Tipping in the new world

I am fortunate to be in a position where I can help support local businesses such as breweries.
I tip a little higher now and have started tipping for counter service.
Cheers.

 

Hungry? Can I get you anything?

 

I totally agree that there isn't the same level of attention needed by the folks doing curbside work when compared to servers in a bar/restaurant. But I still think they are deserving of a bigger tip than normal given that we're living through a pandemic and the curbside folks are exposing themselves to people all day long. That seems like it's worth a few extra bucks. I think we should be considering risk of exposure to covid when we are considering our tipping.

 

100% this. When I’m tipping, half of me is doing it because I know $ will have dried up a lot for many of these people in general, but the other half is because someone is putting themselves at personal risk to bring/give me beer

 

In regards to curbside, the fact they are getting a tip at all for doing a basic company function is consideration enough about the risk of exposure and hit to their industry. This started because people couldn't go in to make the purchase. Do you tip your cashier at the grocery store? Of course not...(mainly because they've closed all of those lanes and forced us into self checkouts, but I digress). Do you tip Amazon/UPS/postal employees when they deliver? I'm exposing myself and risk of exposure to support the business by purchasing their product so they stay in business. Shouldn't supporting the business by purchasing more products be enough? And shouldn't the business then support their employees?

 

I tip exactly the same as I did prior to Covid - 20% on the post-tax total and I only tip when I am dining/ drinking in. I do not use curbside pick up and do not tip on carryout.

 

Those big tips were for the bartender who filled my growlers and handed over my food money. Since not many customers were coming in for pick-up, he wasn't busy at all. Like I said in my post, it's free money and I'm doing my best to stimulate the economy.

 

The only change is I now consider a tip for pickup/carryout from breweries and the craft beer stores whereas I did not in the past. I've been tipping a buck or two many times per selection (per bottle, or 4 or 6 pack), sometimes a round amount ($5) if there is a dollar and not percentage selection option.

Some website ordering platforms make it easy to tip, some carry out default options seem a bit aggressive (default 20% or 25% carry out tip pre Rona / current). I think options are fine being presented, but there shouldn't be a default high tip (20%-25%) if you are picking up beer from an aisle and plopping it onto a counter.

I typically tip 20-25% (+/- depending on service) drink / dine in service to your table/at the bar. If it is an order & pick up a drink station and walk back to your table, usually $1/drink, sometimes a few bucks extra total depending on service / waters / etc..I've ranged on the higher end even for this service the few times I had service since mid-March.

I don't tip at grocery stores for carryout, doubt many do, and see both sides in terms of whether to tip or not for carryout/pickup regardless of location. I do believe all should tip for waitstaff/bartender on site drink service, or for delivery to your house. Plopping items in your trunk or on a table can go either way.

 

The "well do you tip the checkout person at the grocery store?" argument usually gets rolled out under normal circumstances. These are sort of atypical times. I don't know what it's like for a grocery store employee right now. And we've all read about the challenges for many Amazon employees throughout recent months. So interesting/discussion-worthy topics for sure, but this is a beer site after all, and those are positions which are not historically tipped employees.

To sort of agree with part of your point, the couple of times I've gone to a specialist beer store in recent months, no I haven't tipped. a) in both cases it was the owner himself that served me, and b) even if it was an employee (and without going down the rabbit hole of speculating that, yes maybe he/she may have had to take a pay cut) I don't know if I would have or not, because I know that they are not a tipped employee.

However when doing curbside from a brewery - and I'm aware it may vary brewery to brewery - I know for a fact that at the specific place I've been going to, the people that serve me each time typically work behind the bar in normal times. Now it may be the case that with this particular brewery, they could be a total outlier and even before the pandemic, have been paying these people $120k/yr + pension + 401k matching + fully employer-paid UHC Choice Plus health insurance. But I'd say that's unlikely (given we're talking about the hospitality industry in NYC), and that what's more likely is they are a tipped employee who is heavily-reliant on tips to make a decent living.

