If I recieve bad or just "average" service I probably wont tip. I don't think people should automatically get tipped, this is wrong. If people think they barely have to do their job and still get tips, they will never bother trying to improve.
If I think someone deserves that bit extra, then I am a very generous tipper.
Here's a question, raised by Mr Pink, why do we feel the need to tip waitresses, yet you'd never ***** of tipping a guy at mcdonalds? Even though he's probably working just as hard.
Well I worked as a waitress in Indiana and I only made 3.00 dollars an hour, tips are what I lived off of.
Now the way I tip depends on quite a bit of things actually. If the service was downright shitty and it was the waiter/waitresses fault, then they dont really get anything. I mean like when the place is empty and it takes them 20 minutes on a refill because they are too busy talking to actually work kind of thing. Now if they are slow and the place is packed to where each waiter has 6 tables at a time, I'm going to be a little more understanding.
If I have great service the tip will be great.
Now when I'm in California my tips aren't as high as when im in Kentucky or most other states because California pays their waiters and waitresses minimum wage (which is like 8.50 right now) plus tips. In almost all other states they only make between 2.50 and like 4 bucks.
Also I'm no millionaire and sometimes theres more month left at the end of the money but If I have to go out when Im like flat broke (ie:a friends birthday or something) and I can only tip 1.50 because thats seriously all I have to spare, then they need to take that and stop all the huffing and puffing about a bad tip. Especially when your with a group of like 5 or more, its like come on now, your obviously getting more than one tip so stop your bitching.
When I was a waitress I worked damn hard for my tips and I'm not just gonna give a waitress a good tip because 'I've been there' they still need to earn it.
(Funny side story really quick, when I was on a date for valentines day at this restaurant Don Pablos they were so packed and I was looking for a job so I filled out an application and the manager came down like while I was on my date and basically interviewed me then told me I was hired and could start the next day, well after she left I obviously apologized for taking time away from our date and he said, 'well **** if I'd known you were gonna get a job at the place I took you to for dinner, we woulda went to Hooters!' lol I thought it was funny :o)