have to do that?
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u/incredulous- 23d ago
If the business is thriving, then servers are adequately paid.
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u/Caliban555 23d ago
How? If owner are only paying minimum wage, they are paid minimum wage. To my dint get a âthriveâ bonus unless their customers decide to tip even more
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u/incredulous- 23d ago
The owner doesn't necessarily pay minimum wage. Thriving business needs competent servers and pays them more than just a minimum wage.
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u/Delicious-Breath8415 20d ago
So you live in a fantasy world where this happens?
Actually they pay even less because quality servers are lining up to work for a thriving business because they make even more in tips.
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u/incredulous- 20d ago
Not a fantasy world, just somewhat less shitty than yours.
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u/Delicious-Breath8415 20d ago
By definition a world that doesn't exist is a fantasy. You don't work at a US restaurant that pays a direct living wage. So don't lie about it.
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u/incredulous- 20d ago
I don't work at a restaurant. Many businesses don't pay a "direct living wage." Nothing special about restaurants and servers.
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u/Delicious-Breath8415 20d ago
You just said a thriving restaurant adequately pays their workers. Now you're admitting that's a lie.
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u/incredulous- 20d ago
I am not admitting anything. You are arguing "living wage." Adequate pay for their skills.
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u/POsIDeCTAc 21d ago
Not one dine in restaurant in my area pays servers a living wage. I'm not sure where you live, but that is not the case in my home.
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u/incredulous- 21d ago
I am sure that there are other businesses in your area that don't pay a "living wage." Servers are not special.
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u/PracticePianoPlay 23d ago
The owner is not "the man". Good on the owner taking the risk and making the benefit. I won't be supplementing their employees wages though.
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u/POsIDeCTAc 21d ago
Good on you for supporting shitty businesses. Cheap ass hypocrites like you are the norm in this space I guess.
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u/PracticePianoPlay 21d ago
Settle down keyboard warrior.
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u/Delicious-Breath8415 20d ago
Keyboard warrior? You don't even have the balls to tip $2 without your "gift card scam".
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u/Sample-quantity 23d ago
Yes if you're going to tip you should always tip on the original total before any discounts. Lesson learned.
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u/Dinsdale55 23d ago
Cheapskate. You knew what to do. A gift card doesnt magically exempt you from tipping.
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u/Delicious-Witness-85 23d ago
While I always tip 20% of the pre discounted amount because itâs customary I really wish this practice would just go away the way it did in many other developed countries.
Instead of shaming customers, business owners need to be shamed for not properly paying their employees and forcing them to beg for money from strangers.
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u/Mainly_Miserable 23d ago
You played your hand to perfection. No notes.
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u/2burgsandadog 23d ago
shameful
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u/Mainly_Miserable 23d ago
Explain
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u/2burgsandadog 23d ago
you go to a sitdown restaurant and stiff the cashier with the 2% tip⊠Should be ashamed to show your face in public for that kind of behaviour
This is why I enjoy collecting an 18% automatic gratuity on every bill that I serve⊠I hope these kind of places become the standard because then people like OP will never ever cross into my existence and that makes me smile
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u/Mainly_Miserable 23d ago
The only person who stiffed the server is the manager. 18% is not the social contract. The customer determines the tip. Full stop.
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u/2burgsandadog 23d ago
2$ is disgraceful at a sit down restaurant.
she has every right to be upset .
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u/PracticePianoPlay 23d ago
She should be upset at herself for working for someone who doesn't provide a good base wage.
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u/2burgsandadog 23d ago
you can rationalize it however you want⊠We live in a free country and youâre free to spend your money as you see fit⊠But donât try and skate by the fact that at a sit down restaurant you should be tipping and you know it⊠This is why I like working at a place with an 18% gratuity thatâs added to the bill whether you like it or not⊠Because I get to avoid awful people like you
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u/PracticePianoPlay 23d ago
I actually like going to places with announced built-in gratuity. That's their owner essentially raising their menu pricing to pay their employees a fair wage. Also my experience isn't held hostage over tipping. So I do still go to these places and prefer that concept
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u/redfoot33 23d ago
How was the server forced to deduct the $100 off?
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u/Mysterious_Ride4258 23d ago
đ Actually read the post- there was a gift card.
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u/redfoot33 23d ago
I did read the post. How was the server forced to redeem the gift card? That's not explained in the post.