Now for the record I'm from the UK and fucking loathe the tipping culture here. But you have to work with what's in front of you, and a) we're not going to structurally fix tipping mid-pandemic, and b) it is not fair to affect change at the individual server level anyway.

So I'm making the assumption that since they are not pouring pints all day then they are making a lot less in tips than usual. In addition - they probably deal with a fair few people who - despite having the $ to afford to throw a few extra $ than normal for the type of service - "don't tip for takeout just as I wouldn't tip at the grocery store" out of principle. In addition, while yes both the customer and the employee is at risk, the customer is going up and interacting with one person once to get their beer. The employees could be interacting with dozens of people throughout the day. Very different risk level

So no you don't have to tip. And maybe you know for a fact that at the place you go the employees aren't tipped employees, and that the employer broadly looks after them well. But if there's any doubt at all, then I say throw in a little extra if you can afford it. But of course it's not mandatory. Also worth mentioning the fact that even the "good" employers out there are likely hurting, and not able to take care of their staff in the way they would necessarily want. No it's not your problem - but if that was the default outlook by all humans, the world would - unbelievably based on all that's happening right now - be an even more fucked place.

 

Which apps? Personally, I tip the same way I pay. On a card any time possible. Of course I'm not using any apps, so they will be aware of the amount tipped and will know if they're getting short changed by their employer. We were always tipped out from the till at the end of the night or had the full amount added to our pay at the end of the week, I really didn't care either way.

 

I've always tipped 20 percent on the bill after taxes are added.
In Breweries and tap rooms I tip 25% on the taxed amount, for a pour or takeout, cans and growlers.
My livelihood has not been affected by the pandemic, I've always felt if I can afford to eat out, pay for craft beer, then I can afford to tip.
After reading the posts here I'll probably tip more. There's certainly people struggling out there, I definitely sympathize.
Good Karma and all that, right?

 

I would tip the cashiers at my grocery store if there were a mechanism to do so (like a tip jar). I've even said to them that they should put a tip jar out. These folks are essential to our lives. But simply saying "Hey, you're essential, thanks a bunch!" isn't enough, in my opinion. They should be given a financial reward for the fact that they are considered essential. And since liquor stores are, in my opinion, essential, then I think the people who are employed there should be getting a few extra bucks right now. Same applies for the fedex/UPS/etc. folks. If there were a tip option, I'd throw them a buck or two. I don't have the money to tip all of these folks in abundance, but a buck or two adds up and I'm happy to give (and privileged enough to still be employed and have an income right now).

 

We tip at our grocery store by buying a store gift card at customer service and slipping it to whomever we want to say thanks to. There is a great deli at the store, and if they don't want a lunch, everyone need groceries. We love to tip when we can. I was a working stiff just like they are now. It makes them happy.

 

Who are you?! Dwight Schrute?

 

I was chased down by the street by a waiter one time. We paid by credit card and put no tip on it. We left cash on the table as you say. The server that cleared the table must have taken it while he was dealing with the cc receipt. We told him and all was cool. We had laughs about it every time we went back.

 

If I do that, I write "Cash on table" to the left of the number field, and with 0.00 in the number field. That way, there's no question and they can resolve it internally with the employee.

 

James McMurtry teaches to *start* at 20% and go up. During the pandemic, I've always gone up, tipping over 20% and upwards of 50% on smaller tabs. That's for any situation in which tipping is generally considered proper. I am not tipping at bottle shops, grocery stores, retail stores and the like.

 

A thought...how about as a Country we recognize that tipping is a poor way of compensating people, and instead employers actually pay better wages, like in most European Countries...

While some readers’ heads explode...

...tipping in the USA supplements meager wages in many occupational fields, especially in the food service industry, and I will continue to tip generously, even for “mundane” service such as pick up/take away at our breweries, bars and restaurants...

 

Pay people a reasonable wage?! But that might translate into better quality of life for individuals and overall health for communities. And we can’t be having that.