Human troughs

[Seraphic]

So I bought this book a while back called 11,002 things to be miserable about and despite it's name, I find myself reading through the book and just laughing at the hilarity of it all.
Some examples:
Parents spending thousands of dollars framing their childrens preschool work
7 year olds in strollers
The fact that Britney Spears' half eaten french toast was sold on ebay

What are some things that make you go argh or make you roll your eyes internally?

[LunarWeaver]

People who own treadmills they use once a week and then bitch they don't lose weight.

Yo-yos that do all the work for you.

Christian vs. Atheist battles that rage on for weeks.

90% of the Internet saying they're writing a book, but when I ask them to show me what they've got they say "Oh, well, nothing, but it's in my head" and continue to say so for the rest of their life.

[Jiro]

90% of the Internet saying they're writing a book, but when I ask them to show me what they've got they say "Oh, well, nothing, but it's in my head" and continue to say so for the rest of their life.

e-Books with the ultimate piracy prevention ^

[LunarWeaver]

I could be too retarded to understand what you're saying, but if you mean if they ever do get around to writing it, I don't mean they hand me the whole thing, just a snippet, not hand me all their ideas and outline or something. I'm not sure I get what you're saying.

What I mean is that they claim to be writers but never once sit down and type a single word for their entire life.

[blackmage_nuke]

People who keep saying I should stop argueing logic about fantasy and scifi movies. I CAN ONLY TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER FOR SO BLODDY LONG, YOU COME UP WITH A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION!

[Jiro]

What I was saying is that they're great novel only exists in their head where nobody can see it. It was worded horribly, and probably still is. You're not retarded, I am. Or maybe we both are. Huh, weird.

[blackmage_nuke]

I thought your comment was funny, I got it, maybe im the retarded one

[LunarWeaver]

It was so me XD I'm sorry, Jiro. Let's give each other presents come Columbus Day (the only important holiday).

[rubah]

I got it, jiro.

people who think the US shouldn't catch up to the rest of the world re: public transit, education, health care, the metric system

[Jiro]

It was so me XD I'm sorry, Jiro. Let's give each other presents come Columbus Day (the only important holiday).

Yes, that is the greatest holiday of the year.

I find the whole daylight savings business to be ludicrous. Time was created to be standard, so why change it around? And all it does is make it daylight at 9pm here, which means all those kids who have bedtimes at 7pm will be ridiculously tired the next day.

[Yar]

When you said Human Troughs I thought you were talking about the kind of urinals that are at Joe Louis Arena.

:/ They're not classy.

[Seraphic]

When you said Human Troughs I thought you were talking about the kind of urinals that are at Joe Louis Arena.

:/ They're not classy.

It is in fact, the opposite of classy,my dear.
That is the point. :monocle:

So are people who are not as funny as they think they are.

[Jiro]

The toilets at my school lack seats. Which makes me question - what is the point of them if you can't use them for their purpose?

[LunarWeaver]

Pretty kids who don't have to try as hard in life.

People who ask what's wrong with your face.

Casual acquaintances who don't answer the usual "How are you?" question with "Fine!" but rather their long, current depressing life story in the middle of Wal-Mart.

Opening the mailbox to bills.

I have a lot of things to be miserable about apparently. I feel I will be in this thread a lot. :kaoclove:

[Jiro]

Casual acquaintances who don't answer the usual "How are you?" question with "Fine!" but rather their long, current depressing life story in the middle of Wal-Mart.


I always reply "good", "not bad", "pretty good" or "yeah, alright" regardless of how I'm feeling. Because when people ask you how you are on the fly, they usually don't care and just want to say hi.

[blackmage_nuke]

I like to go with "Not too shabby" myself. Otherwise Im lying about being fine.

Also Urinal Troughs are the height of modern class society and technology, no longer do men have to aim

I get annoyed whenever anyone makes that damn portal reference every time I mention cake, and then everyone else laughs and I dont get a response for my original query or statement. This applies for any overused meme that breaks conversational flow irl no matter how funny it is! By all means have a laugh but complete the topic at hand before moving onto something else!

[Rodarian]

What I can't understand is people throwing birthday parties for their pets.....Whats worse is owner's willed their entire fortune to their beloved kitty cat...As if the cat knows how what to do with all the new found wealth...Bunch of weirdos I tell ya!

[Jiro]

I would only will money to a pet if I hated everyone I knew or was related to that damned much. Actually showing that much devotion to a pet is beyond my understanding.

[Timekeeper]

I find the whole daylight savings business to be ludicrous. Time was created to be standard, so why change it around? And all it does is make it daylight at 9pm here, which means all those kids who have bedtimes at 7pm will be ridiculously tired the next day.