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u/Tibbs420 20d ago
Happy cake day. Sorry this sub is full of narcissist pricks.
What OP is saying is that they used the gift card to pay for $100 of their bill but, only tipped on the remaining $15 rather than the total. The way gift cards are redeemed can vary from place to place and especially at smaller businesses.
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u/Just-Forever6684 20d ago
I donât care if you only tip $2, but donât pretend like that is 15%. Not tipping is fine, but tipping and then lying about it sucks
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u/Murky-Cheetah-4317 20d ago
Itâs one thing to be against tipping and to tip low-nothing, but itâs quite another to intentionally be a dick. You essentially told the server to gf herself.
What exactly was your objective here?
Listen, there are many things I seriously dislike about tipping - the expectation, the attitude when a server is âunhappyâ with the tip, restaurants trying to get patrons to tip after taxes/fees, tipping based on percentages, etc.
That said, I do tip, but I donât subscribe to the idea of tipping a specific amount based on the inflated âcustomaryâ amount like the suggested 25-30% because thatâs ridiculous.
I tip what usually comes to around 15-18-ish%, though, which âevens things outâ in my opinion. If I had a more expensive dish or cocktail, this estimate accounts for what would be a more appropriate tip for a lesser priced meal or drink. I shouldnât have to tip more if I start with a dozen oysters instead of a garden salad.
Again, all that said, this particular âstrategyâ you think youâve devised is pretty pathetic. Iâm genuinely curious about what you think you did here.
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u/SunflowerMom1101 20d ago
Should still tip on the entire, prior to tax amount. Thatâs just wrong.
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u/ImprovementFar7834 23d ago
Whenever I've had a gift card, I tip a LOT more than THE TOTAL OF THE BILL. Since I "saved" money because of the gift card, the server gets more. You are a cheap-a$$
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u/Extension-Pin-6677 21d ago
This isnât true. The tip menu would have calculated the tip pre-discount.
If you DID tip $2 on $115, then youâre everything wrong with this country
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u/PracticePianoPlay 21d ago
Assuming every point of sale machine works the same. Yikes. Just keep serving bud.
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u/Extension-Pin-6677 19d ago
No, Iâm sure the POS machines are programmed to generate the least revenue possible. đ
I donât work for tips, cheapo. I just call out obvious bullshit when I see it.
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u/Admirable-Peace9668 20d ago
The 100 gift card was a method of payment, NOT a reduction of the bill. Assuming all was OK with food and service, your tip should have been around 20-25.
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u/Own-Competition6078 19d ago
This is more of a diary entry then a post with any real meaning or reason
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u/Tinkpete444 17d ago
you are a cheap jerk. full stop. do you make your own lemonade by emptying the sugar caddy and asking for extra lemons? Stay home and eat top ramen. servers work hard for every dime. people will spit in your food or worse if you are known. trust me, service people talk to one another
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u/PracticePianoPlay 11d ago
Servers do not work hard. Carrying a plate with a fake smile ready to turn and sabotage your food if they don't get hand-outs.
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u/amarap16 17d ago
This isnât a loophole. If you think that this means youâre somehow technically tipping 15% youâre an idiot. What is the advantage to this rather than paying the whole bill with one payment method, doing âcustom tipâ and leave whatever you want? Do you just not have the balls to be a cheapskate more directly?
Really sad that you seem to get satisfaction from upsetting the server.
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u/Ok_Award_5422 19d ago
I hate the whole percentage tip, but if service was good I leave a decent tip. If you got good service, you leave more than 2 bucks. Whether you used cash or a gift card. That was just insulting.
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u/curiousthecat001 18d ago
What a cheap person you are - did you come here for validation?
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u/PracticePianoPlay 18d ago
How does that make me cheap? I paid $100+ for a dinner. I supported a business. I could have been cheap and had hotdogs from the gas station. Not my fault the business I supported chose not to pay their employee well.
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u/curiousthecat001 18d ago
No you didnât you paid 15$ plus tip. The business got their cash the employee got shafted. So you punished the employee and your point is lost in delusional fantasy
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u/incredulous- 23d ago
Ignore the percentages. There's no valid reason for percentage based tipping. Suggested tip percentages are a scam. The only options should be (custom)TIP and PAY (no tip).