Dorothy

When I waitressed/bartended what I declared usually worked out to about 10-15% of my gross.

She should ask the other wait staff what they declare as a rough guide.

Former Lancastrian

Heres a thought who do you tip and why?
We know most waiters/servers or whatever we call them these days work for minimum wage and supplement their income with tips.
So you are now in a Department store say looking for a pair of shoes. The assistant comes over asks if they can assist. You ask if they have this shoe in this size and colour. Off they trot to the storeroom and return later with the size and colour and they fit. You now go to the checkout to pay.
Do you tip the assistant or not and if not why not?
Chances are they are on minimum age as well.
Did they assist you?
Did they bring you the shoes?
Did they make sure they fit and were correct?

Some will argue didnt they do the same as a server?
They took your order, they delivered your food and took the plates away.
Yet they expected a tip.

scrubbedexpat133

I dislike tipping full stop. My Canadian friends think that its right to tip everyone for everything! I understand it more in the US as they make peanuts not a decent min wage as they do here in Canada.

My argument is that if they are tipping someone at Tims they have put coffee in a cup and taken your money.... I say to them describe the job requirements of this person and how did they go over and above this to serve you???

Tipping bar staff when all they have done is opened a bottle or poured a drink.... again they are doing their job!!!!

I will tip in a proper restaurant begrudgingly under duress from my Canadian girlfriend

jimmydean

I think there is a proposed bill which seeks to lower the minimum wage for workers who regularly receive tips as part of their employment.....not sure if it will become law but I understand that this is already the case in the US.


I don't wait for change from a Toonie for my large Tim's coffee but that is only a few cents............I use Macdonalds drive through more often for my coffee and the staff there are not allowed to accept tips at all.

Dozzpot

Good point. You are more likely to say, "Right, what's your best price on these shoes? Look - there's a mark there, how about $10 off...?". I know someone who does this all the time. He's Canadian.

Alan2005

Shoe sellers probably on commission.

Almost Canadian

Here's a revolutionary idea: declare the tips actually received

macadian

My tipping Philosophy is simple.....around 15% of bill (before tax is added) if service ok. If server, on me handing over cash to pay the bill asks ;'Will there be any change?' (don't you just hate that?)..then he/she is lucky to get anything!

Piff Poff

The minimum wage in Alberta is just being increased to $9.75 per hour however the minimum wage for servers will remain the same at $9.05 per hour. This is why people tip. How is this fair? The servers then have to share their tips with the rest of the non serving staff, depending on restaurant this can be x amount per person they serve or a percentage of their tips or a percentage of what they actually take money wise. So if you don't tip then quite often that server will still have to pay for actually serving you. So think on that next time you don't tip.

As for those working in a shop, they seldom have to deal with the customers for upwards of an hour or more and they don't have to deal with drunks. As someone that has worked both in the hospitality trade and as a sales associate, being a server is much harder work imo, being a sales associate it just annoying for many many different reasons lol

dbd33

It's not fair. However, it is how it is, when you go into a bar you know that you're going to have to pay the stated price + 13% Higher Sales Tax + !5%, or more, in tip. If you're not willing to pay you shouldn't go.

Piff Poff

You are comletely right, I asked DD what she had to pay out, it's 2% of the food bill and 50 cents per drink the bar makes for her customers.

tee1

Yes keep a note of all tip earned's and find out what others at the same work place declare. If she declare's more than everyone else in the same work place it may raise a red flag and screw everyone.

On the other hand if she does not have a note of tips earned and the work place is investigated then CRA may assume tips at 15% even if your daughter did not earn that much.

I didnt like the idea of tipping when I first arrived in Canada but that's just the way things are. The minimum wage for servers etc is lower than the regular minimum wage in most provinces, something I find disgusting

Piff Poff

I have always tipped restaurant staff and hair dressers and taxi drivers etc, it's the way I was brought up, so it's not an odd thing for me and didn't find it strange when we came here.

I think anyone that doesn't tip even a something say $1 per person at a meal is really tight unless the meal/service was awful.

bats

I don't like the idea of tipping, but as dbd says it is how it is. That's how they make their money so I tip the appropriate amount. It's painless enough once you stop fighting the idea. A bit like moving Canada really.

sharkus

Wot no reference to Mr Pink's little speech about tipping?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5ODhIFawfs

I will tip 10 - 15% if the service is good. If the service is bad, no tip. If it's appalling, the manager and I have a little chat, same goes if the food is bad.

Hearts and smiley faces are ok, circling the little "gratuity not included" line on the bill is not and that'll earn you zero. Had that done once, the manager and I had a lovely little chat, and we agreed upon the meal being on the house. As I was exiting the place I saw him having a very animated conversation with our server.