It is actually quite a good thing down south. Not really made for the northern states though. I only get annoyed when people are too thick to realise that the amount of daylight in a day is different depending on how far you are from the equator.



Also Urinal Troughs are the height of modern class society and technology, no longer do men have to aim

You'd be surprised :(


By all means have a laugh but complete the topic at hand before moving onto something else!

This. It really annoys me when an integral piece of conversation is skipped over because of some stupid tangent.

[Rye]

Politics at work. It's really irritating because I sit behind two Bill O'Reilly quoters and their misinformation is painful (Obama is gonna take the DNA of every baby at birth, and if they have any defect, they'll have no insurance for health until they DIE!!!), but I stick to my vows of no politics at work because any time I discuss politics with older people, they give me the "Oh, well, you're just 19" even if my points are well-researched and thought out, which is infuriating. So I just say nothing. ;[

EDIT: And being cut-off while talking. I can't think of anything else that makes me angrier. Because people constantly do this to me. I don't know what it is about my voice that makes it something people enjoy cutting off, but they do. The consequence of that is that I talk very, very, very loudly sometimes, so that no one interrupts me. Apparently, not that loud in NY. Only Rhode Islanders have ever told me that I talk way too loudly. Wonder why?

I think it's sad that one of the major reasons I want to ever have a powerful position in life, is so that people will never interrupt me when I speak. Imagining it feels sooo good~~

[Old Manus]

The current 'EOFF IS DYING' mass hysteria

[Madame Adequate]

I thought it referred to a trough from which people were forced to eat, whilst their BDSM master/mistress called them a pig (And with a curly-tail buttplug, of course).

So that shows you where my mind goes.

It really winds me up when people say space exploration is a waste of time/money or, worse yet, say "We should fix everything down here first. :colbert:" God almighty.

[blackmage_nuke]

Well my first though was pigs being fed human meat in a trough.

Also whats up with a third of idol contestants becoming highschool dropouts to join idol? and every backstory is how they were such "trouble makers". bunch of punk kids gettin rich for not paying attention in class i ask you.

[Quindiana Jones]

ALL adverts. Seriously. People are stupid.

[Heath]

X Factor. I actually sat and watched it for twenty minutes last night and found it one of the most maddening experiences of my life.

First up as I watched was this pretty eighteen year old from a small village just outside Cardiff. There was accompanying shots of how tiny it was. "The whole village" had turned out to support her. It's always been her dream to be a singer. She's never wanted anything else. I was utterly shocked when she turned out to be a good singer and that she got through to the next round. The way they set that up was genius.

The worst bit was after this. Some boy-girl double act. They'd been a couple until three days before the event which was 'accidentally' revealed by the boy during the introduction spiel. Simon Kissinger weighed in and wanted to know who ended it. The boy, dressed up in his gladrags (Liverpool away shirt), revealed it was him. The audience roundly booed him. Imagine that, a relationship failing! But all this background info was distracting us from the main course and so they were asked which song they wanted to sing; Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now. They sang it and they weren't very good at all. Simon duly told them this, but he wasn't going to let sleeping dogs lie, he wanted to fix things. Possibly for the better! He asked the boy if there was anything he wanted to say because now, with the privacy of millions of onlookers, was the time to sort it out. The audience gave Simon a round of applause. The boy turned to his former lover and began to ask for forgiveness. With the subtlety of a Goodyear Blimp, the production staff, at this stage, thought it'd be good to continue playing Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now while this went on. At this point, I physically threw myself to my settee; I knew that if I didn't, I might run upstairs and destroy all my history books, for I knew that everything written within them would be a mere footnote after this event. She said yes. The audience cheers, there were tears and Simon sat with the look of a man who'd just solved all the worlds ills.

[Seraphic]

When I first read human troughs I thought it meant like a huge bin of slop meat for people to eat out of instead of pigs. I'm glad I chose this one :hat:
And I hate being cut off too! It happens alot to me that it feels like people just don't want to hear what I have to say so they interject with whatever they want.
Melodramatic television is the worst, even more so when it's "reality" television.

Another thing in a similar vein is the success rate of relationships from shows like The Bachelor, Flavor of Love and the like.

[LunarWeaver]

People over 6 that lick the bowl after they've finished their ice cream.

Getting called emo even if your mother just died and you're sad about it.

A pen running out of ink.

Wikipedia pages with 10 warnings at the top about how terrible and inaccurate the page you're going to read is.

