Thank to all the servers, bartenders and patrons who contacted me and/or left comments on LasVegasWeekly.com last week, in response to the story we did on tips/gratuities.
For some reason, that story really struck a chord with a lot of you. Seems like all of you hold strong beliefs on the subject and have been waiting for the right forum to share those beliefs.
The thing that struck me about the responses was that most readers took the story as a validation of their already-held beliefs, regardless of what those beliefs are. Servers who feel under-tipped thought I was on "their side," as did those who felt taken advantage of by servers.
Just goes to show ya, if you write enough, people will take from it whatever they want. But don’t take my word for it; ask the Bible.
Here are some of the reader responses from LasVegasWeekly.com and Facebook:
From Paul M.: You hit it on the nose with the foreign tourists! The tipping procedure in Las Vegas especially should be added to the pre-flight emergency instructions when foreigners board their planes headed for Las Vegas. Thank you to the French, Germans and Brits who pay attention! It should have also been addressed that when your bill is discounted with a comp, coupon or other discount you should tip on the full amount of the check not the balance from deducting said discounts. Getting free drinks with a coupon then tip at least $1/DRINK. I observed at one casino bar patrons giving the bar staff drink tickets for their stay and they weren't even leaving a dime!
From Andrea G.: What a a GREAT article. I have been a hair and makeup artist for 22 years and born and raised in this WONDERFUL CITY! In this CITY we are ALL servers... I love knowing that I am taking care of the person taking care of me!! They introduce themselves... I introduce myself. When we are in each others space we have to RESPECT IT!
From Pragmatic D.: People take bartending and other tip related jobs based on the preconceived notion that they will be able to makes lots of money from tips since they're making minimum wage. And then when the tips do not roll in as fast as they want, or someone is "cheap" and decides not to tip them they as much as THEY think they deserve, they get mad. Pretty sure you picked the job yourself... If you want a job where you know exactly how much you're going to get paid, find a job not based on a variable like tips. And with all the extra time left over from not complaining about NOT getting as many tips as YOU think you should get, you could probably get a SECOND job too! ... (plus your bitterness is unattractive).
From Janilla I.: This is a great article, Rick. I think everyone should have to work in the service industry at one point or another just to see and live what it is all about. I served in a state where our hourly pay was only $2.13 an hour... Talk about rough! I hope everyone sees this story, reads it, and puts it's wisdom into action. There aren't enough pages in the Weekly to describe the horror stories and hardships of working as a tipped employee! Thanks for addressing the issue!
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