"Are You Being Served?"

[magnolia]

  blind lemon higgins said:

Do you think there would be any effect of paying the "tip" in cash instead of having it added to your credit/debit card automatically?

I always pay the tip in cash, you *never* know where the credit card tip is going to end up. Most of my friends paid their university expenses by waiting tables - some are still supporting their other careers this way.

[macrosan]

  magnolia said:

  blind lemon higgins said:

Do you think there would be any effect of paying the "tip" in cash instead of having it added to your credit/debit card automatically?

I always pay the tip in cash, you *never* know where the credit card tip is going to end up. Most of my friends paid their university expenses by waiting tables - some are still supporting their other careers this way.

I noticed in Italy and Belgium that they have a different "custom" from England and the USA. The procedure seems to go like this.

The waiter brings the bill, I give him my credit card. He brings back the credit card slip for me to sign, I start to write in the tip amount, and he says "Oh no, sorry, I have already posted the transaction and I cannot add the tip". So I give him cash.

Actually, I quite like that. Makes the tipping process more direct, and more personal.