People that turn their cell phone speaker on while text messaging to make sure you hear every single BOOP for every single letter.

When you can't find your glasses and you're wearing them.

[blackmage_nuke]

People over 6 that lick the bowl after they've finished their ice cream.


I pour milk into the bowl to drain the remaining creamy goodness :cool:

[LunarWeaver]

Sometimes I wonder why you aren't my roommate, nuke, and this is one of those times.

[Iceglow]

when people don't know the name of a song, who sings it or even what genre it'd fall under but expect you to know it when they sing it to you BADLY because you work for a record store, then when you apologize and say you don't have a clue what song it is and that they need to come back with the title or atleast the singer before you can they get stroppy and tell you you're crap at your job. I'm sorry, theres around 20 million CDs where I work, 13 different departments (note not the genres just the departments) for MUSIC alone and so many artists that I still get to laugh when I find ones with names that you're surprised America hasn't sued them for exposing young children to. So because I can't tell what stupid song you're singing at me so terribly that if you were to go on X Factor you'd end up crying and devolving in to an amoeba under Simon Cowell's glare and tongue when you can't even tell me what type of music it is I am bad at my job? Nope, more like you should pay attention.

Also people who because it is not customary in their country do not tip waiting staff at restaurants when Service is NOT included. Ok so it might be in Italy or where ever you came from but see the line clearly stating you don't pay for service here, tipping is still expected and not just the 3pence change from the 87.97 bill you just sat there and ate whilst constantly taking the waiter's time when they could have been serving people who actually will leave tips. That doesn't make me nearly half as pissed as people who are clearly natives or have lived here long enough to know better who don't tip the waiters. I insist on leaving tips and if I'm with my friends and they don't tip the waiting staff with me I give them a whole load of verbal abuse about how I hope one day they end up working somewhere like that and know how it feels to work hard for minimum pay and then not even to see a tip when you're done. Same as guys who think a good tip for a waitress is their telephone number, PUHLEASSE seriously? C'mon you're killing me? She's there seeing how many people a day? Clearing up the mess you made, with your half eaten food left on the plate and you then leave a telephone number and don't give her a 10% minimum tip? HAHAHAHAHA FAIL EPIC FUCKING FAIL! She will never call you. Then again leaving money and a number is just as bad, you may as well be saying "With this tip I'm buying you, call me so I can collect your ass as my property" You can see I've just come from a shift at the restaurant and customers make me angry same goes for women who leave numbers and tips, I might smile and wink at you when you leave. I might make jokes to my colleagues or brag to my friends that two girls who were really quite hot left me a 7 pound tip and BOTH their numbers and I could go get a 3some, but lets be straight? Will I ever call 2 girls who seem to believe 7 pounds will buy me out? I have slightly more self respect than that, call it 20 pounds and we'll talk :P

[Rye]

Ohhh, IceGlow, you're so right. I hate people who don't tip. People who don't tip are the least classy people on the earth. Even if the food was bad (not the waiter's fault) or took a while to get to you (also not the waiter/waitress' fault), unless the waiter literally SPIT into the food or rubbed your salad on their butt, you tip.

[Tavrobel]

People over 6 that lick the bowl after they've finished their ice cream.

Ohh, I'm so sorry that I just can't handle not being able to get the most out of my money, which I work for, for something that I enjoy eating, and don't have the skills or technology to otherwise obtain that ice cream stuck to the bowl without doing something incredibly stupid or money wasting. God forbid that I eat straight out of the carton.

Grow up.

[LunarWeaver]

There are no cartons, you're putting it into a bowl. Okay, when you eat ice cream, you can get almost all of it with the spoon. Seriously, with a spoon, you can reduce it to drops of nearly nothing. But you still feel the need, because you spent money on it, to put your tongue into a bowl and lick all around, getting your face and your nose all up in that business, and clean it like a dish washer. That would be hilarious to watch an adult do.

Edit: And if you did that, I would laugh in the heart of "with you", not at you. Nothing I'm saying here is to be taken in a serious manner. I'm just spitting out stuff that isn't really all that miserable. And Tavrobel, I... I would still move to Vermont and marry you.

[Tavrobel]

There are no cartons

How did you buy the ice cream and bring it home? You're talking to a man who can clean off his plate of pasta sauce with a fork. Mail me a camera or a video recorder, and I'll show you footage of a man who routinely consumes his ice cream through licks, just as nature (according to mass-commercialization) intended.

I have a group of people that make me roll my eyes. Nihilists. Also, Fundamentalists, but for very different reasons.

