A Banker Leaves a 1% Tip to Show Disdain for 99%

Frieds:

Although, there was this time were I was out and we accidentally under-tipped the waiter. Short was there, and he should vouch for this. We were at some Mexican restaurant in the city. There were 6 of us, so when we split the bill, it was split 5 ways as I paid for everyone's drinks at the bar we met up at. We paid in cash and some how we all fucked up the math and left a smaller tip than we thought we were actually leaving and the waiter called us out on it. It was embarrassing as hell, but it was a legitimate math mistake on our part. We couldn't figure out how much 20% was and divide it across the board.

Whether it was a calculation error or not, a waiter/waitress should never call the patrons out on a low (or lower) tip - that's extremely unprofessional. A tip by definition is not mandatory and is up to the patron's discretion. Of course in North America, tips are more or less expected for a service (unless it was substandard - and even then it's just a lower tip) and it's considered poor form if you don't tip and you're shamed by society. I personally don't agree with this practice. I think your standard service is included in the price you paid, and the tip should be rewarded for better-than-standard-service. (I'm sure I'll get crap for this from some wso monkeys who used to bartend or wait tables...) That said, I tip accordingly to the place I'm in, and give more for excellent service.

I remember in Japan, I was told tipping can be considered rude and is not expected. And service was always excellent - whether I was at a high end restaurant or a tiny mom n' pop ramen shop. (If you want to show your gratitude, apparently a small gift - maybe a foreign one - is appreciated. I didn't have any gifts from home, so I bought them drinks.) While I know in US/Canada tips are expected, possibly because servers are supposedly underpaid and make their pay in tips... I'm sure servers in Japan aren't exactly paid 15-20% more to make up for lack of tips.

But anyway, yes, the guy in the story's a real asshat. Way to further throw fuel to the 'wall-street-is-evil' fire

john2:

He's no worse than the contradicting liberal hippie.

You're comparing apples and oranges. It doesn't compute. This guy could be a liberal hippy in the 1% or this guy could be a right wing gun nut in the 1%. This is a move abject of any political motive. You just don't tip a shitty amount no matter what side of the aisle you are on.

RagnarDanneskjold:

My pet peeve when it comes to this stuff: people that tip 15%; as if that's acceptable. 15% is the absolute floor at which you should tip, and that should be for dogshit service. People don't realize that all of the money doesn't just go to your waiter/waitress but also the bartender/sommelier, runners, and bus boys that are probably busting ass.

Exactly, 18% for poor service and 20% for the service that is expected. If service is outstanding I'll leave over 20%

ekimlacks:

Yeah, Kodak, because before I eat my meal they always run my credit card first....

lol, no but if the guy visits again you'll know who he is...

maybe too much work tho - but just post up the name next to the credit machine until you have a pic...

or offer complementary desert...

BihFriend:

While I am hoping that this story is true (I always love it when an asshole gets nailed), I have my doubts about this one. And that would be a shame, because the unadulterated truth about the 1% is enough to make most people's (read that: a voting majority's) skin crawl. And, fabricating stories won't help the cause.

BUT, try to imagine the scenario: irate employee decides to tempt fate and creates a blog to write about how nasty his boss is. That in itself is a little bit of a stretch. I can imagine a lot of situations where one would provoke a boss to fire him - and a possible motivation (in Germany, you get unemployment benefits right away if you are fired, not if you quit). However, outing your boss publicly is asking for a defamation of character suit. Still, I can imagine such a blog being created, and done in such a was that is anonymous enough to keep such charges from sticking.

What really gets me is the picture. It looks like someone spent $134.87 to make his blog famous. That is a cheap price for 15 minutes of fame. Imagine the scenario: you are sitting down to lunch with the boss-you-despise (happens every day). He picks up the tab (again, common, it is the company paying, not the boss). Boss goes into a choleric rant, tips 1% and writes something insulting on the receipt (could happen, many of us have had choleric bosses, some with this amount of asshole potential). You whip out your camera (OK, these days it could be your cellphone) and manage to get a decent shot of the receipt without your boss noticing. This is the part where I get suspicious. The guy needed to have the combination of motive (grudge with boss), PLUS the means (the camera and the receipt and the already existing blog and twitter site), PLUS the opportunity (the time to execute the picture before having to leave or the receipt being collected). Think about the blog and twitter sites that frame this story so well. Too well, imho. Both of these quickly disappear as soon as the story goes viral. One reason for the disappearing web presences could be that the author is trying to avoid said defamation suit. My guess though is that the online sites had enough logical flaws (over what timeline did the sites exist, in what way was the scenario "built" to lead up to this incident, what other kind of supporting information was provided) that the veracity of the story would have been decimated.

This is what I think happened: two guys (perhaps a few more) manufactured the whole incident. They ran up a $133 bill at said restaurant (perhaps it was four people who split the tab amongst themselves) and one takes the picture for his blog and twitter account. I am guessing that the server wasn't in on the gag. (I am hoping that, if my guess is correct, they were human enough to also leave a cash tip. But, I would suspect that to play out the scenario as authentically as possible, they didn't.) The idea, according to this theory, is to ACTIVATE THE RAGE MACHINE.

This is a tactic that we have seen employed so often, and the conservatives have become so effective at manufacturing pseudo rage to mobilize their base. The conservatives are the crowned royalty of manufactured rage. Let them keep THAT title. Most of that is fake and is playing to the camera (see Mitt Romney). Friends, we need to stick to real rage, and lord knows, there is enough to get enraged about.

I HOPE THAT I AM WRONG about this one, but call me a skeptic this time.

Nice call...

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/banker-insulting-waitress-tip-…

heister:

I tip based on the level of service. I once had a waitress who mocked me to my face. I left a negative tip, I left my phone # on the bill and the manager called me and bitched about it. I calmly told him what happened during my visit and told him how I would not be returning to that establishment. He apologized and agreed it was correct after the waitress behavior that she should make up the difference on the bill. Needless to say I have never returned and I received several nasty texts and calls from the girl untill I blocked her #.

What did she do to mock you? Tell everyone she had 50mil?

mikebrady:

leaving a negative tip is illegal...what were your health concerns? were they the same as mine? when i go to the Dennys I always ask for the Rutti Tutti fresh and fruity minus the hair that the short order cooks always seem to oh so happily supply

Leaving a negative tip is not illegal, it is illegal for the establishment to run your card for a different number then you indicate on your total. The establishment can come after you to rectify the situation.

[quote=Nobama88]I knew this bullshit was a scam... what a fucking joke.

The tip was a FRAUD.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/02/27/wealthy-banker-leaves-one-per…] I hope bankers find the fraud and shit in a bag and light it on fire on their doorstep.