[LunarWeaver]

Well obvi it comes in a carton and then you put it in a bowl when you get home XD I don't think most people do that anymore, at least not for themselves, but I have seen it on rare occasion. I see it in the dark of the night, when the gas station workers come home.

Perhaps your ice cream licks will give you... techniques.

[Tavrobel]

My licks deal Magic damage and ignore the resistances of Undead and Demons. I always start from the left and move on from there.

[rubah]

I lick my ice cream bowls. Sometimes I'm just not ready to end the ice cream experience.

Heck, sometimes I do it with non-ice cream foods. Complete with wiping my finger around the bowl and licking my finger. No, I wasn't born in the barn, I just grew up there :cool:

[Meat Puppet]

People over 6 that lick the bowl after they've finished their ice cream.

Ohh, I'm so sorry that I just can't handle not being able to get the most out of my money, which I work for, for something that I enjoy eating, and don't have the skills or technology to otherwise obtain that ice cream stuck to the bowl without doing something incredibly stupid or money wasting. God forbid that I eat straight out of the carton.

Grow up.
wtf

[Seraphic]

I think some of these are being taken a little too serious, when the thread is really just about life's shortcomings and things that you shake your head at, not like the things you think are wrong with the world or anything.
Like when your food touches the other food on your plate, or the thought of Mother Teresa in a bathing suit.
Just felt like that needed to be said.:kaoyatta:

[Crimson]

People over 6 that lick the bowl after they've finished their ice cream.

Ohh, I'm so sorry that I just can't handle not being able to get the most out of my money, which I work for, for something that I enjoy eating, and don't have the skills or technology to otherwise obtain that ice cream stuck to the bowl without doing something incredibly stupid or money wasting. God forbid that I eat straight out of the carton.

Grow up.

RAGE

http://i25.:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/2hx8un5.jpg

[Quindiana Jones]

when people don't know the name of a song, who sings it or even what genre it'd fall under but expect you to know it when they sing it to you BADLY because you work for a record store, then when you apologize and say you don't have a clue what song it is and that they need to come back with the title or atleast the singer before you can they get stroppy and tell you you're crap at your job. I'm sorry, theres around 20 million CDs where I work, 13 different departments (note not the genres just the departments) for MUSIC alone and so many artists that I still get to laugh when I find ones with names that you're surprised America hasn't sued them for exposing young children to. So because I can't tell what stupid song you're singing at me so terribly that if you were to go on X Factor you'd end up crying and devolving in to an amoeba under Simon Cowell's glare and tongue when you can't even tell me what type of music it is I am bad at my job? Nope, more like you should pay attention.

On this topic, I also hate how you're not allowed to freaking say that to the dumbass customer. Hopefully you put on your best customer service smile and said something along those lines, though.


Also people who because it is not customary in their country do not tip waiting staff at restaurants when Service is NOT included. Ok so it might be in Italy or where ever you came from but see the line clearly stating you don't pay for service here, tipping is still expected and not just the 3pence change from the 87.97 bill you just sat there and ate whilst constantly taking the waiter's time when they could have been serving people who actually will leave tips. That doesn't make me nearly half as pissed as people who are clearly natives or have lived here long enough to know better who don't tip the waiters. I insist on leaving tips and if I'm with my friends and they don't tip the waiting staff with me I give them a whole load of verbal abuse about how I hope one day they end up working somewhere like that and know how it feels to work hard for minimum pay and then not even to see a tip when you're done.


Ohhh, IceGlow, you're so right. I hate people who don't tip. People who don't tip are the least classy people on the earth. Even if the food was bad (not the waiter's fault) or took a while to get to you (also not the waiter/waitress' fault), unless the waiter literally SPIT into the food or rubbed your salad on their butt, you tip.

I want to punch you both in the face. Not the collective face. Your individual faces. You shouldn't have to leave a tip, ever. I get paid to sort out clothes, measure people, hunt down clothes for them, and clean the shop. Do I get pissy because I don't get a tip? No. Because I'm doing the job that I'm being paid to do. It's pathetic that people feel they must always give a 10% minimum at every place they go to.

Having said that, I still do tip. I stick with the 10%, unless the service was particularly fantastic or truly horrendous. Also, if I know that I'll be going someplace often enough, I usually leave a bigger tip when I'm first there. He he he. A relative-of-mine's husband once tipped 20% because the waitress was a student, and he knows they get peanuts. I imagine I'd do this when I'm a little older. And I'll admit, I think it's a bit cheap when people don't tip. But that doesn't mean I think they're horrible people just because they don't throw in an extra 10%. Don't be so pathetic.

[Jojee]

The difference is that you're being paid to sort out clothes without the prospect of a tip in mind. Most waiters/waitresses are being paid $2-3 odd dollars an hour because they're expected to make most of their income in tips.

Also, 10% is low. I try not to go below 15 for lunch and around 20 for dinner.

[Quindiana Jones]

That doesn't change the fact that there shouldn't be all this stigma attached to not tipping. Like I said, I dislike the prospect of not tipping myself, but it's your money and if you don't tip that's fine. A bit rude, but fine.

And 10% is generally agreed to be standard. Or, at least, it is with everyone I know and have ever met. Saying it's low makes you sound like you're judging people just because you decide to leave more, which I don't appreciate.

When I first went to North America, I was suprised to see people tipping at fast food places. We don't do that here. Restuarants and cafés or gtfo. That was, honest to God, one of the biggest culture shocks of my time there. xD

[Jojee]

There's a stigma attached because you <i>should</i> tip. It's how the wait staff earn their income, and unless they're a real douche to you or just a complete failure, then it is rude and extremely douchey of you not to tip. I do not see how it's fine.

I believe the general standard is what I mentioned - 15% for lunch and 20% for dinner. At least, everywhere I've grown up in. And yes, I do judge people that leave well below standard tips; being too cheap to tip at least a standard amount when your service was fine is just not attractive. A few extra dollars is not going to hurt your wallet that much, it'll make your waiter's day that much better, plus it's just common courtesy. If you really can't afford to tip your waiter, then you shouldn't be eating at that restaurant in the first place.

It's a pet peeve of mine, too.

I don't tip at fast food. xD I tip less than standard if I don't get full service, i.e. at a buffet where the waiter just clears away my plates, but I still tip there too.

[LunarWeaver]

When someone uses a word you don't know the definition of, so you try your best to figure it out through context and go with it.

Requiring somebody else to open a pickle jar.

When the dentist asks you personal questions while in your mouth and you can't even speak.

Books that are only for decoration.

Excessive PDA

Dr. Phil making $80 million this year alone.

The sound of an alarm clock.

[Quindiana Jones]

Why should you tip?

Haha, it's clear that we've grown up in very different places. Does everyone you know sit on a high horse? I totally agree with the whole "if you can afford the restaurant, you can afford the tip" thing though. That's why I think it's rude. But it's even more rude to tell people what to do with their own money, and to judge them when they don't do the same as you. It's worse than those annoying charity morons, who tell you you're murdering African children because you don't give £1 a month to charity.

[Jojee]

Choosing to go eat at a restaurant, knowing that you will be receiving service from your waiter, and then not tipping is in no way parallel to not donating money to a charity.

I'm guessing you don't have close friends in the food service industry, and if you do, I'm surprised if they don't give you crap for your perspective on tipping.

[Quindiana Jones]

That's not what I said. I said your attitude towards people who choose not to tip is similar to people who bitch and moan at you for not donating to charity.

My perspective on tipping? You mean how I think it's rude not to tip? Man, I'm a total dick. And that's not even considering my view that people should be allowed to do what they want with their own things!

I don't have a problem with people who don't tip because they're usually just cheap. I do have a problem with people who turn their nose up at others just because they live a different life. I think we can all agree that tipping waiters and waitresses is one of those social norms which is completely fair and reasonable, but it's ridiculous to bitch at someone just because they choose not to follow it.

[LunarWeaver]

Maybe you guys should just go for an agree to disagree kind of deal with this one.

[Quindiana Jones]

It's funny, because we basically agree on the actual point that the argument started over. xD

I also don't get why I kept throwing idioms around that were only used in a kind of correct manner.

[Jojee]

I'm not going to get into whether people who bitch at you for not donating to charity are justified, but I believe my attitude toward people who choose not to tip is completely justified.

I fail to see how it's ridiculous to look down upon people who are, as you agree, rude. Yes, it's their prerogative to do what they want with their money, and it's my prerogative to judge them, just as I will judge people who are otherwise rude, jerks, backstabbers, cheaters, and the list goes on.

[Quindiana Jones]

It's difficult for me to argue with that when I'm judging you for being rude. xD

[Iceglow]

Ok, Quin look at it this way, in Pizza Hut in the uk you earn as front of house waiting staff minimum wage. It's not nearly enough per hour to keep people going, we rely on the tips we get. Sometimes sure 10% isn't a whole lot, the average pizza is no more than 15 pounds (still on polish laptop, no pound sign) the drinks no more than 2 each person unless we go for smoothies or alcohol. Thats 1.70 - 2.00 for tips not much at 10% is it? Factor in 5 tables leaving say around 2 pounds each, thats 10 pounds. 5 tables could be as little as 30 minutes work depending on the customer's speed of eating. that means a waiter technically has the potential to earn 20 an hour in tips from a 5 table section, thats 20 pounds which isn't taxed or shared out thats straight in to the waiter/waitress's back pocket and kept. If no one left a tip thats 1 hours work and it's hard work as well and not pleasant people are basically pigs in general half chewed food, icecream bowls left full of melting icecream and candy sweets, drinks with crushed chilli put in them for no other reason but to be stupid, napkins shoved in drinks which still have pepsi or whatever in them, food, napkins, cutlery on the floor... it's not exactly what I'd call fun for 5.70 an hour. I've never seen every table on a section leave a tip so no worries we're secretly not working 4 hours and going home with around 100 pounds untaxed. More like we'll work 4 hours and go home with 25 pounds and thats when you're VERY good at the job. A good friday/saturday/sunday night closing shift will generally see a waiting staff member take 30 - 50 pounds in tips for 6 - 8 hours work.

So what about adding in service charge, well it's a mighty fine idea sure. 10% on every bill is paid to the staff. However that 10% is split not only with the waiting staff who made you smile, laugh and kept you doing so for the duration of your stay in the restaurant but also the kitchen guy who prepped the food (ok some say thats a good idea, give the chef a tip, however he's likely on more per hour for being BoH staff than the waiter), the manager who is doing nothing but sitting in the office telling people to leave them alone their busy even when in reality they're watching youtube clips and every other waiter in the place, some of whom may have caused you offense. Plus the service charge is not optional, if you don't leave the service charge the management takes it out of the waiting staff's wages. Yeah ouch lets say it's a 100 pound bill thats 10 pounds gone if there are 20 staff for the entire restaurant (and in reality it's likely more) they're going to be lucky to see even 50p of that back.

I am wholly of the opinion that if the service is crap do not leave a tip, in fact if the service is THAT bad speak to a manager. However when some poor waiter/waitress has busted their balls/boobs often picking up burns from super hot plates/pans and generally done an excellent service then yes tipping should be if not enforced then at least the social norm (which thankfully it is) I can understand not tipping in say KFC or Mc Donalds where pay is a lot higher than minimum but a lot of people don't see why they should tip in Pizza Hut but should in Pizza Express (because Pizza Express or Bella Italia is somehow a proper restaurant?) DK said last night that he feels PH is a fast food outlet, but I don't call 20 - 40 mins for food fast food thats full service restaurant times which is where I happen to work.

As for doing what you like with your money? Sure but remember, waiting staff are humans too they're not doing their job for love of it but for the money made. They also have memories like the rest of the human race does and can remember what people look/sound like and how they speak to the staff and I can tell you from experience of being a waiter, if you are a :bou::bou::bou::bou:ty customer or you don't tip and leave a huge mess in the restaurant pray you don't get staff who were working that time when you next go in they will generally remember you and well just think, we prepare your food out of sight of customers and it's very easy for stuff to happen to it. Same goes, if you are a good customer and leave a nice tip maybe not a huge tip but a decent one say 3 pounds minimum is a decent enough tip for the average bill you will be remembered and people will honestly do their best to have you on their sections again and to serve you because you're easy and leave good tips your service will be even better and if there is anything wrong with the food prior to serving the waiting staff will fix it even if it means they must go downstairs and do something like put it in the oven for a few more minutes themselves.

It pays to tip people remember this.

[Breine]

Okay, I'll go into this tipping thing: It totally depends on where you're from!

I know people from the US tip a lot, and that's fine. No problem there. But in Denmark we just don't tip that much. The only times we tip is when we feel like we've had a really good service, and if that's not the case, we just don't tip. And it's totally fine not to. Nobody's gonna be like "Ugh, that cheap jerk" or whatever, 'cause it's just as normal not to tip as it is to actually do it.

Sure, it can be argued it depends on where you're eating (i.e. if it's a fancy restaurant or whatever) and so on, but really... it depends on where you're from. Different countries have different customs on tipping.


EDIT:

Oh, and I don't like it when people eat with their mouths open, or chew their food noisily.

[Madame Adequate]

In the US, some states have lower minimum wages for restaurant staff because tipping is so expected and culturally ingrained that it's expected they'll make their money from it. So for people for whom tipping is not expected or expected only in classy places/where the service was exceptional, the US style is a little weird, but for people who expect to tip pretty much anywhere classier than BUrger King not tipping is a little weird.

For my part I tip pretty much anywhere that's Pizza Hut and up, but if the service is bad I might not.

[Heath]

Quin is Mr. Pink.

Iceglow: If you think minimum wage isn't enough, the staff shouldn't rely on customers to top up their wages, they should raise the minimum wage. Why should people who work in restaurants get boosted up above minimum wage when there are many other people in other vocations who earn minimum wage and society doesn't expect you to tip them? Tipping to top-up incomes justifies the current system and if you think that isn't working then I think you've taken the wrong approach. Now, I agree with tipping and always do tip, but I also think it's unfair that society deems some people worthy of tips and others not.

[Rodarian]

I did a stint at working at a restaurant... Got paid around 12 bucks an hour and an average of 5 dollar a tip. I left after four months because the boss was really an ass and he cut corners... Now since I come from a well to do family , working at the restaurant was to earn some spending money..Obviously my parents ain't going to give me money to by that Diesel tracks I want, so I earn for it.


I'm a generous tipper and like Jojee, pay the 15% 20% on either lunch or dinner..For course we all go dutch on this but the collective should be at that percentage..Some of my snooty friends balk at that but I simply say that if you can go to this swanky restaurant and literally pay $55 per head..Yea you can tip a little more..

[Old Manus]

Oh God forbid anyone spend an extra couple of quid on service after a meal!

[Jiro]

I have never been anywhere where you could tip. Either because there is no service or because they all disappear before you have a chance to give them anything.

I only tip with a smile at fast food joints. ;D

[LunarWeaver]

I think we should tip based on how attractive the person is.

[rubah]

Restaurant wait staff minimum wage: $2.75/hr
Everyone else's mimimum wage: $7.50/hr

therein lies the rub!

[Quindiana Jones]

Iceglows stuff.

Pretty much exactly what I've been saying, except that I say the stigma attached to not tipping is crap.

Also, a $2.75 an hour wage is the governments problem and, as Heath says, the minimum wage clearly needs to be increased. Employees shouldn't be forced to live off of an optional benefit.

[LunarWeaver]

I want to post more small-misery that isn't remotely funny but at this point I don't know what to do.

[Iceglow]

Minimum wage definitely does need raising thats true. And I don't discount places where tipping is not socially acceptable. Theres actually very few trades where minimum wage is actually used, most trades including retail tend to use higher than minimum wage. All the jobs I have done/known people to do where they are paid min wage is a job with either Tips or Commision. These jobs primarily are:

Waiting
Hairdressing
Marketing (low level stuff where you're actually selling the crap like credit cards by ASDA)

This is obviously something of a pattern. Whilst most companies where tips are not expected or given normally you earn way above minimum wage but even though people are always saying that regardless of your job you should get more than the minimum wage nobody dares to raise the min wage per hour to something like 7 pounds. The companies where the staff can be expected to earn commission or tips are often paying as many staff as possible the minimum to maximize profits, which is pretty wrong really. I also hold down a job with HMV I earn around 8 pounds an hour there, you can really see the difference, my 2 jobs are approximately 2 - 3 miles apart and it takes 5 - 10 minutes to cross the distance by London Underground and yet the drop in pay is nearly 3 pounds an hour.

I have to admit I disagree with the idea of a service charge. I am a very good waiter in my job, I've said this before it's true and no one likes someone who blows their own trumpet it sounds arrogant. However my competition isn't all that stiff really when you consider I am the only English person working in my restaurant and whilst a few have excellent command of the English language a vast majority of the staff do not, I also have many years of customer service skill to draw upon in tougher environments than a restaurant where as most of the people I work with are students or on their first job. In the company measurement of how good waiters are called CHAMPS I often receive glowing reports and high scores, the company wants to make a manager out of me, something I have considered but without guarantees on hours ect cannot opt in for. The reason why I disagree with the idea of charging service charges I don't feel I should split my hard earnt tips with a waitress who wasn't on the shift, ís not as good as me at her job, does not smile to the customer no matter how hectic her day is, gets complaints made about her ect ect. I believe in tipping the people who matter to you. If I served any of you and got a tip you expect me to get the tip not for me to then share it with 30 other people, most of whom I never work with.

Still Heath I'd love to go see the minimum wage raised to at least 7 pounds an hour. In fact I'd vote for it. However what the government gives out it also takes back, one way or another. If they raised the minimum wage we earn to 7 pounds per hour (excluding tips which was a horrible practise by barbaric companies and thankfully now in the UK it's illegal to make a staff members wages up to minimum wage and beyond with tips) then undoutedbly they would raise the income tax and in the end we'd still be back to square 1. Not that the wages in my second job (Pizza Hut being the second job) matter to me much, it's not what I earn per hour what really keeps me going it's my tips. My wages are already nuked by the government who take a full cut of income tax and national insurance contributions because you cannot apply your tax code to two jobs only one of them is covered by your tax allowance per year. Sure I am entitled to a rebate but claiming the tax back is made as easy as acquiring blood from a lump of granite.

[Heath]

I believe there are calls in some quarters to abolish the idea of a 'minimum' wage and bring in a 'living' wage. I think that might be by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which, each year, puts together a report on how much it is required to 'live' upon, which includes things like having a social life and owning a car and stuff that might normally be overlooked. In fairness, some local government authorities are doing their bit to help people during the recession; I believe Glasgow City Council recently upped their minimum wage to £7 for all staff, which I think is certainly a step in the right direction. As a Labour voter, I honestly feel that the minimum wage does need to be increased but due to the financial climate I strongly doubt that we'll see this happen by the hand of this government and strongly doubt we'll see anything other than rises in line with inflation by a Tory government. The income tax has already been raised to 20% and people will scream bloody murder before you see a basic rate above that.

Also in fairness when I claimed back income tax all it took was a phonecall to my local HMRC office and I got a cheque through the post several weeks later. I had no hassle whatsoever.

I don't agree with you that few jobs pay simply minimum wage. In London they won't be because the cost of living is much higher and employers couldn't get away with paying that. Wages are also significantly higher in London than in other parts of the country. I live in Wales which has the lowest average income in Britain and - trust me - you'll be lucky to find a job for a young person that pays more than £6 an hour. As far as I can tell, most major retailers, including the one I am currently working for over the summer, pay minimum wage and wages a mere 50 minutes down the road in Liverpool are often £3-4k more than they are in Wales. Within the same bloody company. Though it would be highly unbecoming of me to tell you that that company is Arriva.

[Rye]

Restaurant wait staff minimum wage: $2.75/hr
Everyone else's mimimum wage: $7.50/hr

therein lies the rub!

Pretty much what rubahdubdub said, ja!

If you don't tip, these people don't make money. Especially in this economy, where these people make less tips than ever. Not tipping is a huge drain on the economy, and inevitably, you will suffer from it in turn. It's a fact, economists talk about it quite often in media. That's how I look at it.

Besides, if I go out to dinner or get my nails done or whatever, the amount of tip expected is never more than 3 or 4 dollars, so it's hardly a big deal. The only time I'll tip more than that is when I get my hair done (I tip 7 or 8 dollars then), because the woman who cuts my hair is a master.

[Quindiana Jones]

People tip at hairdressers now?? But they charge so much!

[Breine]

People tip at hairdressers now?? But they charge so much!

qft.

But then again it must be an American thing. But hey, if the minimum wage for waiters and such is so low in America, I agree that tipping is fine and dandy.

[Quindiana Jones]

To be honest, I wasn't aware that the minimum wage there was so low. That's ridiculous. I still don't think you should be hated for not tipping though.

[Breine]

Yeah, the minimum wage is really low in the States compared to here, where it's like $16.5 an hour no matter what job you have.

[Rodarian]

I think I;ll be moving to Denmark instead heading back to Toronto!

[Rantz]

What are some things that make you go argh or make you roll your eyes internally?

People asking you to bring threads back on topic. :shobon:

[Seraphic]

Running into your children while dining with your extramarital lover.
Not having anyone sign your High School yearbook.
Parents who have favorite children.
Babies crying in movie theaters.

[LunarWeaver]

Not having anyone sign your High School yearbook.

This one made me :mamu: lol. This is my favorite so far.

[Caraliz]

Running into your children while dining with your extramarital lover.
Not having anyone sign your High School yearbook.
Parents who have favorite children.
Babies crying in movie theaters.
you can LEAVE if it's in a movie theater. what about an airplane?! UGH.

[~*~Celes~*~]

People tip at hairdressers now?? But they charge so much!

I paid mine $20 *shrug* She did a great job and she wasn't my usual.

People who take absolutely NOTHING seriously. They drive me nuts >:[

[Seraphic]

Running into your children while dining with your extramarital lover.
Not having anyone sign your High School yearbook.
Parents who have favorite children.
Babies crying in movie theaters.
you can LEAVE if it's in a movie theater. what about an airplane?! UGH.

While true, I would still be a little miffed that I had to leave because of some stupid baby.

[LunarWeaver]

Opening your wallet to find you don't have as much money in there as you thought.

The radio turning to static just as your favorite song comes on.

Paper cuts.

Direct-to-video movies.

Perez Hilton.